Tour de France is one of the most famous bicycle races in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than 3.600 kilometres/2.200 miles and lasts for three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling’s three Grand Tours, the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world.

More often than not, domestic television covers the most important stages of the Tour de France, such as those in the mountains, from midmorning until early evening. Coverage of the Tour de France starts with a survey of the route, interviews along the road, discussions on tactics and difficulties and a 30-minute archive feature.

The most famous road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. In October 1996, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer with a tumour that had metastasised to his brain and lungs. Although the treatment was very rough, Lance Armstrong managed to win the Tour de France seven times in a row. The cycling comeback of Lance Armstrong began in 1998 when he finished fourth in the Vuelta a Espana and in the next year, he eventually won the Tour de France.

Doping has always been a controversy in the Tour de France. Early rider consumed alcohol and used ether, to dull the pain. Over the years, they began to increase performance and the Union Cycliste Internationale and governments enacted policies to combat the practice. Doping controversy surrounded even Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, although he has never been formally accused of doping.

One month after Armstrong’s seventh consecutive history, L’Equipe published documents it said showed he had used EPO in the 1999 race. At the same Tour de France race, the urine of Lance Armstrong showed traced of a glucocorticosteroid hormone, although below the positive threshold. He said he had used skin cream containing triamcinolone to treat the saddle sores. Lance Armstrong has been a true inspiration for the other Tour de France competitors, since it is the perfect example of ambition and determination.

The Tour de France is one of the most demanding and challenging competitions in the world. The bicycle race takes place every year in France, and numerous contestants decide to take part at the competition. Since the Tour de France is such an impressive sport event, not everyone is able to complete the race. Still, the ones to win have many reasons to be happy, no matter the efforts they are going to make to obtain these results. Money is one of the most important reasons why bikers decide to take part at the Tour de France. And the Tour de France prizes have actually reached some impressive sums of money.

Prize money offered to the Tour de France winners has increased during the years, since the moment when the first competition of this type was held. During the many competitions held until now, Tour de France winners were offered prizes in money, but you should know that this has not always been a rule. In fact, between 1976 and 1987, the Tour de France winners received as the first place prize an apartment that was offered by a race sponsor. In 1988, the winner of the competition actually received a car, a studio apartment and also a work of art. And that is not all. The winner was also awarded with the sum of 500,000 francs cash. Starting with the 1990s, prizes offered to the Tour de France winners began to formed only by cash.

Throughout the years, the amount of money offered in prizes has grown amazingly. In 2009, the winner received the sum of €450,000. Still, he was not the only racer at the Tour de France who was given an award in money. Each racer until the 21 place was granted the sum of €8,000. Since the sums of money that the Tour de France winners can receive due to their results at the sports competition are quite high, there is no wonder that so many racers make impressive efforts on their attempt to win this important and really challenging race.

Tour de France is the most important competition in the world of cycling. There are many passionate professional cyclers looking to participate in Tour de France and to win the first prize. Over the course of the years, since the first competition of Tour de France, there have been certain instances in which disqualifications took place. These have become rather famous, but have not taken away the importance and the value of this amazing competition. Tour de France has very strict regulations, which prevent the competitors to win through cheating and using tricks that do not follow the rules of fair play. All the instances of this kind that have been discovered have lead to exclusions and disqualifications, during or after the competition.

The first major exclusion took place in the second year of Tour de France, 1904. During the race, the winner of the competition, Maurice Garin, and other eleven riders used alternative means of transport, such as cars and trains. These unworthy actions for the name of the competition lead to their disqualification after the finish line. In 1997, Tom Steels, a Belgian sprinter, was disqualified from the race after throwing his bottle at another rider. The event shown the lack of sportsmanship in some contestants and gained a bad reputation for this particular participant. The following year, an entire team, the Festina, was disqualified due to the discovery of organized doping among its members. The result of this action was surprisingly a massive protest of all the contestants against the strictness of the check-ups made.

In addition to these troublesome major episodes, throughout the years, many individuals were removed from the race after check-ups showing a certain substance abuse. In 2006, Floyd Landis was disqualified from Tour de France and his title was removed, as he tested positive for synthetic testosterone. In 2008, three competitors in Tour de France – Riccardo Ricco, Moises Duenas Nevado and Manuel Beltran – were removed from the race after tests. In 2010, Alberto Contador failed the Tour de France doping test and his title was taken. Lastly, in 2011, Alexander Kolobnev was disqualified.

Fans of cycling everywhere, beware! Le Tour de France 2012 is a few months away, and you wouldn’t want to miss it, would you? Le Tour de France is one of the most popular competitions worldwide, since millions of fans are anxiously waiting for the moment when it starts. With a history of more than 100 years, Le Tour de France is still one of the most popular sports events ever. This annual bicycle race is held every year in the beautiful country of France, as well as in some neighboring countries. This prestigious competition not only attracts viewers from all over the world, but also riders and teams.

Especially for those who are enthusiastic about the event, here is some information on Le Tour de France, the 2012 edition. The 2012 Tour de France will start on Saturday, June 30, and will end on Sunday, July 22. This is actually the 99th edition of Le Tour de France, so it ought a be interesting. The race will start in Liege, Belgium, and will end in Paris, France, on the famous boulevard Champs-Elysees. Le Tour de France will also visit Switzerland. Some of the cities through which Le Tour de France will pass, besides Liege and Paris, are Abbeville, Annonay Davezieux, Albertville, Limoux, Pau, Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, and Bonneval. Let me tell you a secret: you were not supposed to know that, since the 2012 Tour de France schedule and route was published by accident on the ASO (Amaurt Sport Organization) website.

Now that the secret is out, you should also know that Le Tour de France 2012 will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages. The total distance covered by the 2012 edition of Le Tour de France is of 3,479 kilometers (2,165 miles). There will be 9 flat stages, 5 mountain stages (two with a summit finish), 4 medium mountain stages (one with a summit finish), 2 individual time-trial stages, 1 prologue, and 2 days of rest. Regarding the geographical division of the Tour de France 2012 stages, 11 of them will be held in the Pyrenees, 6 in the Alps, 4 in the Swiss Jura, 3 in the Jura, and 1 in the Vosges. The pre-race favorite is Cadel Evans, but who knows what rider will surprise us this year.

The Tour de France is an annual competition, a bicycle race through a beautiful country. Most people don’t know, but the Tour de France has a history of more than 100 years. Times have changed since the Tour de France first took place on French land, but the mission of the competition remained the same through the year – to promote a healthy lifestyle. Of course, such a lifestyle cannot be based only on biking, but through the Tour de France, the participants make a statement about one of the options through which they carry a healthy lifestyle. Sport is very important for everyone, not just for those who practice it professionally, but for regular people, too. Cycling is a favorite of many, although it is often ignored or left aside because of the lack of time.

With the Tour de France, this sport is heavily promoted and those who want to embrace doing this daily or professionally are encouraged. The Tour de France requires a great effort from the participants, but even so, their mission is very important. Of course, not all those involved in the Tour de France participate just to encourage the population to adopt a healthy lifestyle, winning is also important. After all, the Tour de France is a race and the best has to win it. The winner of the Tour de France often receives a lot of endorsements to advertise sport-related items, being able to carry the mission of the race further.

Speaking of winners, the one that took the top spot of the Tour de France mostly is the American Lance Armstrong. Thanks to the Tour de France, he became a famous figure not just in the United States of America, but all around the world. The multiple-times winner is a well-known supporter of a healthy lifestyle and an important example. He won the Tour de France 7 times after surviving testicular cancer. He was diagnosed in 1996 and after he recovered, he was the winner of all the editions of the Tour de France since 1999 to 2005, becoming the living proof of the importance of a healthy lifestyle that includes sport.

Tour de France is a bicycle race held annually in France and in the nearby countries. The first Tour de France was held in 1903 and the winner of that edition was Maurice Garin, a French sportive. Although Tour de France is a great competition, sometimes contestants are kicked out of the race, due to all kind of reasons.

In 1904 the first disqualification occurred when the news broke that the first 4 to arrive at the finish line used trains and cars. Three years later, Emile Georget was placed last because he chanced his bicycle outside of the permitted areas. In 1913, Odile Defraye left the race due to pain and the whole team followed. Years later, in 1950 the Italian teams – two, were sent home after the leader of one of the teams – Gino Bartali had the impression that a spectator had threatened him using a knife. In 1966, a lot of contestants went on strike after they were tested for drugs – they thought that was unfair. In 1978 all contestants protested for being woke up too early and being forced to ride more than a stage that particular day. In 1987 not the contestants, but the photographers went on strike. They were disturbed by the cars that carried the Tour de France guests, because they were getting in their way. In 1990, the Tour de France was almost blocked by Limoges farmers, but the organizers of the competition changed the route as soon as they found out, so no incidents occurred. In 1991, a whole team who participated in the Tour de France got ill in less than 48 hours and left the competition.

Incidents happened even in the last years. At the 1997 Tour de France, Belgian Tom Steels was excluded for throwing a bottle at another contestant. Floyd Landis was stripped of the title of winner of Tour de France in 2006 after his synthetic testosterone test turned out to be positive. In 2011, Alexandr Kolobnev was the one who left the Tour de France race after he was caught using hydrochlorothiazide. Even with so many exclusions through the years, Tour de France still remains a very popular race.

As it did in 2004, the next edition of the world’s classic cycling competition – the Tour de France 2012 – will set off from the Province of Liege, in neighboring Belgium. Liege has attracted the Tour de France back for the “Grand Depart” for a number of good reasons. First, Liege handled its responsibilities for the 2004 Tour de France with skill and grace. This province of Belgium also has a long and distinguished history in the sport of cycling. It also hosts two other classic road races: Liege-Bastogne-Liege and La Fleche Wallone. It also has a very well developed infrastructure and is a popular destination for cycling tourism. Lastly, its new TGV train station will make Liege more convenient than ever before for those wishing to be at the start of the next Tour de France.

The 99th Tour de France in 2012 will begin on Saturday 30 June and conclude three weeks later on Sunday 22 July in (of course) Paris. Its 20 stages (plus 1 prologue) will take the cyclists along a route measuring nearly 3,500 km. Half of the stages are on flat land; half are on medium or full mountain routes. There are two time-trial stages. And only two days of rest in the entire Tour de France!

9 of the 20 stages will take the cyclists to towns which have never been played this role in the Tour de France. These are Abbeville, Annonay Davézieux, Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, La Planche des Belles Filles, Peyragudes, Porrentruy, Samatan, Tomblaine and Visé. This is a huge honor, and also a good economic opportunity for the residents and merchants in these towns.

Newsflash! For the 100th Tour de France race in 2013, the Tour will start – for the first time – on the French island of Corsica!

There is no doubt in the fact that the Tour de France is one of the most popular sports events of the year. The competition is huge, while the competitors need to be in a physical state to envy, to be able to take part of the cycling race and to finish it. The Tour de France lasts three weeks and the sports event supposes covering a distance of about 2.000 miles. The distance is huge, the pressure high and the race spectacular, so there is no wonder that the Tour de France has reached such a level of popularity. If you watch the Tour de France once, there are huge chances for you to be charmed by the event.

Since the Tour de France is an event which takes place during the summer days, the competitors will not only have to face the effects of the physical effort they are going to make in order to have a chance in winning the race, but also the hot weather and the very high temperatures. Despite all these aspects, the popularity of the Tour de France has only grown throughout the years, since 1903, when the first race took place. And this popularity is not only among the fans, which cannot wait for a new event to take place, but also among the the competitors, as more and more athletes decided to enter the Tour de France every year, hoping to win the major sports competition. One of the most important reasons why riders attend the Tour de France is linked to the prize offered to the winner of the competition. The sums are huge, so there is no wonder that the race is so tough.

Tour de France is a very interesting sports event, but the truth is that fans do not watch it only because of the race. In fact, the Tour de France is the best choice to make if you want to visit the country and enjoy the amazing landscape of France. Attending live Tour de France races and seeing France at the same time seems to be the best idea of a vacation.

Tour de France is one of the most famous sports competitions around the world and it lasts for so long. Tour de France is a difficult competition and many participants cannot resists until its end as they are already too tired or injured to be able to continue. The road on which cyclists go has many obstacles that often lead to accidents. It is a tough competition and a lot of cyclists from all around the world participate in. Tour de France route changes every year, so the candidates cannot say that are already accustomed with it, so they have to face other challenging circumstances and to be very ambitious in order to reach the final destination, no matter if they win or not.

Tour de France is held in the summer, which makes things even more complicated than they already are, so the candidates have to confront the high temperatures and the difficult route. Even if the route changes, the destination is the same each year: Paris! Tour de France lasts three weeks and it is not only a psychically challenging event, but also a psychological one as you come to be very tired, but you have to fight with yourself not to give up.

The cyclists have a long way – 2,000 miles, so it is a huge distance. If you cannot watch it live, Tour de France is aired on TV, on sports channels. This way, Tour de France will not be only a sports competition, but also an opportunity to see amazing landscapes filmed from the planes or helicopters, so you will see huge parts of France. Although the first Tour de France was held in 1903, the competition is one of the most popular and famous in the world. It is a great event in the sports world and organizing such an event begins with a long time ahead. It seems that each year is different from the previous one and it is wonderful that its organizers manage to give us that feeling. The features of the land and of the route fluctuate very much each year, making the competition more challenging.