Tour de France as a Visual Machine: Myth, Media, and Spectacle
The Tour de France, which started on July 4 in Barcelona and ends July 26 on the Champs-Élysées, is analyzed as a visual spectacle and myth-making machine. Roland Barthes' 'Mythologies' described the Tour as an epic with heroic figures and chivalric appeals, a notion that persists today with nicknames like 'Pogi' for Tadej Pogačar. The race is now a roving 360-degree national show, captured by helicopters, drones, and motorcycle cameras, producing images of suffering bodies, dramatic landscapes, and tight pelotons. Its iconography includes the yellow, green, white, and polka-dot jerseys, each signifying different standings. Sponsors turn riders into moving billboards. The public camps for days, creating dense crowds on mountain stages. The finale in Paris, with the Arc de Triomphe backdrop, crowns the winners. The article argues the Tour's archaic myth of suffering has been absorbed by capitalism, remaining a projection surface for the 'extra-human world.'
Key facts
- Tour de France started July 4 in Barcelona, ends July 26 on Champs-Élysées.
- Roland Barthes analyzed the Tour as an epic in 'Mythologies'.
- Tadej Pogačar is nicknamed 'Pogi'.
- Helicopters, drones, and motorcycle cameras capture the race.
- Jerseys: yellow (overall leader), green (points), white (young rider), polka-dot (mountains).
- Sponsors turn riders into moving billboards.
- Public camps for days, especially on mountain stages like Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux.
- Final stage includes Montmartre cobblestones and Champs-Élysées finish.
Entities
Artists
- Roland Barthes
- Tadej Pogačar
- Jonas Vingegaard
Institutions
- A.S.O.
- Monopol Magazin
Locations
- Barcelona
- Spain
- Pyrenees
- Massif Central
- Alps
- Vosges
- Mont Ventoux
- Alpe d'Huez
- Paris
- Champs-Élysées
- Montmartre
- Arc de Triomphe