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Comment by Phani Mohan on July 22, 2010 at 4:50am

‘Le Tour', as the French have it, is the world's most important bicycle race, and one of the biggest annual, freely accessible events in the public calendar. This year the event will comprise 21 stages and cover a total distance of 3,600 kilometres. The stages vary in scenery and topology, from windy roads in the north-west of the country, some sections of which are still paved with cobblestones, to mountain passes in the Alps and Pyrenees. The highest point this year is the Col du Tourmalet in the Hautes-Pyrenees, at a height of 2,115 metres above sea level

Beside the racers and their team vehicles, the stages will be crowded with jury, press VIPs, security motorcycles, cars and trucks. Last but not least, a publicity caravan will head up the racers, stretching over 20km along the route and consisting of some two hundred colourfully decorated vehicles representing 35 brands and giving away twenty million gifts to the estimated fifteen million onlookers along the way.