Saturday June 29 marks the start of the Tour de France 2024. On the occasion of this 111th edition of the Grande Boucle, the peloton sets off from Italy, near Florence. From the first stage, the runners will have to face a rugged course, lasting 206 kilometers. The arrival is planned in Rimini at the end of a route of 3600 meters of altitude difference. Enough to get everyone into the mix quickly and take the pulse of a race that promises to be epic. Between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna – Adriatic Sea, the setting looks idyllic for a first battle. Be careful not to lose too much strength on this first day…
A departure very strong for the Tour de France 2024
It will only take 12.5 kilometres to see the first climb, with the Col de Valico The Faggi (5.1% average gradient and summit at 930 metres). During this Saturday, there will be 7 planned, with the first polka dot jersey at stake. The Côte des Forche (2.5km at 6.2%), the Côte de Carnaio (10.5km at 4.6%) and the Côte de Barbotto (5.8km at 7.6%) will be synonymous with first breakaways. Subsequently, the Côte de San Leo (4.6km at 7.7% average gradient), the Côte de Montemaggio (4.2km at 6.6%) and the Côte de San Marino (7.1km at 4.8%) will dictate the name of the winner. It remains to be seen who will be able to break away from the peloton to race at the front. Note that after the summit of the last climb, there will still be 25 kilometres left.
- Departure is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. and arrival at 5:30 p.m. (42 km/h average).
The favorites for the 1st stage of the Tour de France 2024
Given the route and the profile, it is a safe bet that the first yellow jersey of the 2024 Tour will go to Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck), Mads Pedersen (Lidl – Trek) or Wout van Aert (29 years old – Team Visma Lease a Bike). These potential green jerseys will also have to pay attention to the arch-favorite in the final classification, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), who has just won the Giro and wants to return to success in the Tour de France after two years without a yellow jersey. Belgian champion Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) can also do well in this first stage. Without forgetting the French road champion Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) and the European champion Christophe Laporte (Groupama – FDJ).
