The organizers of the Tour de France announced on the 19th that a series of celebration events will be held during the 2013 Tour de France to mark the race’s centenary.
According to information released on the official website of the Tour de France, the earliest celebration event will be a photo exhibition of the Tour de France, which will open at Paris’s Luxembourg Gardens on March 27. The exhibition will run until July 27. Through a series of stunning images, the exhibition will showcase the century-long history of the Tour de France.
The 2013 Tour de France will make its first-ever appearance on the French island of Corsica. On June 29, the Patrouille de France aerobatic team will “escort” the riders as they set off; on July 21, hundreds of former Tour de France participants will welcome the riders back with a celebratory gala on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
In addition, during this year’s Tour de France, major cities along the route of each stage will host a variety of colorful celebration events. It is reported that viewers from 190 countries and regions around the world will be able to watch this year’s Tour de France and related celebration events via television broadcasts.
In 1903, competition between two French newspapers gave birth to the Tour de France. Since then, with the exception of the two World Wars, the race has covered thousands of kilometers each year, traversing flatlands, mountainous regions, hills, and muddy terrain. Riders from around the world have used their physical strength and determination to turn this event into a century-long cycling legend.
The 2013 Tour de France will take place from June 29 to July 21.