Greythorn Primary School French Website

The Tour de France bicycle race began in 1903. It is a 3-week race held in July each year. The race follows the perimeter of France and is held in three stages, with the overall race winner scoring the lower overall times in each race.

With the exception of a couple of rest or transfer days, races (referred to as "stages") are held each day over the three weeks.

There are a number of competitions, but the most significant is that of the overall winner of the "General Classification" (the "GC"). The winner of the GC is the rider with the lowest total time for completing all of the stages. Since 1919, the leader of the GC at the end of the previous stage wears a yellow jersey on the following day's stage.

A "Points Competition" is also held - where riders receive a certain number of points for the order they cross the finish line. The leader in the Points Competition on the day before the final race day wears a green jersey.

The Tour De France