Ralph Denk, Team Manager Bora-Hansgrohe (on the team website): "It's exciting for the fans that the GC favourites have to show themselves in the first week and that the decision on yellow will probably only be made in the final time trial. It's well known that I'm not a fan of cobbled and gravel sectors in Grand Tours. In my opinion, that's what the classics are for."
Tour de France 2024 in a nutshell
- 8 flat stages
- 4 hilly stages
- 7 mountain stages with four mountain finishes
- 2 Time trials
Mark Cavendish (to GCN): "It's so hard, it's so hard. I'm actually a bit shocked! It's so hard. There are a few sprint opportunities, but you have to capitalise on them, that's the problem. The start in Italy is super nice, it's right next to my home of many years. It's only a few kilometres away, so I know the first few kilometres really well, but it doesn't matter because it starts hard, finishes hard and is all hard. It's going to be beautiful in Italy, the Giro is always an incredible race and I know the Tuscans love cycling. It really is something very special. I think Turin should give the sprinters a chance. It's a difficult Tour de France, it could be more comfortable."
Tour de France quiz: answer 15 questions
Jonas Vingegaard, Tour de France overall winner 2022/2023 (on Sportschau): "It's a very beautiful route, but it's also super difficult. It's good for me because there are a lot of mountains in the third week and it's very high up. The fact that there are also gravel sections is an exciting element. It will certainly be a chaotic day. You have to be there from the start and stay focussed with the whole team. I'm looking forward to it."
Tadej Pogacar, overall Tour de France winner 2020/2021 (to L'Equipe): "I really like the first week, it's a bit tougher than in previous years. You have to be in good shape right from the start of the Tour. There are differences in altitude, arrivals for the sprinters, two time trials, which is super exciting. The mountain stages are pretty normal, nothing out of the ordinary, but it feels really good. Especially the last three days, which will be the decider, I think. It's not a classic end of the Tour, where you might have a difficult arrival on the last three stages; here the last three days are very hard, without the Champs-Elysees, which are usually reserved for the sprinters. The time trial between Monaco and Nice is super interesting, I'm really looking forward to it, but you have to come to the last stage with good legs to win. It will be special to ride during the Tour on the roads where I train most of the year. Just looking at the profiles, this end of the route puts a smile on my face. It's really promising."
Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France (via CyclingUpToDate): "All stages have their place in the Tour de France - the cobbled stages, the stages with climbs, the stages with descents, the stages for the sprinters, the mountain stages... they are all part of the Tour. If you look at Jacques Anquetil's pictures in the 1960s, you see the roads, they don't really look like roads, they look just like the gravel roads of today. Around 50 gravel roads were visited by former riders of the Tour as part of Thierry Gouvenou's team, so it was former riders who chose the sectors."
Felix Gall (on Sportschau): "My first impression is that it will be another very tough Tour. There is no classic time trial, which pleases me. Only the last stage is a very tough time trial. There are significantly more climbs over 2000 metres. Basically, I'm more worried about the flat stages when there's a wind edge. I think I'm capable of riding at the front in the mountains - I'm less worried about that. The stage where we ride up to 2800 metres is definitely a highlight and I'm looking forward to it. The pictures have already looked very impressive."
Comments on the 2024 Tour de France Femmes strecker
Demi Vollering (to GCN): "I've been waiting for today to see the route, to see if we go through my garden, maybe past my grandmother's house, things like that. Now that I've finally seen it, I recognise all the training routes that I ride, and then of course we go to Limburg, which is also a special place for me. And then to Belgium and Liège - I don't have to explain it, that's one of the races I love the most. I'm really excited. I'm looking forward to the Alpe d'Huez so much. Because that's the mountain I first heard about as a little kid. Alpe d'Huez was the mountain in Holland. I've always wanted to ride the mountain, I think it's at the top of my list of things to do. I've never been there before, but I'm very happy that we're finally going there." ...
... "I think the first two days will also be pretty hectic because it's flat and I know the roads there, there are a lot of towns, maybe not such nice roads to race on. But I'm happy that I know every corner there, which will obviously help me a lot. I hope it's not too crazy, not too hectic there. I hope there is a lot of wind and that it is a really nice race, but after that it will be very hard and hilly. I think there's a bit of everything and that's a good thing.
I don't know if it's tougher, but it's different. If I remember correctly, it's 150km, 150km, 160km, so a lot of kilometres, but at the moment I'm too excited to think about whether it's harder than last year or not. There will be a lot of pressure on my shoulders, but the most important thing is that I can also enjoy it. It's something that only comes once in a lifetime, so I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy it."
Ricarda Bauernfeind (on Sportschau): "I think the track is very good. It starts a little quieter, ends very exciting and gets tough. I know Alpe d'Huez roughly from Zwift and I like riding up it. I'm looking forward to it, but I also have respect. The fact that we ride up the same mountains as the men shows that we are respected in the same way. It's good that we have the chance to ride up such monuments, we've earned it. Now we have to see how the winter develops and how I'm in shape, then I'll see what's possible next year. I just want to give my best as always. Then you also have to see how the team is set up, what goals we have - first and foremost, the overall standings are important to me. I feel very comfortable in my role and will try to realise what we set out to do. The stage win has given me a huge boost this year, it has given me a lot of self-confidence and I want to continue to capitalise on that."
Audrey Cordon-Ragot (to Ouest France): "It was not to be expected that a start abroad would take place so soon after the introduction of the women's Tour de France. But why not? The Netherlands is the measure of all things in women's cycling. It's a nice tribute to all these champions who deserve it. These stages in the Netherlands will be tricky. You can win or lose the Tour there. I'm very happy that the arrival in Alpe d'Huez is on the last stage. It won't be a walk in the park for riders like me. Some may arrive at night. That will make the Tour even more mythical. It will be the decisive day of this Tour de France. The strongest will win."
Maik Schröder
Editor
