Things You'll Need:
- Bicycle
- Helmet
- Sponsored cycling team
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Step 1
Compete in smaller, but recognized, cycling races. Like any other endeavor, professional cyclists start small and work their way up. As you win more and more competitions, you can participate in larger and larger events.
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Step 2
Join a sponsored team. Because of the costs involved with professional cycling, individual athletes are rarely permitted to enter the Tour de France. Instead, all of the entrants belong to teams--each of which consists of a number of cyclists (usually around 30) and support personnel. Lance Armstrong's team was famously sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, and every other team in Tour de France competition has similar backing.
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Step 3
Enter other cycling events with your team. The International Cycling Union (UCI) maintains a list of overall rankings based on teams' placement in various high-profile competitions (see Resources below). Usually, the top 14 teams or so are invited to enter the Tour de France, with an additional number of "wild card" teams selected by the Tour itself. The only way to maintain a high level within these ranking is to place highly at as many UCI-sanctioned competitions as possible.
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Step 4
Play your role within the team. Cycling has been likened to a chess match, with different team members playing different roles. Some work to pace their team leader, while others excel in a particular type of terrain, such as climbing mountains or flying through sped trails in the flatlands.
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Step 5
Work to become one of top cyclists on your team. Generally, only nine members of a given team will compete in the Tour de France. You needn't necessarily be the fastest or the hardiest either--team members who play a role well make valuable contributions to the group, and will likely be asked to enter the Tour de France.
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Step 6
Wait for the official invites. If your team's UCI ranking is high enough, you will almost certainly be asked to enter the Tour de France. Otherwise, the wild card entries provide hope for those teams on the bubble.
