Steeped in history and culture, the world’s greatest bike race, the Tour de France, is so much more than sport

It’s the world’s greatest bike race, but many people don’t watch for the racing at all. From picturesque landscapes to the historical landmarks and buildings, and even food and culture, the Tour de France might put its competitors through close to 3500km of gruelling cycling, but for those watching at home on TV, it’s a European getaway without leaving the couch. “There is a great community that has been developed (in Australia) around watching the Tour and I believe it is because it is more than just a bike race,” SBS’ lead Tour de France commentator, Matthew Keenan, told The Sunday Times, as he prepares for the 111th edition of the famous race from June 29. “All those other elements around the event make it so special — the touristic element. “It’s the chance to explore a country from the comfort of your lounge room and dream about that next European holiday.” Keenan, a former amateur cyclist who raced in Europe for two seasons before turning to commentary, will be behind the microphone at the sport’s holy grail for the 18th time. But this year’s race will be like no other, starting in Italy for the first time to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of maiden Italian winner Ottavio Bottecchia’s 1924 triumph, and finishing with a 33.7km individual time-trial from Monaco to Nice. Despite its name, it is not uncommon for the race to start in other European countries, having done so 25 times since 1954 when the opening stage was held in the Netherlands. This year’s finish in Cote d’Azur, the French Riviera, however, is a major break from tradition with every previous edition dating back to 1903 has concluded along Paris’ famous Champs-Elysees. The change has been forced by the event date’s close proximity to the Paris Olympics, which start only days later and present a series of logistical challenges. Keenan believes a final-stage time-trial, the first since 1989, will add a new layer of intrigue given the traditional Paris climax is largely ceremonial with the overall standings already decided and no attacks made against the overall leader. “I like the fact it’s finishing with an individual time-trial so we have the crescendo and we have one of the most significant decisions of the race happening on the last day,” said Keenan, who will be joined in commentary by Australia’s multiple Tour stage winner Simon Gerrans, national time trial champion Bridie O’Donnell and national road race champion David McKenzie. “I sometimes feels like the finish in Paris with that precision and the Champagne and the photos is kind of like the day after the grand final having a pre-season practice match. I love the idea of it finishing on a really high note and we are going to get that this year in Nice.” Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, a two-time Tour winner, is the firm favourite to be wearing the yellow jersey on top of the podium again when this year’s race ends. Another Pogacar victory would be especially significant after the 25-year-old also won the year’s first Grand Tour, the Giro d’Italia last month. Only seven men have won the Giro-Tour double, and none this century, highlighting the scale of the feat. Two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard is also expected to be among the top contenders if he makes it to the start line. The 27-year-old Dane is first racing to recover from a badly broken collarbone — the result of a crash in early April that he was lucky to escape without more serious injury. And leading Australian Jai Hindley, a former Giro d’Italia winner, is expected to play a major role — only this year as a key support rider to Slovenian veteran Primoz Roglic. Hindley, 28, was his team’s lead rider at last year’s Tour and wore the leader’s yellow jersey after winning Stage 5 but has been relegated to a supporting role after 34-year-old four-time Grand Tour winner Roglic signed with his team during the off-season. Despite this, Keenan believes Perth-raised Hindley remains a good chance to finish in the top-10 again after his seventh-place on debut in 2023. Veteran British sprinter Mark Cavendish, nicknamed the Manx Missile for his blistering finishes, is also gunning to become the outright record holder for stage wins at the Tour. The 39-year-old from the Isle of Man, a small island in the Irish Sea, currently shares the record of 34 stage wins with Belgian legend Eddy Merckx. Keenan said while keeping track of a 176-rider peloton and all the machinations of the 22 teams they make up was a challenge, sometimes being across the landmarks and historical buildings pointed out during the coverage, and their pronunciations, was just as difficult. “This is the once race where, from a commentary perspective, the bike race is only half of it,” he said. “The audience that is tuning in for the Tour de France, they want to know about the chateau or the church that was built in 1252, got burnt down in 1673 and was rebuild 100 years later. “They want to know about the former politician that lived in this town or the famous painter who went to primary school in the town where the intermediate sprint is. “There is a lot more work that goes into that side of the broadcasting than in any other event.” This year’s Tour, predominantly in the south and east of France after the three initial stages in the north of Italy, covers 3492km in total with stages of between 133km and 230km each day. There is also 52,340m of vertical gain up hills and mountains, including in the Apennines, French and Italian Alps, Massif Central and Pyrenees. Landmarks and historical buildings to be seen along this year’s route include: the World Heritage-listed city centre of Dijon and former palace of the Dukes of Burgundy (Stage 6); medieval city Semur-en-Auxois (Stage 8), an 11th-century church and 13th-century Chateau de Montrond in Saint-Armand-Montrond (Stage 10); Barberousse Tower (Stage 16); a 12th-century cathedral in Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux (Stage 17); and Cime de la Bonette, one of the highest paved roads in Europe at 2802m above sea level (Stage 19). “The race organisers have a team of three people who drive the course and put together a book that has most of the key landmarks,” Keenan said. “Their TV production also maps out where they will be. Then there is then extra research that we do for the race. “I speak survival French . . . but the pronunciation is one of the major challenges, particularly in the different regions.” Another recent addition to SBS’ coverage is Plat du Tour, a segment hosted by French-Australian chef Guillaume Brahimi exploring the cuisines and culture of the regions hosting the Tour. Brahimi, whose restaurants include Bistro Guillaume at Crown Perth, meets with food producers and creates his own dishes correlating to the traditions and culture of each city and town. Across the three weeks, Brahimi produces 21 recipes — one for each stage of the Tour. “There are people that don’t watch races all year round, but they watch the Tour de France because it’s more than a bike race, it’s a major event, and that draws so many people in,” Keenan said. “We get really excited about some of the stadiums we have in Australia, the football and cricket grounds and we have amazing venues. But it would have to be a pretty strong argument to find a better ‘stadium’ than what we have at the Tour de France. Nothing beats Mother Nature as a backdrop.”

Steeped in history and culture, the world’s greatest bike race, the Tour de France, is so much more than sport

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