The 111th Tour de France 2024 is set for a historic edition with several premieres and a hoped-for battle between four cycling stars.
For the first time, the biggest cycling race in the world will start in Italy, and for the first time it will finish in Nice rather than Paris due to the Olympic Games. As in the legendary battle of the seconds in 1989, the next Tour (29 June to 21 July) will be decided in an individual time trial, preceded by four mountain finishes and a gravel stage for the peloton.
"It's going to be epic," said defending champion Jonas Vingegaard at the presentation of the route in the glamorous Palais de Congrès in Paris. The women will hold their 2024 Tour for the first time in mid-August. The start is in Rotterdam, the finish is at the end of the famous hairpin bends of Alpe d'Huez.
Tour de France 2024: Duel of the top stars
Two-time Tour winners Tadej Pogacar and Vingegaard, time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel and Bora-Hansgrohe's royal transfer Primoz Roglic are set to deliver a breathtaking four-way battle over 21 stages and 3492 kilometres. The organisers have set everything up for a memorable Tour, with every top star able to play to their strengths. In addition, there are up to eight possible sprint finishes, in which Mark Cavendish is hoping for his 35th stage win. This would put him ahead of Eddy Merckx and make him the sole record holder.
The start in Florence will be followed by two days in Italy before heading to the French Alps. There, the legendary Col du Galibier will provide the first test of endurance early on. The riders will then head towards Paris, where the ninth gravel stage is set to be a spectacle. 14 sections on loose ground have to be mastered, a total of 32 kilometres.
Tour de France 2024: Almost 5000 metres of altitude in one day
After the first rest day in Orleans, the peloton sets off for the Pyrenees. There the 15th stage ends on the Plateau de Beille, with almost 5,000 metres of ascent it is the most demanding day in the mountains. Three Alpine stages await the riders in the final week. The 19th stage stands out here with the 2802 metre Cime de Bonette and the mountain arrival in Isola 2000. There are 4600 metres of altitude to conquer over just 145 kilometres.
An extremely demanding individual time trial from Monaco to Nice over 35 kilometres forms the final stage of the Tour. The winner will be decided on the Promenade des Anglais by the Mediterranean Sea and the organisers will be hoping for a similar outcome to 1989. Back then, Frenchman Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond fought a memorable battle against the clock in Paris. In the end, the American won the yellow jersey with a lead of eight seconds. It is still the closest Tour decision in history.
Due to the Summer Games in Paris, the women's Tour will not start on the last day of the men's race as it has done recently. The Grand Départ will not take place until 12 August in Rotterdam and thus for the first time abroad. The route leads south over eight stages and 946.3 kilometres. Two stages will be held in Rotterdam on the second day. The overall victory will be decided on the final stage on 18 August, a challenging day in the Alps with almost 4000 metres of climbing from Le Grand-Bornand to Alpe d'Huez.
Copyright 2023, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
