Tour de France Betting
The Tour de France is the most famous cycling series in the entire world. More people watch the Tour de France than any other cycling event other than the contests held during the Olympic Games.
Tour de France betting is a huge market because it covers the different stages that are held each July over a three week period. The races cover a distance of greater than 3,600 kilometres which means there is plenty of value on the betting market and space for things to change.
What makes the Tour de France the same is that the stages are never the same. They always change with every races series which means it gets harder for the same individual to retain the yellow jersey. The Tour de France is home to some legends in cycling such as Lance Armstrong who has won the series a record seven times.
Tour de France History
Tour de France history dates back to before the 20th Century when many different race series were held all over France. The first official Tour de France took place in 1903 when five stages were held between May 31 and June 5.
Tour de France history first saw cyclists racing through the night and into the next afternoon. This was to counter the intense heat during the day where the first stages in Tour de France history were held.
Tour de France history has evolved over time with a number of changes being made around the years of war to encourage participation and awareness of cycling. Races were made shorter after the first Tour de France to increase the number of participants, the entry fee for the series was also axed.
From 1936 stages were held as often as up to three times in a single day. Cyclists complained over this scheduling which means the format changed to a single stage race per day.
Format and Rules of Tour de France
The format and rules of the Tour de France are very simple. There are a total of 21 stages with two rest days sandwiched at intervals over the three weeks. There is one individual time trial and one team trial with all the other races being individually based.
There are different classifications in the Tour de France which include the general classification and a points classification. The general classification is time based; the rider with the lowest accumulative time through all stages is the winner of the tour and wears the yellow jersey. The cyclist with the greatest number of accumulative points wears a different colour jersey.
There are other classifications such as the leading mountain cyclist and the leading young cyclist. Each classification has a different coloured jersey attached to it that cyclists are entitled to wear.
Stages of Tour de France
The stages of Tour de France were initially designed to run around the perimeter of the country so they would stay away from the densely populated areas. However, the 21 stages of the 2011 Tour de France will cover all parts of the country.
These 21 stages of Tour de France will cover a distance of 3,460 kilometres. The shortest distance of the stages in Tour de France is 2,428 kilometres in 1904 and the longest accumulative distance stands at 5,745 kilometres in 1926.
Tour de France Records
Tour de France records are highly sought after in the cycling world. Any cyclist that holds a record in the Tour de France should put this record alongside every other achievement and rank it higher, other than a record in the Olympic Games.
Tour de France records are held by some of the greatest cyclists in history and only a handful of individuals have won the series more than one or two times; Phillip Thys (3), Louison Bobet (3), Jacques Anquetil (5), Eddy Merckx (5), Bernard Hinault (5), Greg Lemond (3), Miguel Indurain (5), Lance Armstrong (7) and Alberto Contador (3).
Tour de France Controversy
Tour de France controversy has appeared many times throughout the history of the race. The series has been affected by strikes and disqualifications due to a variety of reasons that has subsequently had an impact on who has won each stage.
The most famous incidents of Tour de France controversy have come in 1904 (12 riders disqualified for illegal use of cars and trains), 1925 (strikers over the amount of food being eaten by each cyclist), 1950 (two Italian teams went home after one cyclist was threatened by a fan with a knife), 1990 (farmers blockaded a section of a stage) and a string of decades in the 2000s owing to positive drugs tests.
Prize Money in Tour de France
Prize Money in Tour de France has always been awarded. The winner of the series receives in the region of half a million Euros while the winner of each stages receives between eight and ten thousand Euros. The amount has increased regularly throughout the history of the race series.