Want even more fun facts about the Tour de France? Check out these 23 you probably didn't know.
Teams
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There are 22 teams—consisting of nine riders each—racing this year and representing 12 different countries. Some of the most notable teams include defending champion Chris Froome's Team Sky, the United States' Cannondale Drapac and Peter Sagan's Bora-Hansgrohe.
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In total, 32 countries will be represented by 198 riders. This includes riders from Argentina, Australia, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Japan, Slovakia, South Africa, Ukraine and the United States.
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The Tour will snake through four different countries in 2017, starting in Germany before heading to Belgium, Luxembourg and, finally, France.
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The 2017 Tour will cover 2,200 miles or 3,540 km across 21 days. A stage can be anywhere from an 8.7-mile time trial to a 113.7-mile climb.
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The Tour de France has its fair share of big climbs. From the total altitude gain of 4,600m during stage 9 to some sections approaching 20 percent gradient—we wouldn't want to walk up these mountains, let alone ride up them.
For full stage profiles, visit letour.com.
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The riders will visit or pass through 35 different cities during the tour, including Düsseldorf, Marseille and Paris.
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There are two former Tour champions racing in 2017. Chris Froome is the two-time defending champion and has earned three titles total while Alberto Contador won in 2007 and 2009. Contador originally won the 2010 tour as well but was stripped of the title when he was found guilty of doping.
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Over 200 doping tests will be administered over the course of the Tour. After each stage, the stage winner, overall leader and six or seven other riders are tested.
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More than 42,000 water bottles will be used by teams at this year's Tour. This breaks down to be about two bottles per rider per hour of racing.
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A single rider will consume about 8,000 a day during the Tour. That comes out to be about 168,000 calories over the 21 stages—per rider!
To put that into perspective, find out what 8,000 calories might look like.
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Over 12 million fans from all over the world line the course each year, making it the largest sporting event in history.
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There are four special jerseys awarded throughout the event: yellow, green, polka dot and white. See what each color signifies.
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This year will be the 104th edition of the Tour de France. The inaugural event was held in 1903 but some years were skipped throughout the 1900s due to the two World Wars.
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