The Tour de France 2024 begins on Saturday 29 June and marks the 111th version of biking’s flagship race. Within the first Grand Départ for Italy, the race begins in Florence and traces a path east throughout the nation, earlier than heading again west in the direction of France and into the Alps.
The riders can even tackle the Apennines, Massif Central and Pyrenees mountain ranges, and move by means of Italy, San Marino, Monaco and France.
With Paris busy making ready for the Olympic Video games in August there will likely be no room for the Tour de France’s conventional remaining stage end on the Champs-Elysées. As a substitute the race will end in Good – the primary time it has ever completed exterior the capital.
The world’s greatest riders are set to vie for general victory, with newly topped Giro d’Italia winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Crew Emirates) because of tackle Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Fast Step) – each of whom are at present coming back from damage – and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe).
The three-week occasion is the second within the trio of Grand Excursions, coming after the Giro d’Italia and earlier than the Vuelta a España.
Route map displaying the phases of the Tour de France 2024 (Picture credit score: ASO/Tour de France)
One for the climbers, the 2024 Tour de France route incorporates 4 summit finishes, spans 4 mountain ranges, and options the hilliest opening stage in Tour de France historical past.
Some of the attention-grabbing and intriguing routes of latest years, sitting between the predominantly hilly week one and week three sits a flatter week two, and stage 9 – with an abundance of white roads; 14 sectors in whole.
There’s lots for the sprinters in addition to the final classification and climbing specialists, though there are going to be some powerful mountains to recover from to achieve the dash phases, and to complete the three weeks.
For the primary time in 35 years, a remaining day time trial means the yellow jersey will not be selected the penultimate day.
Tour de France 2024 route: Stage-by-stage
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Stage
Date
Begin
End
Distance
Terrain
Stage one
29 June
Florence (Italy)
Rimini (Italy)
206km
Hilly
Stage two
30 June
Cesenatico (Italy)
Bologne (Italy)
200km
Hilly
Stage three
1 July
Piacenza (Italy)
Turin (Italy)
229km
Flat
Stage 4
2 July
Pinerolo (Italy)
Valloire (France)
138km
Mountains
Stage 5
3 July
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Saint-Vulbas
177km
Hilly
Stage six
4 July
Mâcon
Dijon
163km
Flat
Stage seven
5 July
Nuits-Saint-Georges
Gevrey-Chambertin
25km
ITT
Stage eight
6 July
Semur-en-Auxois
Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
176km
Flat
Stage 9
7 July
Troyes
Troyes
199km
Hilly/Gravel
Stage ten
9 July
Orléans
Saint-Amand-Montrond
187km
Flat
Stage 11
10 July
Évaux-les-Bains
Le Lioran
211km
Medium mountains
Stage 12
11 July
Aurillac
Villeneuve-sur-Lot
204km
Flat
Stage 13
12 July
Agen
Pau
171km
Flat
Stage 14
13 July
Pau
Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet
152km
Mountains
Stage 15
14 July
Loudenvielle
Plateau de Beille
198km
Mountains
Stage 16
16 July
Gruissan
Nîmes
187km
Flat
Stage 17
17 July
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux
Superdévoluy
178km
Mountains
Stage 18
18 July
Hole
Barcelonnette
179km
Hilly
Stage 19
19 July
Embrun
Isola 2000
145km
Mountains
Stage 20
20 July
Good
Col de la Couillole
133km
Mountains
Stage 21
21 July
Monaco
Good
34km
ITT
Tour de France 2024: The groups
The very best professional riders on the planet will line up firstly of the Tour de France 2024 (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
There will likely be 22 groups of eight riders on the 2024 Tour de France. This contains all 18 UCI WorldTour groups, in addition to the 2 best-ranked UCI ProTeams, and two additional squads invited by the organiser, ASO.
Tour de France 2024: Basic classification riders
Pogačar and Vingegaard climbing the Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Relating to potential yellow jersey winners, there are 4 riders because of take the beginning line in Florence on June 29.
The quartet includes Tadej Pogačar (UAE Crew Emirates), who has simply gained the Giro d’Italia; Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Fast Step), Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike), and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe).
Reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard is the one rider over whom hangs a big questions mark for the race. Together with Roglič and Evenepoel, he got here down in a nasty crash on stage 4 of the Itzulia Basque Nation in April. All have been injured however the Dane got here off worst, and he solely started using exterior in Could. All three will nonetheless go, however it isn’t identified how properly they may carry out.
Following the route announcement in October, Tadej Pogačar mentioned that the “finish of the journey makes me smile”, with the ultimate two phases beginning and ending near his dwelling in Monaco. Pogačar is hoping to take again the highest step in 2024 after two years of lacking out on yellow to Vingegaard. The Slovenian gained the Giro earlier this yr.
Remco Evenepoel will make his Tour de France debut in 2024. Though he took a win in 2022 on the Vuelta, his efficiency in different Grand Tour races has been both inconsistent or blighted by sickness. If he is to compete in opposition to the likes of Vingegaard and Pogačar, he’ll should up his sport. After coming fifth general and taking a stage win in his Tour debut in 2023, Carlos Rodríguez will lead Ineos Grenadiers.
Tour de France 2024: Sprinters
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
It’ll be a troublesome yr for the sprinters. Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck was one of many star males of final yr’s Tour de France, taking 4 stage wins and the inexperienced sprinter’s jersey on the finish of the three weeks. He has had a high-quality season thus far, with a win at Milan-San Remo and second at Paris-Roubaix and is prone to be the rider to beat on the Tour.
Like Philipsen, Mads Pederson of Trek-Segafredo has loved a profitable early season, with a win at Gent-Wevelgem and (not like Philipsen) a hatful of dash victories. He is prone to be the Belgian’s most important rival within the bunch finishes.
All eyes will likely be on Mark Cavendish within the 111th Tour de France after he postponed retirement to focus on the Tour win file, at present shared with Eddy Merckx, and achieve his thirty fifth win. He mentioned, nevertheless, that he was “in shock” and that this was the “hardest course” he had ever seen, when it was revealed in October.
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) and Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich-PostNL) are additionally set to be there and may problem for wins.
Tour de France 2024: On TV
As you’d count on the Tour de France will likely be avialable to observe in a number of locations this July.
The race is predicted to be live-streamed on Discovery+ and Eurosport, in addition to ITV4, within the UK and in Europe. Subscription prices are £6.99/month or $8.99/month, and £39.99 or $49.99 for a yr.
A Flobikes annual subscription will value you $209.99 if you wish to watch in Canada, whereas within the USA NBC Sports activities through Peacock Premium ($4.99 per thirty days) will present the race. Australians can can watch the Tour totally free on SBS on Demand.
And, in fact, if you wish to watch your native stream from wherever on the planet you will want a VPN from a trusted firm like ExpressVPN.
Tour de France: The jerseys
The yellow jersey is essentially the most coveted on the Tour de France (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Very like yearly in latest reminiscence, the Tour de France jerseys and classifications are yellow for the general chief, inexperienced for the chief within the factors standings, polka-dot for the mountain classification, and white for the very best younger rider.
Together with the jersey prizes, there’s an award for essentially the most combative rider of every stage, with the winner sporting a crimson quantity on the next day. That is awarded every day, with a ‘Tremendous Combativity’ award determined by a jury on the finish of the race for essentially the most energetic rider all through the whole occasion.
There’s additionally a staff classification the place the time of the primary three riders from every staff is put collectively to create a single time. That is then carried out in an analogous method as the person normal classification.
As well as, there are many bonus seconds up for grabs on the race. There are ten, six and 4 bonus seconds accessible on the finish of every stage for the primary three riders, in addition to bonus sprints which might be dotted all through the race on key climbs to attempt to make the racing extra entertaining for spectators.
In fact, there’s additionally prize cash up for grabs. For successful the 2023 version of the race, Jonas Vingegaard collected €535,220 (£463,100), a sum which is usually shared out among the many staff’s riders and workers.
Tour de France previous winners within the final 12 years
Tour de France FAQ
How does the Tour de France work?
The Tour de France is certainly one of a trio of races which might be three weeks lengthy, generally known as the Grand Excursions, alongside the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España. The Tour is the very best identified and arguably essentially the most prestigious.
It’s the second of the three races within the calendar with the Giro happening in Could, the Tour often in July, and the Vuelta in August and September.
The Tour, like all Grand Excursions, takes on various terrain with flat days for sprinters, hilly days for puncheurs and mountains for the climbers and GC riders, together with time trials, so {that a} winner of the race has to have the ability to carry out on all forms of street.
The primary prize within the race, generally known as the final classification, relies on time with the general chief sporting the yellow jersey. The race chief and eventual winner is the rider who has the bottom gathered time over the 21 days of racing. Riders can win the Tour de France with out successful a stage, as Chris Froome did in 2017. Time bonuses of 10, six, and 4 seconds are given to stage winners although, creating incentive for these normal classification riders to chase particular person victories and decrease their general time.
In 2020 it took race winner Tadej Pogačar 87 hours 20 minutes and 5 seconds to finish the race with the second-place rider general 59 seconds slower. That continues all the way in which right down to the final place rider, which was Roger Kluge (Lotto-Soudal) who completed 6 hours 7 minutes and a couple of seconds behind.
The white greatest younger rider’s jersey is labored out in the identical method however solely riders below the age of 26 are eligible for the jersey.
The polka-dot mountains jersey and the inexperienced factors jersey are based mostly on a factors system and never time. The one motive time would come under consideration could be if riders are tied on factors, then it might go to who’s the very best positioned within the normal classification.
The staff classification relies on the final classification occasions of the primary three riders of a staff on every stage. The time of these three riders is added up and put onto their staff’s time, making a GC record very like within the particular person classifications. The main staff will get to put on yellow numbers and helmets on every stage.
The ultimate classification accessible is the combativity prize. That is determined by a race jury or, in newer years, Twitter. This takes place simply earlier than the top of every stage and infrequently goes to a rider from the breakaway who has put in a daring efficiency or tried to enliven the stage by attacking. The winner of the combativity award will get to put on a particular crimson race quantity on the next day’s stage.
There’s a remaining prize added to this with the Tremendous Combativity prize being awarded on the rostrum in Paris. That is determined similarly to pick essentially the most aggressive, entertaining, and daring rider of the entire three weeks. Once more, often going to a rider who has featured commonly within the breakaway.
Stage winners don’t put on something particular the day after aside from getting a small yellow jersey to stay on their quantity on their bike, this may be changed in the event that they win a number of phases.
Groups used to return to the race with 9 riders however the UCI, biking’s governing physique, determined that 9 riders from every staff was too harmful and dropped it to eight, nevertheless extra groups now participate.
How lengthy is the Tour de France?
The Tour de France takes place over 23 days with 21 of them being race days. The riders get two days of resting; they often fall on the second and third Monday of the race.
This yr’s race is 3,492km lengthy, which is 2,170 miles, across the similar distance from Washington DC to Las Vegas, or Helsinki to Lisbon.
Street phases can vary from something round 100km to one thing approaching 250km, typically extra. This yr the shortest street stage is stage 20, from Good to Col de la Couillole, with the longest being 229km on stage three in Italy, from Plaisance to Turin.
Street phases usually take round 4 to 5 hours with the longer days typically nudging over seven hours.
Time trials are all the time a lot shorter. Crew time trials have lengthy since gone out of vogue on the planet of street racing so particular person time trials are the principle focus lately.
In 2024, the Tour has two particular person time trials for the riders to sort out, the primary on stage seven at 25km lengthy from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin, and the second on the ultimate stage from Monaco to Good, at 34km lengthy.
When does the Tour de France begin?
The 2024 Tour de France begins on June 29 in Florence, Italy, with a street stage. There will likely be three full phases in Italy, earlier than the fourth heads into France. The race finishes in Good three weeks later.
The 2024 version of the race runs from 29 June – 21 July, overlaying 21 phases.
