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By David Fiedler
Watching the Tour de France with its long and rich history (or any other major __bike race for that matter) is like entering into a strange new culture. It has its own language, culture and traditions. While on the surface, a __bike race seems like a simple matter, like many things in life there is much more hidden below the surface. When you are aware of the these things and can appreciate their impact on the outcome of the event, it'll enhance your enjoyment of the event that much more.
Below you'll find several commonly asked questions that go beyond the basic facts of the race plus some explanations pertaining to other nuances of the race that you might not have even known to consider.
1. How Can I Tell Who is Winning?
There are a couple different ways to answer that question. In the Tour de France, like other major stages races, there are both daily winners of each stage of the race, as well as the overall race leader as the competition goes along and who will ultimately be crowned champion at the end of the race. Sometimes the stage winner will also be the overall race leader, but this is not necessarily the case. In fact, it is usually different people, especially after the first few days of the race.
The stage winner is usually taken by a rider who is strongest in the particular type of racing found in that day's race. If there are a lot of hills, the strong climbers will take the stage. If there are more fast flats and gentle climbs, the various teams will be able to stay together and work to carry their sprinters to the front as they approach the finish so these fast riders can be in the best position to win.
The overall leader is the one who holds the fastest overall time spread out over all of the stages of the race. This is usually a very balanced rider who is both a great climber and respectable sprinter, with a team who can keep him in the right position. What's funny is that the overall leader of the GC ("General Classification," the overall race competition) can be in first place overall without ever having won a stage.
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2. Why Mountain Stages are so Important
The race announcers like to make a big deal about the mountain stages, which usually appear during the race's second and third week as the Tour crosses the Alps and Pyrenees. But beyond the sheer enjoyment of watching these riders ascend these very steep hills, then go bombing down the other side, what is the significance of these challenging climbs?
Well, in addition to the overall GC race leader, who wears the famous yellow jersey, there are other sub-competitions in the race, denoted by special jerseys of their own. In addition to the white jersey (best young rider) and green jersey (best sprinter), there is a "King of the Mountain" competition, marked by a polka-dot jersey worn by the leader in the best climber category.
Another big thing is that the mountain stages are where the big changes in the race leaderboard most frequently happen.Not only is It here that teams can get broken up, but also their normal strategies for carrying their strongest riders to the front in flatter stages simply don't work here. A guy coming into the race carrying a comfortable lead of three or four minutes over his rivals can lose that cushion and more in a single stage if he has a bad day and/or his opponents are feeling particularly strong.
3. What do the Climb Classifications Mean?
Mountain stages feature climbs categorized by number, ranging from 4 (easiest) to 1 (hardest). The most difficult climbs are so steep, they're called HC (hors categorie) which in French means they are beyond classification.
The difficulty of a climb is based on the length of the climb and its average grade and steepest grade, among other factors. The ratings are assigned by race directors so there is some subjectivity to it as well, including the condition of the road, the altitude of the climb and where in the stage it falls.
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