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BORDEAUX, France — Over 3 weeks, 21 stages and 2,263 miles, the Tour de France may be the most grueling sporting event in the world. But a closer look reveals another contest as competitive as what the cyclists have faced along the route that ends on Sunday in Paris.

The unlikely contenders are officially called Tour hostesses but more commonly, and somewhat indelicately, are known as podium girls. These poised and photogenic women have the high-profile job of handing prizes to riders at the finish line of each stage.

As the Tour ends, the hostesses’ finish line is also fast approaching. The plum assignment is to award the jerseys to the top riders in Paris, where the stage is set on the Champs-Élysées. Pictures from that ceremony are seen worldwide.

... NewYorkTimeOnline