While many people rave about the thriving sport of competitive cycle racing in continental Europe – think Tour de France – it is worth remembering that countries all over the world have similar tests of endurance, loved by the fans, if not by the riders as these grand tours must feel like an endless torture! So it is worth spending a little time to remember these “little” races, which include the Tour of Poland, the Tour Down Under (in Australia), and the Tour of Turkey.
One that perhaps should be mentioned more than it generally is, is the Tour of Britain. The British tour, which started up again in 2004 after a five year absence due to sponsorship difficulties – is still popular with racers despite the fact that its timing on the race calendar clashes with the more prestigious Vuelta a España. Like many of the big tours, the Tour of Britain is a stage race, this one covering eight stages and roughly 1200 km (745 miles). It also sees teams of racers pitted against each other for coveted colored cycling shirts; in the British Tour, like other more famous races, the leader wears a yellow jersey. There is a blue, white and black jersey for the points leader, for total accumulated points due to finishing position in each stage. The polka dot jersey, as in the Tour de France, is awarded to the king of the mountains. There is also a red, white and blue jersey for the rider with the most points over the three sprints.
The Tour of America also suffered to a degree from competing races, the Tour of California, the Tour of Georgia and the Tour of Missouri. In fact it suffered so much that it never even existed! Until this year, 2010, the inaugural year of the Tour of America, a 2200 mile coast to coast American Grand Tour. The cycling shirts for the new American tour will be the same yellow, green and polka dot as awarded in the Tour de France, with the addition of a blue jersey – like in the Tour of Britain – for the rider with the best accumulated points for finishing position. But don’t rely on finishing position alone! It is overall time that counts, and if you finish the tour in the quickest time, you’re the winner, and that means a yellow jersey.
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