Only once they did not have the yellow jersey for the leader in the general classification, when Barone took it after the seventh stage.

[5] For the first time since the introduction of the national team format in 1930, the riders were allowed to have advertising on their jerseys.

The team was then built around young Jacques Anquetil, who had broken the hour record earlier that year.

[10] The riders who had been favourites in previous years had stopped (Fausto Coppi), had lost their greatness (Hugo Koblet), or had chosen not to participate (Louison Bobet).

Roger Walkowiak, who had won the previous edition, had not shown good results since.

Charly Gaul had lost the 1957 Giro d'Italia when he was almost sure of winning it, so he was not considered to be in great form.

[13] The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,556 m (8,386 ft) at the summit tunnel of the Col du Galibier mountain pass on stage 10.

The Luxembourg favourite, Charly Gaul, abandoned on that stage[10] due to sickness.

One day later the French national team took back the yellow jersey, when Jean Forestier took the lead by 15 minutes.

In the second mountain stage the riders remained calm, as the French team was superior and dominated the race.

In stage 16, the weather had turned bad, with coldness, rain, hail and fog, which made the course dangerous.

[22] Before stage 18, the French team had the first three places in the general classification with Anquetil, Forestier and Mahé.

Several cyclists passed him, but later in the stage Anquetil got help and finished only two and a half minutes after the winner Nencini.

The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey.

[12] The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was given in honour of Tour founder Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass a point by his final residence, the "Villa Mia" in Beauvallon, Grimaud, on the French Riviera on stage 12.

From 1960 to 1967, the "Alex Virot award" was given to the most loyal cyclist, named after the journalist who died during the 1957 Tour de France.