The Tour de France 2024 was won by Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates, who secured his third overall title with a dominant performance that included six individual stage wins. This historic edition, which ran from June 29 to July 21, 2024, departed from Florence, Italy, and concluded with a time trial in Nice, France, marking the first time the race did not finish in Paris due to the upcoming Olympic Games. Pogačar finished with a total time of 83:38:56, leading runner-up Jonas Vingegaard by 6 minutes and 17 seconds, and third-place Remco Evenepoel by 9 minutes and 18 seconds.
In this comprehensive guide, you will discover the full breakdown of the 2024 route, including the challenging gravel sectors of Stage 9 and the high-altitude finishes in the Alps. We provide detailed analysis of the major classification winners, such as Biniam Girmay’s historic Green Jersey victory and Mark Cavendish’s record-breaking 35th stage win. Whether you are looking for specific stage results, prize money distributions, or practical tips for visiting the route, this authoritative resource covers every aspect of the 111th Grande Boucle.
The Historic 2024 Grand Départ
The 2024 Tour de France began on June 29 in Florence, Italy, marking the first time in history the race started in the Italian peninsula. The opening stage was a grueling 206km trek to Rimini, featuring seven categorized climbs that immediately tested the General Classification (GC) contenders.
Italy provided a scenic and challenging backdrop for the first three days, passing through Cesenatico and Bologna before crossing into France. This historic “Grand Départ” celebrated the rich cycling heritage of Italy while setting a high tempo for the three weeks of racing that followed.
General Classification Final Standings
Tadej Pogačar reclaimed the Yellow Jersey in spectacular fashion, ending the two-year reign of Jonas Vingegaard. Pogačar’s victory was characterized by aggressive climbing and a final-day time trial win that solidified his status as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates | 83h 38′ 56″ |
| 2 | Jonas Vingegaard | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | + 6′ 17″ |
| 3 | Remco Evenepoel | Soudal Quick-Step | + 9′ 18″ |
| 4 | João Almeida | UAE Team Emirates | + 19′ 03″ |
| 5 | Mikel Landa | Soudal Quick-Step | + 20′ 06″ |
Biniam Girmay’s Green Jersey Triumph
Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay made history by becoming the first African rider to win the Points Classification (Green Jersey). Girmay secured three stage victories during the race, proving his dominance in both flat and slightly uphill bunch sprints.
His victory in the Green Jersey competition was a landmark moment for global cycling, signaling a shift in the sport’s traditional power structures. Girmay’s consistency across the 21 stages allowed him to outpace sprinters like Jasper Philipsen and Mark Cavendish.
Cavendish Breaks the All-Time Record
On Stage 5 in Saint-Vulbas, Mark Cavendish achieved his 35th career Tour de France stage win, surpassing the legendary Eddy Merckx. This record had stood for decades and was the primary motivation for Cavendish’s “one last year” campaign in 2024.
The “Manx Missile” executed a perfect sprint to clinch the record, cementing his legacy as the greatest sprinter in the history of the sport. His emotional victory was celebrated by the entire peloton and remains the most poignant moment of the 2024 edition.
The Brutal Alpine Mountain Stages
The final week of the 2024 Tour was dominated by the Alps, featuring iconic climbs like the Col du Galibier and Isola 2000. Stage 19 was particularly decisive, as Pogačar launched a long-range attack to further distance Vingegaard and secure his lead.
These high-altitude stages required immense physical endurance and tactical support from “super-domestiques” like Adam Yates and Matteo Jorgenson. The 2024 route was noted for its extreme vertical gain, totaling over 52,000 meters across the three weeks.
The Col de la Couillole Battle
Stage 20 featured a relentless series of climbs ending at the Col de la Couillole, where Pogačar and Vingegaard fought a head-to-head duel. Although Vingegaard showed incredible resilience, Pogačar took the stage win, effectively ending the contest for the Yellow Jersey.
The Nice Individual Time Trial
For the first time since 1989, the Tour ended with a time trial rather than a ceremonial sprint. The 33.7km course from Monaco to Nice included the climbs of La Turbie and Col d’Eze, preventing any “procession” and keeping the riders under pressure until the final kilometer.
Gravel Sectors of Stage 9
Stage 9 in Troyes introduced 14 sectors of white gravel, totaling 32.2 kilometers of off-road racing. This controversial addition to the route created chaos for the GC favorites, as dust and punctures threatened to derail their podium ambitions.
While no major favorites lost significant time, the stage provided a thrilling spectacle and showcased the technical bike-handling skills of the peloton. Many riders and fans praised the variety, though some traditionalists argued gravel has no place in a Grand Tour.
Practical Information for Spectators
Visiting the Tour de France requires careful planning due to massive crowds and road closures that often begin 24 hours before the race arrives. Most mountain passes are closed to vehicle traffic early in the morning, requiring fans to hike or cycle to their viewing spots.
- Dates: The race typically runs for three weeks from late June to July.
- Costs: Watching the race from the roadside is completely free for all spectators.
- Transport: Using a campervan or bicycle is the most effective way to navigate the rural French stages.
- What to Expect: Expect a festival atmosphere with the “Caravane Publicitaire” passing through two hours before the riders.
Prize Money and Team Earnings
The total prize purse for the 2024 Tour de France was approximately €2.3 million. As the overall winner, Tadej Pogačar earned the top prize of €500,000, which is traditionally shared among the winning rider’s teammates and staff.
- Yellow Jersey Winner: €500,000
- Stage Win: €11,000
- Green/Polka Dot Jersey Overall: €25,000
- Daily Jersey Wearer: €300 – €500 per day
Stage 1 – Florence Grand Départ
The Tour de France 2024 stage 1 was a largely flat, coastline‑oriented loop that began and ended in Florence, designed to allow for a high‑speed finish and to settle the peloton after the long‑flight travel and ceremonial start. The stage featured a neutralised roll‑out through the city streets before opening up into faster, open‑road conditions, with the final kilometers routed through suburban and provincial roads that were straightforward but not overly technical. A sprinter‑focused team usually controlled the finale, with the first yellow jersey going to the race winner of this opening stage, who then became the early‑race focus despite knowing that the real GC battle would only begin in the mountains.
Beyond the result, stage 1 also served as a photo‑opportunity showcase, with the Tour cars, VIP convoys, and press motorcycles following the peloton through the Italian countryside. The atmosphere was festive, with local fans and international spectators lining the route, waving national flags and cheering for their favourites. For the riders, the priority was simply to avoid crashes in the opening kilometers, which can be chaotic as sprinters jockey for position and teams manage their nerves in the first taste of real racing. The 2024 Grand Départ in Florence also underlined the Tour’s international marketing, using a historic Italian city to broaden the race’s appeal beyond its traditional French heartland.
Mountain stages to remember
The Tour de France 2024 mountain stages included at least two or three summit finishes in the Alps and one or more high‑grade climbs in the middle or second week, with gradients that tested the absolute limits of the peloton’s strength and recovery. These stages usually featured long, steep ascents with ramps over 10% and summit finishes that required riders to maintain high power outputs for extended periods, often above 3,000 meters of vertical gain over the course of the day. Attacks from the top GC riders and their protected leaders were common in the final kilometers, with time gaps often decided in the last 5–10 km of the climb.
Among the standout mountain days was the stage that featured the Col de la Loze or a similar high‑altitude pass, where the race truly split into distinct groups and the yellow‑jersey contenders separated themselves from the rest of the field. On these stages, time‑saving moves were made by climbers and all‑rounders, with domestiques sacrificing themselves to bring their leaders into position before the decisive ramps. Extreme weather—such as high winds, rain, or even hail—could further complicate matters, turning already‑steep climbs into battlefields where positioning and decision‑making mattered as much as pure fitness. The 2024 Alps‑heavy blocks will likely go down as the central narrative engine of the race, with the outcomes of these stages directly shaping the podium and the final GC battle.
Time‑trial and flat stages
The Tour de France 2024 included one individual time trial, typically scheduled in the second or third week to give GC riders a chance to race against the clock without the risk of mechanical or team‑support interference. The time‑trial course was likely around 30–40 km long, with a mix of flat roads and rolling terrain, designed to favour riders with strong power‑to‑weight ratios and excellent aerodynamics. Riders in the yellow jersey and the main contenders seized the opportunity to gain or protect time gaps, with the individual time trial often accentuating the leaders’ superiority and occasionally exposing their weaknesses.
Beyond the time trial, the 2024 parcours also featured several flat and semi‑flat stages that allowed sprinters and fast‑finishing teams to dominate the bunch sprints. These stages were crucial for the green jersey competition, with top sprinters such as Wout van Aert or Mathieu van der Poel competing for stage wins and points. While the flat stages did not usually decide the overall GC, they were vital for team morale and individual‑stage‑win ambitions, and they often attracted breakaways that lasted for significant portions of the course. The balance between flat, time‑trial, and mountain‑focused days ensured that the 2024 Tour remained a true all‑round test, favouring no single type of rider and demanding versatility across the board.
Key GC contenders and team tactics
The Tour de France 2024 GC battle was dominated by Tadej Pogačar, Primoz Roglič, and Jonas Vingegaard, with each rider bringing a different style and team‑support structure to the race. Pogačar, the defending favourite and winner of the 2020 and 2023 Tours, aimed to showcase his attacking flair and climbing prowess, using UAE Team Emirates’ aggressive tactics to control the race. Roglič led the GC charge for his team, relying on steady, methodical riding and a strong support‑cast that could neutralise attacks and keep him in the yellow jersey through the initial stages. Vingegaard, returning from injury, sought to rebuild his reputation by demonstrating resilience and consistency in the mountains and the time trial.
Team tactics played a crucial role in shaping the race, with Team Jumbo–Visma and UAE Team Emirates coordinating domestiques to protect their leaders, manage the pace, and respond to attacks. These teams often set the tempo in the mountains, deciding when to slow the peloton or allow breakaways to go, and when to push the pace to thin out the GC field. The 2024 edition also saw smaller teams use opportunistic breakaways to win stages or secure intermediate‑sprint points, adding unpredictability and drama to what would otherwise be a tightly controlled race. The balance between team‑led strategy and individual‑heroic moves made the 2024 Tour de France particularly exciting for fans and analysts alike.
Breakaways and tactical drama
The Tour de France 2024 featured numerous breakaways, with smaller groups of riders or even solo attackers launching early moves to try to gain time or capture intermediate‑sprints and KOM points. These breakaways were often organised by lesser‑ranked teams or specialists who knew that a stage win would be their best chance of a career highlight, and they could stretch the peloton by tens of kilometers before being reeled in. The race organisation and main teams usually allowed these breaks to exist for safety and spectacle, but they still kept a close eye on the time gap to ensure that no serious GC threat emerged.
In the mountains, however, breakaways took on a different dynamic, with GC riders and their domestiques shifting the focus to the front of the peloton and the real GC action. Attacks from the yellow‑jersey contenders could fracture the breakaway, turning the race into a series of small, high‑intensity skirmishes. The 2024 edition also saw several crashes and mechanical issues that disrupted the race, with some of the favourites losing time or even abandoning the Tour. These moments added to the overall drama, emphasizing that the Tour was not just a test of fitness but of nerve, tactics, and the unpredictable nature of cycling.
Final stage and Paris finish
The Tour de France 2024 final stage concluded with the traditional ceremonial ride from the outskirts of Paris into the city, culminating in multiple laps of the Champs‑Élysées circuit where the race officially ended. The sprinters’ teams controlled the pace, ensuring a high‑speed finish that allowed the green‑jersey winner and other top sprinters to compete for a final stage victory. The overall GC standings usually remained unchanged on this stage, as the leaders coasted in the bunch, but the atmosphere was electric, with fans lining the streets and the city’s landmarks providing a stunning backdrop.
The 2024 finish saw Tadej Pogačar presented with the yellow jersey on the podium, marking his third Tour de France title and a major achievement in the sport. The ceremony also honoured the green‑jersey, polka‑dot, and young‑rider‑jersey winners, as well as the team‑classification leaders, with the race organisers reflecting on the three‑week journey and the thousands of riders who had participated. The final lap around the Champs‑Élysées became a celebration of the Tour’s history and the 2024 edition, with photos, cheers, and a sense of closure for fans who had followed the race closely.
Practical information and attending the Tour
For fans planning to attend the Tour de France 2024 stages, practical information about dates, prices, and transport varied depending on the location. The race usually started in the late afternoon or early evening in France, with the first rolling stages beginning in the late afternoon to allow for TV coverage and to avoid the worst of the heat. Tickets for certain VIP or grandstand events were available through official Tour de France and regional tourism sites, with prices ranging from modest to premium depending on the stage and seating location.
Transport options included trains, buses, and cars, with many fans using the French rail network to reach the host cities and then local buses or bikes to access the route. The race typically passed through multiple towns and villages, with local authorities closing roads and setting up barriers to manage the flow of traffic and spectators. Fans could expect long queues and crowded viewing areas, especially near the finish line, but the festive atmosphere and the sheer spectacle of the peloton racing made the experience unforgettable. For international fans, accommodations in host cities often booked up months in advance, so early planning was essential.
Watching the Tour de France live
The Tour de France 2024 was broadcast live and streamed globally, with different broadcasters holding rights in various countries. Fans in France watched the race on major TV networks, with live coverage and expert commentary, while international viewers accessed the event through local broadcasters or streaming platforms. The race was also available on the official Tour de France website and social‑media channels, providing live updates, highlights, and real‑time tracking of the peloton.
In India, fans could follow the race through satellite TV providers or online streaming services that carried the Tour de France rights, with many services offering live commentary and replays. The timing of the stages, often starting in the late afternoon or early evening in France, meant that the race could be watched in the early morning or late evening in India, depending on the local time zone. The 2024 edition’s digital presence also included interactive apps and social‑media features, allowing fans to engage with the race in real time and track their favourite riders’ progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Tour de France 2024?
The Tour de France 2024 was won by Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates. He reclaimed the Yellow Jersey, finishing more than six minutes ahead of second-place Jonas Vingegaard.
Why did the 2024 Tour de France finish in Nice instead of Paris?
The finish was moved to Nice to avoid a logistical conflict with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This marked the first time in the event’s 121-year history that the race did not conclude in the French capital.
How many stages did Mark Cavendish win to break the record?
Mark Cavendish won Stage 5 in Saint-Vulbas, marking his 35th career victory. This historic win moved him past Belgian legend Eddy Merckx for the all-time record of Tour de France stage wins.
Who was the first Black cyclist to win a stage at the Tour de France?
Biniam Girmay made history by becoming the first Black African rider to win a stage, winning Stages 3, 8, and 12. He further cemented his legacy by winning the Green Jersey for the points classification.
What was the total prize money for the 2024 Tour de France?
The total prize purse was approximately €2.3 million. Tadej Pogačar took home the largest share of €500,000 for his overall victory, while teams earned additional bonuses for stage wins and jersey classifications.
How many stages are in the Tour de France?
The race consists of 21 stages held over 23 days, including two rest days. The 2024 edition covered a total distance of 3,498 kilometers (approximately 2,173 miles).
Can a rider win the Tour de France without winning a single stage?
Yes, it is possible because the winner is determined by the lowest cumulative time over all stages. While rare, riders like Egan Bernal (2019) and Chris Froome (2017) have won the overall title without a stage victory in those years.
What do the different jersey colors represent?
The Yellow Jersey (Maillot Jaune) is for the overall leader; the Green Jersey (Maillot Vert) is for the points leader/sprinters; the Polka Dot Jersey is for the King of the Mountains; and the White Jersey is for the best young rider under age 25.
What is the “time cut” in the Tour de France?
The time cut is a disqualification limit calculated as a percentage of the stage winner’s time. Riders who finish slower than this limit are typically eliminated from the race to ensure a high level of competition.
Who won the King of the Mountains jersey in 2024?
Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost won the Polka Dot Jersey. He was also named the Most Aggressive Rider (Super Combatif) of the entire 2024 Tour.
How do time bonuses work?
In most road stages, the first three finishers receive 10, 6, and 4 bonus seconds, respectively. Additional “bonus sprints” at the summits of specific climbs offer 8, 5, and 2 seconds to the first three riders over the top.
Final Thoughts
The Tour de France 2024 will be remembered as a transformative chapter in the history of professional cycling. By venturing outside of Paris for its conclusion and witnessing the shattering of a decades-old stage-win record, the race proved that while it is steeped in tradition, it is not afraid of evolution. The dominance of the “Big Six” and the emergence of global stars from new continents suggest that the sport is entering a golden era of competition and inclusivity.
Ultimately, the 111th edition served as a testament to human endurance and tactical brilliance. From the sun-drenched departures in Tuscany to the final, grueling time trial on the French Riviera, the 2024 Tour provided a spectacle that satisfied both the data-driven enthusiast and the casual fan. As the peloton looks forward to future iterations, the benchmarks set by Pogačar, Girmay, and Cavendish in 2024 will remain the standard for years to come.
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