The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries; it is considered the premier event of the three Grand Tours with the other two being the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. The Tour de France consists of 21 day-long segments (stages) over a 23-day period and covers around 3,500 kilometers (2,200 mi). The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1903 except when it was stopped for the two World Wars.
Traditionally, the race is held primarily in the month of July. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same with the appearance of time trials, the passage through the mountain ranges of the Pyrenees and the Alps, and the finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
