PARIS - France 2014 - page 179

Le Tour de France
On one day every July, the Champs-Elysées is the focus of the world's sports fans,
when it serves as the finish line of the Tour de France cycle race. For three weeks,
French sporting life comes to a standstill as the Tour de France whizzes across the
nation's landscape and television screens, pushing the world's top cyclists to their
physical extremes and fans to the edges of their seats. What began in 1903 as a six-
day publicity stunt for a cycling newspaper—in the era of wood-framed bikes and
wine-and-cigarette breaks—has since grown into the sport's most prestigious race:
a grueling 21-day, 2,000-mile test of strength and stamina, fueled by cutting-edge
equipment and training regimens.
The route changes each year (and usually spills into a neighboring country or
two), but always finishes here on the Champs-Elysées. The riders cycle slowly into
Paris from its outskirts, savoring the views. Then, as they approach the city cen-
ter, the race begins in earnest. Up and down the Champs-Elysées they go, making
several laps. Thousands of spectators line the street, cheering them on. Finally, the
cyclists speed down the boulevard one last time and cross the finish line, spilling
into the Place de la Concorde. The winner takes a slow victory lap, followed by the
peloton (the pack), to acknowledge the crowd and then stops at a makeshift podium
at the base of the street. There he's declared champion and raises his fists in salute,
exalted by the dramatic backdrop of the Arc de Triomphe.
Professional cycling is hugely popular in France, and while the Tour's on, me-
dia coverage is inescapable (despite—or perhaps thanks to—recent doping scan-
dals). If you're here in July, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement. Casual
spectators can appreciate the Tour's athletic demands and visual appeal, as cyclists
travel in high-speed, multicolored packs through some of Europe's most scenic
landscapes. But serious fans also love the complex, overlapping tests of speed, en-
durance, and strategy.
The long race is divided into daily stages, during which riders compete both as
individuals and as members of their nine-man team. While the Tour produces only
one overall winner, cycling is very much a team sport, and each member is critical
(the loss of any rider along the way generally dooms a team's chances).
Minimizingairresistance iskeytostrategy,andridersspendmostofeachstage
“drafting” behind domestiques (“servants,” usually young riders still paying their
dues),whotaketurnspedalinginfront.Theteam'sconstantinternalmaneuveringis
a matter of choreographed precision, aimed at minimizing fatigue...and the chance