Understanding the Tour de France; meet Fabian Cancellara

July 4, 10:24 PMAtlanta Teachable Moments ExaminerCarol Aitken

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The Tour de France has been an international event since 1903. Each year the course is different, but comparable in length and challenges.  Throughout the month of July, racers from around the world, come to France for one thing -- a yellow jersey.

Meet today's top finisher, Fabian Cancellara. 
Read coverage of the Tour Prologue on Telegraph TV.   

Guide to the Tour
To better appreciate the Tour, here are exceprts from Understanding the Tour de France by Alex Murray, BBC Sports.  To read the entire article, go to BBC.sports.

Tour Language: As in any sport, you need to know the language to understand the game.

Peloton: "Herd" or pack
Domestiques: "Servants" or team helpers
Grimpeur: Climber
Maillot Jaune: Yellow jersey
Voiture balai: Broom wagon - rounds up stragglers and boots them out of the race

24 Stages of the Tour: The Tour is broken down into four types of stages

Flat: Ten of this year's stages take place on "flat" roads. This doesn't mean they are without undulation (in fact, they often include climbs that would terrify a club cyclist). But they invariably feature most of the competitors riding together in a big "peloton" for 125 miles.
Individual time trial: These are shorter stages of around 50 km. But lots of time is won and lost as Tour challenges flourish or falter. The last-placed rider starts first, followed two minutes later by the next highest, and this carries on until the race leader starts.
Team time trial: The clock stops on the fifth rider to cross the finish line. Traditionally longer than the individual time trial, they are the ultimate test of the strength of the team. The nine riders rotate at the front of the line to keep the pace up.
Mountain: Most Tours are won in the mountains, and mountains come in all shapes and sizes, with climbs rated four, three, two, one or "hors" category, the latter being the steepest. Climbs range from sea level to 2,000m. 

      
(l to r) Armstrong has won the yellow seven times, while Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault, and Indurain have worn it five times each. 

Colors of the Tour: Go for the Gold Yellow
The biggest prize in cycling is a yellow jersey in Paris. This signifies overall victory in the Tour de France, an honour won seven times by Lance Armstrong (pictured left) and five by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. There are also smaller awards to be won, each denoted by a different coloured jersey to help spectators spot the category leaders.

Yellow: If you are in it, you are the overall race leader on aggregate time since the start of the Tour. It often changes backs a few times, particularly during the early flat stages of a Tour. But it normally finds its final resting place after a time trial or a gruelling hill-top finish in the Alps or Pyrenees. This year the fabled Mont Ventoux in Provence is the one that the organizers hope will prove decisive.

Green: The points prize goes to the most consistent stage finisher and is normally worn by one of the best sprinters in the field.

Polka dot (red and white): Conversely, King of the Mountains contenders live for the climbs. They tend to be slimmer in build and bounce up slopes to pick up the points on offer to the first riders over every hill.

White: This goes to the best-placed young (under-26) rider in the general classification.

Additional awards:

Combativity: The cyclist who is deemed to have put in the bravest show on a stage wins the right to wear a white-on-red race number (as opposed to black-on-white).

Lanterne Rouge: This is the mocking moniker for the last-placed man in the overall classification, named after the red light shown on trains to mark the rearmost carriage. In a race where just finishing is a considerable achievement even being last is still an honour.

Team: There are 20 teams. After every stage, the times of the first three riders across the line from each team are added up and counted. The team with the lowest aggregate time in Paris wins the award. 

To read more about the Tour de France, stop HERE.

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