Tour Méditerranéen
Encyclopedia
Tour Méditerranéen is a professional road bicycle racing
event held in southern France along the Mediterranean Sea
. The Tour Méditerranéen is a five-day stage race that began in 1974 and since 2005 has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event. From 1974 to 1977, the race was named Trophée Méditerranéen.
The race has been won by many notable Grand Tour
and world champion riders including Eddy Merckx
, Gianni Bugno
, Gerrie Knetemann
(three times), and Paolo Bettini
.
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
event held in southern France along the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. The Tour Méditerranéen is a five-day stage race that began in 1974 and since 2005 has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event. From 1974 to 1977, the race was named Trophée Méditerranéen.
The race has been won by many notable Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
and world champion riders including Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
, Gianni Bugno
Gianni Bugno
Gianni Bugno is a former Italian professional road racing cyclist.-Biography:Bugno was a versatile rider, able to do well in different types of races. He won numerous stages in the Tour de France, and the Milan – San Remo classic in 1990...
, Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann was a Dutch road bicycle racer who won the 1978 World Championship....
(three times), and Paolo Bettini
Paolo Bettini
Paolo Bettini is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the coach of the Italian national cycling team. Considered the best classics specialist of his generation, and probably one of the strongest of all times, he won gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics road race and in the 2006...
.