<ul><li>The Tour de France is a multi-stage, international cycle race, taking place every year in France and surrounding areas.</li><li>The first tournament was created by reporter and cyclist Henri Desgrange in 1903.</li><li>The 107th Tour de France took place in Aug-Sept 2020, and this year, it began on June 26, to continue till July 18, 2021.</li><li>The race includes 21 stages and covers over 3k kilometres this year.</li><li>France has won this tournament 36 times, and American born Lance Armstrong won it seven times.</li></ul>

The 108th Tour de France

<ul><li>The prestigious long-form bike race is won by the cyclist finishing the distance in the shortest accumulated time(overall).</li><li>The different coloured jerseys are worn by cyclists who achieve certain special distinctions like best accumulated time in the mountain area(Polka Dot jersey) or the best accumulated time in flat terrains(Green jersey).</li><li>The first race, held in 1903 was won by French national Maurice Garin.</li><li>The pandemic postponed the race in 2020 by about two months.</li></ul>

Tour de France: Facts About The Bike Race

<p><span>CNN Editorial Research</span></p><p>Updated 1943 GMT (0343 HKT) June 23, 2021 </p><img alt="Stage winner Tadej Pogacar proundly dons the yellow jersey on the podium after winning the 20th stage of the 10th edition of the Tour de France. " src="https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/200919130004-pogacar-yellow-exlarge-169.jpg"><div>Stage winner Tadej Pogacar proundly dons the yellow jersey on the podium after winning the 20th stage of the 10th edition of the Tour de France. </div><p data-paragraph-id="paragraph_440A312D-2F44-3DF0-1C86-0174546D58EF" dir="ltr"><cite dir="ltr"> (CNN)</cite>Here's a look at the <a href="http://www.letour.fr/" dir="ltr">Tour de France.</a></p><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_9AFF5F0D-6EA8-EABD-C98A-350B65842111" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">June 26-July 18, 2021 -</strong> The 108th Tour de France is scheduled to take place.</div><h3>Facts</h3><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_3195C32F-AB74-FD5E-C364-7ED538A48CC0">The Tour de France is a prestigious multistage bike race that takes place annually in France and sometimes the surrounding countries.  </div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_7D5A9359-EC24-33E3-33F2-0173EAB31DF0" dir="ltr">The race, also known as Le Tour or La Grande Boucle, includes <a href="https://www.letour.fr/en/overall-route" dir="ltr">21 stages and covers 3,414 kilometers in 2021.</a></div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_F91A8837-E9A7-DC40-E9B8-8CE4DFD80AEF" dir="ltr">There have been four cyclists who have won the Tour five times:<br dir="ltr">Jacques Anquetil of France (1957 and 1961-1964)<br dir="ltr">Eddy Merckx of Belgium (1969-1972 and 1974)<br dir="ltr">Bernard Hinault of France (1978-1979, 1981-1982, and 1985)<br dir="ltr">Miguel Indurain of Spain (1991-1995), the first competitor to win five consecutive races.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_7CAC3F25-C07F-B26F-C984-01766C907BB6" dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/us/lance-armstrong-fast-facts/index.html" dir="ltr">Lance Armstrong</a> held the record for most Tour de France wins (seven), but he was stripped of those wins in 2012. </div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_FB0F09E4-8378-3D27-33B2-0177693E745B">France has won more times than any other country (36).</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_3F771AC9-5B24-38C2-8121-9C92201D4FA4" dir="ltr">Three Americans have won: Greg LeMond (1986, 1989, 1990), Armstrong (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) and Floyd Landis (2006). Both Armstrong and Landis have had their titles stripped due to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/06/us/performance-enhancing-drugs-in-sports-fast-facts/index.html" dir="ltr">allegations of doping. </a></div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_29D4D69C-B01D-D260-085C-017890715C91">The winner of the race is the person with the overall shortest accumulated time.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_C87A1BE1-241B-699E-565A-8DCB3D35B518">Ten, six and four second bonuses are awarded to the top three riders at the end of road stages, excluding the individual and team time trials. </div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_E9F94748-2381-0CEE-4B0D-0178B0CD4E63">There are two rest days.</div><h3>Jerseys</h3><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_A8E8CEC5-4E13-6D9E-7C0F-7ED55398A19A" dir="ltr"><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/21/sport/tour-de-france-yellow-jersey/index.html" dir="ltr">YELLOW</a> -- "maillot jaune" -- Overall leader of the race. The yellow jersey was introduced into the race in 1919, most likely because the race's sponsor was a French newspaper (formerly L'Auto, now L'Equipe) that printed on distinctive yellow paper.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_A25C2853-F8B2-A990-6636-0179043AC692" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/14/sport/tour-de-france-maillot--pois-rouge-polka-dot-jersey/index.html" dir="ltr">POLKA DOT</a> -- "maillot à pois rouge" -- Worn by the cyclist with the best accumulated time in the mountain segments.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_E265F319-C8AE-2C43-65B6-0179100C4879">GREEN -- "maillot vert" -- Worn by the points classification leader. Points are awarded for intermediate and final sprints on flat terrain.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_AE50068A-4059-739F-6E22-01791BA01DA3">WHITE -- "maillot blanc" -- Worn by the Tour's best rider aged 25 and younger.</div><h3>Timeline</h3><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_0EDA447E-4948-E6E0-39FE-7ED566FEA2F0" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">1903 - </strong>Henri Desgrange, a reporter and cyclist, creates the Tour de France.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_BD25F969-75AA-FB4E-AC41-0179664691C5" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">1903 - </strong>Maurice Garin of France is the first cyclist to win the race.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_79C4DD80-1E04-ED9C-E0F8-017972D4F438" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">1910 -</strong> First time the race goes through the Pyrenees.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_8939EF1E-DF97-861B-CE75-01797EB664FE" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">1989 - </strong>Greg Lemond defeats Laurent Fignon by eight seconds, the smallest margin of victory in the race's history.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_4D3E048D-0031-32F4-927D-01799D7CA339" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">1999-2005 -</strong> Armstrong wins seven times in a row.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_E95DEAE6-E70E-9B92-B35D-0179A8B27B22" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">2003 -</strong> The 100th Anniversary of the race, but not the 100th race (the race was canceled 11 times during <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/world/world-war-i-fast-facts/index.html" dir="ltr">WWI</a> and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/world/world-war-ii-fast-facts/index.html" dir="ltr">WWII</a>).</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_5319F767-7F7C-ACC5-E950-0179CA850713" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">September 20, 2007 - </strong>Landis, winner of the 2006 Tour de France, is stripped of his title when an arbitration panel rules in favor of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Landis, the first Tour de France winner stripped of the title, initially maintained his innocence but later admitted to doping and accused others, including Armstrong, of doing the same.</div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_48CF9593-12DD-C5AE-76CD-017A37E79046" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">October 22, 2012 - </strong>The International Cycling Union announces that Armstrong is being stripped of his Tour de France titles and is being banned from professional cycling for life. </div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_B40A9B19-C416-6CF5-4BB2-017A42914058" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">October 26, 2012 - </strong>The International Cycling Union announces that no one will be declared the winner of the Tour de France from 1999-2005, after Armstrong is stripped of his titles. </div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_C0CECF15-C3A4-0634-2C85-9C9C1A78CA3B" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">October 10, 2018 - </strong>Britain's Team Sky reports that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/10/sport/tour-de-france-trophy-team-sky-geraint-thomas-spt-intl/index.html" dir="ltr">the 2018 trophy won by Thomas has been stolen</a> from a display in Birmingham, England, where the team had been displaying all three trophies won by its riders. </div><div data-paragraph-id="paragraph_4F6CAE94-35A3-B306-0134-7ED6CE52769D" dir="ltr"><strong dir="ltr">April 15, 2020 - </strong>It is announced that the <a href="https://www.letour.fr/en/news/2020/tour-de-france-2020-29th-august-29th-to-20th-september/1283443" dir="ltr">Tour de France is being postponed until August </a>due the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/06/health/wuhan-coronavirus-timeline-fast-facts/index.html" dir="ltr">coronavirus outbreak</a>. It was initially scheduled to take place June 27-July 19, 2020.</div>

Read CNN's Fast Facts about the Tour de France and learn more about the prestigious bike race.

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<p><span>CNN Editorial Research </span> </p>

<p>Updated 1943 GMT (0343 HKT) June 23, 2021 </p>

<p data-paragraph-id="paragraph_440A312D-2F44-3DF0-1C86-0174546D58EF" dir="ltr"><cite dir="ltr">(CNN) </cite>Here's a look at the <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.letour.fr/">Tour de France. </a> </p>

Here's a look at the Tour de France

The 108th Tour de France

Tour de France: Facts About The Bike Race

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