Final stage of the 2024 Tour de France concludes in Nice. Starting from Monaco, these last 33.7 kilometers are completed in a time trial. A look back at this stage.
It had been 35 years since a Tour de France ended with a time trial. Starting from the port of Monaco and passing through Beausoleil, La Turbie, Eze, and Villefranche-sur-Mer, the race concluded at Place Masséna in Nice. No fewer than one hundred and forty-one riders set off. The athletes start in reverse order of the general classification. There is approximately a two-minute interval between each rider. Tadej Pogačar was the last to start.
End of the Tour
This final time trial marks the end of the Tour de France. Davide Ballerini got the ball rolling at 2:40 PM. Despite his wrist fracture in the eighth stage, Frenchman Sandy Dujardin completed his first Tour de France: “I didn’t think I’d make it to the end […] It was a tough Tour de France.” Another Frenchman made a splash during this trial. Lenny Martinez finished first as he crossed the line and held onto the lead for quite a while as he finished with a three-second lead over his competitors. Harold Tejada then took this first place by finishing 9.9 seconds ahead of him. Mathieu Van Der Poel had announced that the time trial wasn’t his favorite event. He finished 2 minutes and 19 seconds behind Tejada. Matteo Jorgenson was aiming for eighth place but fell near the casino in Monaco. Bruno Armirail, competing in his French time trial champion jersey, finished eleventh as he crossed the line. He spoke very harshly about himself in an interview, being disappointed: “I hoped to do better, but I did a lousy job.”
The Clash of Titans
There’s a showdown between Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard, and Tadej Pogačar. Remco Evenepoel gave it his all to win the race as he was riding at similar times to Jonas Vingegaard at the start. At the first intermediate point, Tadej Pogačar was at 20 minutes and 10 seconds, Vingegaard at 20 minutes and 17 seconds, and Evenepoel at 20 minutes and 36 seconds. At the second checkpoint, Pogačar was at 28’39”38, Vingegaard at 29’03”91, and Evenepoel at 29’30”80. Jonas Vingegaard almost made a mistake in one of the first descents after the Col d’Eze. Pogačar also slightly locked his wheels. At the third checkpoint, Pogačar was at 39 minutes and 28 seconds, Vingegaard at 40 minutes and 32 seconds, and Evenepoel at 40 minutes and 56 seconds. Unsurprisingly, Pogačar caught up with Vingegaard and overtook him shortly before the finish. Tadej Pogačar therefore wins the Tour de France in 45’24”99. Both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France have been won by the same person since 1998. This is his sixth stage win and his fifth in the yellow jersey. Jonas Vingegaard finished second and Remco Evenepoel completed the podium.
UAE Team Emirates wins the Tour de France as a team. Biniam Girmay retains his green jersey and thus becomes the first African to wear it. Richard Carapaz wins the polka dot jersey. Finally, Roman Evenepoel wins the white jersey.
A Few Goodbyes
This final stage is also the end for some cyclists. Mark Cavendish marks the end of his career. There was a lot of emotion before the race as the staff embraced him to thank him. Emotions ran high again as he crossed the line, even though he wasn’t competing for anything, he reunited with his family, who were also moved: “I had the chance to enjoy it today […] I think this is my last race.” It’s also the end for Jasper Philipsen. However, he won three stages this year with the tenth, thirteenth, and sixteenth. Finally, Romain Bardet participated in his very last Tour de France. A polka dot jersey winner in 2019, two overall podiums in the Tour, and a stage victory this year, he finished in 50 minutes and 20 seconds at nineteenth place as he crossed. The emotion was also present: “I wanted to make the most of it today. I realized these were my last kilometers in the Tour and I had my wife and son in the car behind me talking to me on the radio.”
