Tadej Pogačar wins stage 14 on summit finish to Pla d'Adet(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tour de France stage 13: Jasper Philipsen won his second stage in Pau(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Tour de France stage 12: Biniam Girmay won his third stage in Villeneuve-sur-Lot(Image credit: Thomas SAMSON / AFP / Getty Images)
Jonas Vingegaard pips Tadej Pogačar in a two-up sprint to win stage 11(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) takes his first stage win of the 2024 Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) wins chaotic stage 9 ahead of Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers)(Image credit: Getty Images)
Biniam Girmay of Intermarché-Wanty, wearing the Green Sprint Jersey, celebrates at finish line as stage 8 winner(Image credit: Getty Images)
Soudal QuickStep's Remco Evenepoel celebrates on the podium after winning the stage 7 time trial and gained 12 seconds on the race leader(Image credit: Thomas SAMSON / AFP / Getty Images)
Dylan Groenewegen of Team Jayco AlUla celebrates winning first photo finish of this year's Tour, on stage 6 in Dijon (Image credit: Daniel Cole / Pool / Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar held onto the yellow jersey after stage 5 of the Tour de France(Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Mark Cavendish wins stage 5 of the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tadej Pogacar took control of the yellow jersey again on stage 4(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tour de France stage 3 winner Biniam Girmay(Image credit: Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar moved into the yellow jersey on stage 2(Image credit: Getty Images)
Kevin Vauquelin wins stage 2 of the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Bardet claims the maillot jaune for the first time in his career(Image credit: Getty Images)
Romain Bardet and Frank van den Broek cross the line 1-2 on the opening stage of the 2024 race(Image credit: Getty Images)
Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) finally claimed a hard-fought stage victory after days of trying in the breakaways. But the news of the day was Tadej Pogačar launching an unexpected attack while his rivals were isolated from their teammates. While his move didn't work, Remco Evenepoel got away to gain 10 seconds.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) sprinted to his third stage win of the Tour de France, dominating the closing sprint of stage 16 in Nîmes as green jersey Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) crashed in the final 2km.
The Belgian eased to his ninth career Tour stage win ahead of Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) to draw a close to one of the dullest days of this year’s race after a perfect lead-out from Mathieu van der Poel and all the Alpecin-Deceuninck train.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has shown, once again, that he is currently the strongest climber at the 2024 Tour de France. The yellow jersey soloed to victory on stage 15 on the Plateau de Beille. For the second day in a row, Pogačar beat Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) on a mountain finish and increased his lead in the overall classification to 3:09 over the Dane.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) finished the day in third place and held onto this third place overall, now at 5:19 back in the GC standings.
On the first summit finish of the 2024 Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) strengthened his hold on the maillot jaune after a thrilling finish up to Pla d’Adet saw him ride away to a stunning solo victory on stage 14 to extend his lead over Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep).
Pogačar bridged to an earlier attack of teammate Adam Yates before the Brit emptied the tank before the race leader, who then more than honoured the yellow jersey by riding solo through the packed crowds to a second stage win of the 2024 race some 39 seconds ahead of Vingegaard in second and 1:10 to Evenepoel.
It was a hectic day of racing with crosswinds and multiple breakaways and a crash in the final sprint, but Jasper Philipsen prevailed through it all to take his second stage win of the 2024 Tour de France over Wout van Aert. There were no changes in the general classification other than the abandon of Primož Roglič and Juan Ayuso leaving the race.
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) won his third stage at the 2024 Tour de France and extended his lead in the green points jersey competition, producing another superb sprint finish in Villeneuve-sur-Lot.
The Eritrean appeared too far back in the final 500 metres but teammate Mike Teunissen dragged him up to Kirstoff’s wheel as the sprint exploded. He then jumped down the middle of the road to beat Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) crossed the line in third place but was later relegated for closing Van Aert along the barriers. Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) finished fifth but was also relegated after he swerved to avoid Démare’s leadout man Dan McLay, who dropped back down the centre of the road.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished safely in the peloton to retain the race lead but Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was involved in a crash with 12 km to go. He finished 2:27 down on the peloton.
Some 98 days after his horror crash at Itzulia Basque country, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) produced the most important moment of the 2024 Tour de France so far, mounting an incredible comeback ride to both pull back Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and beat him in the two-up sprint in Le Lioran after being dropped 31.6km from the finish.
In what was a remarkable signal of a complete return to form for Vingegaard, who was a question mark for even starting the 111th edition of the Tour, the two-time defending champion clawed back a 30-second deficit to the race leader on the Col de Pertus, before working together and stunning him in the final sprint.
Pogačar waited until the final 150 metres to launch his explosive charge for home but surprisingly, the yellow jersey never came out of the wheel and the Dane held on with a great break throw, only daring to celebrate his fourth Tour stage win past the line.
After all the controversy and disappointment of the first week, Jasper Philipsen got back in the wins at the Tour de France on stage 10 following a textbook lead-out from World Champion Mathieu van der Poel and Alpecin-Deceuninck.
Finally, the win came for the best sprinter from last year’s Tour, with him hitting the wind in the final few hundred metres and the difference in power was so obvious, with a clear gap to second-placed Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) at the line, who continued a great run of form ahead of Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech) in third.
As expected, gravel-packed stage 9 delivered hectic racing with the fight for the stage win, and the battle between contenders heated up. Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) outsprinted his breakaway companions to take the win ahead of Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Derek Gee (Israel-PremierTech).
Yellow jersey Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) launched numerous attacks and though he managed to briefly distance Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), the reduced peloton regrouped and the contenders finished together with no changes to the top 5 in the general classification.
Biniam Girmay continued a fairytale Tour de France as he took his second stage victory - this time donned in the green jersey, a competition where he now enjoys an 88-point lead.
The Eritrean rider was well protected by his Intermarché-Wanty, who placed him perfectly as he launched an attack from the wheel of Byran Coquard to sprint against Jasper Philipsen in a one-on-one battle to the line in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Stage favourite Arnaud De Lie came in third.
Time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel announced his presence in his first Tour de France and won the race against the clock on stage 7. Clad in the Tour's best young rider jersey rather than the rainbow stripes, he was 12 seconds faster than race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) took a solid third, 34 seconds down on the Belgian, while Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) finished fourth in the 25.3km route from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin.
Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) threw his bike across the line in the dark shadows of stage 6 in Dijon and won the first photo finish of the Tour de France. He celebrated with a victory over Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who was later relegated from second place to 107th for blocking a Visma-Lease a Bike rider.
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) then moved from third to second place, and maintained the green jersey for a third day. Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) moved up to third place on the stage. There were no changes in the GC, with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) arriving safely in the bunch.
There was a time when Mark Cavendish stage victories at the Tour de France seemed to come about almost as a matter of routine, like the setting of the sun or the rising of the tides. The road to his record-breaking 35th victory was altogether more complicated, but that only heightened the emotion as the Manxman won stage 5 in Saint Vulbas on Wednesday afternoon.
The sprint finale was a chaotic one, as is so often the case in the modern Tour, but Cavendish has been imposing his order on situations like this since he was barely out of his teens. He delivered a rasping sprint to beat Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) to the line, breaking the record he had shared with Eddy Merckx since 2021.
Tadej Pogačar took control of the Tour de France after he attacked near the summit of the Col du Galibier to win stage 4 in Valloire and move back into the yellow jersey. UAE Team Emirates imposed a relentless pace on the Galibier, whittling the front group down before Pogačar attacked 900m from the top.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) stayed within ten seconds of Pogačar on the final ramps of the Galibier and on the early, technical part of the descent, but the Slovenian stretched out his advantage on the drop into Valloire. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) were part of a group that joined Vingegaard in the finale, but they came home some 35 seconds down on Pogačar, who is chasing a Giro-Tour double.
The 2024 Tour de France had barely begun before Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) made a page of cycling history with a bunch sprint victory in Turin, becoming the first ever Black African to win a stage of cycling’s biggest bike race.
The Eritrean’s groundbreaking win came after a mass crash inside the final kilometres saw various sprinters blocked and unable to sprint, although as it was inside the ‘safety zone’, all riders were awarded the same time . Following the crash, the better stage placings for Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easy Post) enabled the former Giro d’Italia winner to become Ecuador’s first ever Tour de France leader, tied on time with previous maillot jaune Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)
Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) delivered back-to-back glorious breakaway days at the Tour de France for the home nation, in the Italian Grand Départ no less, netting the stage 2 victory to Bologna after attacking away solo from his fellow escapees on the famous San Luca climb with 14km to go.
As the GC fight unfolded some three minutes down, it was déjà vu from the 2023 edition as Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) exploded into life on the second ascent, forcing Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) into a response. Only Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) could catch back on after the descent for home into Bologna. Pogačar moved into the yellow jersey for the first time since the 2022 race after dropping Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) on the San Luca climb.
In what is due to be his final Tour de France, Romain Bardet (DSM-Firmenich PostNL) rolled back the years to take the most stunning win of his career on stage 1 of the 2024 race, surviving a charging peloton by the barest of margins to net him a first-ever stint in the yellow jersey.
Bardet crossed the line with teammate Frank van den Broek after the DSM duo put on a masterclass on the road from Florence to Rimini, completing a breathless finish with only a few metres to spare from Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) who took third.
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The official route of the 2024 Tour de France is unveiled by Christian Prudhomme, director of the Grand Tour (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
How does the Tour de France work?
The 111th edition of the Tour de France starts in Florence, Italy, on Saturday, June 29 and ends three weeks later in Nice on Sunday, July 21. It is the first time the Tour starts in Italy. The Tour de France will not finish in Paris as it usually does. Instead, the finish is in Nice to avoid the preparations for the 2024 Olympics Games, which begin just a week later in Paris.
Riders have to cover the entire 2024 Tour de France route, passing through four nations – Italy, San Marino, France, and Monaco.
The rider who completes the distance in the fastest time wins the race, also known as the 'overall classification'. Each day, the rider who has completed the entire distance raced the quickest is the leader of the Tour de France, and wears a yellow jersey to signify him as such.
There is a second time classification for the best rider under the age of 26, the best young riders' classification, and he wears a white jersey if leading.
Riders also gain points for their position at the end of each day of racing, known as "stages". There is a secondary prize for the rider who gains the most points - the "points classification", and the leader each day wears a green jersey.
There are also points atop a select number of mountains for the first riders to cross the top, with more points available the harder the mountain is to climb. The leader of the mountains classification wears a white jersey with red polka dots.
Most days, the peloton race the distance of the Tour de France stage as a bunch. This year's Tour de France features two individual time trials, where riders race a set distance alone against the clock.
Tour de France favourites and contenders: Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) won his second GC title last year and, if he can recover from his crash injuries in time, will be back to defend his title against top rival Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who finished second overall. Vingegaard is likely to face a huge challenge from not just Pogačar, but also Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) and former teammate turned rival Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe).
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(Image credit: ASO)
The 2024 Tour de France includes 52,230 metres of vertical gain across 3497.3km of climbs, sprints and time trialling from Italy into France, with fewer high climbs than in the past and shorter stages.
It is a balanced three weeks of racing that includes eight flat stages, four mountain-top finishes and two individual time trials, the final test against the clock is a hilly time trial to Nice that could create suspense. The race has 25km of racing above 2,000 metres and 27 mountains classified as second, first, or HC.
Florence, Italy, will host the team presentation, and stage 1 will roll out from Piazzale Michelangelo to open the Grand Tour for the first time.
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne - Saint-Vulbas Plaine de l'Ain
177.4km
4-Jul
Stage 6
Mâcon - Dijon
163.5km
5-Jul
Stage 7
Nuits-Saint-Georges - Gevrey-Chambertin
25.3km (ITT)
6-Jul
Stage 8
Semur-en-Auxois - Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
183.4km
7-Jul
Stage 9
Troyes - Troyes
199km
8-Jul
Rest day 1
Orléans
Row 9 - Cell 3
9-Jul
Stage 10
Orléans - Saint-Amand-Montrond
187.3km
10-Jul
Stage 11
Évaux-les-Bains - Le Lioran
211km
11-Jul
Stage 12
Aurillac - Villeneuve-sur-Lot
203.6km
12-Jul
Stage 13
Agen - Pau
165.3km
13-Jul
Stage 14
Pau - Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d'Adet
151.9km
14-Jul
Stage 15
Loudenvielle - Plateau de Beille
197.7km
15-Jul
Rest day 2
Gruissan
Row 16 - Cell 3
16-Jul
Stage 16
Gruissan - Nîmes
188.6km
17-Jul
Stage 17
Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Superdévoluy
177.8km
18-Jul
Stage 18
Gap - Barcelonnette
179.6km
19-Jul
Stage 19
Embrun - Isola 2000
144.6km
20-Jul
Stage 20
Nice - Col de la Couillole
132.8km
21-Jul
Stage 21
Monaco - Nice
33.7km (ITT)
Tour de France 2024 Contenders
2023 Tour de France final podium (L to R): second-placed Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), race winner Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) on third place (Image credit: Getty Images)
Defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard will again have a strong Jumbo-Visma team to support his quest for a third title, but this time, former team leader Primož Roglič has turned to rival as he looks to give Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe top billing. Vingegaard will also face huge challenges from Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep).
In the flat stages, look for last year's green jersey victor Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) to contest for another title against Fabio Jakobsen, now with Team dsm-firmenich, and Caleb Ewan, now with Jayco-AlUIa. And fastman Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) is back for an 18th pro season to mix it up in the sprints, on the hunt for a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage victory.
And there will be opportunities across the three weeks for breakaway riders to shine, including the likes of Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
