I have grown up surrounded by cycling; my dad is an avid cycling fan and tried for years to get my sister and me interested in watching cycling, but it wasn’t until two years ago that I finally gave in. Suddenly, I started waking up early on Sunday mornings to put on bike races and get comfy on the couch before the riders took off. And while my interest in cycling may partially be because it allows me to connect with my dad, it is so much more than just that. It is something I am truly passionate about; I know the cyclists’ statistics, their previous results, and the rivalries they have with other cyclists. A lot of people are like me two years ago, unaware of the wonders of professional cycling and waiting for someone to introduce them to it. The first race I got into, and the one I would recommend to help others get interested, is The Tour de France.
The Tour de France is a sporting event that is underappreciated in the United States. Professional cycling as a whole is undervalued in the United States compared to Europe. The Tour de France is a multistage cycling race that has been taking place since 1903. In America, individual stages are estimated to be watched by around 350,000-400,000 people, which is around the same viewership as a midday basketball game. For comparison, the third stage of the Tour de France had 1.9 million viewers in Denmark alone. I believe that the Tour de France is an event that deserves to be acknowledged by the American public as the demonstration of cycling excellence it is.
In America, when the topic of professional cycling is brought up, many people’s minds automatically go to Lance Armstrong and his doping scandal. From 1996 to 2011, Lance Armstrong seemed like an unbeatable force in professional cycling. He won the Tour de France seven times in a row from 1999 to 2005 after beating testicular cancer in 1996. Throughout his career, he faced many allegations of doping, but none were ever proven. In 2012, The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) charged Armstrong with possessing, using, and transporting banned substances. Armstrong did not appeal the accusations; all of his achievements after August 1998 were declared invalid. In a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong finally admitted that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during all of his Tour de France wins.
However, American cycling is more than a singular rider. Currently, four American cyclists are in the top 100 professional cyclists based on Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) points. The UCI is the premier governing body for professional cycling. In UCI team rankings for World Tour teams, five out of the ten top teams have at least one American rider. To solely focus on Lance Armstrong would be to miss out on many fantastic American cyclists.
This year Matteo Jorgenson, a cyclist from Idaho, won Paris-Nice for general classification along with winning the third stage of this race. The final stage of the 2025 Paris-Nice was won by Magnus Sheffield, who is from upstate New York. Sheffield and Jorgenson knew each other from their youth, having competed in cycling competitively in the US. Brandon McNulty, from Arizona, has been a powerhouse this season as well. He has served as the “lead-out-man” for Team UAE, and has assisted with many team wins as well as finishing fourth in 2025 Paris-Nice. The last American cyclist that you should be on the lookout for is Neilson Powless. Powless is the first Native American cyclist to compete in the Tour de France. He has had many impressive results this season; most notably, he won Dwars door Vlaanderen.
This year, the Tour de France is taking place from Saturday, July 5, to Sunday, July 27, with a total of 21 stages. Full coverage of the Tour de France can be found on Peacock as well as NBC. The stages usually start between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM Central European Summer Time (CEST), which is 5:30 AM and 6:30 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST). And while this seems like an outrageously early hour to wake up, the stages often last for five hours, so it is possible to tune in when you wake up. Another benefit of the Tour de France being streamed on Peacock is that after the stage is finished, the full recording is available to rewatch if desired. So, if you’re like me and have a problem with waking up early, you can watch the stage later in the day.
The Tour de France is a big deal every year, but I believe that this year will be a special one to start watching. In the Tour de France, there are technically four winners. The four groups are General Classification, Points Classification, King of the Mountain, and Young Riders jersey. The leaders of these different disciplines can be identified throughout the race by their uniquely colored jerseys.
The general classification winner (GC), the person who finishes all of the stages of the Tour de France with the lowest total time, wears a bright yellow jersey. The cyclist who wears the jersey changes throughout the race based on who is leading the classification. The rider who wins this classification is usually someone proficient in all different styles, but their specialty lies in endurance.
The points classification winner, the person who has accumulated the most points from intermediate sprints and stage endings throughout the entire race, wears a green jersey. This rider is usually someone whose specialty is sprinting or speed riding.
The “King of the Mountain” winner is the rider who has gained the most points in the mountain stages of the Tour de France. This cyclist wears a white jersey with red polka dots. This award is given to the rider who accumulates points by winning mountaintop stages.
The Young Rider Classification jersey is awarded to the cyclist who has earned the most points of all the riders under 23 years of age. This cyclist is given a white jersey, and like the others, it changes as the race progresses.
This year’s Tour de France is an especially exciting one. The past four years of the Tour de France have been won by two cyclists. In 2021, Tadej Pogacar, a Slovenian cyclist, won the Tour de France, solidifying his place as one of the greatest riders in cycling history. In 2022 and 2023, Jonas Vingegaard, a cyclist from Denmark, won the Tour de France after an intense race with Tadej Pogacar. In 2024, Pogacar made an impressive comeback and won the Tour de France once again. This year, 2025, it is unclear who will win. Will it be Pogacar or Vingegaard, or will a new GC contender make their debut?
The excitement over GC riders is not the only thing going on at this year’s Tour de France. Last year, Biniam Girmay won a stage, making him the first African cyclist to win a Tour de France stage, and this year viewers are ready to see what he will achieve. Every Tour de France, some riders are making their debut, but this year, I have a feeling that these newcomers are going to shake up the peloton (which is what the large group of riders is called).
So, if you are looking for a new sport to obsess over, a chill time with friends and family, or a chance to watch one of the most amazing demonstrations of athletic talent in the world, get ready to watch the Tour de France starting on July 5, 2025.
Image source: Britannica