Bicycle Racing

The Tour de France was originally staged in 1903 as a publicity event by the French sports newspaper L'Auto. Let's go back and look at a slice of history. The most popular sports newspaper in France just after the turn of the 20th century was Le Vélo. At the time, France was awash in nation debate over the innocence or guilt of a soldier (Alfred Dreyfus) who was accused of selling secrets to the Germans. The general stance of the paper was that Lieutenant-colonel Dreyfus was innocent, but a number of advertisers loudly differed. These advertisers banded together to form their own magazine, L'Auto (which later became L'Équipe). A popular cycling even of the time was the Paris-Brest et retour, which was promoted by Pierre Giffard, editor of Le Vélo. In an effort to compete with that event and promote themselves and L'Auto, the idea of the Tour de France arose. The story is that Albert de Dion, the point man among the advertisers who formed the paper, came up with the idea of with Henri Desgrange, the editor, following lunch on the 20th of November in 1902. L'Auto announced and began promoting the race on the 19th of January in 1903, and history records the rest.
The best answer is to be found on the link below.
Le Tour de France (la Tour de France means "the Tower of France," but it's a common mistake so don't worry!) was "invented" by Geo Lefevre in 1902.

In those days, sporting events were often organised to boost sales of magazines and other publications. Lefevre had been persuaded to work with a newspaper called L'Auto by its owner as a rugby and cycling journalist. However, L'Auto'scirculation was poor and a meeting was held on 20th November to come up with ideas to promote it. Lefevre, who spoke last at the meeting, proposed the idea of organising the Tour and staging it the following year, 1903. He later claimed that he had only suggested it because he couldn't think of anything else to say.
Henri Desgrange

; 1992 - Motorola : Settimana Bergamasca (stage 6) : Vuelta a Galicia (Stage 4a) : Trittico Premondiale (Stage 2) (or GP Sanson) : First Union Grand Prix (Atlanta) : Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic (overall, 1 stage win) : 2nd, Züri-Metzgete ; 1993 - Motorola : World Cycling Champion - UCI Road World Championships : US National Cycling Champion - CoreStates USPRO National Road Championships : Tour de France (Stage 8) : Tour of America (overall) : Trofeo Laigueglia : Tour du Pont (2nd overall, 1 stage win) : Tour of Sweden (3rd overall, 1 stage win) : Thrift Drug Classic : Kmart West Virginia Classic (overall, 2 stage wins) ; 1994 - Motorola : Thrift Drug Classic : Tour du Pont (1 stage win) : 2nd, Liège-Bastogne-Liège : 2nd, Clasica San Sebastian ; 1995 - Motorola : Tour de France (Stage 18) : Clásica de San Sebastián : Paris-Nice (Stage 5) : Tour du Pont (overall, mountains, 3 stage wins) : Kmart West Virginia Classic (overall, 2 stage wins) : Tour of America (overall) ; 1996 - Motorola : Tour du Pont (overall, 4 stage wins) : La Flèche Wallonne : 2nd, Liège-Bastogne-Liège : 2nd, Paris-Nice ; 1997 - Cofidis : Sprint 56K Criterium (Austin, TX) ; 1998 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team : Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt (overall) : Tour de Luxembourg (overall, 1 stage win) : Cascade Cycling Classic : 4th, Vuelta a España ; 1999 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team : Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins) : Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (ITT) (Prologue) : Route du Sud (Stage 4) : Circuit de la Sarthe (ITT) (Stage 4) : 2nd, Amstel Gold Race ; 2000 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team : Tour de France (overall, 1 stage win) : GP des Nations : Grand Prix Eddy Merckx (with Viatcheslav Ekimov) : Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (ITT) (Stage 3) : Bronze medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics Individual Time Trial, Men ; 2001 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team : Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins) : Tour de Suisse (overall, 2 stage wins) : 2nd, Amstel Gold Race ; 2002 - U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team : Tour de France (overall, 4 stage wins) : Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (overall, Stage 6) : GP du Midi Libre (overall) : Profronde van Stiphout (post-Tour criterium) ; 2003 - US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team

presented by Berry Floor : Tour de France (overall, 1 stage win, Team Time Trial) : Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (overall, Stage 3 ITT) ; 2004 - US Postal Service pro Cycling Team

presented by Berry Floor : Tour de France (overall, 5 stage wins, Team Time Trial) : Tour de Georgia (overall, 2 stage wins) : Tour du Languedoc-Roussillon (Stage 5) : Volta ao Algarve (ITT) (Stage 4) : Profronde van Stiphout (post-Tour criterium) ; 2005 - Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team : Tour de France (overall, 1 stage win, Team Time Trial) : Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (points classification) ; 2008 - Lance Armstrong Foundation / Team Livestrong : Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race (2nd place) : 12 Hours of Snowmass (1st place with Len Zanni and Max Taam) : Tour de Gruene (1st place Individual Time Trial & Team Time Trial) ; 2009 - Astana Team : Tour of California (7th overall) : Tour of the Gila (2nd overall) ; 1991 - Subaru-Montgomery / US National Team : United States National Amateur Road Race Champion : Settimana Bergamasca (overall and youth classifications) : Gastown Grand Prix (now known as Tour de Gastown [73] criterium) (Vancouver, BC) : Challenge of Champions Triathlon (Monterey, CA) ; 1990 - Subaru-Montgomery : United States National Sprint Triathlon Champion : Stonebridge Ranch Triathlon (McKinney, TX) ; 1989 : United States National Sprint Triathlon Champion : Waco Triathlon (Waco, TX) ; 1988 : Athens YMCA Triathlon (Athens, TX) (course record) : River Triathlon (Shreveport, LA) (course record) : Hillcrest Tulsa Triathlon (Tulsa, OK) ; 1987 : Texas State Triathlon Championship : Hillcrest Tulsa Triathlon (course record)[74] ; 1986 : Norman Triathlon (Norman, OK) ; 1985 : 2nd, IronKids Triathlon National Championship[75] : IronKids Triathlon at Houston (regional level) : IronKids Triathlon at Dallas (local level) ; 1983 : IronKids Triathlon at Dallas
stage wins is 25 (including team time trials)

It always finishes in Paris, France, by the Arc du Triomphe on the Champs Elysees, with a sprint. Usually this day will decide the green jersey as well.

In downtown Paris.

The finish line has been in the same spot every year. 2010's finish line is Avenue des Champs-Elysees, close to the Arc de Triomphe
The Tour de France always ends in downtown Paris.
Paris. As it always does

• 1910: French racerAdolphe Helière drowned at the French Riviera during a rest day.
• 1935: Spanish racer Francisco Cepeda plunged down a ravine on the Col du Galibier.
• 1967: 13 July, Stage 13: Tom Simpson died of heart failure during the ascent of Mont Ventoux. Amphetamines were found in Simpson's jersey and blood.
• 1995: 18 July, Stage 15: Fabio Casartelli crashed at 88 km/h (55 mph) while descending the Col de Portet d'Aspet.

Another six fatal accidents have occurred:

• 1957: 14 July: Motorcycle rider Rene Wagter and passenger Alex Virot, a journalist for Radio-Luxembourg, went off a mountain road near Ax-les-Thermes.
• 1958: An official, Constant Wouters, died after an accident with sprinter André Darrigade at the Parc des Princes.[128]
• 1964: Twenty people died when a supply van hit a bridge in the Dordogne region, resulting in the highest tour-related death toll.[129]
• 2000: A 12-year-old from Ginasservis, known as Phillippe, was hit by a car in the Tour de France publicity caravan.[130]
• 2002: A seven-year-old boy, Melvin Pompele, died near Retjons after running in front of the caravan.[130]
• 2009: 18 July, Stage 14: A spectator in her 60s was struck and killed by a police motorcycle while crossing a road along the route near Wittelsheim.[129]

  Also a motorcyclist entertaining the crowd prior to the peloton's arrival in 1934.

So, total riders while racing: 3. Total riders in the Tour: 4. Total including spectators: 31.

TdF isn't raced by nations, it's raced by teams.

These teams will usually have riders of several different nationalities.

Most of the riders, regardless of nationality, will ride in the team jersey.

Rides who do specially well, will get a jersey from the race organisation displaying their specialty:

• Shortest overall time - yellow
• best sprinter - green
• best uphill - red dots on white
• best young rider - white

American cancer survivor Lance Armstrong set a record when he won 7 Tour de France, from 1999-2005.

He always won while riding a Trek brand bicycle and riding for the US Postal Service (USPS) first and then later the Discovery Channel.

He has now been stripped of his titles and the record, due to the compelling evidence and his eventual confession to the systematic use of illegal performance enhancing drugs.
Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France every year from 1999 to 2005.

Seven consecutive wins.

Right now, it's about 450,000 euros, which is approximately 594,495.

The 2009 winner of the Yellow Jersey receives a prize of EUR 450,000.

I believe they get like a few million dollars which they split among their team. You don't win the tour for the money. You win for the title. The money easily follows if you're the winner and you haven't been found to be a doper. Also the overall winner for the team gets a yellow jersey.
There are actually multiple "winners" in the Tour. Recognized riders include best overall time (maillot juane), best sprinter (maillot verte), best climber (king of the mountains, or maillot à pois rouges), and a few others.

Besides eternal fame and glory (in the eyes of Europe at least), that rider is considered top pick for teams that wish to compete in the Tour next year. There's also prize money--the maillot juane gets somewhere around $720,000 to $750,000 (US).

Representing the prestige of the race, these riders are also presented with special jerseys. Riders who end a stage of the race with the best overall time get to take home the "yellow jersey" (english for maillot jaune) and wear it in the next day's stage. The person ending le Tour with the best time gets to wear it next year on stage 1 if they compete. Same thing with the other riders--maillot verte is the "green jersey", maillot à pois rouges is the "polka dot jersey", etc.

There are also trophies, lion stuffed animals, flowers, podium girl kisses, and special prizes awaiting riders who accomplish certain things like stage wins, fastest to a certain landmark, and others.