Tour de France 2024 - Stage 3: Piacenza - Turin | 230.8 kilometres
The third and longest stage is sprinter's terrain. Over 230 kilometres, there are only 1100 metres of elevation gain to complete - that's practically flat. The sprinter teams will do everything they can to put their fast men in the limelight. Everyone is fresh, everyone is hot and wants to show what they can do. That's why breakaways have poor chances this early in the Tour. Only the two mountains in the fourth category could help them a little. But in the wake of the peloton, even the heavy men will quickly roll over the short and not too steep spikes in the profile. And if not: there are still almost 50 kilometres to the finish from the last summit. Plenty of distance for a sprinter's train under full steam to close any gaps.
The approach to the finish in the city centre also suits the teams, as it is dead straight and there is nowhere to hide. The technical difficulties are also minimal. There is a manageable left-hand bend 900 metres before the finish, another 200 metres further on, then the 700-metre-long and seven-metre-wide home straight.
The lead-out man could hardly wish for more clarity. The most prominent will probably be Mathieu van der Poel, who will try to drag Jasper Philipsen into the best position in his usual manner.
Mark Cavendish and the Tour de France record
For Mark Cavendish, it will be the first opportunity to increase his number of stage wins from 34 to 35. This would make him the sole record holder ahead of Eddy Merckx, with whom he still has to share the status of the best stage collector at the Tour. However, it is highly unlikely that Cavendish will prevail on this straightforward route.
Many years ago, the Brit provided the blueprint for what sprinters need to do to become really fast. Cavendish was the first road sprinter to play the aero card extensively. Since then, he has found many imitators. When the longest stage of the Tour comes to an end, it will be like a track sprint just before the finish line. Strong guys will be gripping narrow handlebars, wearing skin-tight suits and aerodynamically optimised helmets - all with the aim of minimising air resistance and gaining an advantage of one or two hundredths or even thousandths of a second. Because at 70 km/h, one thousandth of a second means two centimetres ahead, i.e. just under one tyre thickness. That can be the difference between victory and defeat. What does this mean for the choice of bike?
Number of the day: Five thousandths of a second
In our virtual sprint over the final 200 metres, the Canyon Aeroad CFR comes out on top. Jasper Philipsen not only has the perfect rider, but also the right sports equipment for his discipline. However, the mathematical advantage of five thousandths of a second over the heavier Cervelo S5 is extremely narrow.
The (almost) entire field at a glance*
*) The calculations are based on the bikes tested by TOUR in the laboratory and wind tunnel. The bikes at the Tour de France may differ in some details. Of course, we have also not yet been able to examine last-minute prototypes. Background to the simulation.
The simulation shows that the aero bikes come out on top in the sprint. The ranking corresponds to the aero ranking, with weight differences still having an effect in detail. The riding time is very short, but the speed is extremely high. The calculated final speed is 67 km/h.
On the following day, the sprinters are in for a tough ride on the Galibier. They will be all the more motivated today to fight for every millimetre in their discipline.
Our expert
Robert Kühnen studied mechanical engineering, writes for TOUR about technology and training topics and develops testing methods. Robert has been refining the simulation calculations for years, they are also used by professional teams.
