Photos: Courtesy of A.S.O. and Tissot Brand
The most iconic and oldest cycling race originated in 1903 when the newspaper L’Auto decided to create this competition to increase the sales. Géo Lefèvre proposed to the biker and director of the sports journal Henri Desgrange to create a cycling race around France to promote the newspaper.
Tour de France started on July 1st in front of the Au Réveil Matin café with 60 participants and ended on July 19th at Champs Élysées with the victory of the Franco-Italian Maurice Garin, after made a route of 2428 km in 94H 33’ 14”.
The route started in Montgeron, the second stage was in Lyon, continued to Marseille, followed by Toulouse, arrived at Bordeux, then Nantes and finally in Paris.
In addition to being recognized worldwide for the thrilling entrance to the Champs Élysées, there is the importance of the jersey. Currently, cyclists have the possibility to wear a special color according to their achievements in the competition.
In 1909, they wore for the first time the famous maillot jaune, representing the first individual time winner in the Tour de France leaderboard, the color referring to the yellow paper of L’Auto.
This is the most prestigious and desired maillot by the athletes who compete in this race, it’s assigned by adding the times of each stage and the one with the shortest time is considered the leader and at the end of the event is declared the overall winner of the Grande Boucle.
But we can also see other colors of t-shirts and only the deserving ones wear them. Let’s start with the maillot blanc à pois rouges which is awarded to the first rider in the classification in mountain stages, it’s one of the most hotly contested races and these cyclists get the points according to the difficulty of the slope and the length of the climb.
The maillot vert was created in 1953 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Tour de France, these t-shirts are worn by those athletes with the best speed and best time in the individual sprints at the end of each stage. Previously the color was worn by those with the least points, but the rules change.
The youngest cyclists – with a maximum age of 25 years – can be the winners of the maillot blanc. In this case the champion must meet the same requirements as the yellow jersey winner, and they have a high chance of being one of the promises of the future.
110 years later, the Tour de France continues with 21 stages and 3404 km covered. Every year, the Tour starts in a different city which can be French or from a neighboring country, this year the start was in Bilbao to finish as traditionally on the Champs Elysées in Paris.
Danish Jonas Vingegaard came first in a time of 82H 05’ 42”, he has managed to get the gold for the second year in a row and it’s his third year on the podium. Second prize went to Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar and third place went to Great Britain’s Adam Yates.
Tissot in the cycling world
Athletes and spectators experience this competition with great emotion. The adrenaline they feel at each stage of the race, the struggle and intensity to be winners up to the point of wearing one of the four distinctive colors of the maillots is what they lived for almost a month in France.
It’s important to count the ride time accurately, which is why Tissot has been the official timekeeper since 2016. Sensors are now embedded in the tracks; the bikes are equipped with repeaters and the whole system is computer-controlled. At finish lines, high-speed cameras can capture 10,000 frames per second and dissect even the tightest sprint.
For 2023 Tour de France, the brand has created a limited-edition watch created in honor of the elite riders who inspire cyclists around the world. The new generation T-Race Cycling combines a classic look and design, inspired by sport.
The pushers reflect the brakes, while the hands represent the spokes. The rounded lugs evoke the lightness of racing bike frames, while the crown and caseback are reminiscent of the cassette; the central ring of the case is made of carbon. The Tour de France logo is engraved on the case back and the yellow color is clearly visible on the second hands, crown and strap.
This model includes two straps, a yellow silicone strap and a black perforated leather strap, which mirrors the handlebar grips of racing bikes. Both feature quick-release technology and allow the wearer to change styles with the same immediacy as changing gears on a bicycle.
Σχόλια