I am not a big bike fan, but have been watching the Tour De France. Here are some facts that were compiled at the 2005 Tour ............... I am sure it is bigger this year. I just wondered how many water bottles they went through .......... 42,000 .... now I have to wonder where do they get the water from, and how do they store all of that in those crammed cars ........................
Specific 2005 Tour de France facts
•One jaunt into foreign territory (Stage Seven in Karlsruhe, Germany)
•Two rest days (July 11 and 18)
•Three summit finishes (Courchevel, Ax-3 Domaines, Pla d'Adet in Saint-Lary Soulan)
•Five classic climbs to hors categorie 'unclassified' summits (Col de la Madeleine, Col de Galibier, Port de Pailheres, Pla d'Adet, Col d'Aubisque)
•Nine riders in each team and number of flat stages
•15,000,000 spectators set to line the route
•21 stages
•22 teams
•36 French victories on the Tour since debut in 1903
•67.5 kilometers to ride on team time trial
•74 km - the combined distance of the two individual time trials
•131 - times Paris has hosted a start or finish of the Tour
•19 km - the shortest flat stage of the race (Stage One from Fromentine to Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile)
•198 riders at the start
•239.5 km - longest stage in the Tour (Stage 17 from Pau to Revel)
•381 euros prize money for riders finishing race after 120th position
•1200 hotel rooms reserved for teams and staff, press, and Tour personnel
•1904 - the year of the first documented case of cheating in the Tour
•2400 hours of TV coverage
•2004 meters - the altitude of the Courchevel (Stage Ten), the highest climb on the 2005 Tour
•7620 euros prize money for the winner of a stage
•8400 food bags distributed at feeding stations throughout race
•20,000 euros in prize money to most combative rider in race
•25,055 security personnel
•42,000 water bottles used by teams
•353,430 km - approximate distance of all previous 90 Tours de France
•400,000 euros prize money for race winner
•2,877,705 euros total prize money for the entire race
•217 miles of barricades erected and torn down for the race
•250 gendarmes on stage routes per day
Totally Trivial 2005 Tour de France Stats
•4500 accompanying people
•1500 vehicles
•60 permanent staff
•200 temporary staff
•180 service providers
•14 medical staff
•13,000 gendarmes
•45 “gardes républicains”
•9000 police staff
•3000 government officials from the Ministère de l'Équipement
•15,000,000 spectators (men: 68% - women: 32%)
•96% in France, 90% in Europe - Tour name recognition
•11 million gifts distributed
•2300 accredited journalists
•1200 photographer, cameramen & TV directors
•1100 technicians or chauffeurs
•528 various media
•78 television channels showing the Tour in 170 countries
•2,000,000,000 television viewers
