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Tour de France 2024

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“The greatest battle is not physical but psychological. The demons telling us to give up when we push ourselves to the limit can never be silenced for good. They must always be answered by the quiet, steady dignity that simply refuses to give in. Courage. We all suffer. Keep going.”—Graeme Fife It’s one, two, three this summer for fans of cycling and sport and courage: Tour de France; Olympic Games in Paris; Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. I think all of us in the media tend to get swept up in the pageantry of the Tour de France. It’s our Super Bowl and with that pressure come long days in the car and press room and a steady drumbeat of stories and images detailing every day, sometimes every hour…

Tour de France Basics

1. How the Tour originated At the turn of the 19th century, in the era known as La Belle Époque, France was the envy of the world. The Impressionists Degas, Monet and Renoir had revolutionized art; the Eiffel Tower, constructed in 1889, was the tallest building in the world; the French newspaper Le Petit Journal had the world’s largest circulation; and the French rail system was the most extensive anywhere. In sports, though, France had yet to establish events as epochal as Great Britain’s Open golf tournament (1860), the United States’ Kentucky Derby (1875) or England’s Wimbledon Tennis Championships (1877). But it was a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the International Olympic Committee that organized the first Modern Olympics (1896)—in which the “new” sport of cycling was a…

Tour de France Basics

10 French must-haves

Opinel No.08 Stainless Steel Folding Knife. Arguably the best $20 you will ever spend, the No.08 dates back to 1890 when Joseph Opinel created this classic. It’s the only utility knife you will ever need and fits easily in your pocket for picnic and outdoor cooking needs and comes in handy if you choose to prune your roses before a leisurely lunch. The knives have been made in the French Alps for 133 years. Start with the No.08 and then begin building your collection. opinel-usa.com Dodane Type 23 Watch. Founded in 1857, Dodane began making watches for French aviation personnel and still does. The Type 23 is the perfect example of this historic and functional design. It’s a simple, beautiful and functional watch to add to your wish list. dodane1857.fr Victoire Cycles. Photographer…

10 French must-haves

From Induráin to Pogacăr

I could see the hotel. I just couldn’t get to it. It was my third lap re-entering France’s efficient but expensive péage highway system to loop back around to try to find the right entrance into the parking lot. It was right there, with its blue lights flashing a welcoming beacon to this weary traveler. Yet the tangle of one-way streets, wrong exits, divided highways, traffic circles and garbled instructions saw me miss it again. This chasing-one’s-tail exasperation was a daily occurrence in my first year as a Tour de France reporter in 1996, in that digital Stone Age of no cell phones, no GPS and an old-school reliance on crumpled paper Michelin maps. Frustrated and infuriated, I threw in the towel, gave up on the reservation to that hotel…

From Induráin to Pogacăr

Wines of the ’24 Tour

STAGE 1: Florence to Rimini WINE: Fonterenza: Pettirosso This year’s opening stage starts in Florence before making its way through Tuscany toward Rimini. Everyone knows the large-production Tuscan wineries that appear at your favorite red sauce joints, but my favorite is Fonterenza, run by the inimitable Padovani sisters, identical twins Margherita and Francesca. The Padovanis’ biodynamically farm a little less than 5 hectares (about 12 acres) spread across the Tuscan commune of Montalcino. They are most famous for their Brunello di Montalcino, which comes from their most prized vines, but it requires about a decade to really show its stuff. The pro move is to buy one of those and stash it away while you drink their more accessible Pettirosso, a blend of Sangiovese and other indigenous Tuscan grapes like…

Wines of the ’24 Tour

ANATOMY OF A RACE BIKE: 2004 & 2024

EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST 20 YEARS. The Tour de France is as much a showcase for road bikes as it is about racing and tactical prowess. Being the biggest event in pro cycling, team equipment sponsors are keen to get their riders on the best of the best, often using the race as a launching pad for new gear. Sometimes there are big innovations. More often, though, are incremental improvements year over year. But zoom out a couple of decades and yesterday’s bikes are almost unrecognizable from today’s machines. Two things have stayed the same in 20 years: bikes have a double-triangle frame design and are constrained by a UCI (the sport’s governing body)-mandated minimum weight of 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds). Otherwise, just about everything has changed in…

ANATOMY OF A RACE BIKE: 2004 & 2024

What it’s like to race Le Tour

You would think that it’s just another bike race, but when you have 180-plus riders at their peak condition combined with the media attention and pressure from sponsors to get results, it is just something you have to experience for yourself. The Tour is the only race on the calendar where no one is there for the training, and everyone attempts to finish at all costs. As a TdF rookie, the thing that really stood out to me was not only the massive number of fans on the roadside but also the speed of the peloton. I couldn’t get even close to the front for the first week. The finishes were insanely fast, and I felt like a ping pong ball in a washing machine. If you are not moving…

What it’s like to race Le Tour

Favorites hit by 4/4 Crash

The Tour de France was less than three months away when this Basque stage began in Etxarri Arantz. Among the 164 starters that day were three of the Tour favorites: Jonas Vingegaard of Team Visma, Primož Roglič of BORA-Hansgrohe and Remco Evenepoel of Soudal-Quick-Step. Roglic wore the yellow jersey due to his winning the opening day’s 10 kilometer time trial, while the other two were both in the top five. Nothing yet had been determined but this stage had some steep climbs awaiting in the final 40 kilometers, so it was a day to test the fitness they’d garnered at their latest altitude training camps. So, when they topped the day’s third last climb, Olaeta, with an hour of racing still to go, all three were among the peloton’s first…

Favorites hit by 4/4 Crash

Few in Number, Big in Impact

The winner of last year’s Vuelta a España, Kuss could find himself at the center of the yellow jersey action if his team leader Jonas Vingegaard is not fully recovered from his devastating crash at April’s Itzulia Basque Country race. As for Jorgenson, already the breakout star of 2024 with major victories at Paris–Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen, he will be on the hunt to add a stage win to his burgeoning palmarès. And Powless, slowed down by a knee injury this spring, will enter the Tour with fresh legs and even fresher ambition. Tour-bound Kuss, Jorgenson and Powless are at the vanguard of a new generation of riders picking up the mantle of a rich North American history at the Tour. From Jonathan Boyer and Greg LeMond, the first…

Few in Number, Big in Impact

THE STRENGTH OF THE TOUR ALWAYS SURPRISES ME

IN 2004, ONE YEAR AFTER WORKING A THIRD TOUR DE FRANCE as a commentator for France Télévisions, Christian Prudhomme was recruited by race owner ASO and followed the race alongside long-time race director Jean-Marie Leblanc as preparation for taking over the event’s reins in 2007. That was another era…. When you joined the Tour’s organizing team 20 years ago, did you think the race might bear a resemblance to what it’s actually become? It’s passed so quickly because it’s been a whirlwind and, what’s more, it’s exhilarating. What makes me happy is that it’s no longer said this is an old-fashioned sport watched by old men. We see so many young people on the roadside now; they’re interested in the Tour again. We could see this last summer, and although…

THE STRENGTH OF THE TOUR ALWAYS SURPRISES ME

FROM THE MED TO THE MOUNTAINS

NICE AND ITS HINTERLAND, which is an Eldorado for pros and a land of sublime contrasts, will be hosting L’Étape du Tour de France for the first time. This coming together should have been celebrated in 2020 and 2021, but the Covid pandemic spoiled the party both years. This time, though, everything is in place: the capital of the Côte d’Azur will host the famous cyclosportive ride on Sunday July 7, 13 days before the Tour itself comes to town. The route, which mirrors the race’s stage 20, is relatively short but very intense: 138 kilometers long and with 4,600 meters (about 15,000 feet) of vertical gain. Over the event’s 31-year history, only the editions that finished at La Toussuire in 2012 and 2015, had a higher distance-to-climbing ratio. The start…

FROM THE MED TO THE MOUNTAINS

CELEBRATING ITS LEGENDS

As it sets off from Italy for the first time in its history, the Tour de France will be immersing itself in a land of legends where exceptional champions have a name: campionissimi. For three days, as the race crisscrosses Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont, it will honor Italian cycling and its past glories. Stefano Bonaccini, president of the Emilia-Romagna region, said his team has been trying for several years to host the Tour’s Grand Départ after organizing the 2019 Giro d’Italia’s start in Bologna, capital of Emilia-Romagna, and the 2020 road worlds in nearby Imola. Both were a big success, even though the worlds were put together in just a few weeks during the Covid pandemic. “We’re expecting far greater returns from the Tour de France,” Bonaccini said. “Our forecasts…

CELEBRATING ITS LEGENDS

DOUBTFUL STARTER, DOUBTFUL FORM

Vingegaard hadn’t made a wrong move up to that point. He’d lined up in two stage races and won them both. At the end of February, the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader won three stages and the overall title at Spain’s O Gran Camiño. The result was the same at Italy’s Tirreno–Adriatico: two solo wins on the two mountain stages and overall victory. Therefore, the two-time defending Tour champion went to the Basque Country with his confidence sky high. All that changed in the stage 4 crash, when Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič were also injured. Vingegaard’s medical assessment, though, was far more worrying than those of his rivals. He was initially reported to have “fractures to the collarbone and several ribs.” News then emerged of “a pneumothorax…

DOUBTFUL STARTER, DOUBTFUL FORM

SETTING HIS SIGHTS ON THE DOUBLE

“During my day of weakness on the stage to Courchevel, I had the feeling that my body had shut down,” he said. “I’d never experienced anything like that before, I felt like I’d been completely drained of energy. But I kept pushing myself on every second. Given those circumstances, I’m very proud of my second place on the final podium in Paris and of winning the white jersey.” A multifaceted talent who is constantly on the look-out for new goals, the two-time Tour de France winner (2020 and 2021) has set himself a number of challenges for the 2024 season, but one stands out: completing the Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double, a feat achieved by just seven riders in history. “It’s undoubtedly one of the most difficult challenges in cycling,…

SETTING HIS SIGHTS ON THE DOUBLE

RETURN OF THE MIRACLE MAN

His life, like his career, almost ended in January 2022. While training on his time trial bike on a road in Colombia, Bernal collided at full speed with a stationary bus. Having sustained injuries to his neck, ribs, femur, lungs, wrist and face, he was placed in intensive care. The impact at more than 60 kph could have left him paraplegic. But the Eagle of Zipaquirá miraculously pulled through, and just a few months after the accident he was back on his bike, with the idea, initially, of becoming a professional cyclist again. He managed this at the end of 2022, returning to the peloton less than nine months after his accident. But getting back to the highest level has been a long and hazardous road. In 2023, he finished…

RETURN OF THE MIRACLE MAN

A PHENOM MAKES HIS DEBUT

Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Evenepoel added some reality to his festive season by carrying out a reconnaissance of the 32 kilometers of white roads on the 2024 Tour’s stage 9 in the Champagne region. Undertaking this recon in mid-winter underlined the extent of his motivation. “I’m determined to do everything as well as possible in my preparations leading up to the Grand Départ in Florence,” he said. “I want to take care of every detail. I’m going to try to reach the level of the giants that are Vingegaard, Pogačar and Roglič. Managing to finish ahead of one of these riders and climbing onto the final podium would obviously be a great outcome on my first appearance.” One unexpected hurdle he had to overcome before the Tour started…

A PHENOM MAKES HIS DEBUT

NEW TEAM, NEW GOALS

Regarding his move to a new team, Roglič said, “Of course, that’s no guarantee of success, but I’m convinced that this team is well equipped to provide me with perfect support this summer. The years go by, but I still feel competitive enough to be able to think about winning the Tour, and I want to believe in my chances. Change keeps you young, you know.” Roglič has had somewhat of a bumpy ride since switching teams. His 2024 season began at the Paris–Nice stage race, where he never challenged for the victory, with his best performance a third place the day before the finish. A month later, he took the lead of the Itzulia Basque Country race by winning the opening day’s time trial, defeating Remco Evenepoel and Jonas…

NEW TEAM, NEW GOALS

JONAS VINGEGAARD, 27 (Denmark) TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE Tour de France starts: 3 STRENGTHS The Dane established himself as the world’s best climber when he won the 2022 Tour. By doubling his tally of victories last year, he showed that he was the undisputed boss. The way he put his rivals to the sword on the first mountain stage, on the Marie-Blanque, and then crushed his rivals in the Combloux time trial, in what was one of the greatest shows of force in Tour history, left a deep impression. WEAKNESSES The horrific crash that put him in the hospital at Itzulia in April has cast doubts on his ability to get to the start of the Tour in good shape. So, his deficiencies may be emphasized at the…

JERSEYS, AWARDS, BONUSES & THE GRAND MAP

YELLOW JERSEY (sponsored by LCL) The yellow jersey is worn each day by the leader of the overall individual time classification. When a rider finishes a stage in a separate group, he’s given the same time as that group’s first man across the line. Should he be delayed by a mechanical problem or crash in the final 3 kilometers he’s given the same time as the group he was with when the incident occurred. PRIZE: €500,000 to the final winner. GREEN JERSEY (sponsored by Škoda) This is the jersey that rewards consistency and is worn by the leader of the points classification, the rider with the highest number of cumulative points. There are points available at the intermediate sprints on road stages and at stage finishes, with more points allocated…

JERSEYS, AWARDS, BONUSES & THE GRAND MAP

ALPECIN – DECEUNINCK [ BELGIUM ]

ALPECIN – DECEUNINCK TEAM LEADER: Mathieu van der Poel (Nl), 29 SPRINTER: Jasper Philipsen (B), 26 SUPPORT RIDERS: Silvan Dillier (Swi), 33 Soren Kragh Andersen (Dk), 29 Xandro Meurisse (B), 32 Jensen Plowright (Aus), 24 Oscar Riesebeek (Nl), 31 Ramon Sinkeldam (Nl), 35 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Canyon DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano GENERAL MANAGER Philip Roodhoft PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Hair treatment products; window & door systems TEAM FOUNDED: 2009 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON RACING FOR GREEN As was the case at the start of the 2023 Tour, the safe bet on this team is Jasper Philipsen. Thanks to his four stage victories at the 2023 Tour, the Belgian sprinter dominated the contest for the green jersey. His team’s primary objective is stage victories, a goal bolstered by world champion…

ALPECIN – DECEUNINCK [ BELGIUM ]

ARKEA – B&B HOTELS [ FRANCE ]

ARKEA – B&B HOTELS TEAM LEADER & SPRINTER: Arnaud Demare (F), 32 SUPPORT RIDERS: Amaury Capiot (B), 31 Clement Champoussin (F), 26 Anthony Delaplace (F), 34 Dan McLay (GB), 32 Kevin Vauquelin (F), 23 Miles Scotson (Aus), 30 Florian Senechal (F), 30 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Bianchi DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Vision GENERAL MANAGER Emmanuel Hubert PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Bank & mutual insurance; hotel group TEAM FOUNDED: 2005 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON DEMARE ON A MISSION This French team from the Brittany region has a clear objective: to take at least one stage victory with new recruit Arnaud Demare. Given the level of the sprinters set to start the race, this seems an immense challenge. Already a two-time stage winner at the Tour, Demare, who is closing in on the…

ARKEA – B&B HOTELS [ FRANCE ]

ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM [ KAZAKHSTAN ]

ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM TEAM LEADER: Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz), 31 SPRINTER: Mark Cavendish (GB), 39 SUPPORT RIDERS: Davide Ballerini (I), 29 Cees Bol (Nl), 28 Anthon Charmig (Dk), 26 Yevgeny Gidich (Kaz), Michael Morkov (Dk), 39 Ide Schelling (Nl), 26 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Wilier DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Vision GENERAL MANAGER Alexandr Vinokurov PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Kazakh industrial conglomerate TEAM FOUNDED: 2007 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON CAV TARGETS THE MERCKX RECORD During the opening week, the whole team should be at the service of Mark Cavendish as he chases a Tour stage victory that would better the all-time record he shares with Eddy Merckx. Cav, 39, will once again be able to count on his lead-out man, Michael Morkov, who’s the same age as his sprinter. Renowned as the world’s…

ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM [ KAZAKHSTAN ]

BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS [ BAHRAIN ]

BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS TEAM LEADER: Santiago Buitrago (Col), 24 SPRINTER: Phil Bauhaus (G), 30 SUPPORT RIDERS: Pello Bilbao (Sp), 34 Kamil Gradek (Slo), 24 Jack Haig (Aus), 30 Matej Mohorič (Slo), 29 Wout Poels (Nl), 36 Fred Wright (GB), 25 ALTERNATES: Niklas Arndt (G), 32 Matevz Govekar (Slo), 24 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Merida DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Vision GENERAL MANAGER Milan Eržen PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Kingdom of Bahrain TEAM FOUNDED: 2017 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON STAGE HUNTERS The Bahrain Victorious team’s objective is to reproduce the abundant harvest of stage wins it took at last year’s Tour: Spain’s Pello Bilbao in Issoire, Slovenia’s Matej Mohorič in Poligny and Dutch veteran Wout Poels in Saint-Gervais. This team still has the flair to infiltrate breakaways that go the distance and finish them…

BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS [ BAHRAIN ]

BORA – HANSGROHE [ GERMANY ]

BORA – HANSGROHE TEAM LEADER: Primož Roglič (Slo), 34 SPRINTER: Danny van Poppel (Nl), 30 SUPPORT RIDERS: Marco Haller (A), 33 Jai Hindley (Aus), 28 Bob Jungels (Lux), 31 Dani Martinez (Col), 28 Matteo Sobrero (I) 27 Alexander Vlasov (Rus), 28 ALTERNATE: Nico Denz (G), 30 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Specialized DRIVETRAIN: SRAM WHEELS: Roval GENERAL MANAGER Ralph Denk PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Cooktop & extraction systems; plumbing products TEAM FOUNDED: 2017 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON ALL FOR ROGLIČ Having jumped ship from Jumbo-Visma, Primož Roglič has come to this solid German team (which now has a financial boost from Red Bull), so he can get complete support in his bid to win the Tour. That said, this team does have another card to play for the overall classification in…

BORA – HANSGROHE [ GERMANY ]

COFIDIS [ FRANCE ]

COFIDIS TEAM LEADER: Guillaume Martin (F), 31 SPRINTER: Bryan Coquard (F), 32 SUPPORT RIDERS: Simon Geschke (G), 38 Alexis Gougeard (F), 31 Ion Izaguirre (Sp), 35 Stefano Oldani (I), 26 Anthony Perez (F), 33 Alex Zingle (F), 25 EQUIPMENT BIKE: LOOK DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Corima GENERAL MANAGER Cedric Vasseur PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Online credit corporation TEAM FOUNDED: 1997 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON MORE CONFIDENT Cofidis has several riders who could infiltrate long-distance breakaways—and it’s a strategy that could suit team leader Guillaume Martin, who has twice finished top 10 at the Tour. After the team took two stage wins last year after a long drought, the French team should feel confisdent to shoot for more success this year. Ion Izagirre could again win a stage and so…

COFIDIS [ FRANCE ]

DECATHLON – AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM [ FRANCE ]

DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM TEAM LEADER: Ben O’Connor (Aus), 28 SPRINTER: Sam Bennett (Irl), 33 SUPPORT RIDERS: Benoit Cosnefroy (F), 28 Felix Gall (A), 26 Dorian Godon (F), 28 Oliver Naesen (B), 33 Aurelien Paret-Peintre (F), 28 Nicolas Prodhomme (F), 27 ALTERNATE: Victor Lafay (F), 38 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Van Rysel DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Swiss Side GENERAL MANAGER Dominique Serieys PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Sports equipment maker; insurance company TEAM FOUNDED: 1992 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON MULTI-TALENTED Team boss Vincent Lavenu has always managed to achieve unexpected successes with his riders, and he again has a homogeneous team, which has taken a string of victories this season. Its top climbers, Ben O’Connor and Aurelien Paret-Peintre, can focus on stage victories and the polka-dot jersey—and the GC if they…

DECATHLON – AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM [ FRANCE ]

EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST [ UNITED STATES ]

EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST TEAM LEADER: Richard Carapaz (Ecu), 31 SPRINTER: Marijn van den Berg (Nl), 24 SUPPORT RIDERS: Simon Carr (GB), 25 Hugh Carthy (GB), 30 Ben Healy (Irl), 23 Nelson Powless (USA), 27 Jonas Rutsch (G), 26 Rigoberto Uran (Col), 37 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Cannondale DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Vision GENERAL MANAGER Jonathan Vaughters PRINCIPAL SPONSORS International education group; shipping API TEAM FOUNDED: 2005 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON BETTER LUCK FOR CARAPAZ? In reigning Olympic road champion Richard Carapaz, the American team has a seasoned leader who has finished on the podium at all three grand tours, including victory at the 2019 Giro. Victim of a crash on the opening stage that forced him to abandon the 2023 Tour, the Ecuadorian is hoping for better luck…

EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST [ UNITED STATES ]

GROUPAMA – FDJ [ FRANCE ]

GROUPAMA – FDJ TEAM LEADER: David Gaudu (F), 27 SUPPORT RIDERS: Sven Erik Bystrom (N), 32 Romain Gregoire (F), 21 Stefan Kung (Swi), 30 Valentin Madouas (F), 27 Rudy Molard (F), 34 Quentin Pacher (F), 32 Sam Watson (GB), 22 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Wilier DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano GENERAL MANAGER Marc Madiot PRINCIPAL SPONSORS National insurance, lottery and betting company TEAM FOUNDED: 1997 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON GAUDU‘S BEST TOUR? After placing 11th, fourth and ninth in the past three Tours, David Gaudu is clearly targeting the podium this year. The leader of the French team can count on the Swiss Stefan Kung and the solid and experienced Frenchmen Valentin Madouas and Rudy Molard to stay with him as long as possible. We should keep tabs on…

GROUPAMA – FDJ [ FRANCE ]

INEOS GRENADIERS [ GREAT BRITAIN ]

INEOS GRENADIERS TEAM LEADERS: Egan Bernal (Col), 27 Carlos Rodriguez (Sp), 23 Geraint Thomas (GB), 38 SUPPORT RIDERS: Ben Turner (GB), 25 Jonathan Castroviejo (Sp), 37 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol), 34 Tom Pidcock (GB), 24 Salvatore Puccio (I), 34 ALTERNATE: Laurens De Plus (B), 28 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Pinarello DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano GENERAL MANAGER John Maxwell Allert PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Global petrochemicals manufacturer; limited edition 4x4 TEAM FOUNDED: 2010 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON BERNAL RENAISSANCE? With two of the best and most experience grand tour winners, Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas, along with future star Carlos Rodriguez, the INEOS Grenadiers should play a major role in the fight for the podium. Having placed top 10 in all five of his stage races this year, Bernal is gradually regaining…

INEOS GRENADIERS [ GREAT BRITAIN ]

INTERMARCHE – WANTY [ BELGIUM ]

INTERMARCHE – WANTY TEAM LEADER: Louis Meintjes (SA), 32 SPRINTER: Biniam Girmay (Eri), 24 SUPPORT RIDERS: Kobe Goosens (B), 28 Hugo Page (F), 22 Laurenz Rex (B), 24 Mike Teunissen (Nl), 31 Gerben Thijssen (B), 26 Georg Zimmermann (G), 26 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Cube DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Newmen GENERAL MANAGER Jean-Francois Bourlart PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Supermarket chain; civil engineering company TEAM FOUNDED: 2008 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON A STAGE WIN IN SIGHT? This Belgian team has yet to open its account at the Tour de France. It hasn’t taken a stage victory since its first appearance seven years ago! With no one capable of contending for the overall classification, the tean will aim to slip into breakaways and finally achieve that elusive success. That means carte blanche for…

INTERMARCHE – WANTY [ BELGIUM ]

ISRAEL – PREMIER TECH [ ISRAEL ]

ISRAEL – PREMIER TECH TEAM LEADER: Michael Woods (Can), 37 SUPPORT RIDERS: Pascal Ackermann (G), 30 Guillaume Boivin (Can), 35 Chris Froome (GB), 38 Jakob Fuglsang (Dk), 39 Derek Gee (Can), 26 Hugo Houle (Can), 33 Stevie Williams (GB), 28 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Factor DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Black Inc GENERAL MANAGER Kjell Carlström PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Wealth management company; Canadian technology company TEAM FOUNDED: 2015 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON CARTE BLANCHE The weight of passing years is likely to lie heavy on the shoulders of four-time Tour winner Chris Froome, who has struggled for five years to find his previous form and fitness since his terrible crash in June 2019 that saw him fracture his femur, pelvis, ribs and elbow. Another crash, at Tirreno-Adriatico in March—where he broke…

ISRAEL – PREMIER TECH [ ISRAEL ]

LIDL – TREK [ UNITED STATES ]

LIDL – TREK TEAM LEADER: Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB), 29 SPRINTER: Mads Pedersen (Dk), 28 SUPPORT RIDERS: Giulio Ciccone (I), 29 Tim Declercq (B), 35 Alex Kirsch (Lux), 31 Sam Oomen (Nl), 28 Toms Skujiņš (Lat), 33 Natnael Tesfatsion (Eri), 25 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Trek DRIVETRAIN: SRAM WHEELS: Bontrager GENERAL MANAGER Luca Guercilena PRINCIPAL SPONSORS German supermarket chain; U.S. bicycle manufacturer TEAM FOUNDED: 2011 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON FULL OF PROMISE After long months of absence following a heavy crash at the 2023 Giro, British rider Tao Geoghegan Hart—who’s switched from INEOS Grenadiers (with which he won the 2022 Giro)—will bring more maturity to a team made up of promising young riders. Among those who should benefit from his presence are Italian climber Giulio Ciccone, who had…

LIDL – TREK [ UNITED STATES ]

LOTTO DSTNY [ BELGIUM ]

LOTTO DSTNY TEAM LEADER: Eduardo Sepulveda (Arg), 33 SPRINTER: Arnaud De Lie (B), 22 SUPPORT RIDERS: Victor Campenaerts (B), 32 Pascal Eenkhoorn (Nl), 27 Jonas Gregaard (Dk), 27 Sylvain Moniquet (B), 26 Maxim Van Gils (B), 24 Brent Van Moer (B), 26 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Orbea DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Oquo GENERAL MANAGER Stephane Heulot PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Belgian national lottery; information technology company TEAM FOUNDED: 1985 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON GOOD PROSPECTS This Belgian squad, which hasn’t had a stage win at the Tour since sprinter Caleb Ewan was successful in 2020, will simply be aiming to replicate that victory with its latest fast sprinter Arnaud De Lie, who’s making his Tour debut. Lotto-Dstny can also count on the racing knowledge of breakaway specialist Victor Campenaerts, while the…

LOTTO DSTNY [ BELGIUM ]

MOVISTAR TEAM [ SPAIN ]

MOVISTAR TEAM TEAM LEADER: Enric Mas (Sp), 29 SPRINTER: Alex Aranburu (Sp), 28 SUPPORT RIDERS: Rémi Cavagna (F), 28 Davide Formolo (I), 31 Ivan Garcia Cortina (Sp), 28 Gregor Mühlberger (A), 30 Matthias Norsgaard (Dk), 27 Nelson Oliveira (Por), 35 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Canyon DRIVETRAIN: SRAM WHEELS: Zipp GENERAL MANAGER Eusebio Unzué PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Telecommunications company TEAM FOUNDED: 1980 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON UNCERTAINTY FOR MAS Enric Mas doesn’t win many races, but he is consistent in the grand tours—assuming he gets through them without crashing. He has placed second at the Vuelta three times and took a promising fifth place at the 2020 Tour. This year, he has completed three weeklong stage races, finishing 12th at Tirreno–Adriatico, fifth at the Volta a Catalunya and sixth at…

MOVISTAR TEAM [ SPAIN ]

SOUDAL – QUICK-STEP [ BELGIUM ]

SOUDAL – QUICK-STEP TEAM LEADER: Remco Evenepoel (B), 24 SUPPORT RIDERS: Kasper Asgreen (Dk), 29 Yves Lampaert (B), 33 Mikel Landa (Sp), 34 Gianni Moscon (I), 30 Casper Pedersen (Dk), 28 Ilan Van Wilder (B), 24 Louis Vervaeke (B), 30 ALTERNATES: Julian Alaphilippe (F), 32 Tim Merlier (B), 31 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Specialized DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Roval GENERAL MANAGER Patrick Lefevere PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Sealants, foam & adhesive manufacturer; flooring manufacturer TEAM FOUNDED: 2001 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON FOCUS ON REMCO The Spanish climber Mikel Landa has arrived to strengthen this Belgian team that will be totally dedicated to helping Remco Evenepoel compete with the best on his first Tour de France appearance. Their plans have been somewhat compromised by both Evenepoel and Landa crashing and breaking their…

SOUDAL – QUICK-STEP [ BELGIUM ]

TEAM DSM – FIRMENICH POSTNL [ NETHERLANDS ]

TEAM DSM – FIRMENICH POSTNL TEAM LEADER: Romain Bardet (F), 33 SPRINTER: Fabio Jakobsen (Nl), 27 SUPPORT RIDERS: Warren Barguil (F), 32 John Degenkolb (G), 35 Tim Naberman (Nl), 25 Emils Liepiņš (Lat), 31 Martijn Tusveld (Nl), 30 Frank van den Broek (Nl), 23 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Scott DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano GENERAL MANAGER Iwan Spekenbrink PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Nutrition & pharmaceutical products; Dutch postal service TEAM FOUNDED: 2005 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON OLD STAGERS Will this Tour become a lap of honor for Romain Bardet? With fellow French star Warren Barguil also in this Dutch team’s ranks, there is a sense of it being a tour de force for the old stagers. The GC still has a degree of importance for Bardet, but should he drop out…

TEAM DSM – FIRMENICH POSTNL [ NETHERLANDS ]

TEAM JAYCO ALULA [ AUSTRALIA ]

TEAM JAYCO ALULA TEAM LEADER: Simon Yates (GB), 31 SPRINTER: Dylan Groenewegen (Nl), 30 SUPPORT RIDERS: Lucas Hamilton (Aus), 28 Chris Harper (Aus), 29 Christopher Juul-Jensen (Dk), 34 Michael Matthews (Aus), 33 Luka Mezgec (Slo), 35 Elmar Reinders (Nl), 32 SUPPORT RIDERS: Michael Hepburn (Aus), 32 Mauro Schmid (Swi), 24 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Giant DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Cadex GENERAL MANAGER Brent Copeland PRINCIPAL SPONSOR RV manufacturer; Saudi territory collective TEAM FOUNDED: 2001 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON EXPERIENCE COUNTS The Australian team should be able to contend on several fronts. Dylan Groenewegen, who has five Tour stage wins to his credit, will want to showcase his explosiveness in the bunch finishes. The team can also count on Michael Matthews, a four-time Tour stage winner, who’s so strong in…

TEAM JAYCO ALULA [ AUSTRALIA ]

TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE [ NETHERLANDS ]

TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE TEAM LEADER: Jonas Vingegaard (Dk), 27 SUPPORT RIDERS: Tiesj Benoot (B), 30 Matteo Jorgenson (USA), 24 Steven Kruijswijk (Nl), 36 Sepp Kuss (USA), 29 Christophe Laporte (F), 31 Jan Tratnik (Slo), 34 Dylan van Baarle (Nl), 31 ALTERNATES: Bart Lemmen (Nl), 28 Wout van Aert (B), 29 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Cervelo DRIVETRAIN: SRAM WHEELS: Reserve GENERAL MANAGER Richard Plugge PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Norwegian business software services company; corporate bike leasing company TEAM FOUNDED: 1984 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON HARD TO PREDICT This powerhouse Dutch squad, considered the favorite for another Tour title, was hit by two major blows in the spring. The terrible crashes suffered by two-time defending Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard at the Itzulia Basque Country and by his key lieutenant…

TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE [ NETHERLANDS ]

TOTALENERGIES [ FRANCE ]

TOTAL ENERGIES TEAM LEADER: Pierre Latour (F), 30 SUPPORT RIDERS: Mathieu Burgaudeau (F), 25 Steff Cras (B), 28 Sandy Dujardin (F), 27 Geoffrey Soupe (F), 36 Anthony Turgis (F), 30 Dries Van Gestel (B), 29 Alexis Vuillermoz (F), 35 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Enve DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Enve GENERAL MANAGER Jean-Rene Bernaudeau PRINCIPAL SPONSOR French gas & electric utility TEAM FOUNDED: 2000 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON FRENCH STAGE HUNTERS This second division French team has been chasing a stage win since 2017. Its riders are very active and often present in breakaways. And there’s always the hope that an explosive rider like Alexis Vuillermoz can repeat his brilliant stage win at Mur-de-Bretagne in the 2015 Tour. Perhaps this will also be the moment for Anthony Turgis or Mathieu…

TOTALENERGIES [ FRANCE ]

UAE TEAM EMIRATES [ UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ]

UAE TEAM EMIRATES TEAM LEADER: Tadej Pogačar (Slo), 25 SUPPORT RIDERS: Joao Almeida (Por), 25 Juan Ayuso (Sp), 21 Nils Politt (G), 30 Pavel Sivakov (F), 26 Marc Soler (Sp), 30 Tim Wellens (B), 33 Adam Yates (GB), 31 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Colnago DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Enve GENERAL MANAGER Mauro Gianetti PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Emirates of Abu Dhabi TEAM FOUNDED: 1991 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON A THIRD TITLE? The strategy is clear: The UAE team’s only objective is to put Tadej Pogačar in the best possible position to add a third Tour de France to his impressive palmares. Having raced the Giro a few weeks beforehand, the question is whether the Slovenian superstar can do the double. Everything will depend on his ability to recuperate and the presence…

UAE TEAM EMIRATES [ UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ]

UNO – X MOBILITY [ NORWAY ]

UNO – X MOBILITY TEAM LEADER: Tobias Johannessen (N), 24 SPRINTER: Alexander Kristoff (N), 36 SUPPORT RIDERS: Jonas Abrahamsen (N), 28 Idar Andersen (N), 25 Magnus Cort (Dk), 31 Niklas Larsen (Dk), 27 Andreas Leknessud (N), 24 Soren Waerenskjold (N), 24 EQUIPMENT BIKE: Dare DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: DT Swiss GENERAL MANAGER Thor Hushovd PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Unmanned gas EV charging stations; sustainable mobility company TEAM FOUNDED: 2017 TEAM ANALYSIS BY BERNARD THÉVENET & JOHN WILCOCKSON SEEEKING A FIRST BOUQUET This is the second Tour appearance for this Norwegian squad, which has once again benefited from a wild-card invitation from the organizers. Uno-X is structured around its leader Tobias Johannessen, who finished 30th on GC last year. From a roster comprising only Scandinavian riders, the team will also count on the experience…

UNO – X MOBILITY [ NORWAY ]

LE TOUR FEMMES’ ‘ADRENALINE RUSH’

The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is poised for its third edition, but already it seems to have established itself as a key fixture in the women’s season. I totally agree. One thing that pleased me during the second edition was that the tone of the questions being asked by journalists was completely different. There weren’t any more questions about whether it was wise to organize a Tour de France for women. By the second edition, everyone understood that we were just going to talk about sport. “Can Lotte Kopecky win the Tour? What chance do the French women have?” Thanks to these questions, I felt that we were able to change public opinion. And that’s linked to the fact that we operate amid codes that people recognize from…

LE TOUR FEMMES’ ‘ADRENALINE RUSH’

THE GRAND DÉPART AT HOME WILL BE GREAT

Demi, many people think that winning the Tour de France changes your life. Do you feel that your final victory last July changed things for you? There’s no doubt that more people know my name now, that people know what I’ve achieved, but I don’t feel that my daily life has been turned upside down by this success, and that’s fine. What I really appreciate is that that performance has the power to inspire. Just a few days ago, a young girl asked me if she could take a selfie with me, then thanked me for the way that I’d raced at the Tour. She liked the way I went on the offensive and that’s obviously extremely gratifying. A few seconds after coming second in the 2022 Tour you said…

THE GRAND DÉPART AT HOME WILL BE GREAT

DO OR DIE FOR THE PODIUM

Another top-five finish won’t satisfy the leader of the Dutch team, dsm firmenich-PostNL. The road to the podium has become clearer thanks to the retirement of Annemiek van Vleuten (winner in 2022 and fourth in 2023) and the absence of Lotte Kopecky (second last year), who is prioritizing the Paris Olympics. “This year, the podium really is the objective,” added Labous. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Whatever happens, I’ll be disappointed if I finish fourth.” Last year, her Tour got off to a bad start when she lost 43 seconds to the other favorites on the opening day in Clermont-Ferrand; that was due to “a bit of stress and heat stroke,” according to her coach. So Labous had to switch her approach to stay in the…

DO OR DIE FOR THE PODIUM

THE YELLOW JERSEY IS A DREAM!

Kasia, do you place more value on your third place at last year’s Tour de France Femmes than on the one you achieved in 2022? Yes, without a doubt! The Tour ’23 didn’t just come down to that third place on the podium. I also finished with the polka-dot jersey, while my teammate Ricarda Bauernfeind won stage 5 in Albi. Given there was such a small gap (I was less than one second behind Lotte Kopecky), I almost feel like I finished second rather than third. So, my 2023 Tour was more spectacular and more successful. Do you also feel that you’re getting closer to the fight for the overall title? Yes, I think so. At 29, I still feel like I’m continuing to make progress on certain points, thanks…

THE YELLOW JERSEY IS A DREAM!

TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES AVEC ZWIFT: THE 10 FAVORITES

DEMI VOLLERING, 27 (Netherlands) TEAM SD WORX-PROTIME / 2023: 1st overall STRENGTHS: The world’s best stage racer leading the world’s most powerful team. That, in summary, is the reason why Vollering is the overwhelming favorite to successfully defend her title. The Dutch rider’s flight into the mist on the Tourmalet last year is still in everyone’s mind, as are the gaps at the summit—she was two minutes ahead of the next rider. Since then, the 2022 winner Annemiek van Vleuten has retired and no one seems equipped to stand in Vollering’s way. WEAKNESSES: You really have to rack your brains to find them, as there’s not much evidence of her having any limitations. That said, the winner of the 2023 Vélo d’Or award will have to deal with the inconveniences…

TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES AVEC ZWIFT: THE 10 FAVORITES

JERSEYS, AWARDS, BONUSES & THE GRAND MAP

YELLOW JERSEY (sponsored by LCL) The honor of wearing the yellow jersey goes each day to the leader of the overall individual time classification—that’s the rider with the lowest cumulative time over all completed stages (less any time bonuses earned by that rider). PRIZE: €50,000 to the final winner. GREEN JERSEY (sponsored by Škoda) This jersey rewards consistency and goes to the rider who leads the points classification. As with the men, there are points available for the first 15 riders at the intermediate sprints on road stages and at the finish of each stage, with more points awarded on flat stages to advantage the sprinters. PRIZE: €3,000 to the final winner. POLKA-DOT JERSEY (sponsored by E. Leclerc) The rider leading the best climber classification (or Queen of the Mountains)…

JERSEYS, AWARDS, BONUSES & THE GRAND MAP

After two years with a direct connection to the men’s Tour de France, the third Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is striking an independent path. The inaugural 2022 race started on the Champs-Elysées in Paris on the same day that the Tour finished; as a result, a good proportion of the media remained in France to report the new event. In 2023, the Tour Femmes started in a different French location—but it still started the same day that the men’s race finished. This year, because the Olympic Games take place in Paris right after the men’s race finishes, the Tour Femmes won’t start until mid-August; it’s also starting in another country, the Netherlands. The 123 kilometer first stage from Rotterdam to The Hague, the Dutch capital, is almost entirely…

STAGE PROFILES & SCHEDULES

STAGE 1: Monday, August 12 ROTTERDAM–THE HAGUE 123km (flat) SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES EDT): Ceremonial start in Rotterdam at 6:15 a.m.; actual start, 6:45 a.m.; Hellevoetsluis (95.6km to go), 7:24 a.m.; Maasdeltatunnel (Cat. 4, 62km to go), 8:12 a.m.; Groeneweg (sprint, 37.9km to go), 8:46 a.m.; Den Haag (21.5km to go), 9:10 a.m.; The Hague (finish, 123km), 9:41 a.m. STAGE 2: Tuesday, August 13 DORDRECHT–ROTTERDAM 69.7km (flat) SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES EDT): Ceremonial start in Dordrecht at 3:50 a.m.; actual start, 4:00 a.m.; Ablasserdam (47.7km to go), 4:31 a.m.; Rhoon (19.3km to go), 5:12 a.m.; Rotterdam (finish, 69.7km), 5:40 a.m. STAGE 3: Tuesday, August 13 ROTTERDAM–ROTTERDAM 6.3km (time trial) SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES EDT): Rotterdam, first rider, 9:10 a.m., last rider, 11:42 a.m.; Wilhelminakade (time split, 2.4km to go), first rider, 9:15 a.m.,…

STAGE PROFILES & SCHEDULES

TEAMS – TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES

AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM [ BELGIUM ] TEAM LEADER: Ashleigh Moolman (SA), 39 SUPPORT RIDERS: Maaike Boogaard (Nl), 25 Julia Borgstrom (Swe), 23 Justine Ghekiere (B), 28 Anya Louw (Aus), 23 Gaia Masetti (I), 22 Ilse Pluimers (Nl), 22 CANYON//SRAM RACING [ GERMANY ] TEAM LEADER: Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol), 29 SUPPORT RIDERS: Ricarda Bauernfeind (G), 24 Elise Chabbey (Swi), 31 Tiffany Cromwell (Aus), 36 Chloe Dygert (USA), 27 Soraya Paladin (I), 31 Agnieszka Skalaniak-Sojka (Pol), 27 ALTERNATE: Alice Towers (GB), 21 COFIDIS WOMEN TEAM [ FRANCE ] TEAM LEADER: Nikola Noskova (Cz), 27 SUPPORT RIDERS: Martina Alzini (I), 27 Victoire Berteau (F), 23 Morgane Coston (F), 33 Valentine Fortin (F), 25 Josie Talbot (Aus), 28 Sarah Roy (Aus), 38 ALTERNATE: Alana Castrique (B), 25 ARKEA PRO CYCLING TEAM […

TEAMS – TOUR DE FRANCE FEMMES

The Giro-Tour Double–and the Triple Crown?

Now, four decades after Roche’s golden year (right) and 26 years after Marco Pantani was the last rider to do the double, Tadej Pogačar has a good chance of becoming the eighth man to take the Giro and Tour in a single season. He could also shoot for the triple crown at the worlds in September. Seeing that Merckx did the Giro-Tour double three times, you’d think it was no big deal. Not so. Even the Cannibal had troubles. Indeed, all three of his doubles were achieved after he survived a near-fatal crash in a derny-paced track race in September 1969. On an outdoor velodrome at Blois, France, when a rider and derny motorcycle fell in front of him, Merckx and his pacemaker Fernand Wambst crashed and cracked their heads…

The Giro-Tour Double–and the Triple Crown?

High-Tech Takeover

“PROPERLY INVESTING INTO A.I. could show us the next step forward,” UAE Team Emirates performance coordinator Jeroen Swart told VELO. “We just won’t know what that might be until we see it and experience it.” Tadej Pogačar’s UAE squad is one of many UCI WorldTour super-teams that’s going big on big data. Lidl-Trek, INEOS Grenadiers, Team Visma | Lease-a-Bike and others are also diving into the data dimension in the hunt of any competitive edge. UAE partnered A.I. specialist Presight this past winter as part of its push to put Pogačar back at the top of the podium of the Tour de France. “There’s definitely going to be a breakthrough from the use of A.I. in coming years,” UAE staffer Swart said. “We’re working with our A.I. partner to trawl…

High-Tech Takeover

Socca: Nice’s Favorite Snack

In the heart of old town Nice, Chez Thérésa is a family restaurant only a 10-minute walk from the final stage finish of this year’s Tour de France. The enormous, wood-fired oven where Antoine was working is located in a part-kitchen-part-bar, and helpings of fresh socca were being thrust unceremoniously through a hatch to waiting customers outdoors. While the names of a couple of other Niçois snacks were scrawled on a blackboard, there was little evidence of them being served. Out front, at a couple of unadorned, wooden trestle tables set up in the narrow pedestrian alley, people were munching their portions of golden pancake from paper plates with no cutlery in sight. Socca is meant to be eaten with the fingers. Chez Thérésa has been a Nice institution since…

Socca: Nice’s Favorite Snack

Merckx the Magnificent

Merckx’ path to greatness began when he rode his first bicycle at age 3. While he had a knack for soccer when he grew up in the Brussels suburbs, cycling captured his heart. Like many budding riders, he joined a hometown cycling club. Racing in the debutant category, he didn’t finish four of his first 11 races, and it was only at the 12th attempt that he bagged his first win at a race in Lettelingen (or Petit-Enghien in French) on October 1, 1961. Little did the cycling world know that this was the start of a victory spree that would last for more than 15 years. After an amateur career that saw him win the 1968 world road championship, Merckx took the leap into professional cycling the following April,…

Merckx the Magnificent

RETRO CAPTURES: 1967 TOUR DE FRANCE

STAGE WINNERS PR José-Maria Errandonea 1. Walter Godefroot 2. Willy Van Neste 3. Marino Basso 4. Guido Reybrouck 5a. Roger Pingeon 5b. Belgium (TTT) 6. Herman Van Springel 7. Michael Wright 8. Lucien Aimar 9. Guido Reybrouck 10. Felice Gimondi 11. José Samyn 12. Raymond Riotte 13. Jan Janssen 14. Barry Hoban 15. Rolf Wolfshohl 16. Fernando Manzaneque 17. Raymond Mastrotto 18. Marino Basso 19. Jean Stablinski 20. Felice Gimondi 21. Paul Letemeyer 22a. René Binggeli 22b. Raymond Poulidor (TT) OF NOTE 4,780 kilometers raced at an average speed of 35.018 kmh. The 1967 and 1968 Tours raced on the national team format. Englishman, Tom Simpson tragically died on stage 13 climbing Mont Ventoux from heat exhaustion and dehydration. Of the 133 riders who started the 1967 edition, 88 finished.…

RETRO CAPTURES: 1967 TOUR DE FRANCE

The French auctioneer rapped his gavel on the lectern. Sold! After searching for years, we’d found a historically significant collection of original Tour de France caravan concept art and photographs. Now it was purchased and on its way to our extensive collection of cycling memorabilia in San Francisco. The Tour publicity caravan is integral to the Tour’s rich, vibrant history. It began in 1930 to boost race revenue and provide extended entertainment for roadside fans waiting for the peloton to arrive. It was a stroke of marketing brilliance that continues to this day. Its glory years were the two or so decades following World War II, when the procession of sponsor vehicles was wildly upgraded. A simple panel truck with a company name painted on the side was no longer…

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