Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles
available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Tour de
France is an annual bicycle race that covers approximately 3,500
kilometres (2,200 mi) throughout France and bordering countries. The
race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The
race is broken into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times
to finish each stage are totalled to determine the overall winner at the
end of the race. The rider with the lowest aggregate time at the end of
each day wears a yellow jersey. The course changes every year but it has
always finished in Paris. Since 1975, the climax of the final stage has
been along the Champs-Élysées. The Tour de France is the most well known
and prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours". The other two Grand
Tours are the Giro d'Italia (Italy) held every May and the Vuelta a
España (Spain) held every August-September.
