Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Tour de France 2024 – stage-by-stage guide and results

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Tour de France 2024 – stage-by-stage guide and results


Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Jonas Vingegaard (centre) is aiming to win a third consecutive Tour de France

The 111th edition of the Tour de France got under way in Florence, Italy on Saturday, 29 June with the three-week race ending in Nice on Sunday, 21 July.

The riders will tackle seven mountain stages including trips to the Pyrenees and Alps during the 3,492km (2,170-mile) race.

There will also be two individual time trials, with La Grande Boucle concluding with a race against the clock for the first time since 1989 – when Greg LeMond famously pipped Laurent Fignon to the yellow jersey by eight seconds.

BBC Sport looks at each stage of the gruelling 21-stage event, analysing where it could be won and lost.

This page will be updated throughout the Tour with the winner and a brief report following each stage.

Saturday, 29 June – stage one: Florence – Rimini, 206km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Romain Bardet (right) wore the yellow jersey for the first time in his career

Winner: Romain Bardet

Report: Cavendish struggles as Bardet wins first Tour stage

Mark Cavendish struggles on a demanding opening stage of the Tour de France as Romain Bardet claims the yellow jersey in a thrilling finale in Rimini.

France’s Bardet and his DSM-Firmenich-PostNL team-mate Frank van den Broek hold off a high-quality group including all the main general classification riders to triumph by five seconds.

Manx rider Cavendish eventually crossed the line more than 39 minutes down and with just under 10 minutes to spare before the elimination time limit.

Sunday, 30 June – stage two: Cesenatico – Bologna, 199.2km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Kevin Vauquelin was second in La Fleche Wallonne earlier this season

Winner: Kevin Vauquelin

Report: Pogacar takes yellow jersey as Vauquelin wins stage two

Arkea-B&B Hotels rider Vauquelin took his first Grand Tour stage win after breaking away from the front group, becoming the second Frenchman to take a stage win in as many days.

Tadej Pogacar, of UAE-Team Emirates, powered away on the final climb but took his main rival, and last year’s winner, Jonas Vingegaard with him.

Dane Vingegaard crossed the line with Pogacar, but the Slovenian took the yellow jersey after having a higher placing in the first stage.

Monday, 1 July – stage three: Piacenza – Turin, 230.8km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Biniam Girmay also won a stage at the Giro d’Italia in 2022

Winner: Biniam Girmay

Report: Girmay first black African to win Tour de France stage

Biniam Girmay makes history as the first black African to win a Tour de France stage as Mark Cavendish is held up by a late crash on the run into Turin. Eritrea’s Girmay powers to victory, with Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria and Belgium’s Arnaud de Lie in second and third. Meanwhile, Richard Carapaz becomes the first Ecuadorian to wear the yellow jersey based on accumulated finishing positions.

Tuesday, 2 July – stage four: Pinerolo – Valloire, 139.6km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Tadej Pogacar won six stages at the Giro d’Italia before coming to the Tour

Winner: Tadej Pogacar

Report: Pogacar claims thrilling stage-four win to regain yellow jersey

Tadej Pogacar regains the leader’s yellow jersey in thrilling fashion as he soloes clear to win the first big mountain stage of the Tour. Remco Evenepoel finishes second 35 seconds down, with defending champion Jonas Vingegaard 37 seconds back in fifth. Overnight leader Richard Carapaz loses more than five minutes and drops to 22nd in the general classification.

Wednesday, 3 July – stage five: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne – Saint-Vulbas, 177.4km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Mark Cavendish broke the Tour’s stage wins record 16 years after winning his first

Winner: Mark Cavendish

Report: Cavendish breaks Tour de France stage record

Mark Cavendish broke the Tour de France stage wins record as he took his 35th victory in cycling’s greatest race to surpass the legendary Eddy Merckx with a sensational sprint finish in Saint Vulbas. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey, 45 seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel, after narrowly avoiding a crash.

Thursday, 4 July – stage six: Macon – Dijon, 163.5km

Image source, EPA
Image caption,

Dylan Groenewegen claimed his sixth stage win and his first since 2022

Winner: Dylan Groenewegen

Report: Groenewegen wins Tour stage six in photo finish

Dylan Groenewegen made a late surge for the line to beat Jasper Philipsen in a thrilling photo finish. Philipsen was later relegated to 107th place for shifting his line during the the final 150m, while there was no change at the top of the general classification standings.

Friday, 5 July – stage seven: Nuits-Saint-Georges – Gevrey-Chambertin, 25.3km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Remco Evenepoel’s victory means he has now won stages in all three of cycling’s Grand Tours

Winner: Remco Evenepoel

Report: Evenepoel wins time-trial as Pogacar stays in yellow

Remco Evenepoel claims his first victory at the Tour de France in stage seven’s individual time-trial as Tadej Pogacar holds on to the leader’s yellow jersey.

Primoz Roglic was third while defending champion Jonas Vingegaard lost more ground, finishing fourth.

Saturday, 6 July – stage eight: Semur-en-Auxois – Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, 183.4km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Biniam Girmay is targeting success in the points classification

Winner: Biniam Girmay

Report: Girmay sprints to second Tour stage win

Biniam Girmay claims his second win in the Tour de France in a sprint finish on stage eight as Tadej Pogacar retains the leader’s yellow jersey.

Jasper Philipsen and Arnaud de Lie finish second and third on the uphill finish in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises.

Sunday, 7 July – stage nine: Troyes – Troyes, 199km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Pidcock, right, won a stage of the Tour in 2022 on Alpe d’Huez

Winner: Anthony Turgis

Report: Pidcock pipped on line as Pogacar retains yellow

Britain’s Tom Pidcock is edged out on the line as France’s Anthony Turgis wins the ninth stage.

Pidcock, of Ineos Grenadiers, is narrowly beaten in a final sprint at the end of a frantic 199km stage in Troyes, which included several gravel sections.

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar retains the leader’s yellow jersey following several attacks between contenders for overall victory.

Tuesday, 9 July – stage 10: Orleans to Saint-Amand-Montrond, 187.3km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Jasper Philipsen won four stages in the 2023 edition of the Tour

Winner: Jasper Philipsen

Report: Philipsen powers to Tour de France stage 10 win

Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay and Germany’s Pascal Ackermann finish second and third respectively.

Wednesday, 10 July – stage 11: Evaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran, 211km

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Both Vingegaard (right) and Pogacar have won the Tour twice

Winner: Jonas Vingegaard

Report: Vingegaard outsprints Pogacar to win epic Tour stage

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard won stage 11 of the Tour de France following a sprint to the line with rival and overall leader Tadej Pogacar.

Defending champion Vingegaard, of Visma-Lease a Bike, edged out Pogacar of UAE-Team-Emirates as the pair raced for the line after several climbs on the 211km stage to Le Lioran in France’s Massif Central region.

Pogacar remains in the yellow jersey and is now one minute six seconds ahead of Remco Evenepoel, who was third on the stage, with Vingegaard a further eight seconds behind.

Thursday, 11 July – stage 12: Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, 203.6km

Image source, Getty Images

Winner: Biniam Girmay

Report: Girmay wins again as Roglic crashes and loses time

Biniam Girmay sprinted to his third victory at the 2024 Tour de France by beating Wout van Aert in a frantic bunch sprint in Villeneuve-sur-Lot on stage 12.

But overall contender Primoz Roglic lost significant time after a late crash, as Tadej Pogacar retained the leader’s yellow jersey ahead of Remco Evenepoel and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard.

Friday, 12 July – stage 13: Agen to Pau, 165.3km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

Pau is the third most-visited city in the history of the Tour

A transitional stage as the race rolls south towards the Pyrenees.

The GC contenders will look to keep themselves safely positioned near the front of the peloton before the sprint trains assemble for a frantic finish in Pau.

Saturday, 13 July – stage 14: Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet, 151.9km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

The Col du Tourmalet is the most-climbed mountain in Tour history

The riders head into the Pyrenees for the start of a brutal and crucial period in the general classification race.

The iconic Col du Tourmalet, the most-climbed mountain in Tour history, comes first before a modern-day regular, the Hourquette d’Ancizan – climbed six times since 2011 – precedes the summit finish and gradients of almost 12% on Pla d’Adet.

Sunday, 14 July – stage 15: Loudenveille to Plateau de Beille, 197.7km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

Warren Barguil was the last French rider to win on Bastille Day at the Tour

About 4,500 metres of elevation gain across four category one climbs and a 15.8km slog up the hors categorie Plateau de Beille await on Bastille Day.

On a huge day at the Tour, only strong climbers have any hope of succeeding in a breakaway.

There will also likely be a strong home presence in any group heading up the road with the likes of David Gaudu and Romain Bardet aiming to become the first French stage winner on 14 July since Warren Barguil in 2017.

However, fireworks should also be expected in the yellow jersey group and Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard (if fully fit) could also come into the picture.

Tuesday, 16 July – stage 16: Gruissan to Nimes, 188.6km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

Mark Cavendish won in Nimes in 2008

The final week of cycling’s greatest race gets under way with a predominantly flat run from Gruissan to Nimes straight after a rest day.

On a day tailor-made for sprinters, Cavendish will aim to turn back the clock and repeat his victory from his first Tour in 2008 – in what is expected to be his last.

Wednesday, 17 July – stage 17: Saint-Paul-Trois-Chateaux to Superdevoluy, 177.8km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

The Cote de Superdevoluy is appearing on the Tour for the first time

Most of the elevation gain in this stage is packed within a demanding final 40km as the Tour travels back into the Alps.

The GC riders will likely eye the penultimate climb up the Col du Noyer to launch any attacks, although with a descent to follow they will need to construct a healthy advantage to make their move stick.

Thursday, 18 July – stage 18: Gap to Barcelonnette, 179.5km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

Barcelonnette’s only previous appearance in the Tour came in 1975 at the start of a short stage won by two-time champion Bernard Thevenet

The riders travel through the foothills of the Alps and will cross a number of the smaller peaks in readiness for the three pivotal days to follow.

With the GC riders almost certainly keen to save energy for bigger battles to come, this stage looks perfectly set up for the breakaway specialists to shine.

Friday, 19 July – stage 19: Embrun to Isola 2000, 144.6km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

Isola 2000 has been used as a high-altitude training base by several teams over the years

A steady opening 20km will do little to prepare the peloton for several hours of pain to follow.

An 18.8km slog up the Col de Vars is the precursor for the mythical climb up the Cime de la Bonette, evoking memories of the battle between Tony Rominger and five-time champion Miguel Indurain in the 1993 Tour.

At 2,802m it is the highest point in this year’s race and is some 22.9km long with gradients kicking up into double digits in the final section.

The day’s final climb to the ski resort of Isola 2000 is hardly any more enticing for the vast majority of the riders and will almost certainly ensure more fireworks between those fighting it out for the yellow jersey.

Saturday, 20 July – stage 20: Nice to Col de la Couillole, 132.8km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

Aside from time trials, stage 20 is the shortest in this year’s race

A short, punishing route with almost 4,800m of elevation that is even more demanding than the day before greets the riders on the penultimate stage of this year’s race.

Given the pace at the front of the peloton is likely to be strong throughout the stage, the Col de la Couillole seems the obvious scene for any GC battle.

However, quite how things play out could be determined by existing time gaps and the need to conserve energy for the final individual time trial.

Sunday, 21 July – stage 21: Monaco to Nice, 33.7km

Image source, ASO
Image caption,

Several former Tour winners including Chris Froome and Pogacar live in Monaco

The Tour concludes outside of Paris for the first time since 1905 due to a clash with the Olympics.

It is also the first occasion since 1989 that the concluding leg of the Tour has not been a processional affair.

With an 8.1km ascent of La Turbie that averages 5.6% and a short, sharp climb of Col d’Eze hardly making things easy, riders and teams will have to contemplate tactics and possible bike switches.

Could there be a duel in the sun to decide the yellow jersey and podium places in the most dramatic fashion?



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