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* The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that covers more than 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) throughout France and bordering countries.
* The race usually lasts 23 days and attracts cyclists from around the world. It is broken down into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times to finish each stage are added together to determine the overall winner at the end of the race.
* The rider with the least elapsed time at the end of each day wears the prestigious yellow jersey. The course changes every year but it has always finished in Paris, and in more recent years along the Champs-Élysées.
* The first Tour was in 1903. Sixty riders covered 2,500 kilometres during 19 days on the basic cycle machinery of the day. There were only six stages and no set breaks for sleep. Competitors were expected to ride through the night.
* The idea of the Tour was to sell copies of L'Auto newspaper, a publicity stunt that was such a success it destroyed the paper's rival Le Velo in the process.
* The 1904 Tour nearly killed off the whole idea, such was the poor behaviour and outright cheating that went on. Fans left nails in the road in front of their favourites' rivals while competitors themselves riders took car trips and even train rides.
* In 1905 harsh mountain roads were added to the race. The Ballon d'Alsace is not the worst obstacle these days, but was the first big climb on any Tour. René Pottier was the first rider to the top, and he won the Tour in 1906. Didn’t make him happy though: he hanged himself from the hook used to store his bike before the 1907 race.
* World War One’s arrival stopped the Tour for four years, and two former winners, Lapize and Faber, were among the young men of Europe to perish in the conflict.
* The first race after the war saw the introduction of the yellow jersey. The first leader to which it was offered rejected it as he thought it would make him an easier target for rivals. He wore a green armband instead.
* In 1924, Ottavia Bottechia became the first Italian winner, and when he repeated the victory a year later he became one of his country's major sporting figures. In 1927 he was murdered while out on a training ride.
* After almost three decades the Tour's father announced radical changes for 1930: Cycle manufacturers' teams were replaced by national squads of eight riders and everyone had to ride identical bikes.
* In 1937 the new Derailleur gear system was introduced. This allowed riders to change gears without removing their wheels. Until then competitors had to get off and turn their wheel around every time the road changed from uphill to downhill.
* Tour founder Henri Desgrange died in 1940.
* Frenchman Jacques Anquetil won an unprecedented five Tours between 1957 and 1964, but despite this was never popular in France.
* Oddly, Anquetil’s arch rival of the era, Raymond Poulidor was hugely popular after a succession of near-misses. The ‘Eternal Second’ finished runner-up five times, and third in three further Tours without even wearing the yellow jersey.
* Charly Gaul, from Luxembourg, won the race in 1958, but later became a hermit and refused all contact with the outside world.
* During the 1960s the Tour changed back to sponsored teams.
* In 1967, tragedy struck and the Tour was tainted by a doping scandal. Tom Simpson was the best British rider of his day. Amphetamines were found on Simpson’s body and in his blood, but he actually died due to the heat as he crossed Mont Ventoux. His death led to the first drug testing in 1968.
* Eddy Merckx of Belgium won in 1969, a stunning debut that earned him the nickname ‘cannibal’, as he devoured everything in his path. Merckx dominated the cycling world, winning 250 major races - one a week for six years.
* In 1975 Merckx was finally beaten by Bernard Thevenet, after Merckx had been punched and knocked from his bike by a jealous French fan. This was the first year that the race finished along the Champs Elysees
* Bernard Hinault, who won on his debut in 1978, was not as good as Merckx, but he did dominate for five years, winning in '78, ’79, ’81 and ’82. Also in this year Michel Pollentier was disqualified for faking urine test in 1978
* Greg Lemond won three Tours in the 1980s, an era which also saw Irishman Stephen Roche win in 1987.
* The 1990s were the era of Miguel Indurain. Indurain's physique was almost unique, with a resting heartbeat of 29 bpm and lungs which could scoop up eight litres of air. He won five in a row, from 1991 to 1995.
* Lance Armstrong won the first of his seven consecutive Tours in 1999.
THE TOUR BY NUMBERS
* Seven - Most Tour wins. Lance Armstrong. And he won them consecutively 1999-2005.
* 123,900 - calories burned by a rider in the course of the Tour
* 324,000 at 60rpm, 486,000 at 90rpm - number of pedal strokes taken per rider over the Tour.
* 792 - total number of tyres used by the peloton.
* Ten - fewest ever finishers (1919, out of 69 starters)
* 34 - most stages won by a single rider, career total (Eddy Merckx - 1969, six stages plus overall; 1970: eight stages plus overall; 1971: four stages plus overall; 1972: six stages plus overall; 1974: eight stages plus overall; 1975: two stages)
* Eight - most number of stages won on single Tour (Charles Pelissier, 1930 - Eddy Merckx, 1970 and 1974 - Freddy Maertens, 1976)
* Eight - most riders to wear yellow jersey in one Tour (1987)
* 96 - most days spent in yellow jersey (Eddy Merckx in seven Tours)
* 28 minutes 27 seconds - biggest winning margin (Fausto Coppi over Stan Ockers, 1952)
* Eight seconds - smallest winning margin (American Greg LeMond over Laurent Fignon in 1989)
* 22 minutes 50 seconds - biggest winning margin on stage win (Jose Luis Viejo, 1976)
* 55.152 kph over 7.2km - fastest prologue (Chris Boardman, 1994)
* Seven - highest total number of "King of the Mountains" victories (Richard Virenque)
* 40.276 kph - fastest average over entire Tour (Lance Armstrong, 1999)
* 36 - age of oldest winner (Firmin Lambot, 1922)
* 20 - age of youngest winner (Henri Cornet, 1904)
* 16 - most times Tour finished by one rider (Joop Zoetemelk, 1970 and 1986)
* Four - racers who have died while competing in Le Tour de France. French racer Adolphe Helière drowned at the French Riviera during a rest day in 1910. In 1935: Spanish racer Francisco Cepeda plunged down a ravine on the Col du Galibier. In 1967 Tom Simpson died of heart failure during the ascent of Mont Ventoux. And in 1995 Fabio Casartelli crashed while descending the Col de Portet d'Aspet.
* Four – non-riders who have been killed in accidents following the Tour. In 1957 motorcycle rider Rene Wagter and passenger Alex Virot, a journalist for Radio-Luxembourg, went off a road in mountains near Ax-les-Thermes. 1958 official Constant Wouters died after an accident with sprinter André Darrigade. In 2000 12-year-old from Ginasservis was hit by a car in the Tour de France publicity caravan And in 2002 a seven-year-old boy, Melvin Pompele, died near Retjons after running in front of the caravan.
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