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As usual, we’ve been full of rumors and some French press information, but there’s no longer any need to guess, as the route for the 2024 Tour de France was officially revealed on Wednesday.
We have known for a long time that after Bilbao next year, the big start will be in Florence, and because of the Olympics, the competition will end in Nice, not Paris.
At the presentation of the track on Wednesday, it was revealed that we can count on 4 real uphill stages, 2 time trials have been added to the program and, like the Giro, there will be a mini Strade Bianchés stage of 32 kilometers of gravel.
Road 2024 in a nutshell
A big start in Florence with a particularly difficult stage, a time trial on the final day in Nice, eight mountain days, but in fact four mountain courses, a gravel stage before the first rest day, and 8 opportunities for the runners, so the record is broken. Mark Cavendish to.
Unlike the women’s Tour, there is no Tour of Alpe d’Huez, but it will be very early Galibier, sans dadet, plateau de belle And Colonel de la Coyoleat the end of Part 20. What makes the next round really unusual is the ending, because after 1989, the competition will again end with a time trial period.
The big start
Next year’s Tour de France begins in Florence on June 29, 34 days after the end of the Giro. Strange as it may seem, this will be the first Italian Grand Prix in the history of the race, 100 years after the first Italian Grand Prix. Ottavio Botticchia He won the Tour in 1924.
The opening stage, which is 205 kilometers long and includes 7 classified climbs, ends in Rimini, after which the Tour field spends two more days in Italy. The second phase Marco Pantani It starts in his hometown of Cesenatico and ends in Bologna (the San Luca climb has to be climbed twice), and the third day, which will likely bring with it the hair of the field, ends in Turin.
The first week
After the first three stages in Italy, the 2,642m Galibier was already there on day four, but that will be another stage with a downhill finish in Valloire, and the 25km time trial will come on stage seven. The Strade Bianchés mini stage may be one of the most anticipated days of the first week, with 14 sectors and 32 kilometers of gravel roads awaiting the field.
second week
In the middle week of the Tour, there are also three days of hill climbing, the first of which is the really difficult Stage 11, when the finish line is at the summit of Pla d’Adet (10.6 km / 8%). The next day, after 4 classified climbs, comes the 16km long Bell Plateau, with an average grade of 8%. The eleventh stage could also be important from a general point of view, as in the last forty kilometers of this 211-kilometre day, three shorter but steep hills await the contenders.
the third week
Of course, there will also be a mountainous finish last week, and the final three stages could be good enough to completely shake the boat.
The nineteenth stage of only 145 km will be difficult due to the three tall mountains (Faris, Bonnet, Isola 2000), and on the very short, 132 km penultimate day, four classified climbs and two mountain finishes await the field, the Col de La Couillole (15.7 km/7.1%) at the top.
Unlike usual, next year’s Tour de France will not end on the Champs-Élysées, but with a time trial in Nice. This will be the first time since 1989 that a singles event will be held on the final day of the Tour.
The 34km trial route includes two mountains (Torbie: 8km/5.5%, Col d’Izi: 1.6km/8%), so there’s no doubt that the final stage will be flat.
The most important dates
The 2024 Tour begins on June 29 in Florence, with the non-mountain stage “Galibert” three days later, and the first individual stage (Geoffrey-Chambertin) on July 5. The 32km section of the gravel road was scheduled for July 7, with the first real mountain finish six days later.
The Plateau De Beille is set to celebrate France’s National Day (07/14), and the decisive Nice time trial will be held on July 21.
The 2024 Tour de France in numbers
1 Next year, the Tour de France will start in Italy for the first time
4 -This is going to be a real tough section
8 -At best, eight plays can get you a field goal
35 – After all these years, a time trial will be organized again on the last day of the Tour
49 – For the first time in nearly half a century, the tour will not end next year on the Champs-Élysées
59 – The length of the trial period is kilometers (25+34)
2802 – This is the height of the highest mountain in next year’s Tour de France, the Cime de la Bonette
The area you expect
Jonas Vengegard He has already clearly stated that his goal will be the yellow jersey again in 2024, as well as his former teammate who left Jumbo-Visma after 8 years. Primoz Roglicrespectively Remco Evenepoel also.
It would be quite surprising if Tadej Pogacar He will be trying to do the double next year, so for a three-week-old, he will probably do everything for this competition.
Obviously among runners Mark Cavendish His debut could be considered a certainty, as he postponed his previously announced retirement in order to have a shot at his record 35th round pick.
The most important stages of the 2024 Tour de France:
