Tour de France 2024 to be held from June 29 to July 21
For the first time, the Grand Tour cycling race will start in Florence, Italy and finish in Nice, bypassing Paris due to the upcoming Olympics.
The Tour de France 2024 is all set to begin with the Grand Depart on June 29 and will wrap up on July 21.
To accommodate the preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics, set to begin on July 26, several adjustments have been to this year's route.
Now in its 111th edition, the Tour de France will flag off from Florence and roll through a total distance of 3,492km underlined by 52,000m of elevation gain. The tour will reach Nice after 21 stages and for the first time, will bypass the French capital.
Spread across 23 days that includes two days of rest, the Tour de France will have two individual time trials. The Grand Tour will also see Four mountain-top finishes, a series of gravel sections for the first time, and a hilly time trial to Nice.
With Florence hosting the Grand Depart event this year, this is the first time that an Italian city will get the distinction. Last year, the Grand Depart was hosted by Spain.
The first stage will comprise a hilly 205km stretch from Florence to Rimini on the Adriatic coast while the second is set to depart from the Emilia-Romagna town of Cesena and end in University town Bologna. The third goes from Piacenza to Turin.
The fourth stage will also start in Italy at Pinerolo following which the action is set to move to France.
On July 20, the riders will resume from the Promenade des Anglais on a route up to the Col de la Couillole. On July 21, the 21st and final stage will be contested as a time trial between Monaco and Nice, instead of a traditional sprint on the Champs-Elysées.
This will be the first time since 1989 that the Tour will end in a time trial.
Jonas Vingegaard, who won his second straight title last year, will be the defending champion.