There is a saying in France that states "The government could fall,the Louvre could be broken into,or aliens could land on Earth,but if any of these things happened during the Tour de France,no one would notice". The Tour de France is the most famous cycling race in the world. The race,which is held in July every year,consists of twenty one-day stages,plus several rest days. The course follows a clockwise route around France,and often neighboring countries,including Luxembourg, Belgium,and Italy. The winner is the rider who completes all twenty stages of the race in the shortest overall time.