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85-707: The Gent–Wevelgem U23 / Kattekoers-Ieper is a European single day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders . As of 2011, the race is organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour . The race is considered to be the under-23 version of the Gent–Wevelgem classic. The Kattekoers was created in 1934, initially as The three belfry cities . The race started in Ghent , passed Bruges and ended in Ypres , three cities which have

170-499: A belfry , hence the name. More recently, the starting location has been changed to Deinze instead of Ghent. Road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling , held primarily on paved roads . Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common competition formats are mass start events, where riders start simultaneously (though sometimes with

255-599: A handicap ) and race to a set finish point; and time trials , where individual riders or teams race a course alone against the clock. Stage races or "tours" take multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively. Professional racing originated in Western Europe, centred in France, Spain, Italy and the Low Countries . Since the mid-1980s, the sport has diversified, with races held at

340-428: A competitor's wheel, forcing the other person to do a greater share of the work in maintaining the pace and to potentially tire earlier. Drafting is not permitted in individual time trials. A group of riders that "breaks away" (a "break") from the peloton has more space and freedom, and can therefore be at an advantage in certain situations. Working together smoothly and efficiently, a small group can potentially maintain

425-463: A distinctive jersey (yellow in the Tour de France ) and generally maintains a position near the head of the main mass of riders (the peloton), surrounded by team members, whose job it is to protect the leader. Contenders for the general lead may stage "attacks" to distance themselves from the leader in "breakaways". The general leader's vulnerability to breakaways is higher when the escaping rider(s) trail by

510-542: A dramatic and whimsical fashion. Pets are welcome. A Christmas market was held on the parvis of Reims Cathedral (Place du Cardinal-Luçon). It has since been moved in front of the Reims train station. In takes place in the month before Christmas, in 2023 this will be November 24th until December 24th. The Christmas market in Reims is the 3rd largest Christmas market in France. There are 150 different stalls each with various regional crafts, gifts, foods and specialities. This includes

595-524: A famous poutine stand. The market last year was open on Mondays from 2pm to 8pm, Tuesday to Thursday from 10:30am to 10pm, Friday from 10:30am to 10pm, Saturday from 10am to 10pm, and Sundays from 10pm to 8pm. Access to the Christmas market is free and it is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Dogs are welcome if they are on a leash. Close by, there is a large traditional Christmas tree. Restaurants and bars are concentrated around Place Drouet d'Erlon in

680-629: A farm bike that weighed 35 kg. The only woman to finish within 24 hours was the self-styled Miss America , in reality an unknown English woman who, like several in the field, had preferred not to compete under her real name. The increase in organised cycle racing led to the development of national administrative bodies, in Great Britain in 1878, France 1881, the Netherlands 1883, Germany 1884 and Sweden 1900. Sometimes, as in Great Britain, cycling

765-403: A good spectacle for spectators at the finish). Races over short circuits, often in town or city centres, are known as criteriums . Some races, known as handicaps, are designed to match riders of different abilities and/or ages; groups of slower riders start first, with the fastest riders starting last and so having to race harder and faster to catch other competitors. Individual time trial (ITT)

850-405: A higher speed than the peloton, in which the remaining riders may not be as motivated or organized to chase effectively. Usually a rider or group of riders will try to break from the peloton by attacking and riding ahead to reduce the number of contenders for the win. If the break does not succeed and the body of cyclists comes back together, a sprinter will often win by overpowering competitors in

935-565: A major event on the Olympic programme ... Like many other sports it has undergone several changes over the years. Just as there used to be track and field events such as the standing high jump or throwing the javelin with both hands, cyclists, too, used to compete for medals in events which today have been forgotten; for example in Athens in 1896, they attempted a 12-hour race, and in London, in 1908, one of

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1020-436: A small time difference in the general ranking, and as number of remaining stages diminishes. Riders, who finish in the stage ranking behind the general leader, increase their cumulative time disadvantage. Whereas those who finish ahead of the general leader decrease their time disadvantage and may even gain sufficient time to unseat the general leader. After each stage, the racer with the lowest cumulative time becomes (or remains)

1105-444: A specified percentage of the winner's finishing time, to be permitted to start the next day's stage. Often, riders in this situation band together to minimize the effort required to finish within the time limit; this group of riders is known as the gruppetto or autobus . In one-day racing, professionals who no longer have any chance to affect the race outcome will routinely withdraw, even if they are uninjured and capable of riding to

1190-414: A strong domestique in a breakaway (rather than the designated team leader). If the domestique is a good chance to win if the breakaway is not brought back, it places the onus on other teams with favoured riders to expend energy chasing the breakaway, impeding their efforts to assist their leader in the final stages of the race. For instance, in the 2012 London Olympics men's road race the outright favourite

1275-908: A three-week stage race principally through France and ending in Paris, the Giro d'Italia in Italy, and the Vuelta a España in Spain. Each of these races is considered a " Grand Tour ". Professional racing is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale . In 2005 it instituted the UCI ProTour (renamed UCI World Tour in 2011) to replace the UCI Road World Cup series. While the World Cup contained only one-day races,

1360-768: A tributary of the Aisne . Founded by the Gauls , Reims became a major city in the Roman Empire . Reims later played a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France . The royal anointing was performed at the Cathedral of Reims , which housed the Holy Ampulla of chrism allegedly brought by a white dove at the baptism of Frankish king Clovis I in 496. For this reason, Reims

1445-503: A white jersey with colored bands (often called "rainbow bands") around the chest. In Australia, due to the relatively mild winters and hot summers, the amateur road racing season runs from autumn to spring, through the winter months, while criterium races are held in the mornings or late afternoons during the summer. Some professional events, including the Tour Down Under , are held in the southern summer, mainly to avoid clashing with

1530-507: Is a biscuit frequently associated with Champagne wine. Reims was long renown for its pain d'épices and nonnette . Between 1925 and 1969, Reims hosted the Grand Prix de la Marne automobile race at the circuit of Reims-Gueux . The French Grand Prix took place here 14 times between 1938 and 1966. As of 2021 , the football club Stade Reims , based in the city, competed in the Ligue 1 ,

1615-536: Is a candidate in the bid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2028. The Palace of Tau contains such exhibits as statues formerly displayed by the cathedral, treasures of the cathedral from past centuries, and royal attire from coronations of French kings. The Musée Saint-Remi , formerly the Abbey of Saint-Remi, contains tapestries from the 16th century donated by the archbishop Robert de Lenoncourt (uncle of

1700-461: Is an event in which cyclists race alone against the clock on flat or rolling terrain, or up a mountain road. A team time trial (TTT), including two-man team time trial, is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock. In both team and individual time trials, the cyclists start the race at different times so that each start is fair and equal. Unlike individual time trials where competitors are not permitted to 'draft' (ride in

1785-580: Is commonplace for amateur cyclists to own bicycles that are identical to those used to win major races. Clothing worn for road racing is designed to improve aerodynamics and improve rider comfort. The rider's shorts contain padding to improve comfort, and materials are chosen to manage rider temperature, manage sweat, and keep the rider as warm and dry as feasible in wet conditions. Cycling jerseys were originally made of wool; modern jerseys are made of synthetic fabrics such as lycra . Bicycle helmets were made mandatory for professional road racing in 2003, after

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1870-548: Is derived from the accusative case of the latter, Rēmos . Christianity had become established in the city by 260, at which period Saint Sixtus of Reims founded the Diocese of Reims (which would be elevated to an archdiocese around 750). The consul Jovinus , an influential supporter of the new faith, repelled the Alamanni who invaded Champagne in 336, but the Vandals captured

1955-701: Is housed in the former Abbey of Saint-Denis. Part of the former Collège des Jésuites has also become a contemporary art gallery: the FRAC Champagne-Ardenne. The Museum of the Surrender is the building in which on 7 May 1945, General Eisenhower and the Allies received the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht . Venues include the Reims Opera House , built in 1873 and renovated in 1931–1932, and

2040-505: Is not long enough to let the drafting effect (which is then working at full power again) make the bunch catch up, making a climb escape even more attractive. Wind conditions can also make otherwise routine sections of a course potentially selective. Crosswinds, particularly, alter the position of the "shadow" when drafting a rider, usually placing it diagonally behind the lead rider, forming a line of riders called an echelon . To take advantage of this, an attacking rider rides at high speed at

2125-575: Is often referred to in French as la cité des sacres ("the Coronation City"). Reims is recognized for the diversity of its heritage, ranging from Romanesque to Art-déco . Reims Cathedral , the adjacent Palace of Tau , and the Abbey of Saint-Remi were listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 because of their outstanding Romanesque and Gothic architecture and their historical importance to

2210-588: Is the prefecture . Reims co-operates with 142 other communes in the Communauté urbaine du Grand Reims . Rue de Vesle is the main commercial street (continued under other names), traversing the city from southwest to northeast through the Place Royale . The economy of Reims is driven by the wine and Champagne industries and innovation in the bio-economic field. Reims Cathedral is an example of French Gothic architecture . The Basilica of Saint-Remi , founded in

2295-448: Is the first person to cross the finish line that day or the time trial rider (or team) with the lowest time on the course. The overall winner of a stage race is the rider who takes the lowest aggregate time to complete all stages (accordingly, a rider does not have to win all or any of the individual stages to win overall). Three-week stage races are called Grand Tours. The professional road bicycle racing calendar includes three Grand Tours –

2380-694: The Hôtel de Ville dates back to the same century. The Place Royale was built in the 18th century. Some of the 1792 September Massacres took place in Reims. In the invasions of the War of the Sixth Coalition in 1814, anti-Napoleonic allied armies captured and re-captured Reims. "In 1852, the Eastern Railways completed the Paris-Strasbourg main line with branch lines to Reims and Metz." In 1870–1871, during

2465-552: The Franco-Prussian War , the victorious Germans made it the seat of a governor-general and impoverished it with heavy requisitions. In 1874 the construction of a chain of detached forts started in the vicinity, the French Army having selected Reims as one of the chief defences of the northern approaches to Paris. In the meantime, British inventor and manufacturer Isaac Holden had opened plants at Reims and Croix , which "by

2550-517: The Fêtes Johanniques commemorate the entrance of Joan of Arc into Reims in 1429 and the coronation of Charles VII of France in the cathedral. In August and September there are regular evening light shows called Regalia projected onto the Reims Cathedral. It has a duration of 15 minutes and is free of charge. Regalia is an open-air multimedia show telling the story of the French coronations in

2635-567: The Netherlands , Portugal , Spain and Switzerland after World War II . However, as the sport grows in popularity through globalization, countries such as Kazakhstan , Australia, Russia, Slovakia , South Africa , Ecuador , New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland and the United States continue to produce world-class cyclists. The first women's road championships were held in France in 1951 . A women's road race discipline

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2720-552: The Reims Manège and Circus , dating from 1865 and 1867. The Comédie de Reims was inaugurated in 1966. Libraries in Reims include a Carnegie library which was built in the 1920s. At the beginning of the year, the FARaway - Festival des Arts à Reims is a two-week event of music, dance, theatre, exhibitions, and installations at various cultural venues around the city. Every year in June,

2805-514: The Tour of Flanders (1913). They provided a template for other races around the world. Cycling has been part of the Summer Olympic Games since the modern sequence started in Athens in 1896 . Historically, the most competitive and devoted countries since the beginning of 20th century were Belgium, France and Italy, then road cycling spread in Colombia , Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg ,

2890-719: The Transcontinental Race and the Indian Pacific Wheel Race . The related activity of randonneuring is not strictly a form of racing, but involves cycling a pre-determined course within a specified time limit. The most commonly used bicycle in road races are simply known as racing bicycles . Their design is strictly regulated by the UCI, the sport's governing body. Specialist time trial bicycles are used for time trial events. Bicycles approved for use under UCI regulations must be made available for commercial sale and it

2975-432: The cardinal of the same name ), marble capitals from the fourth century AD, furniture, jewellery, pottery, weapons and glasswork from the sixth to eighth centuries, medieval sculpture, the façade of the 13th-century musicians' House, remnants from an earlier abbey building, and also exhibits of Gallo-Roman arts and crafts and a room of pottery, jewellery and weapons from Gallic civilization, as well as an exhibit of items from

3060-512: The slipstream of the rider in front. Riding in the main field, or peloton , can save as much as 40% of the energy employed in forward motion when compared to riding alone. Some teams designate a leader, whom the rest of the team is charged with keeping out of the wind and in good position until a critical section of the race. This can be used as a strength or a weakness by competitors; riders can cooperate and draft each other to ride at high speed (a paceline or echelon ), or one rider can sit on

3145-466: The 11th century "over the chapel of St. Christophe where St. Remi was buried", is "the largest Romanesque church in northern France, though with later additions." The Church of Saint-Jacques dates from the 13th to the 16th centuries. A few blocks from the cathedral, it stands as of 2009 in a neighbourhood of shopping and restaurants. The churches of Saint-Maurice (partly rebuilt in 1867), Saint-André, and Saint-Thomas (erected from 1847 to 1853, under

3230-635: The 1870s [...] were producing almost 12 million kilograms of combed wool a year [...] and accounted for 27 percent of all the wool consumed by French industry." On 30 October 1908, Henri Farman made the first cross-country flight from Châlons to Reims. In August 1909 Reims hosted the first international aviation meet , the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne . Major aviation personages such as Glenn Curtiss , Louis Blériot and Louis Paulhan participated. Hostilities in World War I greatly damaged

3315-443: The 2016 season. Within the discipline of road racing, from young age different cyclists have different (relative) strengths and weaknesses. Depending on these, riders tend to prefer different events over particular courses, and perform different tactical roles within a team. The main specialities in road bicycle racing are: In a stage race a stage ranking is drawn up at the end of each stage, showing for each participating rider

3400-594: The Archbishop's palace and as the residence of the kings of France on the occasion of their coronations, with royal banquets taking place in the Salle du Tau . Louis VII granted the city a communal charter in 1139. The Treaty of Troyes (1420) ceded it to the English, who had made a futile attempt to take it by siege in 1360; French patriots expelled them on the approach of Joan of Arc , who in 1429 had Charles VII consecrated in

3485-654: The French monarchy. Reims also lies on the northern edge of the Champagne wine region and is linked to its production and export. Before the Roman conquest of northern Gaul , Reims had served as the Remi tribe's capital, founded c.  80 BC . In the course of Julius Caesar 's conquest of Gaul (58–51 BC), the Remi allied themselves with the Romans , and by their fidelity throughout

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3570-550: The Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. Ultra-distance cycling races are very long single stage events where the race clock continuously runs from start to finish. Their sanctioning bodies are usually independent of the UCI. They usually last several days and the riders take breaks on their own schedules, with the winner being the first one to cross the finish line. Among

3655-536: The Palaeolithic to the Neolithic periods. Another section of the museum features a permanent military exhibition. The Automobile Museum Reims-Champagne , established in 1985 by Philippe Charbonneaux , houses a collection of automobiles dating from 1903 to the present day. The museum has five collections: automobiles, motorcycles and two-wheelers, pedal cars, miniature toys, and enamel plaques. The Museum of Fine Arts

3740-699: The Parc de St-Cloud inspired the Compagnie Parisienne and the magazine Le Vélocipède Illustré to run a race from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to the cathedral in Rouen on 7 November 1869. It was the world's first long-distance road race and also won by Moore, who took 10 hours and 25 minutes to cover 134 km. The runners-up were the Count André Castéra, who had come second to Moore at St-Cloud, and Jean Bobillier, riding

3825-671: The World Tour includes the Grand Tours and other large stage races such as Critérium du Dauphiné , Paris–Nice , Tour de Suisse and the Volta a Catalunya . The former UCI Road World Cup one-day classic cycle races – which include all five " Monuments " – were also part of the ProTour: Milan–San Remo (Italy), Tour of Flanders (Belgium), Paris–Roubaix (France), Liège–Bastogne–Liège (Belgium) and Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands) in

3910-582: The best-known ultramarathons is the Race Across America (RAAM), a coast-to-coast non-stop, single-stage race in which riders cover approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km) in about a week. The race is sanctioned by the UltraMarathon Cycling Association (UMCA). RAAM and similar events allow (and often require) racers to be supported by a team of staff; there are also ultra-distance bicycle races that prohibit all external support, such as

3995-639: The cathedral. Louis XI cruelly suppressed a revolt at Reims, caused in 1461 by the salt tax . During the French Wars of Religion the city sided with the Catholic League (1585), but submitted to King Henri IV after the battle of Ivry (1590). At about the same time, the English College had been "at Reims for some years." The city was stricken with plague in 1635, and again in 1668, followed by an epidemic of typhus in 1693–1694. The construction of

4080-466: The city centre. Reims, along with Épernay and Ay , functions as one of the centres of champagne production. Many of the largest champagne-producing houses , known as les grandes marques , have their headquarters in Reims, and most open for tasting and tours. Champagne ages in the many caves and tunnels under Reims, which form a sort of maze below the city. Carved from chalk , some of these passages date back to Roman times. The biscuit rose de Reims

4165-517: The city in 406 and slew Bishop Nicasius ; in 451 Attila the Hun put Reims to fire and sword. In 496—ten years after Clovis , King of the Salian Franks, won his victory at Soissons (486)— Remigius , the bishop of Reims, baptized him using the oil of the sacred phial–purportedly brought from heaven by a dove for the baptism of Clovis and subsequently preserved in the Abbey of Saint-Remi . For centuries

4250-420: The city. German bombardment and a subsequent fire in 1914 did severe damage to the cathedral. The ruined cathedral became one of the central images of anti-German propaganda produced in France during the war, which presented it, along with the ruins of the Ypres Cloth Hall and the University Library in Louvain , as evidence that German aggression targeted cultural landmarks of European civilization. Since

4335-536: The classical " liberal arts ". (Adalberon also played a leading role in the dynastic revolution which elevated the Capetian dynasty in the place of the Carolingians .) The archbishops held the important prerogative of the consecration of the kings of France – a privilege which they exercised (except in a few cases) from the time of Philippe II Augustus (anointed 1179, reigned 1180–1223) to that of Charles X (anointed 1825). The Palace of Tau , built between 1498 and 1509 and partly rebuilt in 1675, would later serve as

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4420-415: The completion time of the stage. The one with the lowest completion time wins the stage. At the same time a general ranking shows the cumulative finishing times of all prior stages for each participating rider. A rider who does not complete any of the stages within its respective time limit is disqualified. The one with the lowest total cumulative time is the general leader. The general leader typically wears

4505-436: The death of cyclist Andrey Kivilev . A number of tactics are employed to reach the objective of a race. This objective is being the first to cross the finish line in the case of a single-stage race, and clocking the least aggregate finish time in the case of a multi-stage race. Tactics are based on the aerodynamic benefit of drafting , whereby a rider can significantly reduce the required pedal effort by closely following in

4590-406: The descent, as going downhill alone allows for more maneuvering space and therefore higher speeds than when in a bunch. In addition, because the bunch riders are keeping more space between them for safety reasons, their drafting benefits are again reduced. If this action takes place relatively close to the target (e.g. another bunch ahead, or the finish), the ride over flatter terrain after the descent

4675-448: The end of World War I, an international effort to restore the cathedral from the ruins has continued. During World War II , the city suffered additional damage. On the morning of 7 May 1945, at 2:41, General Eisenhower and the Allies received the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht in Reims. General Alfred Jodl , German Chief-of-Staff, signed the surrender at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force ( SHAEF ) as

4760-414: The equivalent of about sixteen months' pay for a French manual worker. The first international body was the International Cycling Association (ICA), established by an English schoolteacher named Henry Sturmey , the founder of Sturmey-Archer . It opened in 1893 and held its first world championship in Chicago, United States, the same year. A new organisation, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI),

4845-456: The events at the crowning of Clovis I became a symbol used by the monarchy to claim the divine right to rule. Meetings of Pope Stephen II (752–757) with Pepin the Short , and of Pope Leo III (795–816) with Charlemagne (died 814), took place at Reims; here Pope Stephen IV crowned Louis the Debonnaire in 816. King Louis IV gave the city and countship of Reims to the archbishop Artaldus in 940. King Louis VII (reigned 1137–1180) gave

4930-411: The events was a sprint for 603.49 metres (659.98 yards)." The Olympic Games has never been as important in road cycling as in other sports. Until the distinction ended, the best riders were professionals rather than amateurs and so did not take part. Law enforcement always escort the athletes to ensure they are kept safe during the cycling events, especially the road races. The success of the races in

5015-408: The final sprint to the finish line. Across a long stage race, such as a Grand Tour, the winner's average speed is usually near 40 km/h. In more organized races, a SAG wagon ("support and gear") or broom wagon follows the race to pick up stragglers. In professional stage racing riders who are not in a position to win the race or assist a teammate, will usually attempt to ride to the finish within

5100-500: The final stretch. Teamwork between riders, both pre-arranged and ad hoc, is important in many aspects: in preventing or helping a successful break, and sometimes in delivering a sprinter to the front of the field. To make the course more selective, races often feature difficult sections such as tough climbs, fast descents, and sometimes technical surfaces (such as the cobbled pavé used in the Paris–Roubaix race). The effects of drafting are reduced in these difficult sections, allowing

5185-425: The finish. While the principle remains that the winner is the first to cross the line, many riders are grouped together in teams, usually with commercial sponsors. On professional and semi-professional teams, team names are typically synonymous with the primary sponsors. As an example, some prominent professional teams of the last 30 years have been Team Telekom , Rabobank , ONCE , Mapei and Lampre . The size of

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5270-665: The front of the peloton, on the opposite side of the road from which the crosswind is blowing. Following riders are unable to fully shelter from the wind. If such tactics are maintained for long enough, a weaker rider somewhere in the line will be unable to keep contact with the rider directly ahead, causing the peloton to split up. As well as exceptional fitness, successful riders must develop excellent bike handling skills to ride at high speeds in close quarters with other riders. Individual riders can reach speeds of 110 km/h (68 mph) while descending winding mountain roads and may reach 60–80 km/h (37–50 mph) level speeds during

5355-408: The general leader. The general leader does not generally react to breakaways by riders who trail substantially in cumulative time. Such escapes usually achieve other goals, such as winning the stage, collecting sprinting or mountain points, or just creating air time for their team sponsors as a dedicated camera bike typically accompanies the escape. Notable cycling races include the Tour de France ,

5440-402: The governing body of pro cycling, voted to phase in a ban on the use of team radios in men's elite road racing. However, after protests from teams, the ban introduced in 2011 excluded races on the top-level men's and women's circuits (the UCI World Tour and UCI Women's Road World Cup ) and in 2015 the UCI reversed its stance, allowing race radios to be used in class HC and class 1 events from

5525-401: The highest tier of French football. Stade Reims became the outstanding team of France in the 1950s and early 1960s and reached the final of the European Cup of Champions twice in that era. In October 2018, the city hosted the second Teqball World Cup. The city has hosted the Reims Marathon since 1984. Reims is served by two main railway stations: Gare de Reims in the city centre,

5610-412: The leader's chances, taking turns in the wind for him, refusing to chase with the peloton when he or she escapes, and so on. The goal is usually to allow the leader to have enough energy to take off at the critical point of the race and go on to victory. However, there can be many alternative scenarios depending on the strength of teams and the race situation. One example of team tactics involves placing

5695-454: The lowest cumulative time to complete all stages is declared the overall, or general classification (GC), winner. Stage races may also have other classifications and awards, such as individual stage winners, the points classification winner, and the " King of the Mountains " (or mountains classification) winner. A stage race can also be a series of road races and individual time trials (some events include team time trials ). The stage winner

5780-405: The major northern hemisphere races and allowing top professionals to compete. Reims Reims ( / r iː m z / REEMZ ; French: [ʁɛ̃s] ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne , and the 12th most populous city in France . The city lies 129 km (80 mi) northeast of Paris on the Vesle river,

5865-420: The patronage of Cardinal Gousset , now buried within its walls ) also draw tourists. The Protestant Church of Reims , built in 1921–1923 over designs by Charles Letrosne , is an example of flamboyant neo-Gothic architecture. The Hôtel de Ville , erected in the 17th century and enlarged in the 19th, features a pediment with an equestrian statue of Louis XIII (reigned 1610 to 1643). Narcisse Brunette

5950-446: The professional, semi-professional and amateur levels, worldwide. The sport is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). As well as the UCI's annual World Championships for men and women, the biggest event is the Tour de France , a three-week race that can attract over 500,000 roadside supporters a day. Road racing in its modern form originated in the late 19th century. It began as an organized sport in 1868. The sport

6035-404: The representative for German President Karl Dönitz . The British statesman Leslie Hore-Belisha died of a cerebral haemorrhage while making a speech at the Hôtel de Ville in February 1957. Reims functions as a subprefecture of the department of Marne , in the administrative region of Grand Est . Although Reims is by far the largest commune in its department, Châlons-en-Champagne

6120-428: The riders and the team director, who travels in a team car behind the race and monitors the overall situation. The influence of radios on race tactics is a topic of discussion among the cycling community, with some arguing that the introduction of radios in the 1990s has devalued the tactical knowledge of individual riders and has led to less exciting racing. In September 2009, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI),

6205-547: The season depend on the hemisphere. A racing year is divided between lesser races, single-day classics and stage races. The classics include the Tour of Flanders , Paris–Roubaix and Milan–San Remo . The other important one-day race is the World Championships . Unlike other classics, the World Championships is held on a different course each year and ridden by national rather than sponsored teams. The winner wears

6290-572: The slipstream) behind each other, in team time trials, riders in each team employ this as their main tactic, each member taking a turn at the front while teammates 'sit in' behind. Race distances vary from a few km (typically a prologue, an individual time trial of usually less than 5 miles (8.0 km) before a stage race, used to determine which rider wears the leader's jersey on the first stage) to between approximately 20 miles (32 km) and 60 miles (97 km). Stage races consist of several races, or stages , ridden consecutively. The competitor with

6375-423: The spring, and Clásica de San Sebastián (Spain), HEW Cyclassics (Germany), Züri-Metzgete (Switzerland, until 2006), Paris–Tours (France, until 2007) and Giro di Lombardia (Italy) in the autumn season. Cycling has been a discipline in the summer Olympics ever since the birth of the modern Olympic movement. Cycling activist, co-organizer of Peace Race , Włodzimierz Gołębiewski said: "Cycling has become

6460-449: The strongest riders in the conditions to drop weaker riders, reducing the number of direct competitors able to take the win. Weather, particularly wind, is also an important discriminating factor. Climbs are excellent places for a single rider to try to break away from a bunch, as the lower riding speeds in a climb seriously reduce the drafting advantage of the bunch. The escaping rider can then further capitalize on that rider's position in

6545-401: The team varies, from three in an amateur event for club riders to eight in professional races. Team riders decide between themselves, before and during the race, who has the best chance of winning. The choice will depend on hills, the chances that the whole field will finish together in a sprint, and other factors. The other riders on the team, or domestiques , will devote themselves to promoting

6630-413: The title of duke and peer to William of Champagne , archbishop from 1176 to 1202, and the archbishops of Reims took precedence over the other ecclesiastical peers of the realm . By the 10th century, Reims had become a centre of intellectual culture. Archbishop Adalberon (in office 969 to 988), seconded by the monk Gerbert (afterwards (from 999 to 1003) Pope Silvester II ), founded schools which taught

6715-486: The various Gallic insurrections secured the special favour of the imperial power. At its height in Roman times the city had a population in the range of 30,000–50,000 or perhaps up to 100,000. Reims was first called Durocortorum in Latin , which is hypothesized to derive from a Gaulish name meaning "Door of Cortoro-". The city later took its name from the Remi tribe ( Rēmi or Rhēmi ). The modern French name

6800-537: Was added to the UCI Road World Championships at the 31st edition of the World Championships in 1958 in Reims . Professional single-day race distances may be as long as 180 miles (290 km). Courses may run from place to place or comprise one or more laps of a circuit; some courses combine both, i.e., taking the riders from a starting place and then finishing with several laps of a circuit (usually to ensure

6885-630: Was originally administered as part of athletics , since cyclists often used the tracks used by runners . This, according to historian James McGurn, led to disputes within countries and internationally. The Bicycle Union [of Britain], having quarrelled with the Amateur Athletic Association over cycle race jurisdiction on AAA premises, took issue with the Union Vélocipèdique de France over the French body's willingness to allow its " amateurs " to compete for prizes of up to 2,000 francs,

6970-465: Was popular in the western European countries of France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy, and some of those earliest road bicycle races remain among the sport's biggest events. These early races include Liège–Bastogne–Liège (established 1892), Paris–Roubaix (1896), the Tour de France (1903), the Milan–San Remo and Giro di Lombardia (1905), the Giro d'Italia (1909), the Volta a Catalunya (1911), and

7055-571: Was set up on 15 April 1900 during the Olympic Games in Paris, by several European countries and the United States. Great Britain was not initially a member, but joined in 1903. The UCI, based in Switzerland, has run the sport ever since. In its home in Europe and in the United States, cycle racing on the road is a summer sport, although the season can start in early spring and end in autumn. The months of

7140-530: Was sprinter Mark Cavendish riding for the team of Great Britain. Another favoured rider was Matthew Goss riding for the Australian team. By placing Stuart O'Grady in the breakaway, the Australian team was able to force the British team to take primary responsibility for the chase and absolve themselves of the responsibility. In professional races, team coordination is often performed by radio communication between

7225-490: Was the architect of the city for nearly 50 years in the 19th century. He designed the Reims Manège and Circus , which "combines stone and brick in a fairly sober classical composition." Examples of Art Deco in Reims include the Carnegie library . The Foujita Chapel , built in 1965–1966 over designs and with frescos by Japanese–French artist Tsuguharu Foujita , has been listed as a monument historique since 1992. Reims

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