Florence is happy. At least all the people in the city who have a passion for cycling - and there are generally a lot of them in Italy. The 2024 Tour de France kicks off in one of the country's most beautiful and historic cities. Since 1948, it has not been unusual for the Tour to be a guest on the boot. A Tour stage has started, ended or passed through Italian territory 26 times, mostly over Alpine passes. There is also a link between the two Grand Tours. As early as 1910, the Giro d'Italia led into the French Maritime Alps and to this day has even made one more excursion into the neighbouring country than the other way round - including a "Grande Partenza", i.e. a start weekend. In 1998, the Giro began with a prologue in Nice and a stage from the Cote d'Azur to Cuneo in Switzerland.
Premiere at the Tour de France 2024
However, the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in Florence in June is a first. Never before has the Tour started in its south-eastern neighbour, which is hard to believe given the numerous foreign starts of the Tour in recent years. The Grande Boucle thus closes a gap, as all other countries bordering France have already organised the start of the Tour at least once. In Germany, for example, Cologne (1960), Frankfurt (1980), Berlin (1987) and finally Düsseldorf in 2017. Holland has even hosted the Grand Depart six times. Now it's Florence. "This was a necessary step after 121 years of Tour history," says Christian Prudhomme, head of the Tour de France.
Especially as the two countries have a lot in common over this long period of time. In 1924, 100 years ago, Ottavio Bottecchia was the first Italian to win the Tour. The former bricklayer did it again a year later. There are many bizarre and tragic stories about the man. All of them have the flaw that they cannot be conclusively proven. As an amateur, the man from Friuli is said to have pulled out an hour's lead in a race, only to take a long swim in the sea. Afterwards, he probably took the lead in the field again, but it is no longer known for sure. However, it is documented that Bottecchia did not return from a training ride in June 1927 and was found hours later with serious skull injuries not far from his home.
Twelve days later, he died in hospital at the age of 32. Allegedly beaten to death by a farmer for stealing grapes (grapes in June!). However, no evidence could be found against the winegrower. 20 years later, a villager who had emigrated to the USA confessed to the murder on his deathbed. In 1973, shortly before his death, the former village priest made the same claim. So who did it will remain a mystery. The only thing that is clear is that it was not a training accident. The injuries were too serious for that.
A tough start to the 2024 Tour de France
There will certainly be no such risks for the pros in 2024, there is no time to pick grapes in the race anyway and, as I said, grapes in June? But one thing is certain: it won't be fun at the start. Neither for the bosses nor for the helpers. Christian Prudhomme explains: "Never before has a Tour started with a stage over 3600 metres in altitude - that's also a first." It's true, none of the favourites for overall victory can hide in the opening stage over the short, poisonous ramps of the Apennines. All of them will have to be wide awake on the seven classified climbs on the ride to the Adriatic coast to Rimini, where Marco Pantani died on 12 February 2004 in the Residence Le Rose in flat D5. To this day, myths surround his early death; officially, the then 34-year-old died of a cocaine overdose, but there are still many theories among fans ranging from mafia murder to suicide. Even Pantani's mother Tonina still does not believe that her son died from drugs.
Back to France
The next day, the second stage starts a few kilometres north in Cesenatico, a town that was known as the "Teutonic Grill" in the 1970s because of the many German tourists. This is where Pantani, born in 1970 and the last double winner of the Tour and Giro in the same year, grew up and was buried 20 years ago. From Cesenatico, the route continues to Bologna over six climbs, just as difficult as on the first day. This is followed by a day for the sprinters to Turin, before the Tour sets off on the fourth day with the passage over the Galibier to France and into the high mountains.
Tadej Pogacar will therefore be fully challenged right at the start of the Tour if his plan to win the Giro and Tour in one year is to work out. After his commanding success in Italy, the Slovenian is naturally one of the big favourites. Not many people manage a double like that; So far, seven professional cyclists have achieved a total of twelve doubles. Eddy Merckx did it three times, Fausto Coppi, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain twice, then Jacques Anquetil, Stephen Roche and, as mentioned, Marco Pantani 26 years ago. There have been attempts since then, but none have succeeded.
Not even Chris Froome, who won the Giro as a four-time Tour winner in 2018, but then crashed in the Tour and later couldn't follow his helper Geraint Thomas in the Alps. Suddenly Thomas was in the yellow jersey and never gave it back. Great excitement seems guaranteed at the start of the Tour.
The first stage will produce the television images that the professional cycling scene in Italy, which has been suffering for years, has been hoping for. The start of the Tour will also commemorate Gino Bartali, who died in 2000 and won the Giro three times and the Tour twice between 1936 and 1948. Bartali was also a hero outside of sport because he hid a Jewish family during the Second World War and smuggled passports in his bike during courier rides disguised as training. He saved the lives of around 800 people and was honoured by Israel as "Righteous Among the Nations".
Not a favourite from Italy?
Although there were numerous Italian professionals at the top of the world after Bartali, there is currently no one who could win a Grand Tour; the last Tour victory by an Italian was ten years ago, with Vincenzo Nibali winning in 2014. There has not been an Italian team among the 18 World Tour teams since 2017. With the three Tour stages in Italy, it is hoped that the interest of potential sponsors will be rekindled. However, there is presumably a lack of a professional who could spark the necessary enthusiasm. It is therefore surprising that there is no prologue or short opening time trial in Florence, as Filippo Ganna, world champion against the clock in 2020, 2021 and runner-up in 2023, would have been a hot candidate and contender for the first yellow jersey in 2024.
However, there is at least one explanation for the fact that the current situation of the professional scene in Italy is not reflected in the choice of route. A Grand Depart like this has a long history, and Florence and the Emilia-Romagna region have bid for the spectacle, meaning that the second and third stages are also part of the starting line-up. And when Florence was planned, Ganna was still a young rider. Apart from that, a start in his own country can of course give wings to some Azzurri who are not on anyone's radar at the moment.
However, the fact that at least the first two stages are likely to be decided by the team captains speaks against an Italian in yellow. And if they get serious straight away on the difficult course, one of them will also finish at the front. But firstly, things sometimes turn out differently and secondly, maybe a breakaway group will make it to the finish after all. There will almost certainly be Italian pros in it. The chance to present themselves at home in front of hundreds of thousands of fans is certainly not one to be missed by anyone who gets the chance from the team. Forza Italia? We'll find out on 29 June.
