PatrickGSR94

Pretty much everyone the world over, whether they are cycling fans or not, knows what the Tour de France is. But there are other Grand Tours with 21 stages, 20+ teams of 9 riders each and all that stuff. And the TdF isn't even anything like the "last of the season" like a championship match like the World Series of baseball, Super Bowl or NBA Finals. There is still the Vuelta de Espania still to come next month.

So why is the Tour de France so famous, and so well known? Is it just because it has the longest history as compared to other UCI Grand Tours?

chasm54

So famous and so well known? That is an achievement, to be sure...

It was the first. It was the best marketed, and offered the most prize money. It is in the middle of the season - the Vuelta is the newest and least remunerative, and had to change from spring to autumn because it was competing for riders with the Giro. It now competes for riders with the world championships. As a result it is definitely third in the GT rankings.

Very few riders have the capacity to win both Giro and Tour in a single season, so it is in the interests of the team sponsors that the top riders are seen in the most prestigious and best-publicised race. So success breeds success, the Tour gets the strongest fields, etc. etc.

FrenchFit 

It's gorgeous.

PatrickGSR94

lol I used a few synonyms in there

Leinster

Don't think of it as a season finale like those, more like a most important tournament that happens to be mid-season, like Wimbledon, the US Masters, Kona etc.

The Tour is the original, it's the one the best riders have always wanted to win, as a result it's the one you see the best riders all riding to try and win, and success breeds success.

DanielLC

It would be nice if there was a US grand tour, but not sure if it would be possible to achieve, even though it seems like such a natural thing to do with all the money and huge amounts of sports fans in the country.

Caretaker

Despite the occasional idiot it's the roadside spectators that help make the Tour what it is. There may be "huge amounts of sports fans" in the U.S. but I doubt many of them would line the roadside for hours, especially in the pouring rain like today.

Astrozombie

It isn't even the last one nor is there a yearly champion or anything right? I don't get how the Daytona 500 is the "super bowl" of Nascar when it's just the first race.

mprelaw

Because it's known to even the most casual cyclist.

colombo357

Please cite your sources. I don't believe this statement one bit.

Chaco

In addition to all the reasons above, the high-def and high quality video attracts lots of non-cyclists like my wife. She doesn't know who the riders are, but certainly enjoys the scenery.
The Giro, OTOH, has no interest for her whatsoever because of the poor quality video.

mayojorne

It's the only cycling race I get on cable...

Laggard

Huh? This years Giro had 21 stages and 229 riders.

ericy

Yes, but stage 19 was cancelled due to snow, so it ended up with only 20 stages .

Jakedatc

I think the Vuelta has some of the best racing.. less predictable too. last year's race had insane amount of mountains and they upped it again this year.. 11 summit finishes..

Leinster

They've had the Dupont Tour and Tour De Trump <s******> in the past, and there's the Tour of California now; the summit finish on Mt Diablo this year was Alpe D'Huez-esque. But if you wanted to expand any of those to be a nationwide, 3-week stage race, you'd be talking about some ridiculous logistics. Can you imagine closing down Downtown Chicago for a stage finish?

That's another advantage of the Tour de France; the cities and governments buy into it big style. The centre of Paris will close all its streets this Sunday. Pretty much all day. You'd have to be filming a Will Smith movie to do that in Manhattan.

gpsblake

Maybe some day, one day, they can have the a few stages of the tour in the United States although that would probably require an incredible amount of logistics plus a day off early. They start in England next year, in fact they finish the first stage in Harrogate, where I lived for nearly two years in the mid 80s. Be fun to see them race on the same roads I used to ride as a young man.

wabbit

I actually like the Giro better, it's my favourite grand tour. The mountains are even better than the ones in the tour!

parkersdad

So is the race in Colorado.

cafzali

One thing that really helps the TDF in terms of awareness is the fact that it's helped usher in periods when nations that were relatively new to cycling success started some decent streaks. Obviously the Lance era had a lot to do with increasing awareness in the U.S., but I'd be willing to bet more fans in Great Britain will start to take interest now that there have been two British winners in a row -- or at least as of Sunday

Zinger

One thing that signaled the end of the Coors Classics (besides lack of competition for the moneyed 7-11 team) was the increased Insurance costs and the logistics and traveling distances between stages when they expanded the race from Just Colorado to California and even Hawaii in '87. France is just an easier country in which to organize a grand tour.

Actually they have three separate North American races in August and September: A 6 stage Tour of Utah, A 7 stage USA Pro Challenge in Colorado complete with the fan friendly circuit race stages reminiscent of the now defunct Coors Classic and a 5 stage Tour of Alberta Canada. And there will be some overseas competition in those proving grounds for future talent along with some of the best North American riders.

PVFD304

Looks like Richmond 2015 will be as close to a tour as I can get.

FrenchFit 

I've been to Colorado; sir, it is not France.

parkersdad

No it is not France but it is still beautiful.

MookieBlaylock

How shocking..