Froome To Move

Tim Ireland/PA

This year's winner of the Tour de France, Britain's Chris Froome, started out mountain biking on the dirt roads of Kenya when he was 12 (story, video): http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jul/21/chris-froome-tour-de-france-paris
   It should come as no surprise that, from the year of the first Tour de France to today, the average speed of the riders has risen dramatically. Perhaps less obvious is the fact that both the average number of entrants and the number of those who finished rose steadily over the years (story, chart): http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/07/daily-chart-16