The Tour de France director, Christian Prudhomme, expressed concern about the proposed merger of Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep, fearing that having Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel on the same team could impact the spectacle of the race.
However, the collapse of the plan, with Primoz Roglic moving to Bora-Hansgrohe, will result in the presence of the four main Tour contenders competing for different teams in 2024, which ended up being praised by the Frenchman in an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS.
Col du Galibier already in the 4th stage
The 2024 Tour will feature a new route that includes an early passage through the Col du Galibier, already in the 4th stage, but Prudhomme played down the idea that the stage could anticipate the end of the competition before arriving in Nice.
“I don’t think so. We are fortunate to have exceptional cyclists who attack when expected, but also when no one imagines,” said Prudhomme.
“Tadej Pogačar attacked on the Champs-Elysées [in 2023]. He knew he wouldn’t win the overall, but he was still trying.”
Concerns about the Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step merger
“What worried me a bit were the rumors about the merger of Jumbo and Soudal, with Jonas and Remco on the same team. But instead, there will be four great champions, Pogacar, Vingegaard, Roglic, and Evenepoel, on four different teams, which should make for an excellent Tour de France.”
Unprecedented finish
For the first time in history, the Tour will finish outside the Paris area to avoid a clash with the Olympics, which start on July 26. The 2024 Tour will conclude in Nice on July 21.
The new finish features a Time Trial on the last day for the first time since Greg LeMond finally defeated Laurent Fignon in 1989.
The 34 km route from Monaco is demanding, with cyclists climbing La Turbie and Col d’Èze on their way to the finish along the seaside at Promenade des Anglais.
Prudhomme acknowledged that his ideal scenario would be a repeat of the last-minute drama presented by Fignon and LeMond in 1989.
“We dream of that, obviously, but we don’t know what the reality will be,” said Prudhomme. “In the recent past, we’ve seen that a Time Trial at the end of the Tour can change everything, as in 2020 at La Planche des Belles Filles with Pogacar and Roglic.”
“It will be a challenging Time Trial, with over 30 km in length and 700 meters of ascent. It’s a day for champions. For the champions of the Tour de France.”