The Grande Boulce starts for the first time in history from Italy. Bardet ahead of Van der Broek wins the yellow jersey
Frenchman Romain Bardet wins the first stage of the 2024 Tour de France in a sprint. The Grande Boucle started in Italy for the first time in its more than 100-year history. With the peloton trailing by almost half a second, Bardet and his teammate Van der Broek fought in a sprint to finally cross the finish line.
Last year, Danish Jonas Vingegaard won the legendary race for the second time in a row, but this year all eyes are on his main rival, Polish Tadej Pogačar, winner in 2020 and 2021. The duel between the two it could prove to be the highlight of this year’s race.
When the two faced off in hot July last year, iThe main question was whether Pogačar would be fit enough to mount a decent challenge.
This year, as the two riders prepare to write the next chapter in one of the greatest rivalries in Tour de France history, the landscape has changed.
Pogacar, the two-time Slovenian champion who has finished behind Vingegaard for the past two years, is in top form ahead of Saturday’s start in Florence. It is precisely the form of the reigning Danish champion that worries his team after the accident that compromised his season.
“Of course we don’t know yet how far he can go,” said Merijn Zeeman, sports director of Vingegaard’s team. “We are cautious because he hasn’t been able to compete and his preparation hasn’t been ideal to say the least.”
Vingegaard was hospitalized for nearly two weeks in Spain in April after a high-speed crash at the Vuelta al País Vasco. He suffered a broken collarbone, broken ribs and pulmonary atelectasis.
A leg-breaking route with 3,600 km of cumulative elevation gain
He has not raced since, but will be put to the test immediately this weekend with an opening stage that will see riders traverse a series of treacherous hills and climbs that could set the stage for an early battle between the main contenders.
Before the crash, Vingegaard was among the Tour favorites after dominating the race for the past two years. It is now impossible to know how his body will respond to three weeks of intense cycling.
“We’ve worked together to get to this point and of course I’m very excited to see where I’ll be. I feel good and very motivated,” Vingegaard said.
As for Pogacar, he isn’t asking too many questions as he chases a rare double after his victory at this season’s Giro d’Italia.
“It’s already the fifth time I’ve come to the Tour and I’m very excited,” said Pogacar, whose preparations for last year’s Tour were hampered by a fall that resulted in a broken wrist.
“We have worked hard all year as a team to prepare and we hope to be able to offer everyone three weeks of exciting racing.”
Pogacar is arguably the most exciting rider of his generation, capable of winning on all terrains and with an appetite for victory that has attracted comparisons to the great Eddy Merckx.
