From Statista: The the Tour de France, kicks off next week, running from July 1 - July 24. Its touted as one of the biggest sporting events in the world, and according to statistics by Mdiamtrie, attracted a television audience of 150 million viewers across Europe in 2021. But how popular is it on a basis?
Data from Statistas Global Consumer Survey shows that one stereotype does hold true: the Dutch do really love their bikes. According to data of selected countries collected between April 2021and March 2022, the Netherlands had the greatest share cycling fans out of the selected European countries, with 29 percent of its sports fans saying they followed The Italians and the French followed in joint second place, at 27 percent. The UK lagged some way behind, with only 14 percent of British sports fans saying that they follow the professional races.
The Tour de France started back in 1903. Defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica as the worlds most prestigious and most difficult biking race, it consists of around 20 teams of nine riders cycling 3,600km (2,235 miles), mostly through France, although occasionally dipping into neighboring countries, over a
period in July. While only one rider is crowned victorious, teammates will work together to help their lead rider win, whether thats letting them ride shielded from the wind, or exchanging one of their wheels when they have a flat tire. The race has been plagued by doping scandals over the years, with the most famous case seeing U.S. winner Lance Armstrong being stripped of his title in 2012, after investigations found him to have been abusing high performance drugs when he won his titles. The two other cycling races are the Giro dItalia and the Vuelta a Espaa.
This chart shows which European countries had the biggest fan base when it came cycling, as of March 2022.
Despite its reputation for doping, and other forms of cheating, I do admit to wanting to see this grand event. I just cant decide whether to follow the race courses along for a few days or watch the grand finale in Paris. Or maybe I should do both?
