Florence, 24 June 2024 – The spotlight will be all for the two of them: Jonas Vingegaard And Tadej Pogacar, the men who put on a show in the last two editions of the Tour de France. They are the main favorites to win the Grande Boucle which will start from Florence next June 29th, those who have been attracting the attention of the media and enthusiasts for days, but the athletes who will be in the city to follow the event and admire the pedal champions up close will truly be spoiled for choice. Eyes open, smartphone in hand and gazes turned towards the yellow caravan, because there probably isn’t a better opportunity to see the strongest cyclists in the world up close.
The first big event will be on June 27th, when the teams will be presented at Piazzale Michelangelo. On the 29th, however, it will be the day of the Grand Depart: the race will start from the Cascine to follow a non-competitive route through the streets of the city. The official start, the one that will kick off the competition, will be in Bagno a Ripoli, in front of the Viola Parkaround 12.40.
The starting list of the Tour de France 2024
But who are the strongest runners that will be possible to admire in Florence? There will, obviously, be the winner of the last two editions, Jonas Vingegaard: the Danish climber, triumphant in Paris in 2022 and 2023, was in doubt until the end. A fall at the Tour of the Basque Country forced him to make a quick recovery: his condition is an unknown, but he will be there at the start of Florence. There is also one of the standard bearers of the Visma-Laease a Bike Team Wout Van Aert: the Belgian champion, like Vingegaard, is back from a long period of convalescence, but is ready to put on a show both in search of a stage and in support of his captain.
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Tadej Pogacar, instead, he seeks the feat after the victory in the Giro d’Italia. No one since Pantani has managed to make the great pairing. Considering the great media attention that has always accompanied him, it is possible that much of the attention is directed at him. He’s at the start with a very strong team: in fact, the young Spanish champion is also in the UAE Emirates Juan Ayuso and Portuguese Joao Almeidavalid companions uphill, while the dolphin who will accompany him in the toughest stages will certainly be Adam Yates.
Selfie hunters are then advised to take a tour around the Ineos Grenadier bus: the English team, traditionally among the strongest, fields a respectable trident. With Egan Bernal in fact there are Tom Pidcock and the usual Mister G, Geraint Thomasalready winner of a Grande Boucle.
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He won’t make the rankings, but his rainbow jersey will certainly stand out among the group. He will also be there at the start of the Tour de France in Florence Matieu Van Der Poel, probably the strongest runner on the planet in one-day races. He will be looking for some stage victories and in the sprints he will perhaps be able to provide support to Alpecin’s reference sprinter Deuceunick, Jasper Philipsen.
In terms of the standings, however, he is certainly another rider to keep an eye on Primosz Roglic, that a Tour de France came close to him in 2020, while in the Soudal Quick Step there is the other big favorite for the final victory: Remco Evenepoelalready world champion in 2022.
The Italians at the start of the 2024 Tour de France
As for the Italians at the start of the Tour de France which will start in Florence on 29 June, the ranking hopes are all pinned on Giulio Ciccone. He starts slightly behind the big names, but on paper he can do well. In general there are not many representatives of the Bel Paese running for the Grande Boucle, but one of the most concrete hopes for winning a stage is certainly represented by Alberto Bettiol. The rider from Castelfiorentino has just become Italian champion and with the tricolor jersey on his shoulders he dreams of that feat that he still lacks.
