The Tour de France is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest of the three Grand Tours and is generally considered the most prestigious.
Maurice Garin, winner of the first Tour de France standing on the right. The man on the left is possibly Leon Georget (1903).
1936 Tour de France
Jacques Goddet memorial at the top of the Col du Tourmalet
Jacques Anquetil (centre), Raymond Poulidor (left) and Federico Bahamontes (right), podium of the 1964 Tour de France
Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports include artistic cycling, cycle polo, freestyle BMX, mountain bike trials, hardcourt bike polo and cycleball. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling and international competitive cycling events. The International Human Powered Vehicle Association is the governing body for human-powered vehicles that imposes far fewer restrictions on their design than does the UCI. The UltraMarathon Cycling Association is the governing body for many ultra-distance cycling races.
Cyclists in the 2021 Giro d'Italia race.
OP Grand Prix, a one-hour cycling competition in Porvoo, Finland, on June 11th 2005
Cycle-racing has a long history: French cyclists Léon Flameng and Paul Masson at the 1896 Summer Olympics.
In many European countries, bicycle racing is a source of national pride: German Democratic Republic postage stamp depicting Täve Schur, 1960
