Tour de France 101

Have you ever watched a stage of the Tour de France? I didn't think so. I would venture to say that most Americans haven't. Even so, a lot of Americans still know who Lance Armstrong is and what his claim to fame is. Interesting, huh?

I don't know why I enjoy it. Maybe because it's a sport and I enjoy watching most sports (baseball being a HUGE exception). I also work with a couple of die-hard cyclists. A couple of years ago, when Lance was going for his record-setting 7th win, these co-workers invited several of us to their home to watch a stage. During that evening, I learned SO MUCH about the sport. As I watch a replay of Stage 9 this evening, I'm inspired to share a few things with you.

How long is the Tour de France?

There are 21 stages over 23 days (two rest days tossed in there). Added together, those stages make up 3,500 kilometers. This year there are 10 flat stages, 7 mountain stages, 1 medium mountain stage, 2 individual time trials, and one team time trial. The last stage is traditionally considered celebratory. The man who is wearing yellow when they start the last stage is normally the leader throughout that stage.

What on earth is a 'peloton'?

It's a French word, go figure. It means 'platoon'. And it represents the largest group of riders. Anyone finishing the race with the peloton, finishes with the same time. So, even if the peloton takes 20 seconds to cross the finish line, the last member of the peloton has the same finishing time as the first member of the peloton. If you're not part of a lead group, you definitely want to be a part of the peloton.

Why do the cyclists ride in groups?

To use a NASCAR word, it's called drafting. By doing so, riders use up to 30% less energy to do the same work. With the stages being as grueling as they are, conserving as much energy as possible is a very good thing.

What is the 'gruppetto'?

It is an Italian word meaning 'small group'. This is the group of riders at the back of the race...usually on mountain stages. Their pace is usually just fast enough to finish within the day's time limit (a varying percentage of the stage winner's time). This group is normally made up of injured riders that are simply trying to finish the stage with a valid time.

Everyone has a role...

A team is made up of nine cyclists, but not everyone on the team is trying to win. In fact, most teams have only ONE member who has ANY chance of winning. (This is not the case with this year's Astana team, which includes Lance Armstrong. There are four members of that team in the top six at this point in the race.) The team member that's expected to vie for the victory is called the leader. But the leader couldn't do it without the rest of his team. The duties of the team riders, or domestiques, include:

• riding 'tempo' at the front of the pack to control the pace and prevent riders from rival teams from taking the lead
• ride in a position to protect the leader from the wind
• slowing down or dropping behind the pack in order to fetch fresh water or food for the leader from the team car
• stopping when the leader has a punctured tire or other mechanical problem, or if the leader has an accident, in order to pace him back to the peloton
• during these types of stops, they may even give up a tire or their entire bike in order to get the leader back into the race, if the team car doesn't catch up to them quickly

The Jerseys
Even those that aren't Tour de France followers know that it's all about getting the yellow jersey. The yellow jersey goes to the one man that has the lowest combined time for all stages completed to date. But did you know that there are other jerseys as well?

• Yellow - race leader based on overall time for all completed stages
• Green - overall points leader based on points awarded according to the passing order on the intermediate sprints and at the finish line
• Red Polka Dots - (AKA King of the Mountain), best time for mountain ascents
• White - identifies the first young rider up to age 25 in the overall standings

You might consider watching a stage. With this information, you'll at least have some idea of what's going on. But tomorrow (Monday) is one of the two rest days. So, you'll have to wait until Tuesday. The LIVE viewing is on first thing in the morning. But you can usually watch the replay in the evening.