Tour de France Detours Due to Olympics

Tour de France has taken a detour due to the dominance of the Olympics, finishing with a time trial on Nice’s grand promenade instead of the traditional sprint on Paris’ Champs-Elysees. Amid these changes, Mark Cavendish will start in Florence on Saturday, continuing his presence in the race. At 39, it’s hard to say if this will be his final appearance, given his numerous comebacks.

Last year, he narrowly missed out on the Tour stage win record by centimeters in Bordeaux before crashing out the next day. Despite previously showing indifference to achieving 35 stage wins to surpass Eddy Merckx’s 34, many hope his career ends on a high note.

“I’m so happy I carried on,” Cavendish said. “I feel more ready than last year. Florence is beautiful—I lived here for 10 years, training on these roads. Starting here and then moving into France is perfect emotionally.”

Cavendish has “five or six” chances to secure the one victory he needs in this 21-stage, three-week Tour covering 3,498km and 52,000m of climbing—his least favorite aspect. Competition will be tough, especially with Jasper Philipsen’s impressive form. Philipsen won four stages last year and has improved in 2024.

“We have nothing to lose,” Cavendish added. “If I don’t win, I still have my 34 stage victories.”

Turning to the general classification, despite an injury to the world’s best rider, the competition looks fierce between Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel. Last year, Vingegaard won by over seven minutes against Pogacar.

However, a crash in Spain left Vingegaard with significant injuries, including fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. He’s now in Florence for the Grand Depart but hasn’t raced since his accident.

Vingegaard said, “Just being here is a victory. Everything from here is a bonus.”

Roglic and Evenepoel also suffered injuries in Spain. Evenepoel, training intensely, faces a tough challenge against Pogacar, aiming for Tour and Giro d’Italia victories.

Pogacar won the Giro by ten minutes but admitted to recovering from a recent Covid infection. Evenepoel sees Pogacar as the strongest contender but doesn’t count Vingegaard out, anticipating a tough competition.

Meanwhile, Ineos Grenadiers, once-dominant in the Tour, now have Geraint Thomas, Carlos Rodriguez, and Egan Bernal as their main contenders. At 38, Thomas targets stage wins, while Rodriguez and Bernal share leadership without top favorite status.

There are a record 11 British riders in this year’s Tour, including Adam and Simon Yates, Fred Wright, Stevie Williams, and Jake Stewart. Chris Froome, a four-time champion, missed out again.

Geraint Thomas advises staying calm amidst the intense three weeks, saying, “Guys get wound up by the Tour soap opera and what people say. I say: ‘Don’t look at social media—read a book.’ But they never listen.”