Tour de France - Cycling Race

The best cyclists are racing for two-wheeled supremacy at the 2006 Tour de France. Read on for more on the world's most grueling bike race.

Tour de France - Long and Gruelling

The Tour de France bicycle race has 20 stages, covering over 2,000 miles (3,300 km) through four countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Spain). Racers have to battle the summer heat, long climbs through the Alps and Pyrennes mountains and the taunting and teasing from spectators.

Tour de France - Dress Code

Dress has always been important during the history of the Tour de France. The leader of the race always wears a yellow jersey to show he is the rider to beat while the rider who is leading the mountain portion of the race always wears a red and white polka dot jersey. The riders who are last wear T-shirts with a big letter "L" on the front to indicate that they are big fat losers. (Well... they don't, but they should!).

Tour de France - Code of Dishonor

When the Tour de France first started, cheating and poor sportsmanship were big parts of the race. Fans would throw nails in front of the cyclists they didn't like. Some riders tried to get an advantage by taking rides in cars or even trains - rather than riding their bicycle.

Tour de France - Changing Gears

Until 1937, racers at the Tour de France were not allowed to use bicycles with systems which allowed them to automatically change gears. Riders had to get off their bikes and turn their wheel around every time the road changed from uphill to downhill.

2006 Tour de France - Did You Know?

For the first time since 1998, the Tour de France will be won by someone other than cycling great, Lance Armstrong. Armstrong won the Tour de France seven times in a row from 1999 - 2005, before retiring from competitive cycling.

Several of the world's other top racers also won't be racing in the 2006 Tour de France after 56 riders were banned from the race for the suspected use of blood doping and other performance enhancing drugs.

The favorite to win the 2006 Tour de France is American Floyd Landis, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong.

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