{"id":66055,"date":"2024-06-24T15:55:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T13:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/39b1424a-f087-4989-944b-0ba817819369"},"modified":"2024-06-24T18:25:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T16:25:36","slug":"tour-de-france-2024-preview-your-essential-guide-to-all-21-stages","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/tour-de-france-2024-preview-your-essential-guide-to-all-21-stages\/","title":{"rendered":"Tour de France 2024 preview: Your essential guide to all 21 stages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everything you need to know about the 2024 Tour de France <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Monday, 24 June 2024 at 13:55 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Even in its 111th edition, the Tour de France continues to serve up something new for fans and riders, with the 2024 edition starting in Italy for the first time.<\/p>

This year, the Grand D\u00e9part will be held in Florence, with three stages taking the peloton first east and then north through Italy, before the Tour crosses the border and heads back into familiar territory in France.<\/p>

The 2024 route provides something for everyone, with eight flat stages, four hilly stages, seven mountain stages, and two individual time trials. <\/p>

There’s even 32km of gravel for riders to contend with on stage nine, while the Tour will swap its usual sprint finish in Paris for a hilly finale in Nice, with the race ending with a time trial for the first time since 1985.<\/p>

Ahead of the start on Saturday 29 June, here’s your stage-by-stage guide to the 2024 Tour de France.<\/p>

Stage 1: Florence > Rimini<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 29 June<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 206km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Hilly<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
This is not a misprint. The 2024 Tour de France really is starting in Italy. After 25 starts outside France in the Tour\u2019s 121-year history, this is the first for Italy, home of the second biggest Grand Tour of the season, the Giro d\u2019Italia.<\/p>
Florence, the capital of Tuscany, and the neighbouring region of Emilia-Romagna, play host before the race works its way northwest, via Turin and Pinerolo, across the border into France.<\/p>
Opening stages of the Tour are notoriously fast and twitchy, especially on flat stages where the sprinters\u2019 teams are vying for yellow.<\/p>
The abundance of climbing on the menu today, however, is good news for the yellow jersey contenders, who won\u2019t mind it one bit \u2013 they\u2019re built for steep hills, not flat boulevards, after all.<\/p>
The Tour has never started with more than 3,600m of climbing before.<\/p>
\u201cIt\u2019s also the first time the race has visited the home city of Gino Bartali [winner of both Tour and Giro from the 1930s],\u201d says race director Christian Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThe succession of hills in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna are likely to be the setting for a testing confrontation between the contenders for the title, particularly the final climb into San Marino (7.1km at 4.8%), where the race will add a 13th name to its catalogue of foreign visits.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 2: Cesenatico > Bologna<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 30 June<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 200.8km<\/li>
Stage type:<\/strong> Hilly<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
We pick up in Emilia-Romagna again, in Cesenatico, where 1998 Tour winner Marco Pantani began cycling.<\/p>
Long before \u2018Il Pirata\u2019 came along, this coastal town on the Adriatic Sea has had a close relationship with the Giro d\u2019Italia since 1935, as does the finish line 200km away in Bologna, which hosted the finish of the first ever Giro stage in 1909.<\/p>
The stage starts flat with a few short, sharp climbs, but the action will be at the finale.<\/p>
\u201cThe passage across Emilia-Romagna is straightforward enough to begin with as it takes the peloton to Imola and its motor racing circuit,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThe final part of the stage featuring the climb to the Sanctuary of San Luca (1.9km at 10.6%), the traditional finale of the Giro dell\u2019Emilia, which will be tackled twice in the final 40k, offers fertile terrain for the puncheurs.\u201d<\/p>
One for the yellow jersey contenders to steal some seconds? Giro dell\u2019Emilia is a late-season one-day race, held shortly before Il Lombardia, the final major race of the season.<\/p>
Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d, one of the top four contenders for the race, has won there in three of the past five editions, as well as the prologue of the 2019 Giro, which finished on the climb.<\/p>
The difference today is that the stage descends from the summit and finishes in the centre of town.<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 3: Piacenza > Turin<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 01 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 231.1km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Flat<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
By now you could be forgiven for thinking we were talking about a different race \u2013 the third 200+km stage in a row is more characterful of the Giro d\u2019Italia than a Tour de France.<\/p>
It\u2019s necessary, though, to avoid a significant transfer to France.<\/p>
The way they\u2019re doing it allows a smooth transition all the way to the border on bikes.<\/p>
If the largely flat profile feels like one of those dull, mid-Giro schleps up the east coast, remember that this is the first stage for the sprinters at this year\u2019s race, so the finish should be electric, particularly with Mark Cavendish having a chance, once again, to stand alone as the race\u2019s leading stage winner (he\u2019s tied with Eddy Merckx on 34).<\/p>
It\u2019ll be Turin\u2019s second dose of Grand Tour action in 2024, having hosted the start of the Giro in May.<\/p>
\u201cThe sprinters will have started the 2024 Tour with their teeth gritted, but now they\u2019ll have something to sink them into with the finish in Turin,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cPrior to that, the peloton will pay a passing tribute to Fausto Coppi by heading through Tortone, where Il Campionissimo died. By that point, though, the sprinters\u2019 domestiques will already be hard at work, their focus on ensuring a sprint finale. There\u2019ll be little room for manoeuvre for the breakaway riders.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 4: Pinerolo > Valloire<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 02 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 139.6km<\/li>
Stage type<\/strong>: Mountain<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
With its geography \u2013 close to the mountains and the French border \u2013 it should come as no surprise that Pinerolo was the last Italian town to host a stage (finish and start) of the Tour de France, in 2011.<\/p>
That start, stage 18, had an ultimate destination of the summit of the Col du Galibier (2,642m), and while today scales the same side, the finish line comes after a descent into the town of Valloire.<\/p>
That 2011 stage being a late-race mountain showdown, it also included a longer length (200.5km) and a tougher passage to the Galibier, initially over the towering border crossing of Col Agnel (2,744m) and then the majestic Col d\u2019Izoard (2,360m).<\/p>
Acknowledging this is only stage 4, the distance is much reduced, as is the severity of climbs prior to the Galibier.<\/p>
To pay a visit to this legendary climb so early is a classic Prudhomme curveball as he continues his favourite pastime of messing with the Tour formula.<\/p>
\u201cThe race leaves Italy after a long climb to the resort of Sestriere, where Fausto Coppi triumphed in 1952, the border subsequently reached at the Col de Montgen\u00e8vre,\u201d he says.<\/p>
\u201cAfter ascending the Lautaret pass, the riders will tackle the Galibier. This will be the first opportunity for the favourites to test themselves in the high mountains.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 5: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Saint-Vulbas<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 03 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 177.4km<\/li>
Stage type:<\/strong> Flat<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
The town of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, at the foot of the Croix de Fer, is usually a springboard for further Alpine derring-do.<\/p>
That was the case the last time it hosted a start, in 2019, though what was set up to be a classic finish into the ski resort of Tignes was ruined by a landslide.<\/p>
Heavy rain plastered debris across the route, rendering it unpassable, ultimately gifting Egan Bernal his first and only Tour de France win.<\/p>
More mountain madness in the Alps will have to wait until the back end, when the race returns.<\/p>
There\u2019s a modest climb in the Chartreuse midway through the stage and another closer to the finish, but the break will have to be going some to fend off the challenge of the fast men come Saint-Vulbas.<\/p>
\u201cThe race\u2019s temporary exit from the Alps will be made via Chamb\u00e9ry,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cSoon after, the peloton will be in La Bridoire, where the finish of the Classique des Alpes Juniors is regularly held. That\u2019s a race for climbers, but they won\u2019t get a look-in here as they head for Saint-Vulbas. <\/p>
“After the C\u00f4te de l\u2019Huis, tackled with 34km remaining, the wide roads beyond will be ideal for keeping a close eye on the breakaway riders. The winner\u2019s bouquet looks destined to go to a sprinter today.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 6: M\u00e2con > Dijon<\/h2>
Date: <\/strong>04 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 163.5km<\/li>
Stage type:<\/strong> Flat<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
This is the seventh time the central-east city of M\u00e2con has hosted a stage, including several time trials, notably on its debut in 1991.<\/p>
The two starts to have taken place here since 2006 have been won by a couple of Thomases: Thomas Voeckler, who won in Bellegarde-sur-Valserine in 2012, and Thomas De Gendt, who won solo in Saint-\u00c9tienne in 2019.<\/p>
Both riders are known as escape artists and won their respective stages by getting in the early break and staying away.<\/p>
Those hilly stages, however, had significant obstacles along the way and today is pretty flat the whole way.<\/p>
It\u2019s unlikely, this early in the race and with much to play for among the sprinters\u2019 teams, that a break will succeed this time round on the road to Dijon.<\/p>
A regular on the Tour programme, the home of French mustard is hosting for the 18th time. A most unlikely winner in his home town in 1987, R\u00e9gis Cl\u00e8re was allowed back into the race after finishing outside the time a few days earlier and would go on, much to his rivals\u2019 chagrin, to win again.<\/p>
\u201cThe breakaway will set off with the ambition of holding off the peloton\u2019s pursuit through the vineyards of the C\u00f4te Chalonnaise, but the sprinters should have the last word on the 800m straight into Dijon,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 7: Nuits-Saint-Georges > Gevrey-Chambertin<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 05 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 25.3km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Time trial<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
Gone are the days of long, flat time trials at the Tour de France. Invariably, there\u2019s now some sort of climbing thrown in, whether it\u2019s mountainous (see the finale of the 2020 race on Les Planche des Belle Filles), hilly or rolling.<\/p>
Today\u2019s solo time trial edges closer to the latter \u2013 a rolling course with one significant climb around the midway point.<\/p>
Elevation is a mere 100m over 1.6km at a modest gradient, so it\u2019s nothing that would trigger a debate over mid-race bike changes, like last year\u2019s decisive TT to Combloux, in which Jonas Vingegaard obliterated chief rival for yellow, Tadej Poga\u010dar.<\/p>
The winner today, if they can afford such indulgences, might celebrate with a small glass of Burgundy red over dinner \u2013 both stage towns have distinguished viticultural history. Gevrey-Chambertin, it\u2019s believed, saw the first planting of Burgundy vines, way back in the 1st century BC.<\/p>
\u201cBefore venturing into the heart of the vineyards, the time trial specialists will spend almost two-thirds of this time trial on forest roads,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThe climb of the C\u00f4te de Curtil-Vergy (1.6km at 6.1%) will test their tolerance to pain. On the face of it, there shouldn\u2019t be any big gaps between the best riders, but who knows?\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 8: Semur-en-Auxois < Colombey-les-Deux-\u00c9glises<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 06 July<\/li>
Distance: <\/strong>183.4km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Flat<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
The race enters unfamiliar territory \u2013 between them, these two stage towns have hosted the Tour just twice and both were in Semur-en-Auxois.<\/p>
For debutant Colombey-les-Deux-\u00c9glises, the race has actually stopped here once before, in 1960, when the peloton came to halt so that president Charles de Gaulle, who lived there, could congratulate yellow jersey Gastone Nencini on the penultimate stage before the Paris finale.<\/p>
The race is about as far north as it\u2019s going to get in 2024. After tomorrow, it\u2019ll head south to the Pyrenees via more climbing in the Massif Central.<\/p>
There\u2019s no shortage of climbs today, travelling largely through the For\u00eats National Park, the largest national park in mainland France and established recently, in 2019.<\/p>
Despite the hills, it may prove to be another day for the sprinters, ahead of the unpredictable gravel stage tomorrow.<\/p>
\u201cAlthough no altitude records will be broken, the first two-thirds of this stage does feature five categorised climbs,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThe relentless ups and downs may put a strain on the legs at the point when the sprinters\u2019 team-mates are starting to think about setting up a bunch finish. But the last 3km of the final straight, which rise slightly but steadily, could be the ideal place to bring the peloton back together.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 9: Troyes > Troyes<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 07 July<\/li>
Distance: <\/strong>199km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Hilly<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
In Tour de France past it was always the stage that traversed the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix which the GC riders dreaded.<\/p>
Unfamiliar terrain to those whose natural habitat is mountains, the volatility of a stage on uneven ground often claims a team leader (Chris Froome in 2014).<\/p>
Now they have a new nemesis to deal with: gravel roads. This stage is riddled with trapdoors.<\/p>
If the bulk of the climbing occurs in the first two-thirds of the route, the gravel sectors are backloaded into the final third once the road flattens out.<\/p>
Predicting what might happen today is a fool\u2019s errand, but one thing is for certain: Tadej Poga\u010dar will have an advantage over his rivals for the yellow jersey.<\/p>
In March, the Slovenian vaporised the rest of the field at Strade Bianche, a one-day race held on similar gravel sections.<\/p>
Attacking solo 81km out, he prevailed by almost three minutes, and has experience where Jonas Vingegaard doesn\u2019t.<\/p>
\u201cThe white roads are already an emblematic feature of Strade Bianche and Paris-Tours,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThe Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift made the first passage across Champagne\u2019s gravel roads in 2022. There will be 14 sectors, including six in the final part of the stage, extending to 32km in total, each sector pitching the riders onto the gravel and into the dust.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 10: Orl\u00e9ans > Saint-Amand-Montrond<\/h2>
Date: <\/strong>09 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 187.3km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Flat<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
Respite for the GC contenders on a stage following the rest day\u2026 or is it? <\/p>
On seemingly placid terrain in the farming heartland of France, Saint-Amand-Montrond in central France has thrown us a curveball in the past, back in the centenary edition of 2013 when crosswinds splintered the peloton on the road to the town (Julian Alaphilippe\u2019s home town, incidentally) and saw Alejandro Valverde caught out and drop out of contention.<\/p>
The final, much-reduced sprint saw the unusual sight of GC favourites such as Alberto Contador mixing it with sprinters such as Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish. The latter took the win, one of his most satisfying of his 34 total stages.<\/p>
This will be the first visit to the town since that day in 2013, though in the meantime it has been a staging post of sister race Paris-Nice, such is its positioning between the capital and the Mediterranean.<\/p>
\u201cHeading through the Sologne forest, it\u2019ll be difficult to predict the outcome of this stage as the weather may play a significant role,\u201d explains Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cAfter leaving Issoudun, the riders will find themselves on roads exposed to the crosswinds that scattered the peloton a decade ago. With three changes of direction in the last 30km, there\u2019s a real chance of echelons forming.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 11: \u00c9vaux-les-Bains > Le Lioran<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 10 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 211km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Mountain<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
The d\u00e9partement of Creuse is the second-least populated in the whole of mainland France (after Loz\u00e8re), so it should come as little surprise that the appetite to host the race there didn\u2019t emerge until 2004 \u2013 over a century after the Tour de France started (despite race legend Raymond Poulidor being born here).<\/p>
Sprinter Robbie McEwan won a fast, flat stage that day. Another 20 years have passed until its second Tour visit this year, though it\u2019ll be a very different proposition, especially in the final quarter of the stage through Parc Naturel R\u00e9gional des Volcans d\u2019Auvergne, which takes the race over 1,500m for the first time since stage 4.<\/p>
\u201cThere\u2019s only one stage across the rugged Massif Central, but what a stage it is!\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cWith 4,350m of vertical gain, the riders will have to be on their mettle at all times, and particularly in the final 50km, when the degree of difficulty rises a level with a series of very challenging obstacles: the climb to the Col de N\u00e9ronne, then to the Puy Mary Pas de Peyrol with its fearsome final two kilometres, then continuing on to the Col de Pertus, the Col de Font de C\u00e8re and the ascent to Le Lioran. They provide all manner of opportunities for eager climbers to attack.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 12: Aurillac > Villeneuve-sur-Lot<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 11 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 203.6km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Flat<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
The race continues its passage southwest to the Pyrenees and, though defined in the road book as a \u2018flat\u2019 stage, there\u2019s plenty here to keep the breakaway motivated.<\/p>
The climbing today is more apparent in the first half of the stage than the second, so any break will want to bank as much time as possible early on to give them a cushion once the chasers get focused later.<\/p>
Aurillac is historically the French capital of the umbrella, something that is rarely needed at the Tour de France in July, aside from for a heavy afternoon thunderstorm.<\/p>
Villeneuve-sur-Lot is better known for its passion for rugby league, which might explain why this is only the town\u2019s third time hosting the race.<\/p>
\u201cThe aesthetic landscapes of the Cantal and Lot regions won\u2019t distract the breakaway specialists from the knowledge that there\u2019s something for them to play for,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThe terrain here is all hills, with the climb to Rocamadour standing out \u2013 it\u2019ll be tackled in the opposite direction to the route of the 2022 Tour time trial. The second part of the stage is more suited to the sprinters\u2019 teams that are set on chasing the break down. However, on two previous and similar stages into Villeneuve-sur-Lot, the breakaway managed to hold off its pursuers.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 13: Agen > Pau<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 12 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 165.3km<\/li>
Stage type: Flat<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
The city of Pau is fast on its way to being second on the all-time stage host list. This will be its 75th Tour de France visit in 2024.<\/p>
It\u2019s favoured by the Tour for its location, just north of the Pyrenees, and has seen all kinds of rider lifting their arms in celebration on the finish line: climbers, rouleurs, sprinters, even time triallists, when TTs are organised here.<\/p>
The last time a stage finished here, in 2019, saw Julian Alaphilippe summon the power of the yellow jersey to retain it, despite more talented testers such as Geraint Thomas breathing down his neck.<\/p>
Today will be the final chance for the sprinters to shine ahead of the rigours of the Pyrenees, but they will need good legs and savvy to reel in the break in a tricky finale.<\/p>
\u201cThe Lot-et-Garonne serves up some lovely balcony roads early in the stage, when the formation of the breakaway will be closely monitored by the sprinters\u2019 teams, who will have studied the route carefully,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cIf they judge their effort correctly, they won\u2019t be caught out by the day\u2019s escapees. However, amidst the hilly terrain approaching the finish, the Blachon and Simacourbe climbs could pose a problem for those sprinters who don\u2019t feel comfortable in the hills.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 14: Pau Saint-Lary-Soulan > Pla d\u2019Adet<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 13 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 151.9km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Mountain<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
The failed experiment of the 65km Pyrenean stage from the 2018 race, forever remembered for its utterly pointless F1-style grid start, is yet to be repeated.<\/p>
That stage felt all a bit one-speed, the short distance failing to separate evenly matched talent.<\/p>
Though its brevity played well for a TV audience, it lacked a first half, which builds fatigue for the second.<\/p>
Today adds that first half, with 70 flatter kilometres transitioning into the heights of the Col du Tourmalet and then the ski resort at Pla d\u2019Adet above Saint-Lary-Soulan \u2013 one of the toughest finishes (10.6km at 7.9%).<\/p>
In recent years the race has taken a turn off the road to Pla d\u2019Adet to finish on the harder and higher Col de Portet, but today sticks to the traditional finish, where the likes of Joop Zoetemelk (1975) and Lucien Van Impe (1976 and 1981) won the stage.<\/p>
\u201cThe dynamic format of the first Pyrenean stage is accentuated by the fact that battle is unlikely to commence until the riders have gone through Lourdes,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cFrom that point, with 80km remaining, there\u2019ll be a festival of climbing, featuring the Tourmalet, the Hourquette d\u2019Ancizan and the climb to Pla d\u2019Adet. Fifty years on, the finish line will be exactly where it was when Raymond Poulidor celebrated victory in the 1974 Tour.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 15: Loudenvielle > Plateau de Beille<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 14 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 197.7km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Mountain<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
Prudhomme likes to go big on Bastille Day, France\u2019s July public holiday, and they don\u2019t come much bigger in the modern Tour than this.<\/p>
Almost 200km, five-and-a-bit cols culminating in the giant above the Ari\u00e8ge valley in the Pyrenees, Plateau de Beille.<\/p>
The Col d\u2019Agnes (10km at 8.2%) at 128km will be where the action hots up, before a summit finish on the 15.8km, 7.9% monster.<\/p>
It\u2019s not a frequent Tour climb; first discovered at the Route du Sud (now Route d’Occitanie) in 1995, it made its debut in 1998 (stage and race won by Marco Pantani), with five subsequent visits, the last in 2015.<\/p>
\u201cThe third Sunday of the Tour could prove crucial,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cWhatever\u2019s happened on the previous days in the mountains, the terrain on this stage is ripe for revenge or confirmation, with 4,850m of vertical gain on the menu over almost 200km of racing.<\/p>
\u201cAll manner of scenarios could play out, and it\u2019s not unrealistic to imagine that team-mates of the GC contenders will attempt to infiltrate the breakaway climbing the Peyresourde.<\/p>
\u201cThat would prove invaluable given what lies ahead, especially in a finale that features the climbs of the Col d\u2019Agnes and the Port de Lers followed by the final haul up to Plateau de Beille.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 16: Gruissan > N\u00eemes<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 16 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 186.6km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Flat<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
For the second time in this year\u2019s edition of the Tour, the stage following the rest day has potential for chaos-generating crosswinds, so as the race makes its way to the Alps the leading contenders will need to be on alert.<\/p>
This stage is similar to the first road stage of the 2017 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, which ran from N\u00eemes to Gruissan, and was won by Yves Lampaert. Today the route heads more inland, adding altitude, but on a benign day weather-wise this will be a slam dunk for the sprinters.<\/p>
Mark Cavendish and Caleb Ewan are among the fast men who\u2019ve won here in the past. They\u2019ll be especially motivated by the fact that this is their final opportunity for a stage win of the race \u2013 because of the Paris Olympics, the race is finishing outside of Paris for the first time ever, on the southern coastal city of Nice.<\/p>
\u201cThe sprinters may be heavily tipped for success when the race heads away from the coast near Narbonne, and maybe even when the riders pass over the Pic Saint-Loup,\u201d posits Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cBut the Mistral can blow fiercely at this time of year and could well upset the plans of the sprinters if those teams that feel at home when it\u2019s windy end up scattering the peloton.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 17: Saint-Paul-Trois-Ch\u00e2teaux > Superd\u00e9voluy<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 17 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 177.8km<\/li>
Stage type:<\/strong> Mountain<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
The race returns to the Alps, its favourite mountain playground, after departing it back on stage 5, for the first of four stages packed with climbing.<\/p>
Today will be more of an aperitif ahead of meatier courses at the back end of the week, likely won by a rider from the breakaway, with further minor skirmishes breaking out in the GC group further back.<\/p>
Despite being created in 1966, this is the first time hosting for ski station Superd\u00e9voluy, stepping up their interest in the sport having hosted several stages of the Crit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9 since 2013.<\/p>
The final climb to the resort is modest (3.8km at 5.9%), though the pass immediately before it, Col du Noyer, holds much more threat.<\/p>
\u201cAs the race homes in on the southern Alps, there will be no significant obstacles crossing the Dr\u00f4me,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThe tests beyond that, though, are likely to encourage the formation of a large breakaway group, whose members will have a chance to shine, assuming they can deal with the climbs in the final 40km.<\/p>
\u201cWe\u2019ll get a clearer idea of this on the ascent of the Col Bayard, although the final selection should be made on the Col du Noyer (7.5km at 8.4%), with the final decision coming on the approach to the Superd\u00e9voluy ski station.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 18: Gap > Barcelonnette<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 18 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 178.8km<\/li>
Stage type<\/strong>: Hilly<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
\u201cThe altimeter drops temporarily, although the sprinters will still have to go right to their limits in order to claim the final bouquet within their grasp,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThat\u2019s down to the fact that once the peloton has admired Lake Serre-Pon\u00e7on, the day\u2019s attackers will have a few hills to exploit as they seek to maintain their lead.<\/p>
\u201cA strong puncheur might be able to go clear on the C\u00f4te de Saint-Apollinaire, and they\u2019ll have even more opportunity to do so on the C\u00f4te des Demoiselles Coiff\u00e9es.\u201d<\/p>
It appears doubtful that there\u2019ll be any kind of organised sprint among the teams today \u2013 the route up until the admittedly flat finish looks far too difficult for the fast men and the win looks more likely to fall to the break.<\/p>
We begin in Gap, a familiar town of the Tour making its 27th appearance and itself a place where breakaway riders have often tasted success in years gone by.<\/p>
Today it hosts the start, on a chunky stage to Barcelonnette, which is hosting for just the second time.<\/p>
The previous time was way back in 1975, when Frenchman Bernard Th\u00e9venet would inflict terminal damage to Eddy Merckx\u2019s bid for an unprecedented sixth yellow jersey.<\/p>
For Th\u00e9venet, it was the first of two victories in the world\u2019s biggest bike race.<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 19: Embrun > Isola 2000<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 19 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 144.6km<\/li>
Stage type: <\/strong>Mountain<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
The debut of one Alpine ski resort, Superd\u00e9voluy, on stage 17 is followed today by a very infrequent one, Isola 2000, in the southern French Alps.<\/p>
Its one and only previous occasion on hosting duties came in 1993 when Swiss rider Tony Rominger triumphed here on the way to second overall.<\/p>
This part of the Alps is home to many of the highest road passes in the French Alps, and this relatively compact stage manages to squeeze three of them in: Col de Vars, Cime de la Bonnette and the road to Isola 2000.<\/p>
The Bonnette\u2019s appearance is a rare treat \u2013 this is its fifth appearance since its debut in 1962, the days of Spanish flyweight Federico Bahamontes, who relished its altitude.<\/p>
It\u2019s the highest paved road in France, though not the highest pass, as the \u2018Cime\u2019 of its name is a scenic loop around the mountain, separate to the actual pass.<\/p>
\u201cThe menu for this ultra-mountain stage could well make you dizzy, but it\u2019ll also whet the appetite of the very best climbers,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cAlthough the stage is less than 150km long, the riders will climb above 2,000m on three occasions, the biggest test the climb to the summit of La Bonette, the highest road in France at an altitude of 2,802m. Its 360\u00b0 panorama is breathtaking.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 20: Nice > Col de la Couillole<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 20 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 132.8km<\/li>
Stage type:<\/strong> Mountain<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
Nice hosted the Grand D\u00e9part in 2020 and this year it\u2019s hosting the finale.<\/p>
The timing of the Paris Olympics in July meant the Tour had to find a new location to close the race for the first time in its 121-year history.<\/p>
Nice, a large city on the Mediterranean and the finish of Tour organiser ASO\u2019s big spring race, Paris-Nice, felt like the obvious choice.<\/p>
Its proximity to the Tour\u2019s major crucible, the Alps, allowed organisers to design a challenging weekend.<\/p>
While this is Nice\u2019s 39th time hosting, the finish, atop Col de la Couillole, is making its debut. Tadej Poga\u010dar won here on his way to winning the 2023 Paris-Nice, outwitting Jonas Vingegaard.<\/p>
The two will hopefully do battle again, as the Dane recovers from his severe spring injuries.<\/p>
\u201cThe Paris-Nice regulars will be racing over familiar terrain, but that won\u2019t make things any easier if the contest for the yellow jersey is still raging, particularly over such a short distance,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cBattle could commence as early as the climb to the Col de Braus. There will then be no respite on the climbs of the Cols de Turini, de la Colmiane and finally de la Couillole, the final ascent extending for 15.7km at an average gradient of 7.1%. We\u2019ll all be holding our breath!\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>
Stage 21: Monaco > Nice<\/h2>
Date:<\/strong> 21 July<\/li>
Distance:<\/strong> 33.7km<\/li>
Stage type:<\/strong> Time trial<\/li><\/ul>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
$\"Tour$ <\/figure>
Fans who don\u2019t quite buy into the usual processional finish to the Tour in Paris are in for a treat.<\/p>
This final stage in Nice isn\u2019t just a competitive stage, it\u2019s so tough it may well be what decides the whole outcome, just as it did the last time the race finished this way.<\/p>
\u201cEveryone remembers the last occasion the Tour finished with a time trial, when Greg LeMond stripped the yellow jersey from the shoulders of Laurent Fignon on the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es in 1989, by just eight seconds,\u201d says Prudhomme.<\/p>
\u201cThirty-five years on, we can but dream of a similar duel, involving two or three riders, an authentic athletic confrontation whose outcome would determine the final podium of the 111th edition, and the first to finish far from its familiar Parisian setting.\u201d<\/p>
As far as time trials go at the Tour, this is as tough as it gets.<\/p>
The initial climb from Monaco, La Turbie, gains almost 500m over 8.1km, before a short descent that rises to the summit of Nice\u2019s great climb, Col d\u2019Eze (1.6km at 8.1%).<\/p>
Then it plateaus before a long descent and a flat 6km into the finish.<\/p>
As always in hilly TTs, there will be a debate about mid-race bike changes (to allow riders to climb better on a road bike) but the design of the course \u2013 flat start and finish \u2013 will make it difficult to enact.<\/p><\/div><\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n
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