The
2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the race, one of cycling's
Grand Tours. The race took place from 4 July to 26 July 2015, starting in
Utrecht in the Netherlands and finishing on the
Champs-Élysées in Paris.[1]
All seventeen
UCI WorldTeams were automatically invited and were obliged to attend the race. In January 2015, five
UCI Professional Continental teams were given wildcard places into the race by the race organisers –
Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) – to complete the 22-team peloton.[2] Among the wildcard teams was
MTN–Qhubeka, the first African trade team to participate in the Tour.[3] As each team was entitled to enter nine riders, the
peloton on the first stage consisted of 198 riders.[4] These came from 32 countries. 41 riders – approximately a fifth of the peloton – were French; no other nation had more than 20 riders in the race.[5]Merhawi Kudus and
Daniel Teklehaimanot were the first ever
Eritrean riders to participate in the Tour.[6]
The number of riders per nation participated in the 2015 Tour de France:
20+
10–19
2–9
1
160 riders completed the final stage in Paris, with 38 of the riders failing to finish the race.[7] The race was won by
Chris Froome (
Team Sky), the champion from the
2013 Tour. Froome first took the lead of the race following the third stage – the first uphill finish of the race. He lost the
yellow jersey of the race leader to
Tony Martin (
Etixx–Quick-Step) at the end of the fourth stage, but Martin's withdrawal from the race after a crash at the end of the sixth stage put Froome back into the lead. He extended this lead during the stages in the
Pyrenees and defended it successfully against attacks from
Nairo Quintana (
Movistar Team) during the final stages that took place in the
Alps.[8] Quintana finished second, 1 minute and 12 seconds behind Froome, with Quintana's teammate
Alejandro Valverde in third.[9] Quintana won the competition for the best young rider.[10] The
points classification was won for the fourth consecutive year by
Peter Sagan (
Tinkoff–Saxo), although he failed to win any stages during the race.[11] As well as winning the general classification, Froome won the
mountains classification, while Movistar won the
team classification.[10]
Teams
The 17
UCI WorldTeams were automatically invited to participate in the Tour. In addition,
Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the race organisers, invited five wildcard teams.[2] Three of the teams (
Team Europcar,
Cofidis and
Bretagne–Séché Environnement) were prominent French teams. The race director,
Christian Prudhomme, pointed to Europcar's strength as a team and the presence of several prominent French riders and to Cofidis's
Nacer Bouhanni as reasons for their inclusion. He also recalled Bretagne–Séché Environnement's performance in
2014 and the team's base in
Brittany, a region used by the 2015 race.
Bora–Argon 18 had also performed strongly in 2014 and, as a German-based team, their presence was important as ASO had recently signed a new broadcast agreement with
ARD, a German broadcaster. The final team to be invited was
MTN–Qhubeka, who made their debut in the Tour and were the first African trade team ever to participate in the race. Prudhomme explained that their invitation was part of ASO's strategy to build cycling's popularity in Africa.[3]
The 198 riders that competed in the 2015 Tour de France represented 32 different countries.[57] Riders from nine countries won stages during the race; German riders won the largest number of stages.[58]
^
abWynn, Nigel (20 July 2015).
"Chris Froome safely retains Tour de France lead after tricky stage 16". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 21 July 2015. British national champion Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky) withdrew during the stage after suffering with illness for the past two days, leaving Sky with seven men to support Froome. Stage 13 winner Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) was a non-starter, as he returned home to be with his pregnant wife.
The
2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the race, one of cycling's
Grand Tours. The race took place from 4 July to 26 July 2015, starting in
Utrecht in the Netherlands and finishing on the
Champs-Élysées in Paris.[1]
All seventeen
UCI WorldTeams were automatically invited and were obliged to attend the race. In January 2015, five
UCI Professional Continental teams were given wildcard places into the race by the race organisers –
Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) – to complete the 22-team peloton.[2] Among the wildcard teams was
MTN–Qhubeka, the first African trade team to participate in the Tour.[3] As each team was entitled to enter nine riders, the
peloton on the first stage consisted of 198 riders.[4] These came from 32 countries. 41 riders – approximately a fifth of the peloton – were French; no other nation had more than 20 riders in the race.[5]Merhawi Kudus and
Daniel Teklehaimanot were the first ever
Eritrean riders to participate in the Tour.[6]
The number of riders per nation participated in the 2015 Tour de France:
20+
10–19
2–9
1
160 riders completed the final stage in Paris, with 38 of the riders failing to finish the race.[7] The race was won by
Chris Froome (
Team Sky), the champion from the
2013 Tour. Froome first took the lead of the race following the third stage – the first uphill finish of the race. He lost the
yellow jersey of the race leader to
Tony Martin (
Etixx–Quick-Step) at the end of the fourth stage, but Martin's withdrawal from the race after a crash at the end of the sixth stage put Froome back into the lead. He extended this lead during the stages in the
Pyrenees and defended it successfully against attacks from
Nairo Quintana (
Movistar Team) during the final stages that took place in the
Alps.[8] Quintana finished second, 1 minute and 12 seconds behind Froome, with Quintana's teammate
Alejandro Valverde in third.[9] Quintana won the competition for the best young rider.[10] The
points classification was won for the fourth consecutive year by
Peter Sagan (
Tinkoff–Saxo), although he failed to win any stages during the race.[11] As well as winning the general classification, Froome won the
mountains classification, while Movistar won the
team classification.[10]
Teams
The 17
UCI WorldTeams were automatically invited to participate in the Tour. In addition,
Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the race organisers, invited five wildcard teams.[2] Three of the teams (
Team Europcar,
Cofidis and
Bretagne–Séché Environnement) were prominent French teams. The race director,
Christian Prudhomme, pointed to Europcar's strength as a team and the presence of several prominent French riders and to Cofidis's
Nacer Bouhanni as reasons for their inclusion. He also recalled Bretagne–Séché Environnement's performance in
2014 and the team's base in
Brittany, a region used by the 2015 race.
Bora–Argon 18 had also performed strongly in 2014 and, as a German-based team, their presence was important as ASO had recently signed a new broadcast agreement with
ARD, a German broadcaster. The final team to be invited was
MTN–Qhubeka, who made their debut in the Tour and were the first African trade team ever to participate in the race. Prudhomme explained that their invitation was part of ASO's strategy to build cycling's popularity in Africa.[3]
The 198 riders that competed in the 2015 Tour de France represented 32 different countries.[57] Riders from nine countries won stages during the race; German riders won the largest number of stages.[58]
^
abWynn, Nigel (20 July 2015).
"Chris Froome safely retains Tour de France lead after tricky stage 16". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 21 July 2015. British national champion Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky) withdrew during the stage after suffering with illness for the past two days, leaving Sky with seven men to support Froome. Stage 13 winner Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) was a non-starter, as he returned home to be with his pregnant wife.