The 7 critical stages in the 2024 Tour de France

June 28, 2024

The Tour de France is a 21-day race, excluding two rest days, so we encourage you to watch as much of it as you can, but understand that spending three weeks in midsummer watching guys in lycra bikes through towns with names like Gignac, Mino and Chorges (yes, these are all real towns) can be a challenge.

But don’t worry, we’re here to help.

We’ve taken a closer look at this year’s route and selected 7 of the 21 stages that you definitely don’t want to miss. What criteria did we use? Mainly the course itself and our expectations of what to expect on each stage.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

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

For the first time in its 111-year history, the Tour de France will start in Italy, and it will do so with a bang. The first of three and a half stages will take place in Italy, covering a total distance of 206 kilometres and covering an elevation gain of more than 3,800 metres.

The overall classification may be decided from day one in what could be the toughest opening stage in recent years, with the final 75km particularly gruelling and the race’s favourite, Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar, already looking to test his rivals, led by two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, with similar tactics to those he employed in his dominant performance at the Giro d’Italia earlier this year.

Pogacar, a two-time Tour winner himself, recently said he was feeling “even better than I expected.” That, along with the fact that Vingegaard was one of the favourites to win the overall title before being badly beaten in April, could see the 25-year-old try to make an early stage mark.

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

It remains to be seen whether Pogacar will wear the yellow jersey on day four, but regardless of where he ranks relative to the rest of the overall standings, the 140-kilometre border stage from Pinerolo to Valloire will be the Tour’s first alpine test this week.

The 3,900m elevation gain is a bit misleading, as the first two climbs aren’t particularly difficult, but the climb up the legendary Col du Galibier could be a great battleground for the overall standings. Never before has the Tour reached such high altitudes so early in the race, and Pogačar and his climber-heavy UAE Team Emirates team could be looking to provide some fireworks.

Stage four could be a challenge, especially if Vingegaard shows weakness in the hilly first two stages of the race. Vingegaard and his Visma | Lease a Bike team will need to be on high alert in the final 40 kilometers.

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

Most of this year’s Tour de France will be on asphalt roads, with one notable exception: On July 7, cyclists will ride on gravel roads around the city of Troyes. The stage itself isn’t particularly strenuous, with only about 2,000 meters of elevation gain, but the road conditions under the wheels could cause chaos.

There are a total of 14 gravel sectors, covering a total distance of 32 kilometres. It may not seem like much, but on a tense day for the whole pack, an untimely puncture or crash could be disastrous for a contender for the GA position. You can’t win the Tour on Stage 9, but it could very well be that you lose it.

Stage 15: Loudenvielle > Plateau de Beille (Sunday 14th July)

In terms of elevation gain, this is the toughest stage of the entire 2024 Tour de France. On this monster 198km stage, the riders will climb more than 5,000 metres of elevation between Loudenvielle and Plateau de Beille in the French Pyrenees.

A GC battle seems unlikely ahead of the gruelling mountain finish, but the fatigue built up by then could lead to serious cracks, and GC riders with names like Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Wingegard, Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel and Carlos Rodriguez will all need to be at their best in Stage 15.

At this point, naturally, all eyes will be on them and the other riders at the top of the rankings, but we will also be keeping an eye on the race against the so-called “broom wagons”. With some tough climbs and a 7km test right at the start, it’s not a foregone conclusion that all the riders will improve their times.

Stage 19: Umbran > Isola 2000 (Friday 7/19)

Stage 19 is relatively short at just 145km, but features over 4,500m of climbing across three challenging peaks, chief among them the highest point in the history of the Tour de France, Cime de la Bonnette at 2,802m, which will be surmounted for only the fifth time in the race’s history and the first time since 2008.

But despite being the highest paved road in France, this is just the appetizer for what is sure to be a high-octane finish to the Isola 2000. The 16km climb will make the difference and riders will drop out. The question is who will drop out, and who will.

If Jonas Wingegaard wants to win the yellow jersey for a third year in a row, the ultra-talented climber will need to go on the offensive here. Similarly, if Tadej Pogacar wants to reclaim his Tour de France dominance, he may try to use this stage as a springboard or final blow against his rivals.

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

The mountains may not be as high as the previous days, and 133km is a moderate distance, but Stage 20 will still be an interesting race on difficult terrain. In fact, in terms of elevation gain per kilometre, this stage is the toughest of the Tour.

Riders will be going up and down all day before finally finishing on Col de Couillon, and given the nature of the stage and the fact that it’s the final mountain test before the individual time trial on the final day, action is guaranteed, especially if the battle for the GC is still tight at this point.

Stage 21: Monaco > Nice (Sunday 21 July)

For the first time since 1989, when American Greg LeMond took the yellow jersey from Frenchman Laurent Fignon by just eight seconds, the Tour de France will end with an individual time trial in which riders from the world’s second-smallest country will race a hilly 34-kilometer course to Nice, France.

The big four in the race – Pogacar, Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel – are all strong time riders and could make up plenty of time if they’re in good form. A repeat of LeMond vs. Fignon might seem unlikely, but with 20 days of racing and the riders involved, anything can happen on Day 21.