Although the answers to these questions may not constitute the most significant facts about the world’s biggest professional stage race, they are a part of its very colourful history. And that history – answers to the questions included – is recounted at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC), where cycling fans can immerse themselves in the Tour de France from today and all through summer.
The travelling exhibition dedicated to the “Grand Boucle” has been set up at the UCI WCC in Aigle, Switzerland. After a preview on 21 June, the exhibition is now open to the public free of charge and will remain in place until 19 September. It is open weekdays from 8am to 5.30pm and weekends from 9am to 7pm.
Updated and installed in a different location each year, this comprehensive exhibition looks at the iconic sporting event from different angles including its history, the history of the yellow jersey, how a route is devised, a day at a stage, the advertising caravan, and how live television coverage works.
With sections dedicated to multiple winners, memorable moments and great champions - all interspersed with quirky anecdotes collected since the first edition in 1903 -, there is something for everyone.
For fans of statistics, the information is never ending: the biggest number of victories, the most days in yellow, the biggest time gap between the yellow jersey and his runner-up, the oldest and youngest winners….
As well as the written gems and spectacular photos, there is a display of yellow jerseys that were worn, and many of them signed, by great champions of the past such as FrenchmenLouison Bobet (three-time winner 1953-55), Bernard Hinault (winner on five occasions in the 1970s and 1980s), Bernard Thévenet (who beat Eddy Merckx for the win in 1975 and won again in 1977),Thomas Voeckler (in 15 participations between 2003 and 2017: four stage wins, 20 days in yellow and the mountains classification) and Julian Alaphilippe (winner of the first stage in 2021). The display is not devoted solely to French riders: visitors can also admire yellow jerseys worn by American Greg LeMond (winner in 1986, 1989 and 1990) and Dutchman Mathieu Van der Poel (stage 2 winner last year), one of the green jerseys worn by Slovakian Peter Sagan (seven-time winner of the points classification) and the young rider’s white jersey of Slovenian Tadej Pogačar (winner of three jerseys in 2021: yellow, polka dot and white). Meanwhile a jersey signed in 2003 by 22 Tour de France winners also takes pride of place at the UCI World Cycling Centre.
Also on display is an array of bikes, all with incredible stories behind them, not least those of Frenchman Lucien Petit-Breton, winner of the Grand Boucle in 1907 and 1908, and Portugal’s Joaquim Agostinho, who competed in the French stage race 13 times.
Interactive screens to engage visitors are part of the exhibition, as is a special section dedicated to the Tour de France’s connection with Switzerland and Swiss riders.
As a reminder, the 9th stage of this year’s Tour de France will start in Aigle on Sunday 10 July, and the peloton will pass by the UCI WCC twice before heading to Châtel Les Portes du Soleil in neighbouring France.More than 10,000 spectators are expected in Aigle, and the UCI WCC is ready to welcome them at a dedicated fan zone and village – open from Saturday 9 to Monday 11 July - with a giant screen where they can watch Saturday’s and Sunday’s stages live, stands, contests, animations, refreshments and fun activities for families and children.