A Tour de Force: Behind the numbers of the world's most grueling sports event

ByLINDA ROOT POUDER, ESPN.COM
July 25, 2016, 5:00 PM

— -- Amid horrific crashes and the occasional overzealous fans halting the race, a record 175 of 198 total riders completed the 103rd event yesterday. Highest single payout: $549K ($2.5M total). Here's how that compares with other big sports competitions.

Individual Winners' Purses

The podium's top rider, Chris Froome, earned the biggest chunk of cash, while daily stage winners each took home $12,000. The Tour's best climber, Rafal Majka, was crowned King of the Mountains and earned a tidy $27,400, as did Peter Sagan, the indomitable top sprinter. But their take-home pay pales in comparison to other recent sports winners.

*Does not include prize money for stage wins and days holding on to the yellow jersey.

Team Winners' Purse

Movistar repeated as team champion this year thanks to Nairo Quintana of Colombia and his stellar third-place overall finish time.

*Total excludes Movistar's prize money for seven team stage wins equaling $21.5K.

Getting a Workout

Riders burn 5,000 to 7,000 calories per stage, depending on whether they're racing on flat or mountain terrain. The 2016 route equaled the driving distance from New York City to Phoenix.

*Based on 2,224-3,593 caloric burn of marathon runners' weights ranging between 130-210 lbs.

Total Event Time

The best riders spend an average of 4.3 hours in the saddle per stage, with middle-of-the-pack guys taking a little longer. That doesn't include time spent on stationary bikes warming up and cooling down. How Froome stacks up against other recent champs.

Keeping Pace

Riders' speeds vary over mountainous and flat terrain, but the average hovers around 25 mph. During Stage 9 this year, Marcus Burghardt of the U.S.-based BMC Racing Team clocked over 81 mph on the descent of the first climb.

Photo credits: Chris Graythen/Getty Images, Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images, Tim de Waele/Corbis via Getty Images.

Research by Daniel Hajducky and Sachin Dave Chandan

Stats courtesy: Cybexintl.com; Cyclingweekly.co.uk; Letour.com; Livestrong.com; Moneynation.com; Telegraph.co.uk