Le Tour and Definitions of Success

I adore the Tour de France for many reasons – the unimaginable feats of endurance, the strategy, announcers Phil Liggett and Bob Roll, the fans crazily running alongside the riders in the mountains, the aerial views of the French countryside, and of course Paris and Les Champs Elysée. This year’s Tour has been incredible.?But there is one reason I appreciate more each year, which applies to almost any enterprise.?Namely, within the 180 riders or so who start the tour each year, there are perhaps dozens of ways for the riders to define success for themselves and their teams, within one competition.?

First – for those not familiar with the Tour – the riders compete for different jerseys (and the prizes that come with each jersey).?Of course there are numerous riders who are general contenders, who desire to obtain le maillot jaune, or the yellow jersey.?The one rider who spends the least amount of time between the first start and Paris wins the yellow jersey; the rider must be able to ride alone in time trials and usually excel within the mountains, and having a strong team in support usually helps too.?Second, there are the riders hunting for the green jersey, meaning the best sprinter.?The best sprinter is decided through points awarded at pre-determined spots or races where the ground is usually flat (or not insanely inclined); the sprinters are often stronger and heavier, and they often struggle over the mountains (Wout van Aert aside, who is incredible).?Third, riders compete for the polka dot jersey, awarded to the best mountain rider.?Oftentimes this may be the best overall rider, but often it may be a rider who is spectacular in the mountains but not yet ready to compete in all the stages of the tour.?And there is they white jersey for the best overall younger rider (meaning, the best rider who is 21 or younger during the tour).?In the last two years (2020 and 2021), Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia – who turns 22 this September – has remarkably won the yellow, white and polka dot jerseys, leaving only the green jerseys to his competitors those years.

Layered on top of these competitions for the jerseys for the race as a whole, each stage (or day) within the Tour is itself a competition, and it is a great honor to secure an overall stage win (crossing the finish line first, at least for that day) or gaining a lead in one of the jersey competitions, even for a day.?And even if someone like Tadej Pogacar or Wout van Aert does dominate two or three categories in the race, the Tour makes sure that the spoils are shared, and it allows the riders in second to wear the coveted white or polka dot jerseys. Moreover, there is a special award for the most combative rider each day, so that someone who challenges the other riders and shakes things up, but ultimately fails to defeat the collective power of the peloton, is still rewarded and honored for their competitive spirit.?

Moreover, each rider is also part of a team, and there is a team competition for the overall lead, which takes into account the overall time for team, based on its first four racers to cross the finish line in each stage.?But more importantly, the teammates who are not themselves competing for specific awards shift into supporting roles, helping the stars on their teams to achieve their goals.?These riders are known as domestiques (or domestics), and their roles often include leading the peloton or leading a line of riders to a finish line (which requires the most individual effort).?I will say that a personal favorite rider of mine is Michal Kwiatkowski, a Polish rider and past world champion who endured tremendous hardship to propel teammates with Team Sky and then Ineos Grenadiers to Tour championships.?Americans Sepp Kuss and Brandon McNulty had incredible performances this year in these roles.?

But even so, perhaps the majority of riders have little or no hope in a given year to win the race, wear a specific jersey, or win a stage.?And for them, it is enough to complete the race, cross the enormous mountains in the Alps and Pyrenees, and survive the time cut-offs in each stage so that they can ride into Paris on the final day, basking in the achievement.

Again, for the most part, all these riders swirl together each day of the race in a giant peloton – the ball of riders all hurling forward at ridiculous speeds across the French countryside.?Each rider may have different motivations or goals – from simply staying with the group, to escort and help a sprinter teammate up and over the mountains, to scoring King of the Mountain points at the peaks each day, to winning the overall title.?

To me, this is a great analogy for many enterprises, including professional service firms or legal and compliance departments.?In a law firm, from staff to partners, and even within the attorney ranks, we can each have our own personal definitions of success and each find our place within the competition and the struggle.?And perhaps one year we are content to simply survive until we reach Paris, and the next year we may feel more confident to compete for a stage win, and then perhaps even the overall title.?Or perhaps it is tremendously satisfying for some people to do the important supporting work, largely unnoticed except by the experts – with deep appreciation from their teammates.?And finally, I enjoy the Tour’s ride into Paris, as it reminds me of the deep satisfaction when our legal and compliance teams roll into the final phase an enormous project that may have seemed impossible and overwhelming at several points along the way.? But of course, the next mile always awaits.