Florence (Italy), Jun 28 (EFE).- An unprecedented Tour de France will start this Saturday in Florence with a mini Giro d’Italia, an impressive stage for its creative and cultural historical past for a race that can carry collectively all the celebrities of present biking. The Dane Vingegaard will defend his title towards the large favourite, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar.
Among the many constellation of nice runners, many extra figures, corresponding to Roglic, Evenepoel, Carlos Rodríguez, Enric Mas and the debutant Juan Ayuso. All contenders for the overall classification, however within the levels there would be the World Champion Van der Poel and Van Aert, and the British Mark Cavendish will attend the occasion with the document of victories within the Grande Boucle, tied at 34 with Eddy Merckx.
In a route of three,492 km unfold over 21 levels, the Tour affords loads of mountains, with 4 excessive finishes, 2 time trial challenges, a day with dust sections and eight alternatives for sprinters.
Pogacar clear favorite, Vingegaard an unknown
There will likely be terrain for everybody, however the favourite poster has one proprietor, Tadej Pogacar (UAE), stuffed with success within the Giro and guarded by an elite workforce. Candidate for the third title after the two-year reign of his nice rival, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma), the one one who has defeated the Slovenian in current seasons, however the Nordic is getting back from an harm and his type is a unknown.
Beneath regular situations, each riders must combat for the yellow jersey, however the highway will determine, and there will likely be extra rivals. Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Bora) and Belgian debutant Remco Evenepoel (Soudal) will attempt to stop the Tour from being a two-man race, and Ineos, Grenadiers, with Carlos Rodríguez, Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas, will go all out.
If Pogacar is protected within the UAE with Adam Yates, Almeida and Ayuso, who’s making his debut, there’s a setback in Visma, since Vingegaard won’t have the winner of the Vuelta, Sepp Kuss, at his service, however the rising American Matteo Jorgenson will likely be there, and with choices, along with the versatile Wout Van Aert.
Rodríguez and Mas on the rostrum, Ayuso depending on Pogacar
The Spanish choices are based mostly on their new realities, Carlos Rodríguez, fifth final 12 months and stage winner; Juan Ayuso, winner of the Itzulia, however conditioned by being in Pogacar’s UAE, and Enric Mas, with the everlasting pending topic of getting on the rostrum.
Rodríguez is buying and selling greater. The 23-year-old rider from Almuñecar can enhance his fifth place in 2023. He gained the Vuelta a Romandía, was second within the Itzulia and fourth within the Dauphiné. Surrounded by nice runners, like Bernal, Thomas, Castroviejo and Pidcock, he’s referred to as to make a leap in high quality.
Juan Ayuso is making his debut within the race he has dreamed of since he was a baby. The winner of the Itzulia, at 21 years outdated, will depend upon making good on the workforce’s goal of securing Pogacar’s victory, however he will likely be a assured second asset and will look to take his probabilities for stage wins.
For his half, Enric Mas, at 29 years of age, would be the chief of a Movistar workforce that features the Spanish champion Alex Aranburu, Oier Lazkano, the Austrian climber Muhlberger, the Colombian sprinter Fernando Gaviria, Nelson Oliveira, Davide Formolo and Javier Romo. The Balearic bicycle owner could have a brand new alternative to realize his dream: the rostrum. “I wish to combat among the many greatest,” he says.
Quotes from nice sprinters
With the inducement of the document that Cavendish is pursuing of attaining 35 victories. The 39-year-old Briton won’t have a straightforward time, because the record of rivals is in depth, with Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin), Mads Pedersen (Lidl), Fabio Jakobsen (DSM), Sam Bennett (Decathlon), Groenewegen (Jayco), Arnaud de Lie (Lotto) and Kristoff (Uno X).
The mountains and the trials will determine
The route will likely be various and with new points. It should cross Italy, San Marino, France and Monaco, and can climb the Apennines and the Italian Alps, the French Alps, the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, along with having two time trials, of 25 and 34 km, and 32.2 kilometers of roads. of Earth.
The peloton will face 3,492 kilometres and a complete altitude distinction of 52,230 metres, with seven mountain levels and 4 summit finishes (Saint-Lary-Soulan, Plateau de Beille, Isola 2000 and Col de la Couillole). There will likely be a complete of 27 main summits, three within the Apennines, one within the Italian Alps, twelve within the French Alps, three within the Massif Central and eight within the Pyrenees.
Within the 4th stage they should face the primary colossus, the Galibier (23 km at 5.1%), which is topped 19 km from the end line in Valloire.
A significant innovation would be the gravel part much like that of the Italian Strade Bianche on the ninth stage, the day earlier than the primary relaxation day, the place 14 unpaved sections totalling 32.2 kilometres await in Champagne.
A much less mountainous Tour, however one that doesn’t take a break. To begin, there are 206 kilometres between Florence and Rimini that cross the Apennines in a rugged profile, and the excessive mountains will arrive within the fourth stage with the ascent of the Galibier, whose summit is positioned 19 kilometres from the end in Valloire.
The subsequent key occasion would be the seventh stage, a 25-kilometre time trial between Nuits-Saint-Geroges and Gevrey-Chambertin, appropriate for specialists, the place there could also be gaps.
The primary day of relaxation will recharge the batteries of a peloton that can face an explosive tenth stage within the Massif Central, between the volcanoes of Auvergne, with as much as 4 climbs in its closing stretch, the final, arriving at Le Lioran, of three.3 km at 5.8% common gradient.
A basic of the Tour, which, after two transitional days, will land within the Pyrenees, with two mountain-top finishes, one in Saint-Lary-Soulan (10.6 km at 7.9%) after having climbed the legendary Tourmalet and the Hourquette d’Ancizan, and one other on the limitless Plateau de Beille and its 15.8 kilometres at 7.9%.
A second relaxation day and a flat day will take them again to the Alps, with two medium-mountain levels in Superdévouly and Barcelonnette, earlier than they sort out Isola 2000 (16.1km at 7.1%), the top of stage 19. Earlier than that, they should climb the Bonette, a little-known mountain move reached by a highway constructed solely for over 2,800 metres of altitude, which would be the summit of the version.
Its 22.9 kilometres at 6.9% are additionally a nod to the late Federico Martín Bahamontes, the primary bicycle owner to cross this mountain move within the lead, which has solely been climbed 5 occasions.
The ultimate stretch will happen within the Good space, with a excessive mountain stage on the Paris-Good routes and a end on the Col de la Couillole, 15.7 km lengthy at 7.1%, earlier than the demanding closing 34 km time trial that would determine the overall classification.
With two climbs, La Turbie (8.1km at 5.6%) and Éze (1.6km at 8.1%) won’t permit the specialists to unleash their watts, though the end is flat, dealing with the Promenade des Anglais.
Carlos de Torres
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2024-07-01 00:14:26