111th edition of the Tour de France starts in Italy

The 111th edition of the Tour de France (June 29 to July 21, 2024) starts in Italy. Never before has the peloton of Tour de France riders ridden a course in Italy. A first in the land of the Giro d'Italia. But there are even more interesting facts about this special edition, number 111. Ride along, and on July 21, we will reach the finish not in Paris, but in Nice.

111th edition of the Tour de France

The 111th edition of the Tour de France is scheduled to be held from June 29 to July 21, 2024. This season's eighteen UCI World Tour teams, plus the two ProTeams of Lotto-Downby and Israel-Premier Tech, were assured of participation in the race. The organizers also awarded two wildcards to Uno-X Pro Cycling Team and TotalEnergies.

The Grand Depart starts in Florence, Italy. For the third time in history, the finish is not in Paris (the first two Tour editions—1903 and 1904—ended in Ville d'Avray (Hauts-de-Seine)), due to the Summer Olympic Games taking place in Paris in the same year. Therefore, it was decided to make the final stage a time trial around the city of Nice. It is the first time since 1989 that the Tour de France ends with an individual time trial. On March 12, 2023, it was announced that the final weekend would consist of a mountain stage from Nice to the Col de la Couillole on Saturday and that the concluding individual time trial would start on Sunday, July 21, in Monaco. The literary festival “Letti di Notte” in Carmagnola brought good fortune to Turin illustrator Nicolò Canova, who was chosen to create the official poster for the 2024 Tour de France. The organizers of the Tour de France, which will also pass through Carmagnola and the Carmagnolese region on July 1 next year, asked Canova to design the poster. Canova, 34 years old, created a retro-style poster suitable for what has already been defined as a “historic edition” of the Tour, as it will – for the first time in its history – start in Italy and finish in Nice. The graphic design proposed by the Turin-based illustrator depicts the start and end of the race, uniting Florence and the Tuscan hills with the sea of ​​the famous French city on the French Riviera, which runs through Turin, and featuring the sun as a connecting link and symbol of strength and energy. Nicolò Canova was chosen by a Milanese agency, to which the artist had sent a sketch of the work. Traditionally, the Tour de France selects an author from the country where the race starts to design its poster. See the link at the bottom of the blog. The course features:

• Period June 29 to July 21, 2024.
• Total: 3498 km.
• 5 uphill finishes.
• 2 individual time trials.
• Finish in Nice and not in Paris.
• Racing is taking place in Italy for the first time.
• For the first time, gravel roads have been included (in stage 9).
• This edition also visits the highest paved road in Europe over the Col de la Bonette.

 

Italy Route

The four stages (numbers 1 through 4) were carefully selected in Italy. The start and finish cities all have a connection to cycling in Italy. Could Italy have been awarded the four stages because it was the Italian 100 years ago? Ottavio Bottecchia won in 1924? The 1924 Tour de France was the 18th Tour de France. It had 15 stages and the total length was 5425 km.

At the moment, the Italians aren't exactly warming up to the Tour. Only eight Italian cyclists are participating this year. But the places the Tour visits are all connected to Italian cycling heroes. Gino Bartali (winner in 1938 and 1948) was born just outside Florence, as was Gastone Nencini (winner in 1960). Gino Bartali (1914 – 2000) was an Italian cyclist. Bartali has the following nicknames: the Silent, the Pious, the Mystical, or the Monk, due to his intense profession of the Catholic faith, and the Nordist of Tuscany because of his native region of Tuscany and his preference for Flemish races. Bartali was constantly portrayed in different light: champion of simplicity, of snobbery, of tolerance, or of tyranny. Bartali had many tifosi (fans). Fausto Coppi (winner in 949 and 1952) lived in Piedmont. Fausto coppi (1919–1960) was an Italian cyclist. His great achievements earned him the nicknames Il Campionissimo (Champion of Champions) and l'Airone (the Heron). Coppi was a very versatile rider and achieved numerous successes in his cycling career, including five overall victories in the Giro d'Italia and two overall victories in the Tour de France. In the field of one-day races, he won the Tour of Lombardy five times, Milan–San Remo three times, and Paris–Roubaix once, among others. Furthermore, Coppi won the world title in 1953 and set a new world hour record in 1942. He won the Trophée Gentil twice, in 1947 and 1952. The most famous is, of course, Marco Pantani (winner in 1998). Marco Pantani (Cesena, January 13, 1970 – Rimini, February 14, 2004) was an Italian cyclist. Pantani achieved his greatest successes in 1998, when he won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. As a cyclist, Pantani was a true climber who tried to force the decisive move during climbs. Due to his short stature, bald head, and large ears, he was nicknamed Il Elefantino (The Little Elephant). He was also sometimes called Il Pirata (The Pirate). His career was marked by great victories and much adversity. His hometown was Cesenatico, and the place where he died is Rimini. Both places feature in the first and second stages as the finish and start locations.  

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Tour de France 2024: https://www.letour.fr/fr/ Previous Tour de France blogs: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/tour-de-france/ Nicolò Canova poster: https://www.nicolocanova.com/tour-de-france