I am not a regular Tour de France fan, but I am living with someone who is. They are currently watching the Netflix series Tour de France Unchained, and I have wandered in on a couple of episodes. I had no idea how dangerous riding at that level can be.

Anyway, I have been inspired to look into the race a little more, and here are a few things I discovered.

• The race is over 2000 miles long.
• It lasts for around 21 days.
• The first race was in 1903;
• The yellow jersey was introduced in 1919 – the colour yellow was chosen as it was the colour of the newspaper that set up the race.
• The polka dot jersey was introduced in 1975 – the polka dots represent the wrapper of the chocolate bar that first sponsored that jersey.
• Four riders have died taking part in the Tour de France, the first in 1910.
• There is no official entry fee for teams in the Tour de France – they just have to be able to cover their own costs.
• The Tour de France in 2024 is due to start in Florence, Italy.

Keep cycling!

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023