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Tour de France 2024: 7 must-watch stages tour,de,france,must,watch,stages,sbnation,com,front-page,tour-de-france,draftkings

On: June 28, 2024 By: admin

Excluding a pair of rest days, the Tour de France is a 21-day event. We recommend you watch as much of it as possible, but also understand that spending three weeks in the middle of summer watching men in lycra pants riding a bike through towns with names like Gignac, Minot, or Chorges — yes, these are all real — might prove to be a challenge.

But, worry not, friend! We are here to help.

We took a close look at this year’s route, and out of the 21 stages picked seven that definitively fall in the must-watch category. What criteria did we use? Mainly the course itself, and what we expect to see on each individual stage.

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.

Stage 1: Florence > Rimini (Sat 6/29)

For the first time in its 111-year history, the Tour de France is set to start in Italy. And it is about to kick off with a bang: the first of three-and-a-half stages on Italian soil covers 206 kilometers while featuring over 3,800 meters of elevation gain.

Arguably the hardest opening stage in recent memory, we might already see some general classification action on Day 1. Due to the relentless nature especially over the final 75 kilometers, the big race favorite, Slovenian Tadej Pogačar, might already try to test his competitors led by two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard — a similar tactic he employed during his dominant Giro d’Italia showing earlier this year.

Pogačar, who himself is a two-time Tour winner, recently mentioned his shape would be “even better than what I expected.” Given this and the fact that Vingegaard was among several GC contenders to crash hard back in April, the 25-year-old might try to put his early mark on the stage.

Stage 4: Pinerolo > Valloire (Tue 7/2)

Whether or not Pogačar enters Day 4 as wearer of the yellow jersey remains to be seen. Regardless of his status relative to the rest of the general classification field, however, the 140-kilometer border-crossing stage from Pinerolo to Valloire is the first high-mountain test of this week’s Tour.

The 3,900 meters of elevation gain might be a bit misleading — the first two classified climbs are not particularly difficult — but the ascent to the legendary Col du Galibier could be the perfect GC battle ground. Never before has the Tour reached such heights this early in a race, which might just prompt Pogačar and his climber-heavy UAE Team Emirates squad to try to light some fireworks.

If Vingegaard in particular shows any weakness on the hilly first two stages of the race, the fourth could prove a challenge. He and his Visma | Lease a Bike team need to be on high alert over the last 40 kilometers.

Stage 9: Troyes > Troyes (Sun 7/7)

A vast majority of this year’s Tour de France takes place on asphalt roads, but there is one notable exception. On July 7, the cyclists will hit the gravel roads around the city of Troyes. The stage itself is not the hardest in terms of elevation gain — only around 2,000 — but the surface below the wheels could lead to some chaos.

In total, there are 14 gravel sectors totaling 32 kilometers. That does not sound like a lot, but a puncture or crash at the wrong time on what will be a nervous day for the entire peloton could spell doom for general classification contenders. You won’t be able to win the Tour on Stage 9, but you very well could lose it.

Stage 15: Loudenvielle > Plateau de Beille (Sun 7/14)

When it comes to vertical meters gained, this is the hardest stage of the entire 2024 Tour de France. This 198-kilometer monster will see riders climb more than 5,000 meters in the French Pyrenees between Loudenvielle and Plateau de Beille.

While it seems unlikely there will be much general classification action before what looks to be a brutal mountaintop finish, the built up fatigue up until that point could lead to some serious cracks. Every single GC rider, even if they are named Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič, Remco Evenepoel, or Carlos Rodriguez, needs to bring their A-game to Stage 15.

All eyes will naturally be on those and other riders atop the standings at this point, but we will also closely follow the race against the so-called broom wagon: with some serious climbing to be done and a 7-kilometer test right out of the gate, every rider making the time cut is not a foregone conclusion.

Stage 19: Embrun > Isola 2000 (Fri 7/19)

Stage 19 is comparatively short at only 145 kilometers, but it will see over 4,500 meters of climbing split between three challenging peaks. Tops among those is the highest point ever reached by the Tour de France: at 2,802 meters, the Cime de la Bonette will be crossed for just the fifth time in race history and the first since 2008.

Despite being the highest paved road in France, however, it is merely an appetizer for what projects to be a high-octane finish to Isola 2000. Differences will be made on the 16-kilometer ascent, and riders will get dropped. The question is: who, and by whom?

If Jonas Vingegaard wants to win his third straight maillot jaune, this is where the hyper-talented climber needs to go on the offensive. Likewise, if Tadej Pogačar wants to regain his Tour de France supremacy, he might try to use this stage as either a launching pad or a final dagger to his competition.

Stage 20: Nice > Col de la Couillole (Sat 7/20)

The mountains may not be quite as high as on the previous day, and 133 kilometers is a quite moderate distance. Stage 20 will nonetheless be an entertaining affair on difficult terrain. In fact, in terms of vertical gain per kilometer, this is the toughest stage in the Tour.

The riders will go up and down throughout the day before finishing on the Col de la Couillole. Given the nature of the stage, and the fact that it is the final mountain test before a closing-day individual time trial, action is guaranteed — especially if the GC battle is still somewhat close at this point in the race.

Stage 21: Monaco > Nice (Sun 7/21)

For the first time since 1989, when American Greg LeMond stole the yellow jersey from Frenchmen Laurent Fignon by just 8 seconds, the Tour de France will end with an individual time trial. This one will take the riders from the world’s second-smallest nation to the French city of Nice over a hilly 34-kilometer parcours.

The big four participating in this race — Pogačar, Vingegaard, Roglič, and Evenepoel — are all strong against the clock and capable of gaining just enough time on a good day. And even though a repeat of the LeMond-Fignon scenario might seem unlikely, 20 days of racing and the riders participating means that anything can happen on Day 21.

Tour de France 2024 favorites, ranked by their chances of winning tour,de,france,favorites,ranked,by,their,chances,of,winning,sbnation,com,front-page,tour-de-france,draftkings

On: June 27, 2024 By: admin

The biggest event on the cycling calendar, and one of the most noteworthy sporting events in the world, is upon us: the 2024 Tour de France will start this weekend.

The 111th edition of the race will be kicked off in the Italian city of Florence on Saturday, June 29. A total of 21 stages and 2,170 miles will take riders to Nice on the French Riviera.

This year’s Tour projects to be as memorable a Grande Boucle as any in recent history. Look no further than a star-studded start list that includes some of the biggest names in the sport — including the so-called “big four” of Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel going at each other for the first time ever.

So, who will come out on top? That is anybody’s guess at this point in time, but here is our overview of who to keep an eye on over the next three weeks.

The phenomenon

Given what has transpired so far this season, there is one out-and-out favorite for this race. It’s none other than the best rider of his generation.

1. Tadej Pogačar (SLO), UAE Team Emirates: A two-time Tour de France winner already, the 25-year-old wunderkind is in the middle of what could end up being a historic season. His 2024 palmarès so far includes some dominant victories, including at the Giro d’Italia in May. Will he show any signs of fatigue after beating his competition by almost 10 minutes in the first grand tour of the season? Or was it just a three-week appetizer for what lies ahead? For what it’s worth, Pogačar himself — who changed his training regimen and personal coach since the last Tour de France — seems to think his best is yet to come. A scary thought.

The defending champion

One big reason why Pogačar is the favorite is that his main rival of the last three editions of the Tour de France was involved in a devastating crash in early April. Nonetheless, you can never count another two-time champion out either.

2. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN), Visma | Lease a Bike: Vingegaard was able to beat Pogačar in back-to-back years, and at a full 100 percent should be able to challenge the Slovenian megastar yet again. The question is: will he be at a 100 percent? The Dane suffered a punctured lung as well as rib and collarbone fractures at the Tour of Basque Country less than three months ago, and hasn’t raced since. His form is a mystery, and something his rivals might want to try to exploit early on in the Tour. If the 27-year-old is able to keep things close heading into the final week, however, his superb climbing abilities might put him right back into the conversation after all.

The uncertain stars

The last three years in particular were the Pogačar and Vingegaard show, and when at their best they are a clear step above the rest of the peloton as far as stage racing is concerned. However, two other riders are actually within striking distance themselves — even though they crashed alongside Vingegaard in April.

3. Primož Roglič (SLO), Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe: Vingegaard’s former teammate still has some unfinished business in France after narrowly losing the 2020 Tour to his compatriot Pogačar and failing to finish the race in both 2021 and 2022. At age 34, however, time is running out for the ex-ski jumper. Despite being on the older side compared to his closest rivals, Roglič is still a world-class rider — something he showed in the lead-up to the Tour de France when he won the Critérium du Dauphiné, despite a serious wobble on the final stage.

4. Remco Evenepoel (BEL), Soudal Quick-Step: Evenepoel was among the riders beaten by Roglič at the Dauphiné, but he appeared to focus more on his own build-up toward the Tour de France rather than the result in that particular race. Considering that he too crashed at Basque Country, this makes sense, but it creates an aura of uncertainty around the Belgian — especially when comparing himself to the Pogačars and Vingegaards of the world in a grand tour setting for the first time. Still, the talented youngster is a realistic podium contender in this race and might even be able to push for the top spot himself due to his time-trialling capabilities.

The outsiders

It would be quite a surprise if the winner wasn’t one of the big four of Pogačar, Vingegaard, Roglič or Evenepoel. That said, anything can happen in a three-week race and teams might be forced to adapt due to crash, crack, or illness. If so, a member of this group might end up on the top step of the podium when all is said and done.

5. Carlos Rodriguez (ESP), Ineos Grenadiers: Rodriguez may lack the star power of the top-ranked riders on this list, but he is no slouch either. He finished second, first, and fourth in his last three stage races this season, and was fifth in the Tour last year. With a strong Ineos Grenadiers team supporting him, he could jump onto the podium in 2024 in case the big four show some weakness.

6. Adam Yates (UK), UAE Team Emirates: Fresh off a win at the Tour de Suisse, Yates will serve as Pogačar’s right-hand man and top lieutenant the next three weeks. He is a quality general classification racer in his own right, however, and finished third behind his captain and Jonas Vingegaard in 2023. Another podium result is not out of the realm of possibility even with a support role as his primary job.

7. Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Visma | Lease a Bike: With Vingegaard’s form best classified as “TBD” and with fellow American Sepp Kuss scratched from the Visma | Lease a Bike start list due to medical reasons, the 24-year-old Jorgenson might be part backup leader, part super domestique starting off the race. Regardless of his role, he is more than capable of a top-three finish considering how his season has been going so far: he won Paris-Nice in March, and finished only 8 seconds down to Roglič at the Dauphiné earlier this month.

8. Juan Ayuso (ESP), UAE Team Emirates: Ayuso would be a leader on most teams, but being on the one headlined by Tadej Pogačar means he too will have to work for the big boss. That doesn’t mean he will not compete for a general classification spot as well, and be kept close to the race lead as a possible break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.

9. Egan Bernal (COL), Ineos Grenadiers: One of four former Tour de France champions to start this year’s race alongside Pogačar, Vingegaard, and Ineos Grenadiers teammate Geraint Thomas, Bernal is in the middle of a good season. He has yet to win, yes, but for the first time since a career-altering crash in 2022 is competing at a top level again. A podium finish might still be out of reach, especially with Carlos Rodriguez ahead of him in the pecking order, but stranger things have happened.

10. João Almeida (POR), UAE Team Emirates: Almeida has finished in the top-10 in 13 of his 15 career stage races, including as No. 2 at the Tour de Suisse earlier this month. He is still only the fourth favorite among a stacked UAE squad, but similar to his teammate Ayuso might be kept in the running for as long as possible especially after showing some promising form in Switzerland.

11. Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS), Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe: Vlasov was Primož Roglič’s top helper at the Dauphine, and himself riding a good race to finish sixth overall. It was his fourth top-10 result in a stage race this year, and he could end up making some noise at the Tour de France as well if allowed to go for his own result on top of helping protect Roglič.

The best of the rest

Despite a clear hierarchy to the list of favorites, general classification ambitions will not end with the names above. In fact, plenty of riders will consider a top-10 result as a success and could even have their eyes on the podium under the right — or wrong, depending on how you look at it — circumstances.

That being said, the chances of somebody like Felix Gall, Tom Pidcock, Geraint Thomas, Enric Mas, Jai Hindley, Mikel Landa, Simon Yates, or Derek Gee winning or even podiuming this year’s Tour de France are fairly low. That does not mean they won’t play their part in making the race exciting, but they have not shown they can consistently challenge the top dogs.