Before I came on my first mountain biking vacation in Morzine, when I heard the connection of the words bicycle and France, I thought of the Tour De France. There is no doubt the Tour De France had an immense affect on France's biking culture. Road biking and mountain biking have been in the center of public awareness in France for the past century - the Tour de France has a lot to do with that fact. That is probably one of the reasons that Morzine has developed into one of the leading mountain biking resorts in the world.
Almost anyone in the world knows about the tour de France, yet most of us don't know much more about it. Here are some facts about the Tour de France that most people aren't aware of:
The Tour de France was first thought of by a sports magazine editor in order to promote the magazine. The race was planned to be a challenging and demanding long race through many parts of France. Over the years the Tour de France has become a popular event that captured public attention in France.
The Tour de France is a 21 to 23 day long race. Its course is different every year. The course of the race is always circuits around France and sometimes goes through neighboring countries. The race is divided into stages. Each stage is considered as an independent race. The contestant who achieves the lowest total score is declared the winner of the race.
The Tour definitely added to the biking culture in France. I recommend coming to a biking vacation in Morzine especially in the summer months. The experience of being in France in the peak days of the Tour De France is one of a kind.
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