There are few sporting events in the world with a richer history than the Tour de France, which is days away from the start of its 111th edition. 

The race first was held in 1903, and the tradition of the yellow leader’s jersey has spanned generations of cyclists and cycling fans.

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More than a century of action across many types of European terrain has provided countless memorable performances, while the sport’s most notable names have left their marks throughout the Tour de France record books.

Who has won the race the most times? Who has collected the most stage wins? How many countries have hosted stages of the Tour de France? Who is the youngest champion? The oldest?

Ahead of the Tour de France 2024, set to begin June 29 in Florence, Italy – the first time Italy has hosted the opening stage – check out some event’s noteworthy names and numbers:

Most Wins At The Tour de France – Five

Four riders share the top spot in the record books with five Tour de France victories – Jacques Anquetil (1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964), Eddy Merckx (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974), Bernard Hinault (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985) and Miguel Indurain (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995).

Indurain is the only rider to have won the Tour de France five consecutive times. 

*Lance Armstrong of the United States won seven straight times from 1999-2005, but he was stripped of his titles after it was discovered that he used performance-enhancing drugs.

Most Stage Wins At The Tour de France – 34

Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish, who’s still competing, shares the top spot on this list with Merckx. Both riders own 34 stage wins at the Tour de France.

Cavendish, a sprint specialist, is scheduled to compete in the 2024 Tour de France, which is expected to see at least eight sprint finishes among its 21 stages. Cavendish won the green jersey in 2021.

Most Stage Wins In One Tour de France

Three riders have managed to win eight stages in a single Tour de France – Charles Pelissier of France (1930), Merckx of Belgium (1970, 1974) and Freddy Maertens of Belgium (1976).

Most Days In The Yellow Jersey At The Tour de France

Here are the riders who have worn the yellow jersey the most throughout their careers:

• Eddy Merckx – 96 
• Bernard Hinault – 75
• Miguel Indurain – 60
• Chris Froome – 59
• Jacques Anquetil – 50

*Not including half stages.

The yellow jersey for the race leader is a tradition that began in 1919 after a four-year hiatus due to World War I.

In 1961, five-time Tour de France champion Jacques Anquetil claimed the yellow jersey on the opening stage and never relinquished it. 

Most Green Jerseys At The Tour de France – Seven

Slovakian Peter Sagan holds the record with seven green jerseys in his career (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019).

Most Polka Dot Jerseys At The Tour de France – Seven

Richard Virenque of France was the King of the Mountains seven times (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2004).

Most White Jerseys At The Tour de France – Four

Two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia has won the “best young rider” jersey four consecutive times since 2020. He won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021.

Jersey Sweep At The Tour de France – Yellow, Green, Polka Dot

In 1969, Merckx became the only rider in history to claim the yellow (winner), green (sprinter) and polka dot (mountains) jerseys in the same year.

Victories At The Tour de France By Nation

France, by far, has had the most success at the Tour de France, winning 36 times. Take a look at the top 5:

• France – 36
• Belgium – 18
• Spain – 12
• Italy – 10
• Luxembourg – 5

Smallest Winning Margin At The Tour de France

8 seconds – Greg LeMond of the United States over Laurent Fignon of France in 1989

Largest Winning Margin At The Tour de France

In the inaugural edition of the race, which featured six long stages, France’s Maurice Garin won by 2 hours, 49 minutes, 21 seconds over Lucien Pothier.

In the more modern iterations of the race, the largest margin of victory is 28 minutes, 17 seconds in 1952 – Fausto Coppi of Italy over Constant Ockers of Belgium.

Youngest Tour de France Winner

Rookie Henri Cornet of France was 19 years, 352 days of age when he won the Tour de France in 1904. At the time, the race was just six stages. 

Pogacar raced into second place on the list when he won the 2020 race at 21 years, 364 days old. Nowadays, the Tour de France is 21 stages.

Oldest Tour de France Winner

Firmin Lambot of Belgium was 36 years, 4 months old when he won the event in 1922. He’d also won the Tour de France in 1919.

Most Appearances At The Tour de France

France’s Sylvain Chavanel has been on the starting line at the Tour de France 18 times (2001-2018). 

Fastest Tour de France Champion

The 2022 Tour de France was the fasted in history. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard won the first of his two consecutive TDF titles with a record overall speed of 42.102 km/h (26.161 mph).

Read more: How Does Your Average Bike Speed Compare With The Tour de France Pros?

Countries That Have Hosted Stages Of The Tour de France

Since World War II, the Tour de France has visited more than a dozen countries – France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Andorra, Monaco, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark and San Marino. 

Tour de France Teams For 2024

There will be 22 teams and up to 176 competitors in this year’s Tour de France:

Teams

• Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
• Alpecin - Deceuninck
• Arkéa - B&B Hotels
• Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Bahrain - Victorious
• BORA - hansgrohe
• Cofidis
• EF Education - EasyPost
• Groupama - FDJ
• INEOS Grenadiers
• Intermarché - Wanty
• Team Visma | Lease a Bike
• Lidl - Trek
• Movistar Team
• Soudal Quick-Step
• Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
• Team Jayco AlUla
• UAE Team Emirates
• Israel - Premier Tech
• Lotto Dstny
• Uno-X Mobility
• TotalEnergies

When Does The Tour de France 2024 Start?

The Tour de France is a 21-stage event.

The 2024 edition will begin in Florence, Italy, on June 29 and conclude in Nice, France, on July 21. 

Every day, the cyclists start together to complete the stage of a race. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand. 

What Is The Schedule For The Tour de France 2024?

Here is the complete schedule for the 2024 Tour de France

How To Watch Tour de France 2024 In The United States 

A live broadcast of the 2024 Tour de France will be available on Peacock for those watching from the United States. 

Peacock is the exclusive home of the event in the United States through 2029, with start-to-finish coverage of every stage, though select stages also will air on NBC.

How To Watch Tour de France 2024 In Canada 

FloBikes will provide a live broadcast for Canadian audiences.

Viewers in Canada will be able to watch all 21 stages of the Tour de France 2024 live on FloBikes and the FloSports app.

FloBikes also will provide updates, highlights and behind-the-scenes coverage throughout the entire event for all Flo subscribers. 

Catch All The Best Races, Highlights, Insight, News And More On FloBikes

FloBikes is the streaming home to some of the best cycling from across the globe. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more of your favorites in action.

FloBikes Archived Footage

Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloBikes subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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