The 2024 edition of the Tour de France, the most loved cycling race in the world, begins today. This year’s Grande Boucle has a very particular route (also due to the concomitance of the Olympics in France). It starts in Italy, from Florence, and will arrive after 21 stages with an individual time trial in Nice (an unprecedented finale compared to the classic catwalk in Paris). We will cross Bologna, Turin, the Galibier, the Massif Central, the Pyrenees, Monte-Carlo and Cime de la Bonnette. It is the first time, in 111 editions, that the Tour de France will start from our country: it will do so with the three and a half initial stages which will wind through Tuscany, Emilia Romagna and Piedmont.
The first step
The Grand Départ, the first stage of the 2024 Tour de France, starts from Florence. The section which will end in Rimini after 7 challenging climbs is 206 km long. The Tour pays homage to Gino Bartali, crossing the symbolic places of one of the greatest cyclists of all time. The scenic roads of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines are traveled, until reaching the beaches of the Adriatic. The Apennine crossing offers 3,800 m of positive difference in altitude, between the rather undulating Valico Tre Faggi pass and some steep climbs. The last of which is in the heart of the Republic of San Marino, just outside the finish line.
Departure times and route
The meeting point is at Parco delle Cascine, the preliminary operations will be done between 11 and noon. The caravan will leave from Villaggio alle Cascine around 12 in non-competitive mode and will reach Piazza Signoria, where it will stop for an institutional start in the presence of the authorities. The city route will continue, still with the stopwatch off, parading under the most famous monuments and then heading towards Piazzale Michelangelo and from there continuing towards the Gavinana area, where the Tour will pay homage to Gino Bartali. The competitive race will start just outside the city limits, in the territory of Bagno a Ripoli, where the official start will be given. After the official start, the caravan will cross the territories of six municipalities of the Metropolitan City: Bagno a Ripoli, Pontassieve, Pelago, Rufina, Dicomano, San Godenzo.
see also
Tour de France 2024, teams and participants: who are the favourites
The Tour de France 2024
There are 21 stages: 8 sprint stages, 4 mixed stages, 2 time trials, 7 mountain stages, 4 of which have a mountain finish, and 14 dirt sections. In total, the riders will have to tackle more than 52,000 meters of altitude difference over a distance of 3,498 kilometers, of which 59 are time trials and 32 are dirt. The highest point will be the Col de la Bonette, at 2,802 meters above sea level. There will also be 6 climbs above 2,000 meters: Sestriere (2,035 meters), Galibier (2,642 meters) from Briançon, Tourmalet (2,115 meters) from Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Col de Vars (2,109 meters) and Isola (2,024 meters).
