Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Ask Anything
Top Questions
Who won the Tour de France in 2025?
In 2025 the Tour de France was won by Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia. It was his second consecutive Tour title and his fourth overall.
What is the total distance of the Tour de France?
The distance of the Tour de France changes slightly each year, though it is generally about 3,600 km (2,235 miles). In 2025 the race covered approximately 3,338.8 km (2,075 miles).
How many times did Lance Armstrong win the Tour de France?
Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France an unprecedented seven times (1999–2005). However, in 2012 he was stripped of all his titles after an investigation revealed that he was the key figure in a wide-ranging doping conspiracy while he compiled his Tour victories.
What is the entry fee for the Tour de France?
There is no entry fee for riders competing in the Tour de France, though the cost of operating each team, which features several riders and a support staff, can cost millions. For spectators, it is free to watch the race from the roadside. However, the Tour de France does require tickets to some viewing areas.
Where did the Tour de France start in 2025?
The Tour de France started in Lille Métrople on July 5, 2025. The race ended at the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 27.
Tour de France, the world’s most prestigious and most difficult bicycle race. Of the three foremost races (the others being the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España), the Tour de France attracts the world’s best riders. Staged for three weeks each July—usually in some 20 daylong stages—the Tour typically comprises 20 professional teams of 9 male riders each and covers some 3,600 km (2,235 miles), mainly in France, with occasional and brief visits to such countries as Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Spain. Although the race may start outside France—as was the case in 2007, when England hosted the opening stage for the first time—it always heads there quickly; the Tour is France’s premier annual sporting event and has deep cultural roots. It is watched by huge crowds from the roadside and is televised around the world as one of the supreme tests of athletic endurance. Part of the difficulty cyclists face in the Tour is that it is divided among time-trial racing and racing stages covering both flat land and great stretches of mountainous inclines. It is a rare cyclist who can perform well at both time trials and climbing, and those who can usually wear the yellow jersey (maillot jaune) of victory at the end of the race in Paris.
History, rules, and teams Tour de FranceCyclists competing in the Poitiers-to-Bordeaux stage of the Tour de France..(more)
Established in 1903 by Henri Desgrange (1865–1940), a French cyclist and journalist, the race has been run every year except during the World Wars. Desgrange’s newspaper, L’Auto (now L’Equipe), sponsored the Tour to boost circulation. Two events sparked spectator interest in the race: in 1910 the riders were sent, for the first time, over the treacherous “circle of death” in mountain passes in the Pyrenees; and 1919 marked the introduction of the yellow jersey—yellow being the color of paper on which L’Auto was printed. The yellow jersey is an honor accorded to the cyclist who has the lowest cumulative time for the race at the end of each day. (A racer might well win a stage of a race on any given day but will not necessarily be given a yellow jersey, as that depends on the lowest overall time.)
Three other types of jerseys are awarded during the Tour. Bonus sprints, awarding both points and a deduction of overall elapsed time, are held at several sites along the route each day during the race, and points are also awarded and time deducted for the first three finishers of each stage; the winner of the most points receives a green jersey. A polka-dotted jersey is given to the “king of the mountains,” the rider who has the most points in the climbing stages, racing over small hills as well as steep mountains. The white jersey is awarded to the rider age 25 and under who has the lowest cumulative time. Riders usually have three types of bicycles: one for time trials, one for flat road stages, and a very light bicycle for the mountain-climbing stages of the race. All bicycles must meet the standards of the International Cycling Union (Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI). They may be specially engineered for speed for the time trials, but those used for the road stages of the race must be “standard design.”
Britannica Quiz
Sports Quiz
2022 Tour de FranceA tight pack of cyclists competing in the 19th stage of the Tour de France, between Castelnau-Magnoac and Cahors, in southwestern France, on July 22, 2022.(more)
Early teams were sponsored mainly by bicycle manufacturers until 1930, when national and regional teams were introduced. In 1962 trade teams returned, and, except in 1967 and 1968, years that again featured national teams, trade teams have continued, with sponsors now including banks, insurance companies, and manufacturers of household goods. The team aspect of the Tour is important because, although only one rider is awarded the win, lead riders are dependent on their team members in order to succeed. Teammates help their leader with tactics such as letting him ride (draft) behind them to protect him from the wind, giving him one of their wheels when his bicycle has a flat, setting a strong pace for him in the mountains, and chasing down and blocking any major rivals who have accelerated away from the main group in an attempt to gain time. Thus, the Tour, and bicycle racing in general, is often referred to as an individual sport practiced by teams. The rewards for a selfless teammate include a share of prizes won by his leader as well as a continuation of the teammate’s job into the next annual racing season.
Doping scandals
The use of performance-enhancing drugs—especially erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that increases the level of red blood cells and thus the flow of oxygen to muscles—has become a major problem of the Tour de France. Amid frequent drug testing, doping scandals have threatened to overshadow the race itself. In 1998 one of the leading teams (Festina) was expelled due to allegations of drug use, and the 2006 winner, American Floyd Landis, tested positive for testosterone and was stripped of his title after an arbitration panel in 2007 upheld the drug-test results. In 2007 several teams withdrew from the Tour after their riders failed drug tests. That year also saw Bjarne Riis of Denmark, the 1996 victor, dropped from the Tour’s list of winners after he admitted using EPO during his race; however, due to time limits for sanctions, his title could not be officially revoked. The most infamous Tour doping scandal came in 2012 when seven-time winner (1999–2005) Lance Armstrong of the United States was stripped of his titles after an investigation revealed that he had been the central figure in a doping conspiracy during the years in which he won his titles.
Winners
Four riders have won five Tours each: Jacques Anquetil of France (1957 and 1961–64), Eddy Merckx of Belgium (1969–72 and 1974), Bernard Hinault of France (1978–79, 1981–82, and 1985), and Miguel Indurain of Spain (1991–95).
Related Topics:
cycling
(Show more)
Trusted knowledge for those who want to know more.
A list of Tour de France winners is provided in the table.
Tour de Franceyearwinnerkm*Riis was no longer recognized as champion after his 2007 admission of illegal drug use. **Armstrong was stripped of the title in 2012, having declined to continue contesting ongoing charges of illegal drug use. ***Became champion after the original winner tested positive for illegal drug use and was stripped of the title. 1903 Maurice Garin (France) 2,428 1904 Henri Cornet (France) 2,428 1905 Louis Trousselier (France) 2,994 1906 René Pottier (France) 4,637 1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (France) 4,488 1908 Lucien Petit-Breton (France) 4,487 1909 François Faber (Lux.) 4,497 1910 Octave Lapize (France) 4,734 1911 Gustave Garrigou (France) 5,344 1912 Odiel Defraeye (Belg.) 5,289 1913 Philippe Thys (Belg.) 5,287 1914 Philippe Thys (Belg.) 5,380 1915–18 not held 1919 Firmin Lambot (Belg.) 5,560 1920 Philippe Thys (Belg.) 5,503 1921 Léon Scieur (Belg.) 5,484 1922 Firmin Lambot (Belg.) 5,375 1923 Henri Pélissier (France) 5,386 1924 Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) 5,425 1925 Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) 5,440 1926 Lucien Buysse (Belg.) 5,745 1927 Nicolas Frantz (Lux.) 5,398 1928 Nicolas Frantz (Lux.) 5,476 1929 Maurice De Waele (Belg.) 5,286 1930 André Leducq (France) 4,822 1931 Antonin Magne (France) 5,091 1932 André Leducq (France) 4,479 1933 Georges Speicher (France) 4,395 1934 Antonin Magne (France) 4,470 1935 Romain Maes (Belg.) 4,338 1936 Sylvère Maes (Belg.) 4,442 1937 Roger Lapébie (France) 4,415 1938 Gino Bartali (Italy) 4,694 1939 Sylvère Maes (Belg.) 4,224 1940–46 not held 1947 Jean Robic (France) 4,640 1948 Gino Bartali (Italy) 4,922 1949 Fausto Coppi (Italy) 4,808 1950 Ferdinand Kubler (Switz.) 4,775 1951 Hugo Koblet (Switz.) 4,690 1952 Fausto Coppi (Italy) 4,898 1953 Louison Bobet (France) 4,479 1954 Louison Bobet (France) 4,656 1955 Louison Bobet (France) 4,495 1956 Roger Walkowiak (France) 4,496 1957 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,669 1958 Charly Gaul (Lux.) 4,319 1959 Federico Bahamontes (Spain) 4,355 1960 Gastone Nencini (Italy) 4,173 1961 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,397 1962 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,274 1963 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,137 1964 Jacques Anquetil (France) 4,504 1965 Felice Gimondi (Italy) 4,188 1966 Lucien Aimar (France) 4,329 1967 Roger Pingeon (France) 4,780 1968 Jan Janssen (Neth.) 4,492 1969 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 4,117 1970 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 4,254 1971 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 3,608 1972 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 3,846 1973 Luis Ocaña (Spain) 4,090 1974 Eddy Merckx (Belg.) 4,098 1975 Bernard Thévenet (France) 4,000 1976 Lucien Van Impe (Belg.) 4,017 1977 Bernard Thévenet (France) 4,098 1978 Bernard Hinault (France) 3,908 1979 Bernard Hinault (France) 3,765 1980 Joop Zoetemelk (Neth.) 3,842 1981 Bernard Hinault (France) 3,765 1982 Bernard Hinault (France) 3,507 1983 Laurent Fignon (France) 3,809 1984 Laurent Fignon (France) 4,021 1985 Bernard Hinault (France) 4,100 1986 Greg LeMond (U.S.) 4,091 1987 Stephen Roche (Ire.) 4,231 1988 Pedro Delgado (Spain) 3,286 1989 Greg LeMond (U.S.) 3,285 1990 Greg LeMond (U.S.) 3,504 1991 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,914 1992 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,983 1993 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,714 1994 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,978 1995 Miguel Indurain (Spain) 3,635 1996 Bjarne Riis (Den.)* 3,765 1997 Jan Ullrich (Ger.) 3,950 1998 Marco Pantani (Italy) 3,875 1999 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,870 2000 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,663 2001 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,454 2002 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,272 2003 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,428 2004 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,390 2005 Lance Armstrong (U.S.)** 3,593 2006 Óscar Pereiro (Spain)*** 3,657 2007 Alberto Contador (Spain) 3,570 2008 Carlos Sastre (Spain) 3,554 2009 Alberto Contador (Spain) 3,460 2010 Andy Schleck (Lux.)*** 3,642 2011 Cadel Evans (Austl.) 3,630 2012 Bradley Wiggins (U.K.) 3,497 2013 Christopher Froome (U.K.) 3,404 2014 Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) 3,664 2015 Christopher Froome (U.K.) 3,354 2016 Christopher Froome (U.K.) 3,529 2017 Christopher Froome (U.K.) 3,540 2018 Geraint Thomas (U.K.) 3,349 2019 Egan Bernal (Colom.) 3,366 2020 Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) 3,482 2021 Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) 3,383 2022 Jonas Vingegaard (Den.) 3,328 2023 Jonas Vingegaard (Den.) 3,406 2024 Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) 3,498 2025 Tadej Pogačar (Slvn.) 3,339