Question: What do you Know About the Tour de France?
You've made clear what enquiring minds most want to know: how much prize money is at stake in the Tour de France? Over $3.5 million.
Answer: Test your Tour de France trivia knowledge:Miles: 2241
Duration: three weeks
First Tour de France: 1903 123,900 - calories burned by a rider in the course of the Tour
324,000 at 60rpm, 486,000 at 90rpm - number of pedal strokes taken per rider over the Tour
Three - average number of chains worn out by a single rider (Armstrong goes through one chain per week)
792 - total number of tires used by the peloton
Ten - fewest ever finishers (1919, out of 69 starters)
34 - most stages won by a single rider, career total (Eddy Merckx - 1969, six stages plus overall; 1970: eight stages plus overall; 1971: four stages plus overall; 1972: six stages plus overall; 1974: eight stages plus overall; 1975: two stages)
Eight - most number of stages won on single Tour (Charles Pelissier, 1930 - Eddy Merckx, 1970 and 1974 - Freddy Maertens, 1976)
Eight - most riders to wear yellow jersey in one Tour (1987)
96 - most days spent in yellow jersey (Eddy Merckx in seven Tours)
28 minutes 27 seconds - biggest winning margin (Fausto Coppi over Stan Ockers, 1952)
Eight seconds - smallest winning margin (American Greg LeMond over Laurent Fignon in 1989)
253 km - longest solo breakaway (Albert Bourlon, 1947)
22 minutes 50 seconds - biggest winning margin on stage win (Jose Luis Viejo, 1976)
55.152 kph over 7.2km - fastest prologue (Chris Boardman, 1994)
Seven - highest total number of "King of the Mountains" victories (Richard Virenque)
54.545 kph over 24.5km - fastest individual time trial (Greg LeMond, 1989)
54.930 kph over 67km - fastest team time trial (Gewiss, 1995)
50.355 kph over 194.5km - fastest average over a flat stage (Mario Cipollini from Laval to Blois, 1999)
40.276 kph - fastest average over entire Tour (Lance Armstrong, 1999)
36 - age of oldest winner (Firmin Lambot, 1922)
20 - age of youngest winner (Henri Cornet, 1904)
16 - most times Tour finished by one rider (Joop Zoetemelk, 1970 and 1986)
One jaunt into foreign territory (Stage Seven in Karlsruhe, Germany)
Two rest days (July 11 and 18)
Three summit finishes (Courchevel, Ax-3 Domaines, Pla d'Adet in Saint-Lary Soulan)
Five classic climbs to hors categorie 'unclassified' summits (Col de la Madeleine, Col de Galibier, Port de Pailheres, Pla d'Adet, Col d'Aubisque)
Nine riders in each team and number of flat stages
15,000,000 spectators set to line the route
21 stages
22 teams
36 French victories on the Tour since debut in 1903
67.5 kilometers to ride on team time trial
74 km - the combined distance of the two individual time trials
131 - times Paris has hosted a start or finish of the Tour
19 km - the shortest flat stage of the race (Stage One from Fromentine to Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile)
198 riders at the start
239.5 km - longest stage in the Tour (Stage 17 from Pau to Revel)
381 euros prize money for riders finishing race after 120th position
1200 hotel rooms reserved for teams and staff, press, and Tour personel
1904 - the year of the first documented case of cheating in the Tour
2400 hours of TV coverage
2004 meters - the altitude of the Courchevel (Stage Ten), the highest climb on the 2005 Tour
7620 euros prize money for the winner of a stage
8400 food bags distributed at feeding stations throughout race
20,000 euros in prize money to most combative rider in race
25,055 security personnel
42,000 water bottles used by teams
353,430 km - approximate distance of all previous 90 Tours de France
400,000 euros prize money for race winner
2,877,705 euros total prize money for the entire race
217 miles of barricades erected and torn down for the race
250 gendarmes on stage routes per day
4500 accompanying people
1500 vehicles
60 permanent staff
200 temporary staff
180 service providers
14 medical staff
13,000 gendarmes
45 “gardes républicains”
9000 police staff
3000 government officials from the Ministère de l'Équipement
15,000,000 spectators (men: 68% - women: 32%)
96% in France, 90% in Europe - Tour name recognition
11 million gifts distributed
2300 accredidated journalists
1200 photographer, cameramen & TV directors
1100 technicians or chauffeurs
528 various media
78 television channels showing the Tour in 170 countries
2,000,000,000 television viewers
Riders and Bikes
Specific 2005 Tour de France facts
Totally Trival 2005 Tour de France Stats
Vive le Tour!
Facts partially courtesy of tourdefrancenews.com and letour.fr.