The jubilation, celebrations and festivity is all set to begin with the Tour de France. People are rushing to France from all around the globe. The map of the country is never studied so ardently and keenly as it is studied to track the grand cycling event. Debates amongst the fans are getting intense, catching fire by every tossing day. July 3rd marks the beginning of the much awaited event of 2010 with the opening of the 97th Tour de France. Consisting of 1 prologue and 20 stages, it will envelop a total distance of 3,600 kilometers.
The Tour de France is the most famous and most celebrated of cycling's three "Grand Tours". The other two Grand Tours are the Giro d'Italia, which is held every year in the month of May in Italy and the Vuelta a España which is held annually in Spain between August and September. The Tour De France is one of the most celebrated cycle racing events of the world which tracks through France and its nearby countries. It is a road cycling event of professionals from all around the world. The race is organized by Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) and it lasts for three exciting and thrilling weeks. With a legacy of around a hundred years, the grand racing event also nicknamed, La Grande Boucle still magnetizes cycle race lovers from all around the world. The winner of the first race held in 1903 was Maurice Garin. The most popular name that emerged out of this sporting event is Lance Armstrong of the USA. Armstrong, who is famously known as The Boss, bagged seven consecutive victories from 1999 until 2005.
The 2010 tour will be sprouting from southern Rotterdam, Netherlands for a prologue time-trial. Our Dutch friends are already in overflowing zeal and zest for the upcoming event. The fervour and enthusiasm is remarkable.
The race is divided into day-long segments, known as stages. By the end of the race, the individual times taken to cover each stage are added together to decide the overall winner. The man with the fastest total time at the end of each stage wears a yellow jersey. Though the track is changed every year, it always ends in Paris. Since 1975, the race ends at the Champs-Élysées.
The 2010 tour begins in the Netherlands, passing through Belgium and later following into a clockwise trace encircling France. As the race passes through Belgium, it rejoices the spring classics as a tribute stage to Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Then, the race embraces the Côte de Rosier. It is followed by the stage between Wanze and Arenberg Porte du Hainut that has a 13 kilometer pavement. It ends outside the trouée d’Arenberg of Paris-Roubaix fame.
Passing into France, the tour goes south over the course of three flat stages. The Tour de France makes a short voyage into the Jura Mountains which runs along the French border with Switzerland. The Jura welcomes a stage between the Tournus and a ski resort parish of Station des Rousses which offers the first mountain-top finish of the 2010 Tour.
Later, it extends into the Alps for another three stages. After crossing the Alps, the tour moves westwards for the finale in the Pyrénées. The next three stages provide the transition between the two major mountain ranges of France. This tour does not touch the Mediterranean coast, which served prominently in the 2009 edition. The tour comes to its finale with four stages in the Pyrénées.
The cycles are ready to fly high. The twenty teams designated to take part in the 2010 Tour de France are at their peak to excel in this years’ event. Rotterdam is glowing in yellow as if the sun is shining brighter on the merry Dutch folks who anticipate embracing the speedy cyclists and their cheerful fans from across the globe.
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