The first week of the 2024 Tour de France is done and, after a day on the gravel, dusted. Nine stages have passed since the Grand Départ in Italy, and they've given us enough drama and enough storylines to last a full three weeks.
We've had history being made – most notably by Mark Cavendish and Biniam Girmay. We've had underdog feel-good winners. We've had the earliest high-mountain pass in the history of the Tour. We've had direct conflict between the yellow jersey hopefuls. And we have the scene perfectly set for the final two weeks.
If it keeps on like this, we're in for one of the all-time great Tours, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, let's leaf back through that first week.
With the help of the Tour's great photographers, we've picked out the defining image from each stage so far, along with the story of that day.
ROMAIN EMPEROR
Romain Bardet (right) acknowledges his young teammate Frank van den Broek as they cross the line together (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stage 1: Firenze - Rimini
As finish-line photos go, this one is right up there. Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) gives thanks and praise to his young accomplice Frank van de Broek without whom his first yellow jersey would not have been possible. It was also, remarkably, Bardet’s first Tour de France stage win in seven years. A perfect French fairytale start to Le Tour.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KÉVIN
Kévin Vauquelin hits out for glory on stage 2 of the Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stage 2: Cesenatico – Bologna
Who is Kévin Vauquelin, you may well be asking yourself? Another dream day for the breakaway ended with the Arkéa-B&B Hotels man crossing the line solo for his team’s first-ever Tour stage win, and by far the biggest victory in the 23-year-old from Normandy’s career to date. Here, the Frenchman makes his decisive move in the closing kilometres of stage 2, dropping Jonas Abrahamsen.
GIRMAY OPENS THE DOOR
Biniam Girmay celebrates his first Tour de France stage victory (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stage 3: Viacenza – Turin
History is made. Biniam Girmay surfed the wheels, weaved his way through the human traffic and seemingly impossible gaps, and reached the line with sufficient time to celebrate what is the first Tour de France stage win by a black African rider. It was also the first Tour stage win for Intermarché–Wanty, but that was by the by. A defining moment in this race’s storied 111-year history, summed up perfectly by Girmay's social media caption after the win - "Let me open the door."
Mark Cavendish celebrates his record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage victory (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stage 5: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Saint-Vulbas Plaine de l'Ain
And the history makers just keep on coming. Jasper Philipsen and Alexander Kristoff were first to congratulate Mark Cavendish after he finally overhauled Eddy Merckx’s stage win record at the Tour, but it was noticeable how the peloton queued to pay their respects as the Manxman worked his way down the line of admirers. The unofficial patron of Le Tour, at the age of 39, has never looked more comfortable in his own skin. Nor has he, going from his masterful sprint in this stage, been in such good shape in years. More stage wins to follow, surely?
DYLAN BY A NOSE
Dylan Groenewegen throws for the line in a tight finish to stage 6 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stage 6: Mâcon – Dijon
Dutch champion Dylan Groenewegen in a ‘did I or didn’t I?’ moment on the line in Dijon. Turned out the Jayco AlUla rider did cut the mustard in Dijon after all, despite his silly sunglasses. You can get your very own noseguard ‘aero beak’ for a mere €350, our tech team discovered. Could make all the difference. Probably not though, in all honestly.
MEET AND GREET
Julien Bernard waves to the crowds on his home roads (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stage 7: Nuits-Saint-Georges – Gevrey-Chambertin
If you’re wondering why we have chosen this photo for the time trial on stage 7, here’s the lovely backstory. Ever since the route was announced, local boy Julien Bernard hoped and prayed he’d make the Lidl-Trek selection for the Tour. The 32-year-old started his cycling life with amateur team SCO Dijon as a young man, and should his surname prove familiar, that’ll be because his father is Jean-François Bernard, himself a three-time Tour stage winner. The tradition of being allowed to stop and greet family and friends during the race goes back a long way, but we are struggling to think of an occasion when it has happened during a time trial. He paused on the climb, was mobbed by supporters and relations, then pushed on to make it inside the time cut. He was fined by the UCI for his action but said he would relive it every time if given the chance. Chapeau, Julien.
One of those slightly unremarkable Tour stages geographically as the race wound its way north to the tiny finish town of Colombey-les-deux-Eglises, the home and resting place of French wartime President Charles de Gaulle. Meanwhile, Biniam Girmay in his pre-race interview for ITV4 stated it was now all about the green jersey for him and his excellent Intermarché–Wanty team. Stage wins were on the backburner. Come the final little kicker to the finish line and the Eritrean’s modesty – or was he bluffing? – went out the window as he took another win and further cemented his points classification standing. The story of the Tour so far.
GRAVEL STORM
Yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar rides through the dust on the gravel stage of the Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)
Stage 9: Troyes – Troyes
A breakaway day, with the general classification contenders all crossing the line together. True enough, but that doesn't tell the half of the story of one of the most thrilling days of racing in recent Grand Tour memory. Does gravel belong in a three-week race? That was the big talking point ahead of this white-knuckle ride through the chemins blancs. Well, with no one's race upended by the vagaries of off-road misfortune, and a stage that pulsated from kilometre zero to the line, it was a hell of a beating for the naysayers. If you want one camp that's firmly in favour of gravel, it's cycling photographers, and they of course came up with the goods again here. Our pick of the bunch? The yellow jersey beaming through the dust.
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Patrick is an NCTJ-trained journalist, and former deputy editor of Cyclingnews, who has seven years’ experience covering professional cycling. He has a modern languages degree from Durham University and has been able to put it to some use in what is a multi-lingual sport, with a particular focus on French and Spanish-speaking riders. Away from cycling, Patrick spends most of his time playing or watching other forms of sport - football, tennis, trail running, darts, to name a few, but he draws the line at rugby.
