176 riders compose the peloton of the 105th Tour de France. With eight riders per team instead of nine (as it was since 1987), it’s 22 less than the total number since 2010.
30 nations are represented on the start list: France (35 riders, which is 19.9% of the field), Belgium (19), The Netherlands (14), Spain and Italy (13), Australia and Germany (11), Colombia (6), Great-Britain, Poland, USA and Denmark (5), New Zealand and Switzerland (4), South Africa, Norway and Austria (3), Croatia, Estonia, Russia and Slovenia (2), Costa Rica, Ireland, Luxemburg, Argentina, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Ethiopia, Latvia (1).
The youngest participants are Egan Bernal (21 years and 176 days), David Gaudu (22 years and 271 days) and Daniel Martinez (22 years and 73 days). The oldest are Franco Pellizotti (40 years and 174 days), Matthew Hayman (40 years and 79 days) and Sylvain Chavanel (39 years and 7 days). The average age of the bunch is 29 years and 36 days. Groupama-FDJ is the youngest team (27 years and 162 days average) and Bahrain-Merida the oldest (33 years).
29 riders compete for the best young rider competition.
The most experienced riders are Sylvain Chavanel (18th participation), Mark Cavendish and Simon Gerrans (12th), Alejandro Valverde (11th), Amaël Moinard, Tony Martin, Pierre Rolland, Mark Renshaw, Laurens ten Dam and Marcus Burghardt (10th). 35 riders are Tour de France debutants.
14 riders have already worn the yellow jersey: Chris Froome (59 days), Vincenzo Nibali (19), Geraint Thomas (4), Greg Van Avermaet, Tony Martin and Peter Sagan (3), and also Alejandro Valverde, Sylvain Chavanel, Philippe Gilbert, Marcel Kittel, Simon Gerrans, Daryl Impey, Tony Gallopin and Mark Cavendish.
Riders from 24 nations have worn the yellow jersey. Great-Britain and Italy enjoyed it last year while other nations are waiting for this to happen again since 2016 (Belgium and Slovakia), 2015 (Germany, Switzerland and Australia), 2014 (France), 2013 (South Africa), 2011 (Luxemburg and Norway), 2010 (Spain), 2007 (Denmark), 2006 (USA and Ukraine), 2003 (Colombia), 1999 (Estonia), 1995 (Russia), 1990 (Canada), 1989 (Portugal and The Netherlands), 1987 (Ireland and Poland). It goes as far back as in 1931 to find the laurels of the 24th nation as Max Bulla is the only Austrian to have ever led the Tour de France.
