Tour de France 2024
2024 pocket guide
STAGE 1 / SATURDAY, 29 JUNE FLORENCE > RIMINI / 206KM / HILLY
Starting in Florence, the birthplace of legendary Italian cyclist Gino Bartali as well as Renaissance art and architecture, the Tour’s first stage is a lumpy route east in the direction of the coastal city of Rimini.
There are seven categorised climbs on the menu and the first, the 11km Colle Tre Faggi, tops out after just one hour of racing. Then come a succession of short but difficult climbs, with the final ascent denoting the entrance to the principality of San Marino. From there, it’s a 26km fast downhill back to the Italian coast.
What to expect
The teams with general classification ambitions will be happy to let a rider who isn’t thinking about Paris take the race’s first yellow jersey – and with it all the attention and obligations. The sprinters’ teams won’t be working either, not over a profile like that, but with a yellow jersey up for grabs there is no way an excited peloton will let a break go the distance.
It’s a difficult enough day for some outside contenders to have their GC potential highlighted, but don’t expect any long-range solo attacks from the big players – there’s no need to fire too many bullets on the opening weekend, however tempting it might be to grab early glory.
STAGE 2 / SUNDAY, 30 JUNE CESENATICO > BOLOGNA / 198.7KM / HILLY
The homage to Italian cycling continues today with a route starting in Marco Pantani’s former home and final resting place, and a finish on the roads of one of the country’s best-loved races.
It’s a seaside start in the spa resort of Cesenatico, home to the late Italian legend, the last rider to take a Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double, in 1998. Ironically, for a stage harking back to one of the sport’s greatest climbers, it’s mostly flat.
There are two little bumps in the first 140km, as well as a spin around the Imola racing circuit, the venue of the 2020 World Championships.
Then come two short back-to-back climbs before the peloton arrives in Bologna for two circuits that take in the climb of San Luca (1.9km at 10.6%), used as a summit finish every autumn in the Giro dell’Emilia. Today, however, the riders have 12km over the top of the final climb to get organised for the finale in Bologna.
What to expect
This should be a fairly straightforward stage for a peloton with fresh legs. A breakaway with lots of riders fancying their chances seems likely, but with GC riders not wanting to be caught napping, it won’t be given much time. The two climbs of San Luca are a perfect launch pad for a Classics rider who thinks they can hold off the bunch in the final run-in, while a sprinter in great form may also think the stage is up for grabs.
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