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Road Cycling

Tour de france top speed | riders hit a huge 130kph / 81mph on stage nine of le tour, so the tour de france top speed is higher than the speed limit on the motorway....

What’s the best part of cycling? Going downhill! Obviously. We’re not saying that the odd-ascent can’t be enjoyable, but it’s the views at the top and the promise of the slope swapping around that often gives you – or give us anyway – the will to push on up.

Chris Froome hit the nail on the head recently when he raced to a spectacular descent victory on stage eight of the Tour de France , stating after: “I felt like a kid again, just trying to ride my bike as fast as I could.” And that’s it. At the end of the day, the reason we ride our bikes is for it’s fun.

Now, you might think that the Tour de France would be a place slightly void of fun – what with the brutal Tour de France crashes , the likes of Alberto Contador’s crash , and Chris Froome punching a Tour de France spectator on that same stage eight to get him out of the way – but alas, as long as there are downhills there is always going to be fun. And man, do they tackle those downhills fast.

IAM Cycling sprinter Leigh Howard blew a lot of minds in the cycling community when he showed that at one point during stage nine of the race he was riding at a full 122.7kph. The Australian was chasing the pack back after a full-bike replacement, tweeting that he was “#shittingmyself” later on as he smashed 75mph on a road bike.

But Howard’s crazy effort wasn’t even the Tour de France top speed on stage nine of the Tour. Below are a few stats to remember for next time your friends ask ‘what is the top speed in the Tour de France?’

Jeremy Roy later showed that he had managed to set a high speed of 127kph/79mph on the descent of the Cote de la Comella, while Marcus Burghardt of BMC took the bragging rights managing to aero-tuck his way to 130.7kph/81.2mph.

Just stop and consider that for a moment. Seriously. These three guys all broke the British speed limit for driving on a motorway, while riding a road bike. Think how terrifying that would be if you were in the saddle. You’d feel less stable than the British government and faster than Boris Johnson running away after the Brexit vote.

Seriously though, if Burghardt had been going that speed on the motorway in a car he probably would’ve been pulled over by the police, so needless to say the riders all broke the speed limit of the local French mountain roads. We somehow don’t think they’ll be getting any fines.

If you consider then that the German road cyclist finished 31 minutes down on stage winner Tom Dumoulin and Jeremy Roy only seven minutes quicker though, it certainly puts into perspective how difficult it must be to actually win a stage of the Tour de France 2016.

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The Evolution of Speed in the Tour de France

Mathew Mitchell

• Published on June 23, 2023
• in Men's Cycling

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Tour de France, beyond the dazzling victories and dramatic rivalries, is the evolution of the race’s average speed. Throughout its history, a multitude of factors have contributed to significant changes in the pace of the peloton, from technological advancements to race strategies. Let’s embark on a journey through the annals of the Tour to examine this transformation.

Table of Contents

The early editions

The early years of the Tour de France were characterised by lengthy stages often exceeding 400 km, rudimentary bicycles, and rugged roads, which resulted in a slow pace compared to today’s standards. Maurice Garin, the winner of the first Tour in 1903, achieved an average speed of 25.7 km/h, or approximately 16 mph. This may seem leisurely in the modern era, but given the conditions at the time, it was an impressive feat.

From these humble beginnings, the Tour’s average speed gradually increased as a result of several key factors. First and foremost, technological advancements played a significant role. Innovations such as derailleur gears, lighter frames made from aluminium or carbon fibre, aerodynamic clothing, and improvements in nutrition and training regimes all contributed to an upward trend in the peloton’s pace.

Fastest editions of the Tour de France

Among the fastest five editions of the Tour de France, the 2005 edition holds the record, with an astonishing average speed of 41.7 km/h, or approximately 25.9 mph, achieved by Lance Armstrong. However, it’s worth noting that Armstrong was later stripped of his titles due to doping . 2003, 2015, 2017, and 2019 Tours are also among the fastest, with average speeds ranging from 40.7 km/h (25.3 mph) to 40.9 km/h (25.4 mph). 2022’s Tour de France , won by Jonas Vingegaard, saw a new record set with an average speed of 42.03 km/h (26.1mph). That’s now a jump in the Tour de France average mph of 10mph since the inaugural edition in 1903.

Slowest editions of the Tour de France

Contrastingly, the slowest Tours de France typically date back to the early 20th century, primarily due to the aforementioned factors of longer stages, simpler bicycles, and challenging road conditions. The five slowest Tours were the editions from 1919, 1922, 1923, 1924, and 1926, with average speeds ranging from 24.1 km/h (15 mph) to 24.3 km/h (15.1 mph).

How and why the average speed has changed over time

It’s crucial to mention that strategies have also evolved significantly, with modern cycling teams employing more sophisticated tactics, optimising rider roles, and using advanced data analysis to gain an edge. The increased professionalism in the sport has contributed to the upward trend in speed.

Looking forward, it’s exciting to contemplate what could further increase the Tour de France’s average speed. Advancements in bicycle technology continue at a rapid pace, with continuous improvements in weight, aerodynamics, and power transfer. Similarly, cutting-edge training techniques, informed by genetics and sophisticated performance data, will continue to enable cyclists to push the boundaries of human endurance and speed.

Furthermore, improvements in road surfaces, planning of race routes, and even changes in race rules could have an impact. For example, more downhill finishes could raise the overall average speed, although the safety of riders would always be paramount.

In conclusion, the evolution of speed in the Tour de France is a fascinating aspect of this iconic race. From the early Tours, characterised by their gruelling pace and hardy riders, to the high-speed, technology-driven spectacle of today, the race continues to captivate and surprise. As we look to the future, we can expect the boundaries of speed, just like the race itself, to be continuously challenged and redefined.

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What Is the Average Speed of a Tour de France Rider? Plus More FAQs

Even if you are tuning in for the first time, these facts will make you look like a seasoned viewer of the TdF.

As you get ready to watch the 2023 Tour de France, you might have some questions. This information will transform you—quickly—into a Tour expert. First, the basics: The 110th Tour de France will take place from July 1 - July 23. It’s good to know that the route changes every year. And in 2023, the Grand Départ is in the Basque Country of Spain, with the typical finish in Paris after 21 stages.

How fast do riders go?

We have looked into this ! A Tour pro’s ability to produce more power for longer means that they can really hammer over different types of races and terrains.

Average Time Trial Speed Average Rider: 19 to 20 mph | Tour Pro: 29 to 31 mph Average Speed on Flat Terrain Average Rider: 17 to 18 mph | Tour Pro: 25 to 28 mph Maximum Sprint Power

Average Rider: 600 to 800 watts | Tour Pro: 1,200 to 1,400 watts

Why do so few Americans compete in the Tour de France?

In 2022, there were seven Americans in the Tour. As of the middle of June, start lists aren’t finalized, but viewers will most likely see Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), and Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar).

Christopher Thompson, author of The Tour de France: A Cultural History , believes fewer Americans race professionally because the U.S. has historically seen cycling as more of a pastime than a competitive endeavor. In Europe, it is more common for children to be trained in competitive racing, and it’s hard for American racers to compete with that training

Also, the cost of competing for an American is higher: Racers need to go where the big races are, and that almost always means moving to Europe.

How much prize money does the Tour de France winner get?

According to the Tour de France website, a total of around 2.3 million Euros will be awarded to the teams and riders, including 500,000 Euros to the winner of the final individual general classification (who usually shares his money with his team). That is equal to roughly $537,000 (USD). Second place GC is awarded 200,000 Euros, third place GC walks away with 100,000 Euros, and so on. Other top prizes go to stage winners, who get 11,000 Euros, and the winners of the points classification and mountains classification, both of whom receive 25,000 Euros. Riders can also win money during intermediate sprints and certain climbs. There’s even prizes for the five best teams and the four best young riders.

Who has won the most Tour de France titles?

That depends whether you’re counting titles that have been taken away ( cough — Lance — cough ). If not, the answer is a four-way tie between Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Indurain, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault, says Thompson.

Has the Tour ever been cancelled?

Only the two World Wars caused the race to be put on hold, says Thompson. All in all, battles cost the world 11 editions of the Tour: WWI broke out a few days after the 1914 Tour, he says, and didn’t run again until 1919. It went on hiatus again during WWII from 1940 to 1946, running again in 1947—two years after the end of the war.

“WWI was a war of attrition and the French were fighting the whole time. There were several Tour winners who were killed in the trenches,” he says. “But in WWII, France was defeated and occupied quite early, and that was different. There was a government that went along with the Nazis, so there was some racing to prove that things were normal under the occupation, but the Tour wasn’t held. After, France was so devastated by WWII that it took a while to get restarted.”

The Tour was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually held in August of that year.

​Why is the leader’s jersey yellow?

Simple, says Thompson: L’Auto , the newspaper that first started and sponsored the race, was printed on yellow paper, so it was essentially an advertising strategy. (That’s also why the Giro d’Italia leader’s jersey is pink —the newspaper that created the Giro was printed on pink paper.) By the way, yellow in French is jaune and the jersey is called maillot jaune .

How do they make the jerseys so quickly?

There are four jerseys awarded during the course of the Tour de France each year and because who wears them gets decided during the race, they have to made on the spot and in a moment.

Has anyone ever died in the Tour?

Sadly, yes. Four riders have passed away over the course of the race’s history. In 1910, Adolphe Heliére drowned on a rest day; in 1934, Francisco Cepeda crashed into a ravine on a descent; in 1967, Tom Simpson passed away after a heart attack ; and in 1995, Fabio Casartelli was killed after crashing and hitting his head.

Unfortunately, there have also been a number of horrific crashes. To see how grueling the race is, even for those who don’t fall or crash, watch Unchained on Netflix.

​What do Tour riders do on rest days?

They ride! At least, they go for short rides to keep their legs from cramping up. Max Testa , M.D., former team doctor for a variety of Tour teams including Team BMC, 7-Eleven, and Motorola, says that the short rides (which can be up to three hours!) help keep inflammation at bay and keep muscles ready for another hard day in the saddle.

Is there a women’s Tour de France?

After a number of iterations over the years, the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will be held from Sunday, July 23 to Sunday, July 30. The course is 594 miles and includes a mountain stage, four flat stages, two hilly stages, and the time trial. They will not race at all in Paris.

Who were the oldest and youngest Tour cyclists?

Both distinctions occurred in 1904: Henri Paret was the oldest competitor at age 50 when he competed in 1904, while 20-year-old Henri Cornet was the youngest. Cornet was also the youngest winner. The oldest winner was in 1922, when 36-year-old Belgian Firmin Lambot took the yellow jersey.

Do racers make their stage data public?

Sometimes—but don’t count on them spending their evenings uploading their numbers . Still, you can keep an eye on some top pros’ Strava accounts.

How much do Tour de France bikes weigh?

In the 1900s, a Tour de France cyclist pedaled up and down mountains on a bike that weighed a whopping 40 pounds. In fact, Fiets, a Dutch cycling magazine, showcased a bike from the 1903 race weighing 39.7 pounds with a fixed gear. Today, bikes weigh just under 15 pounds—but not any lower, since the UCI’s minimum bike weight is 6.8kg, which translates to 14.99 pounds.

What tire pressures do the cyclists run?

Every racer and mechanic has a specific (top-secret) tire pressure that they considers to be optimal, but there are some guidelines.

“In general, with all of those variables [like weather and riders’ personal preference], that tire pressure is 8 to 8.5 bar for the road stages, and then 9.5 to 10 bar for the time-trial stages. Around 115 psi in the front and 125 psi in the back for the road stages and 130-135 psi for time-trial stages. And we drop that by 10 or 15 for rainy days,” Geoff Brown, veteran mechanic for Garmin-Sharp and EF Education First teams tells Bicycling .

They run about 10 psi lower in the front for more control, as well, and with tubular tires , they tend to run slightly lower pressures. Clinchers need to be kept around 110 to 120 psi in order to avoid pinch-flatting.

How do the competitors go to the bathroom?

It’s a long, hot ride so the pros are hydrating a lot. In the first five to 10 minutes of a race, when the pace is more leisurely, “riders pull to the side of the road, pull their shorts down just like you would underwear—you know, pull front down, do your business,” says retired pro cyclist Ted King, who’s ridden the Tour de France several times.

During this neutral roll out, King says, there’s plenty of time to catch back on to the peloton before the race starts in earnest. Fortunately, nature calls for all riders. “It’s a lot easier to wait for a lull in the race when a big fraction of the peloton pulls to the side of the road rather than doing it solo, because that solo chase is tough!” King says.

Of course, riders also pee off the bike while riding, although it requires having their teammates pedal while they go. “If peeing to the right, your right leg is in a 6 o’clock position, left at 12. Left hand on the handlebars, right hand holds the shorts down, and coast while relieving yourself,” King advises.

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Tour de France 2019 in numbers | Can you guess the fastest recorded speed?

The key facts and figures from this year’s Tour de France, including Nils Politt's white-knuckle descent

Alex Broadway/ASO

Colin Henrys

After 23 days, 21 stages and more than 3,000km of racing, there could only be one winner of the 2019 Tour de France — but what were the key numbers behind Egan Bernal’s maiden Tour triumph?

The Colombian took the title in Paris, but an extraordinary three weeks saw Julian Alaphilippe light up the race throughout. Throw in elbow-to-elbow bunch sprints, hair-raising descents and brutally high climbs, and the 2019 race produced the kind of spectacle that only the Tour de France can.

The Tour’s official technology partner, NTT, has crunched the numbers from the 106th edition of cycling’s greatest race. Read on for some of the key facts and figures.

• The Tour tech of tomorrow | 3 predictions for the road bikes of the future
• Oliver Naesen rides final stage of Tour de France on steel Eddy Merckx bike

Top recorded speed: 101.5kph (63.1mph)

The fastest recorded speed at the 2019 Tour de France came on a white-knuckle descent of the Col de Vars by one of the peloton’s hard men.

Katusha-Alpecin’s Nils Politt – a top-five finisher at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders this year – became the first rider to break the 100kph barrier according to the Tour’s official data feed, hitting a mind-boggling 101.5kph on a section of the descent with a negative 7 percent gradient.

The category one Col du Vars was the second of four ascents on stage 18, coming before the hors catégorie climbs of the Col d'Izoard and Col du Galibier. Politt eventually finished 44th on the stage, 21 minutes, 24 seconds behind Nairo Quintana.

Winner’s average speed: 40.58kph (25.2mph)

Egan Bernal conquered the Tour in a cumulative time of exactly 82 hours and 57 minutes. That gives him an average speed a shade above 40km/h for the 3,365.8km race.

For the numbers nerds, that's 0.35kph faster than Geraint Thomas’s average speed at last year's Tour.

Speed difference between first and last place: 2.11kph (1.3mph)

At the other end of the scale, EF Education First’s Dutchman, Sebastian Langeveld, was this year’s Lanterne Rouge – the last rider on the general classification.

Langeveld’s cumulative time was four hours, 34 minutes and 23 seconds slower than Bernal’s – making his average speed 2.11kph slower.

Average climbing speed: 20.6kph (12.8mph)

Of course, the real difference in the 2019 Tour was made when the road pointed skywards – not least in the Pyrenees and the Alps.

Bernal was in imperious form in the mountains, following in the footsteps of many of his Colombian countrymen — a nation that has produced many fine climbers — and proving he has a head for heights.

Over climbs including the Col du Galibier, Col du Tourmalet and, most tellingly, the Col de l’Iseran, Bernal recorded an average climbing speed of 20.6kph.

Fastest Col du Galibier ascent: 22:28 minutes

Talking of Colombian climbers, while Bernal claimed the yellow jersey, there was also success for his countryman Nairo Quintana.

The Movistar rider ultimately finished eighth overall, failing to make a challenge on the podium, but he did claim a stage win in Valloire – and broke a long-standing Tour record in the process.

En-route to the finish, Quintana climbed the iconic Col du Galibier in 22 minutes and 28 seconds (measured over the final 8.5km from the Col du Lautaret). That's a whole minute faster than the mark Frank Schleck set in 2011.

Number of different individual stage winners: 15

Quintana was one of 15 riders to claim a stage win in this year’s Tour de France – two more than there were in last year’s race.

Caleb Ewan led the way – his victory on the Champs-Elysees was his third of the race – while Great Britain’s Simon Yates won twice in the mountains.

From Mike Teunissen’s opening stage win in Brussels to Ewan’s final triumph, nine different nationalities stood on the podium as individual stage winners in this year’s race.

Number of stages won by overall winner: 0

Despite winning the race overall, Bernal wasn’t among those 15 riders. The Colombian earned his maiden Tour de France triumph without winning a stage.

Chris Froome was the last rider to do that (in 2017), though the four-time champion does have seven stage wins to his name in total.

Number of riders who wore the yellow jersey: 4

Bernal was one of four riders to wear the yellow jersey in all, having claimed the race lead after the shortened stage 19 on the Col de l’Iseran.

Bernal took over from Julian Alaphilippe, who claimed 14 yellow jerseys across two spells as race leader.

In between, Italian Giulio Ciccone led the race for two stages while the only other rider to pull on the maillot jaune was stage one winner Mike Teunissen.

Age of winner: 22y, 196d

Bernal’s triumph not only made him the first Colombian to win the Tour de France, but he is also the youngest winner for 110 years.

Francois Faber was 22 years and 187 days old when he won the Tour in 1909 – just nine days younger than Bernal – while the youngest champion remains 19-year-old Henri Cornet in 1904.

Number of classifications won by Egan Bernal: 2

Bernal’s age means he not only won the yellow jersey but the white jersey for best young rider, too — only the fifth time since the youth classification was introduced in 1975 that has happened.

Bernal joins Laurent Fignon (1983), Jan Ullrich (1997), Alberto Contador (2007) and Andy Schleck (2010) in the record books.

Number of finishers: 155

Some 176 riders set out from Brussels for the 106th Tour de France on Saturday 6 July, with 155 making it all the way to the Paris finish line.

Thibaut Pinot, who had to climb off the bike during stage 19 having been in overall contention, was the last of 19 riders to abandon this year’s race.

A further two – Tony Martin and Luke Rowe – were disqualified after an altercation on the way to the stage 17 finish line.

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The tour de france’s greatest ever sprinters, from pelissier to cavendish, the fast men forever etched into tour de france history.

Mark Cavendish started the Tour de France for the tenth time this year, and with four stage wins reminded everyone of just how good a sprinter he is.

Cavendish was named the Tour’s greatest ever sprinter by L’Equipe in 2012 with no other sprinter winning as many stages of the race as the Manxman – in fact, following his stage six victory in Montauban, the only man with more Tour stage wins than him is the great Eddy Merckx with 34.

Add to that his points classification win in 2011, and the yellow jersey he finally pulled on after stage one of this year’s race, and you can see why L’Equipe afforded Britain’s most successful male professional cyclist such an honour.

But if Cavendish is the greatest ever, how do all the other great sprinters to have raced the Tour de France in its 103 editions compare?

We’ve picked out nine of the greatest fast men ever to take on the Tour. Are there any you would add to the list?

Mark Cavendish (GBR) – 2007 to present

Mark Cavendish made his Tour de France debut in 2007, during which he suffered two crashes and abandoned as the race headed into the mountains. It was an inconspicuous start given what was to follow.

Despite only riding the first 13 stages of the following year’s Tour – due to training for the 2008 Beijing Olympics – Cavendish picked up his first four stage wins in the race before bagging six in 2009 and five apiece in 2010 and 2011.

Riding for the HTC-HighRoad team, he and his lead-out train were simply untouchable at their best as Cavendish bagged the green jersey in 2011, crowning his win with a victory on the Champs-Elysees.

His era of dominance ended thereafter, but – in the jersey of world road race champion – he won three times in his solitary season with Team Sky, twice in his debut year with Omega Pharma-QuickStep and last year went clear into third place on the list of all-time wins thanks to his 26 th career triumph.

And just as he was being written off in some quarters, the Manx Missile  added four more wins to his  palmares in 2016, to go second in that list behind Merckx and pull on the yellow jersey for the first time.

Tour de France stage wins: 30* Tour de France points classification wins: one (2011)

Andre Darrigade (FRA) – 1952 to 1966

Frenchman Andre Darrigade has been dubbed the greatest French sprinter of all time by Raphael Geminiani with his phenomenal speed (and stamina) earning him 22 stage wins in his illustrious career.

Darrigade’s sprinting style meant he could win sprints from far back, often opting to lead out bunch finishes and ‘challenging others to pass him’, according to journalist Rene de Latour.

Darrigade’s sprinting ability didn’t just earn him stage wins either, with him wearing the yellow jersey 16 times in all too – winning the opening stage of the Tour in four consecutive years between 1956 and 1959, and again in 1961.

The Frenchman also twice won the points classification, in 1959 and 1961, and remains one of only six riders to have bagged 20 or more stage wins at the Tour.

Tour de France stage wins: 22 Tour de France points classification wins: two (1959, 1961)

Mario Cipollini (ITA) – 1993 to 1999

Exuberant Italian Mario Cipollini’s sensational sprinting exploits may have been more centred on the Giro d’Italia, but he still found time to win 12 Tour de France stages and spend time in the yellow jersey.

Cipo ’s well-publicised dislike of the mountains meant he never contested the green jersey, and his teams not being invited from 2000 to 2003 – despite him being world champion at the time of the latter race – also didn’t help.

He sits in the Tour record books, however, having won the race’s fastest ever stage in 1999 as part of his post-war record four consecutive stage wins.

But regardless of the bare statistics, few can doubt Cipollini was one of cycling’s greatest ever sprinters, not just at the Tour.

His 42 Giro d’Italia stage wins remain a record, and with his Tour and Vuelta a tally added to that, his career tally stands at 57 Grand Tour stage wins.

Tour de France stage wins: 12 Tour de France points classification wins: none

Erik Zabel (GER) – 1995 to 2008

Where Cipollini opted not to contest the green jersey at the Tour de France, Erik Zabel monopolised the points classification at the turn of the millennium.

The German won the green jersey six years in a row, from 1996 to 2001, and also celebrated 12 wins in all – picking up two on debut in 1995 and collecting his final victory in 2002.

Like Peter Sagan today, Zabel picked up points with a serious of consistent finishes on the sprint stages and could climb better than his fellow sprinters too.

But where Sagan has struggled to win stages, Zabel had no such problems – no German rider has won more stages, despite Andre Greipel and Marcel Kittel closing in fast.

Tour de France stage wins: 12 Tour de France points classification wins: six (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

Freddy Maertens (BEL) – 1972 to 1981

With Eddy Merckx and Roger de Vlaeminck dominating the Belgian cycling scene, it was going to take somebody pretty special to steal the limelight.

And while Merckx’s achievements on the road remain unparalleled, Maertens at least gave the Belgian faithful a new hero to celebrate – when he was not feuding with the more popular Cannibal at least.

Maertens was primarily a sprinter, but versatile enough to win the 1977 Vuelta a Espana – where he won 13 stages – and his Tour de France record stacks up well too,

Three times he claimed the green jersey, with his 1976 victory arriving courtesy of a record-equalling eight stage wins – five of which were from sprints and three against the clock.

Tour de France stage wins: 16 Tour de France points classification wins: three (1976, 1978, 1981)

René Le Grevès (FRA) – 1933 to 1939

René Le Grevès’ 16 Tour de France stage wins are all the more remarkable when you consider how short his professional career proved to be.

Journalist Jean-Paul Ollivier has dubbed him the Tour’s greatest sprinter, and he was certainly the greatest of the later interwar years – not least between 1934 and 1936 when he collected 14 of those 16 victories.

He was also crowned French champion in 1936, his annus mirabilis as he won six times at that year’s Tour before his star began to wane a little.

Le Grevès’ final stage win came in 1939 before the Tour was cancelled due to the war. The Parisian-born sprinter survived the war but died in 1946 in a skiing accident.

Tour de France stage wins: 16 Tour de France points classification wins: N/A (not run until 1953)

Robbie McEwen (AUS) – 1997 to 2010

Australian fast man Robbie McEwen was the first of his countrymen to win the points classification – something he achieved three times in his career.

McEwen relied on tactical nous and all-out pace rather than a sprint train as such, but that didn’t stop him clocking 12 Tour de France stage wins in all.

His first arrived on the Champs-Elysees in 1999, while his victory in Paris again in 2002 was enough to see him usurp six-time points back-to-back points classification winner Zabel.

He also wore the yellow jersey for a single day in 2004, before recovering from two bad crashes to win a stage and bag his second green jersey.

McEwen’s final stage win in 2007 was all the more remarkable because he recovered from a late crash to return to the bunch and win the kick to the line – proving not only his resilience but his sprinting speed.

Tour de France stage wins: 12 Tour de France points classification wins: 2002, 2004, 2006

Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (UZB) – 1990 to 1997

Uzbekistani sprinting legend Djamolidine Abdoujaparov did not earn the nickname “The Tashkent Terror” for nothing.

Abdoujaparov’s sprinting style was unorthodox to say the least – at worst, it was erratic and dangerous – but it was also clearly effective as he clocked nine stage wins.

Winner of the points classification three times, in 1991, 1993 and 1994, Abdoujaparov claimed the green jersey on the first of those occasions despite a now infamous, high-speed crash during which he hit the barriers on the Champs-Elysees and had to beat the pain barrier to win the stage unaided.

Not all of Abdoujaparov’s victories came from sprints – in fact his last at the Tour, in 1996, was a breakaway in the mountains – but there was no doubting where is best ability lay until his 1997 retirement.

Tour de France stage wins: nine Tour de France points classification wins: 1991, 1993, 1994

Charles Pelissier (FRA) – 1922 to 1939

Former French ‘cross champion turned sprinting extraordinaire Charles Pelissier reached his zenith in the 1930 Tour de France, one year on from his first Tour stage win.

Now, some 86 years on from that 1930 race, there is still no rider who has bettered his eight stage wins – despite Merckx and Maertens both matching it.

Pelissier’s record is all the more incredible when you consider he also finished second on seven occasions that year – there was no green jersey at the time, but you can guarantee the Frenchman would have won by a country mile had there been.

The following year he ‘only’ won five – wearing the yellow jersey for the second time in consecutive years early in the race.

Pelissier won twice more, at the 1935 Tour de France, before at the age of 36 the war curtailed his professional career.

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What’s the Average Speed of Tour de France Riders in MPH?

How fast do pro cyclists ride what's a pro rider's average speed.

16 July, 2015 Bek Ask Alpha Ninja

Reese: “I’ve been watching the pro cyclists in the Tour de France this year, and I’ve heard some speeds thrown out here and there, but I can’t seem to figure out how fast they’re really going. What is a rider’s average speed in miles per hour?”

This is a popular question, Reese. In fact, you’re one of about 30 people to ask us this since the beginning of this year’s Tour de France. While there’s not a simple answer to your question, we can break it down into a few generalities here.

In 2015, Rohan Dennis broke a record for the fastest average speed in a time trial at 34.5 miles per hour (55.446kmph). As a rule, the pack can hammer on flats at around 26-29mph. That certainly varies, and you’ll often hear Paul and Phil talk about how the peloton is moving at well over 30mph.

When the pack hits a sprint finish, it can often stamp out speeds of over 40mph. In fact, Andre Greipel’s uploaded Strava data from Stage 5 showed that he had to hit 43.5mph (70km) in order to win.

Yesterday, Dan Martin was reported as climbing the Pyrenees at 12mph. THE PYRENEES. Based on my research, it seems that most climbs are done at around 12-14mph–and we’re talking about some serious gradients and after several hours in the saddle for days on end. Of course, many of us could probably climb pretty well with all those hours put in. Except for we sprinters, amiright?

WINNING SPEED

Over the last several years, the winner of the tour has posted an overall average speed of right around 25mph (40kmph)–but that encompasses an entire tour. Uphill, downhill, time trial, flatland, it’s all averaged at 25mph. A little faster than us. A little.

But that’s us. How do you stack up?

• average speed of pro riders
• questions and lists
• tour de france

12 Comments

I have held 32 mph for a couple miles aided by a tailwind.

Yesterday, Cavendish posted a photo of his Garmin showing a max speed of nearly 102 kph. He said he reached that speed descending Tormelet. My highest is 54.5 mph.

Geez! I guess I am not as fast as I thought: avg 20 mph. RobinsonBball.com

It probably helps to have a couple dozen other riders helping to drag you along, huh?

A crit can easily average 28 mph. No hills.

Good amateurs maybe average 21MPH on the flat.

Chris Froome probably averages 16MPH riding up a category 2 climb.

I average 14+ On solo rides. Unless, of course, there is another rider in my peripheral. Just keep them looking ass and elbows, I haven’t had the very closest outside of the block.

Upon review, that last sentence didn’t dictate right… Stay off my wheel motherf-ers

With an average speed of 14mph, no serious cyclist is going to be on your wheel. They are going to leave you in the dust…

Can anyone please tell us what the approximate number of pedals (each leg) were per kilometer for Chris Froome and the group who completed the 2017 TdF? We are trying to get an estimate of the number of pedals (per leg) for the full 3.500 km. Eg if the pedals per km was, say, 1.000 then the total number of pedals was 3.500.000. We cannot believe there is any accurate record of the actual figures. Thank you

Simple math can give you that. Take Froome’s average cadence and multiply it by his total hours ridden to get the units, you can also do the inverse with speed divided by distance to get the time.

i.e. if the total distance of race ‘x’ was 2500 km and he averaged 50km/h we know it took him 50 hours exactly to finish the race and lets say his average cadence was 100 RPMs – then we can conclude 50x60x100 = 300,000 rotations to finish the race. From that and the distance, along with all the other data – you can basically extrapolate F1 type numbers on the power, wattage, gearing, etc. etc. To say ‘We cannot believe there is any accurate record of the actual figures’ is absurd – they know the temperature of the air, ground, psi in both tires, L/R balance of power, coefficient of drag of the bike and the person, head and crosswinds, etc. etc.

Heck, I am super amatuer and have a garmin bike computer with more data than I know what to do with.

48 kph for 30 min on stationary bike – age 59 – trying to lose weight

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Tour de France

The power numbers at this year’s tour de france are the highest in the modern era of cycling, in this column, we dive into the power numbers of the world’s best riders at the tour de france..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

We are only nine stages into the Tour de France, and five mountainous stages have already blown the GC to shreds. After countless attacks, breakaways, satellite riders, bonus seconds, and mountain top finishes, only 17 seconds separate Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar in the fight for the yellow jersey.

Read also: Power Analysis: Tour de France – Pogačar, Vingegaard, and Victor Lafay

Two of those stages flipped the original script, which saw 2022 Tour de France winner Vingegaard take over a minute on Pogačar on stage 5 to Laruns. We are in for a show in the next two weeks of racing, which includes the Grand Colombier, Col de Joux Plane, and Col de la Loze.

The power numbers from this year’s Tour de France are the highest in the modern era of cycling. 7w/kg for 20 minutes is the new standard for GC contenders, and many of these performances come after 3500 kJs of work, at 1000-2000 meters above sea level, and in 30+°C (86+°F) temperatures.

Unlike 2022, Vingegaard didn’t wait long to play his cards and attack Pogačar. Stage 5 from Pau to Laruns included the Col du Soudet (15.2km at 7%), Col d’Ichere (4.2km at 6.2%), and the Col de Marie Blanque (7.8km at 8.4%) whose final 4.8km average 10.5%.

A massive breakaway stayed away for the stage win while Jumbo-Visma laid the battleground for Vingegaard. When the Dane launched off Sepp Kuss’ wheel, Pogačar didn’t even respond. Vingegaard did one of the best climbing performances of his career on the steepest slopes of the Col de Marie Blanque, pushing nearly 7w/kg for over 20 minutes. The reigning Tour Champion continued pushing over the top of the climb to the finish line in Laruns where he took one minute and four seconds on Pogačar.

While we don’t have Vingegaard’s power data, we can make an educated guess based on other riders’ power data and times on the Col de Marie Blanque. In 2020, a 21-year-old Pogačar climbed the Col de Marie Blanque over a minute and a half slower than Vingegaard’s 2023 time, but still won stage 9 of the 2020 Tour ahead of Primož Roglič and Marc Hirschi.

Pogačar – Col de Marie Blanque in the 2020 Tour de France Time: 24:28 Average Power: 428w (6.4w/kg) Final 2.5km: 9:23 at 458w (6.9w/kg)

Vingegaard (2023): 22’ 56” at ~6.9w/kg

Many wrote off the 2023 Tour after Vingegaard’s stage 5 performance, citing Pogačar’s ongoing wrist recovery as the reason for his subpar performance. But the Slovenian struck back less than 24 hours later on the Cauterets-Cambasque (final 5.3km at 7.5%).

Before Pogačar’s winning attack, Jumbo-Visma had blown the race apart 40km earlier on the Col du Tourmalet (17km at 7.4%). Long, high-altitude climbs are typically Pogačar’s weakness, and Jumbo-Visma thought they might be able to crack the Slovenian for the second day in a row.

Vingegaard launched off of Kuss’ wheel again with 4.7km to the top of the Tourmalet, but Pogačar stayed glued to his wheel. Both riders did ~6.8w/kg for over 13 minutes, but neither rider cracked on the legendary climb. The final 4.8km of the Tourmalet climbs from 1700m to 2100m, so these power numbers are even more impressive when you consider the high altitude.

The closest rider to Vingegaard and Pogačar with power data was Steff Cras, who pushed nearly 6w/kg for 15 minutes but still lost two minutes to the leading pair.

Pogačar – Final 4.7km of the Tourmalet Time: 13:19 Estimated Average Power: ~449w (6.8w/kg)

Steff Cras: 15’ 19” at 360w (5.6w/kg)

After a long descent and rolling uphill, the final slopes of the Cote de Cauterets began. Vingegaard attacked on the 10% section of the climb and continued to pace with Pogačar in his wheel. But to almost everyone’s surprise, Pogačar attacked and dropped Vingegaard, soaring to the stage win and taking 28 seconds back on the defending Tour champion.

This result was shocking because Vingegaard clearly wasn’t at his best when you look at the power data. Pogačar did roughly 6.7w/kg for 13 minutes on the Cote de Cauterets, while Vingegaard only managed 6.6w/kg.

Michał Kwiatkowski had been caught from the breakaway, and he was the only rider who could stay in the wheels of Vingegaard and Pogačar for the first part of the Cote de Cauterets. The former world champion was pushing 6.5w/kg in the draft before finally succumbing to the ferocious pace.

Kwiatkowski – Cote de Cauterets Time: 16:22 Average Power: 342w (5.2w/kg) First 1.3km with Vingegaard and Pogačar: 4’ at 430w (6.5w/kg)

Pogačar : 13:00 at ~6.7w/kg Vingegaard: 13:24 at ~6.6w/kg

Just 24 hours previous, Vingegaard pushed ~6.9w/kg for nearly 23 minutes on the Col de Marie Blanque. Thus, the Cote de Cauterets was a disappointing performance. This could be a sign of Vingegaard’s inconsistency. Or perhaps he peaked too early in this year’s Tour de France. The next 12 stages will reveal the answer.

The last test before the Tour’s first rest day was the Puy du Dôme (final 4.5km at 11.5%), a ridiculously steep climb to the top of a dormant volcano outside Clermont-Ferrand. Mike Woods won the stage from the breakaway after overcoming a 2-minute deficit to Matteo Jorgenson in the final 4km. The Canadian pushed nearly 6w/kg for 15 minutes after more than 3800 kJs of work in the break.

14 minutes later, the GC group hit the steepest slopes of the Puy du Dôme, and Jumbo-Visma lined it out for the yellow jersey wearer, Vingegaard. However, neither Vingegaard nor Pogačar seemed confident in their legs when the pace slowed after Sepp Kuss’ final pull. Pogačar waited until 1.3km to go to launch his attack, going out of the saddle for nearly 30 seconds and gapping Vingegaard.

The Dane stayed strong, and Pogačar’s gap didn’t waver until the final 200 meters. Vingegaard only ceded eight seconds to Pogačar by the line, which meant that he took a 17-second GC lead into the Tour’s first rest day.

Woods was two minutes and five seconds slower than Pogačar in the final 4.5km of the Puy du Dôme, despite pushing nearly 6w/kg.

Woods – Puy du Dôme (final 4.3km) Time: 16:51 Average Power: 369w (5.9w/kg)

Pogačar: 14:46 at ~6.9w/kg Vingegaard : 14:54 at ~6.8w/kg

After the first nine stages of the Tour, a handful of bonus seconds and meters separates Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar. Most of the mountain stages have been won and lost in 15-20 minute performances, and Vingegaard’s effort up the Col de Marie Blanque remains the biggest outlier (22’ 56” at ~6.9w/kg).

We know that Vingegaard and Pogačar can do 6.9w/kg for 15 minutes at the end of a five-hour Tour de France stage. But can they do it stage after stage, week after week, for 12 more days? Heat and high altitude have a history of causing cracks in Pogačar, whereas Vingegaard has already shown a bit of inconsistency on consecutive mountain stages. The 2023 Tour de France Champion is anyone’s guess.

*** Power Analysis data courtesy of Strava

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Tadej Pogačar 

Michał Kwiatkowski

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10 Tour de France top tips to sprint like a pro

First Published Jul 23, 2023

Going fast is what attracts many people to cycling with the feeling of speed being addictive. Tour de France sprinters are a unique type of rider and they not only possess tremendous speed but are also willing to take some big risks. But, what can you learn from the sprinters at the Tour de France about how to get really fast and how to set up your bike for pure speed?

Pic above: Zac Williams SWpix.com

Sprinters are capable of generating explosive speed over short distances but having the best sprint at the end of a road race is about more than just having the highest peak power. 

Tour de France sprinters must also have the endurance to climb the high mountains and complete every stage if they want to be in with a chance of winning on the Champs-Élysées.  

Your bike setup, positioning and tactics all have a part to play so here are 10 top tips to sprint like a pro and get you the win at that next town sign sprint. 

1. Gears that work properly 

> All the gear? Check out the gearing choices of the pros at the Tour de France

First and foremost, to be able to unleash the best sprint you can you're going to need to trust your drivetrain. A drivetrain that's in good working order should shift seamlessly with silky-smooth pedalling. 

However, this isn't always the case because your chainrings, cassette and chain can all wear which leads to poor shifting and lost efficiency. If you find your chain skipping a gear this could also be because your gears aren't indexed properly. 

You need to be able to trust your drivetrain fully so that when you decide to put the power down, you can 100% go for it. 

Even the pros sometimes have problems. On Stage 7 of this year's Tour de France, Mark Cavendish reported that he had a problem with his gears while sprinting, eventually finishing second to Jasper Philipsen.

2. Choose the right gear for the job

> Should you run a 1x set-up on your road bike?

After ensuring your gears are working properly, you're going to want to choose the right gear for the job. When you're coming into the final few hundred metres of a road race you'll often hear people changing down their gears which is a good indication they could be about to launch something. 

Sometimes it's better to choose a gear sooner rather than later so that you have time to react and can start putting the power down as soon as possible. The gear you choose should have enough resistance in the drivetrain to allow for the burst but you will likely have to shift down the cassette once you get on top of the gear. 

Many recreational riders will have a 50x11 or 52x11 as their largest gear ratio, (it'll depend on the brand of groupset used as well as the individual's preference) but the pros these days normally ride with a 54-tooth outer chainring with the sprinters often going for something even larger.

3. Decide where the wind is coming from 

> Beat the wind on your bike: 7 route planning hacks to increase average speed and make windy rides more enjoyable

Wind conditions can significantly affect sprinting performance, and adapting accordingly is vital. Sprinters at the Tour de France will employ strategies to navigate windy conditions during sprints and are fortunate in that they often have a team around them who they can draft. 

If, like most of us, you don't have a team around you, you'll need to decide where the wind is coming from before you start your sprint. If there's a headwind you should leave your sprint late and if there's a tailwind you can risk going earlier.  

4. Get yourself a Van der Poel 

> Canyon unveils Mathieu van der Poel edition Aeroad CFR

Jasper Philipsen has been powering to stage victories at this year's Tour de France, but this wouldn't have been possible without his lead-out man Mathieu van der Poel. 

Speaking of lead-outs, getting yourself a sprint train is a great way to go faster. Rope in a few friends and set them to the task. They might not be too keen at first, but you can usually bribe them with cake.

Doing some lead-outs with friends is great fun with each person’s turn getting shorter and faster until you finish it off with a glorious dash to a random sign on the edge of town.

5. Deep wheels 

> Are expensive carbon wheels worth it? Testing deep carbon rims vs classic aluminium

Switching to deeper wheels isn't always necessary but Tour de France sprints happen at speeds of over 60km/h so aerodynamics are exponentially more important and the margins of victory are small. 

If you take a look at a photo finish image from a sprint stage, you’re unlikely to see any wheels under 40mm deep in the top 10.

Using deeper wheels can be more aero, making it easier to hold onto speed. Deep wheels can also be far stiffer than shallower-section wheels, and that comes in handy when bikes are getting thrown around in a sprint finish.

6. Get low at the front

The easiest way to make yourself faster and bring up your speed is to get more of yourself out of the wind. The most aero bike on the planet isn't going to help a great deal if your body – which is responsible for the vast majority of drag – is acting like a giant sail to hold you back.

Sprinters often have long and low front-end setups that allow them to get head low when going for the line. Mark Cavendish (who has crashed out of the Tour this year) has a lower peak power than some of his sprint rivals, but he is able to tuck himself down very low to reduce resistance.

Be careful with going low. You might be far faster for 100m, but throwing your back out just to reach the drops won't do you any good. If you are moving your position, take things slowly with incremental changes.

7. Tighten up your shoes 

> Check out the best road cycling shoes 2023 

Many riders have rituals and something you see many sprinters doing is turning the dials on their shoes a few clicks before a big sprint. 

This isn't necessarily the most comfortable for a full day in the saddle, but a more secure shoe is favoured at higher power outputs.

8. Grippy bar tape

> Check out the best bar tapes for cycling 2023 

Grippy bar tape provides a secure and firm hold on the handlebars, improving the control and handling of the bike which is essential for Tour de France sprinters when they're manoeuvring through non-existent gaps at high speeds. 

A stable grip on the handlebars also facilitates efficient power transfer and so grippy bar tape allows you to exert force without worrying about your hands slipping. 

9. Specific training

> Can you get fit by cramming all of your riding into the weekend?

You can also do efforts on and off the bike to increase your peak power. On the bike, work can consist of a mix of high-speed sprints with a fast cadence and standing starts where you power a big gear up from almost stationary to top speed. Throw in a few sprints for town signs and you've got yourself a basic training session.

Off the bike, you can head to the gym to pump some iron. You can walk past all the big boys doing bicep curls and head straight for the squat rack and leg press machines.

Seeing as most of us are rather useless at lifting weights, you'll want to work on technique first to avoid injury before building the weight slowly.

10. Momentum is your friend 

A sprint can come down to millimetres so it might seem crazy to hear that leaving a gap between you and the rider in front could be exactly what you need to win a sprint. 

Whilst there's a time and a place for sitting tight on the wheel in front to hide from the wind, there are also times when it's good to leave a gap, often referred to as 'rushing the gap' or 'a slingshot'. 

A gap between you and the person in front gives you the opportunity to launch your sprint while still in their draft and by the time you need to come out of the wind to go past them, you will have reached a far greater speed and likely be moving too fast to be caught. 

Which tips will you be using to help you win your next town sign sprint? Let us know in the comments section below... 

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Without doubt, the best way to make my bike go faster in a sprint is to get someone else to ride it.

This also applies to climbing and, indeed, any other type of cycling or terrain.

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Your comment is remarkable for its analytical rigour and the charm with which was presented. Congratulations.

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'He's not afraid to take the risks' – Inside Mark Cavendish's fresh quest for a new Tour de France record

Behind the scenes at the Astana Qazaqstan sprint revamp with Mørkøv, Renshaw, Bol and Anastopoulos

For Michael Mørkøv, the call to form part of Mark Cavendish ’s repeat bid for a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win in 2024 could hardly have been more memorable. It can’t be that often, after all, that a sprinter of Cavendish’s calibre tells a lead-out man that his career shelf-life hangs on his decision.

“When Mark rang me, he told me that if I joined Astana, he would extend his contract,” Mørkøv says at the Astana Qazaqstan training camp, breaking into a smile as he recounts Cavendish's persistence. 

“He put a bit of pressure on me. I wouldn’t want to be the one stopping him from continuing. But I’m also quite sure he would have continued without me. It was just his way of playing his cards.

“But I did have the feeling that he wanted me to join this team, because we had a very good history in the past, let’s say. And for me, it was a great opportunity because he was one of the sprinters I had the greatest success with, and that comes about from the trust he has in me. He trusts me 100%, which allows me to be the best version of myself.”

The call from Cavendish came, Mørkøv reveals, just a day after the Manxman broke his collarbone and abandoned this year’s Tour, still one stage short of breaking the record he has shared with Eddy Merckx since 2021.

“I saw his name on the phone call and before I picked it up, I knew why he was calling. I told him that I knew why and he was like, ‘Yeah, you know…’ He was sitting in hospital, making a list of what he needed for next year,” Mørkøv says.

“He was super motivated and that also motivated me. So I’m not doing this because it’s him, but because we worked so well together in the past. As a lead-out man, that’s so important.”

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And so Mørkøv was in from the get-go in what is certain to be one of the most talked-about projects of the new year in professional cycling. Needless to say, Cavendish’s aim in 2024 is to bounce back to win that weighty 35th Tour stage win, in part courtesy of a major overhaul of Astana Qazaqstan.

The Kazakhstani squad are one of the longest-surviving modern-day pro teams, but until Cavendish arrived, they had never had any major sprinters on their books. And in 2024, they will be taking that new focus to what Cavendish hopes will be a whole new level.

A year ago, Cavendish was a late, late signing for Astana after the collapse of the B&B Hotels project, and manager Alexandre Vinokourov also moved to bring in Dutch sprinter Cees Bol as a lead-out man. Midway through the season, Astana added Mark Renshaw, Cavendish’s former lead-out man who retired a few years back, to look after their sprinting project, and they began discussions to bring in Vasilis Anastopoulos, Cavendish’s old trainer at Soudal-QuickStep .

However, the lateness of Cavendish’s arrival meant that they were trying to assemble a sprint unit on the hoof. A lot more needed to be done and there simply wasn’t the time. Still, every cloud has a silver lining. Cavendish’s crash and subsequent decision to delay his retirement by another year has permitted an even more fundamental and widespread repositioning of targets, strategies and resources.

“When they signed Mark last year, I realised Astana did a lot in a very short space of time, coming from never being a sprint team before to supporting him,” Mørkøv says.

“Then when he agreed to continue this summer, they had a lot more time, buying in a lot more riders who can support him and support us. And from a material point of view, they’re really pushing the limits to get the new sponsors for us.”

The increase in sprinting firepower has been remarkable. Of the 14 new signings, arguably the two key additions to the Cavendish lead-out are Davide Ballerini and Michael Mørkøv, both part of the QuickStep train that took Cavendish to such spectacular Tour de France success in 2021.

Astana have also added German speedsters Max Kanter and Rüdiger Selig to their roster, and they have promoted Italian Michele Garzoli, an allrounder with a fast finish, from their development team to the senior squad. 

Nor should another Astana sprinter already in the squad, Gleb Syritsa, be overlooked. Now 23, he captured a couple of stages at the Tour of Langkawi last year and, given his age, presumably has ample margin for improvement. So, it’s fair to say that even when Cavendish does finally retire, Astana aim to benefit from his legacy and their radical change of priorities for quite some time to come.

“I feel really lucky to be on a team like this, because for so many squads now GC is a big priority" Michael Mørkøv

However, given his role in guiding Cavendish to so many victories during his time at QuickStep, including the four on the 2021 Tour, Michael Mørkøv is surely the most indispensable new figure of all, at least in the here and now. But for the Dane, the benefits of the move were mutual. Landing on a team with such a huge, and these days comparatively rare, focus on sprinting was a dream career choice for him, too. At 38, not many opportunities like this were going to come his way again.

“I feel really lucky to be on a team like this because for so many squads now GC is a big priority,” Mørkøv said. “Sprinters come afterwards. But here it’s really all support for Mark. If you look at the training camps, the race programmes, the equipment... Astana really want to do everything to support us.”

QuickStep, Mørkøv’s squad of the last six years, was increasingly marching to a very different beat as they put more and more of their energies into building a GC team around Remco Evenepoel . This was only logical – “Remo is a fantastic rider,” Mørkøv says – but it meant the sprint unit’s importance was diminishing, exemplified by Fabio Jakobsen’s departure at season’s end.

“I know they have Tim Merlier with them, and he’s a wonderful sprinter, but with Remco in the team, he’s probably not going to the Tour de France . So even though I enjoyed the last six years, it’d have been super-uncomfortable to stay on,” he says.

Instead, Mørkøv has a new role with Cavendish, and racing with the Manxman again is a hugely attractive challenge. At 38, it’s perhaps the last major goal on the road in Mørkøv’s career, although it can’t be forgotten that the Paris Olympics, where he’ll be fighting to repeat his gold medal in the Madison from 2021, are another big aim for Mørkøv in 2024.

The arrival of a key player like Mørkøv will have a domino effect, meaning that Cees Bol, the one sprinter Astana also signed alongside Cavendish last year, will be moved into a different position in the Astana line. As he tells Cyclingnews , rather than being the lead-out man, he’ll be second-last man in the string.

“That’s the current plan, though obviously that could vary again in the future depending on races,” Bol says. “There’ll be Mørkøv behind and ‘Ballero’ [Ballerini] in front of me, and he’s fast and really strong, he’s a great guy to have there too.”

His new role has not changed so much since last year, Bol says, given he was already guiding Cavendish in the finale before the definitive acceleration for the line began.

“I was never really doing the last sprint because we didn’t have the manpower to keep me fresh until the last kilometre,” he says, “So now, physically, and in terms of how far I go from the finish, I’ll be doing the same role – but with a better guy in front of me and behind me.”

Bol agrees with Mørkøv that the decision to continue was taken very quickly by both Cavendish and the team. “I think Vino was the first one to say it to him. I remember after the crash Mark came to the hotel still in his kit with bandages and everything and Vino was directly like: ‘He never said no!’ So I wasn’t completely surprised, but you can never go in for something like this at 99%. It was always completely his choice.”

As for whether the arrival of Mørkøv and the other sprinters lowers or raises the pressure on him, Bol says with a grin: “Maybe both.”

“The job will be a bit simplified because there’s more quality in the train and we can trust them to perform, but then,” he laughs, “it’s also a bigger fuck-up if you don’t get it right.

“But also, to be honest, I don’t feel so much pressure because that’s all to do with the atmosphere is so good right now and the way we’re working, it gives me a lot of confidence.”

Nor is only all about Mørkøv and Ballerini changing the team, Bol says. Both the arrival of Vasilis Anastopoulos and the confirmation Renshaw would be sticking around, as well as the vastly increased sprinters roster, had all proved to be gamechangers, even in winter training.

“Last year we did do some lead-out training here, but it wasn’t as structured as it could have been,” he recalls. “We had less guys to do it with, for one thing. This December in training we had two sprint trains racing each other and that’s a lot more realistic than when we were just one team pulling for the finish like in 2023.”

Anastapoulos himself recognises that it is a steep learning curve in some quarters of the team, but that the much fuller switch in focus in 2024 is already taking shape at the training camp.

“The big change here has been sprinting training, and forming the lead-out trains,” Anastapoulous tells Cyclingnews . “We’ve tried some different combinations, so now we have a clear idea about how to start the season and where to put each sprinter with helpers.

“Everybody signed for a specific reason and knows their job, it was just up to us to put them all together in line-ups and put them in the right order.”

To say this has been untrodden territory for some Astana management officials is no exaggeration, he recognises. “Today we did a sprint session with lead-outs and I was with one of the sports directors who’s been here for 15 years, maybe, and I asked him have you ever done something like this before? And he said ‘No, I’ve no idea what you’re doing today!’

“But that’s ok because they used to work with [GC specialists Vincenzo] Nibali or [Alberto] Contador so it’s new to them. We’re not just trying to change the philosophy a little bit here and that’s one of the reasons why I’m here. It’s to create the best lead-out train in the world, to deliver Mark and the other sprinters, so they can fight for the win.”

Nor is it only the specifics of the sprinting line-ups: in terms of the overall programme, Anastapoulos influence has already been noted, too, with multiple altitude training camps and a much-reduced calendar giving time and opportunities for more in-depth training and preparation.

“The start of the Tour de France will be really hard, and it will be really intense,” Anastopoulos says when asked about Cavendish’s and other Astana riders’ boosted focus on altitude training. “So all the guys have to be on the top of their game. The sprinters will have to suffer for five hours on these stages even before they get to the sprint.

“But it’s also part of a process where we’ll do camps, some specific races, then have a recovery period, camps-races-recovery again, and then the final preparation for the Tour.”

For Cavendish, this means doing his first altitude camp since his time with Dimension Data, though one other Astana sprinter tried it last year before the Tour and found the experience beneficial.

“Last year I went to Sierra Nevada – on my own, obviously,” Bol says. “I had a good reaction to it, but I don’t know if that’s because of the altitude or the focus it gives you.

“You have to take time for it, and because you’re at altitude everybody’s a bit scared so you take extra time to be resting enough, eating enough and sleeping well when you’re there. Also, it was hot weather and I did a lot of climbs, so there were a lot of good factors that all add up. So that’s why I think it’s going to be super good this year.

“We all talk about sprints and lead-outs and so on, but at the end of the day, we’re all endurance athletes, so it’s just good to get the hours in, too.”

While Anastapoulos is looking after the entire team’s training programmes and schedules, Renshaw’s overseeing of the sprint strategy remains unchanged. And if Mørkøv is now considered by many to be the best lead-out man in the world, then Renshaw held that same mantle during his career. In terms of how the lead-outs and sprints have changed though, Renshaw still has his finger on the pulse.

“Honestly it’s a whole different ball game to HTC or Quick Step or Dimension Data when I was there,” Renshaw tells Cyclingnews . “The gears are so much bigger, speed so much faster, aerodynamics on the bike, nutrition… Everything’s so much better, so much faster.”

As a result of that change, he says, the way sprints are won and lost has altered as well. “These days you don’t really see a big uplift in the speed in a bunch sprint, it’s now more about being in the perfect position to win, as it always was, and maintaining the speed.”

When asked if that change is beneficial to Cavendish’s particular style of sprinting – in his early days, for instance, Cavendish’s ‘double acceleration’ was the stuff of sprinting legend – Renshaw takes a global view. For one thing, the Briton’s experience, he feels, gives him a significant advantage.

“Nobody’s competed in more sprints than Mark, he’s not afraid to take the risks, to go for the gaps. His recovery is better, he’s been in the sport longer. That’s a lot of things in his favour. He’s going for his 35th win when some guys are going for their first.”

Nor was it all doom and gloom in the Tour de France last year, either, despite the relatively scant support Cavendish could count on compared to 2024. Even beyond Cavendish’s second place in the Bordeaux sprint, Renshaw looks at how the team performed collectively with optimism.

“For me, in my role, the big positive was how good Cees Bol was, and how well we brought the team together with resources we had,” he says. “We didn’t have riders 1, 2 and 3, we couldn’t have done multiple lead-outs, we had very limited resources and to see a guy like Alexey Lutsenko pulling for a sprint was amazing.

“But really the standout for me was Cees Bol, he really had a calm presence in the final, really stepped up, and then after Cav went home, he stepped up again and nearly got on the podium in a few stages.

“He was juggling a lot of plates, and doing multiple roles, so this year with the comfort of Mørkøv at his wheel, he knows that if he goes at 900 metres, he’ll have Mørkøv to get him deep into the final. Last year we didn’t have that.”

The addition of Mørkøv isn’t the only change for Cavendish’s 2024 campaign.

“I think Mark still has the same hunger, you still have to be a bit crazy to line up in a Tour bunch sprint,” Renshaw says.

“But this year, in three or four races we’ll take the team there specifically for results and the expectation will be to go for a win. Things can go wrong in the race, but in terms of the preparation they’ll have all the info, the clearly defined goals, the structure clear, they’ll come fit and healthy, and the equipment is good. As far as that is concerned, we’ll be much more prepared than last year.”

"My ambition is not just the Tour, it’s to win races all over the year." Mark Renshaw

Mørkøv echoes Renshaw’s idea that getting wins in at earlier races forms a crunch part of getting to the Tour with the right mindset. “I think I know Mark quite well and none of us is motivated to sit around waiting for the Tour de France to come,” he says.

“We like to compete every day whether it’s training or racing. Every day on the bike [when training], we’re doing sprints as we go through each town. So maybe in some races we won’t have reached top condition, but I can guarantee you, whatever race we do, we’ll always compete with whatever we have. My ambition is not just the Tour, it’s to win races all over the year.”

But what is noticeable is how the whole team appears visibly proud and pleased to be involved in such a project. Bol, for example, is pleasantly surprised that his career path has ended up entwined with that of Cavendish chasing the goal of a 35th Tour stage win.

“Three years ago, I would never have believed I’d be in one of the best sprint trains in the world – in Astana,” he grins.

“But it’s super-nice to see how the team has committed. It didn’t work out in 2023 and it was a pity, but we’re going to make an extra step and we’ll really try to make it work this time.”

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Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews , he has also written for The Independent ,  The Guardian ,  ProCycling , The Express and Reuters .

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The Power Behind a Tour de France Sprint Win: The Champs-Élysées

In the 2023 Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen, riding for the INSCYD partner Alpecin-Deceuninck team, has demonstrated his sprinting prowess by securing four stage wins and six podium finishes. Philipsen’s victories don’t stop there. He has been utterly dominant in the 2023 Tour de France, especially in the bunch sprints. Here’s what it takes to win these historical stages of a 3-week bike race.

In addition to his stage victories and podium finishes, Philipsen was the winner of the points classification, making him the holder of the green jersey. He was the strongest figure in the bunch, taking a clean sweep of the green jersey competition. Standing on the podium in the green jersey was an amazing feeling for him.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck team has a unique approach to preparing for key races like the Tour de France. They leverage the power of INSCYD’s performance analysis to understand the physiological capabilities of their riders, like Jasper Philipsen, and tailor their training programs accordingly. 

Coaches, are you interested in understanding how INSCYD can help improve your athletes’ training programs? Book a free call with the INSCYD team to learn more.

This preparation is crucial in achieving victories in such demanding stages. Watch the virtual lecture about how Alpecin-Deceuninck preparation strategy in INSCYD College.

Despite his impressive performance, Philipsen did not win the sprint finish on the Champs-Élysées in 2023. The sprint was won by Meeus, with Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, and Mads Pedersen following. So let’s dive into the insights of winning cycling’s most prestigious sprint.

Before you can even participate in the Tour de France sprint on the Champs-Élysées, you need to survive 20 other stages that include long days in the saddle and hard, steep climbs. Obviously, this is not something pure sprinters eat for breakfast. But once arrived on the Champs-Élysées, the sprint is all that matters.

Let’s gain a unique INSCYD into the energetics of winning cycling’s most prestigious sprint…

Up to 1900 watts of maximum power , or Tour de France sprint watts, is what sprinters like Jasper Philipsen need to produce to win a sprint. How can this be done?  How do those top athletes produce this high power output?

Thanks to being the secret weapon in the arsenal of high performance sports organizations in the past decade,  INSCYD  has exclusive access to data of worlds best sporting performances.

Today we’re going to dive deeper into the sprint of the Tour de France 2016. André Greipel allowed us to share his data of his winning performance on this final stage.

To recap the sprint, here’s a short video:

The sprint power numbers are as follows:

Before the actual sprint

In the final 4 minutes before the sprint, André Greipel averages 424 Watt. More important then the average value are the many spikes of power. For a few seconds, he had to push up to 920 Watt to fight for his position and accelerate out of corners.

The actual sprint itself

A first push of 1000W can be seen before André turns off behind the man in front of him and starts his own sprint. André uses a double punch technique: his 1st acceleration sees him reaching 1510 Watt. The 2nd punch follows 4 sec later and shows a massive 1700 Watt of peak power.

How can an endurance athlete produce such high power numbers?

Lets have a closer look into Andrés muscle energetics during the last sprint of the Tour de France. 

Energetics before the sprint:

424 Watt is an effort that is covered mostly be aerobic energy supply. At 80kg of body weight and a VO2max of approx. 78 ml/min/kg , Andrés aerobic power equals approximately 525 Watt.

The 424 Watt during the final 4 min before the sprint start, accounts for approx. 81 % of his aerobic capacity (424 ÷ 525 x 100%).

The frequently occurring spikes of  high power  are covered mostly by the use of creatine phosphate. Only a small amount of energy is covered by glycolysis and thereby lactate production.

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Measuring VO2max is not confined to the lab. With the right approach, it can be calculated outside the lab, providing valuable insights into an athlete’s aerobic fitness. This information is crucial for athletes like Jasper Philipsen, who need to maintain high levels of endurance throughout the Tour de France. Discover how to measure VO2max outside the lab here .

Energetics during the sprint

During the first 4 sec of the sprint, the usage of creatine phosphate still contributes to 30% of the power output. However the energy supply from glycolysis rapidly increase, contributing to 60% of the power output by the end of the sprint.

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2024 Giro d’Italia: Julian Alaphilippe Takes Stunning Stage 12 Victory in Signature Style

T he 2024 Giro d’Italia runs from May 4 to May 26 through the mountains of Italy. The first of three men’s grand tours, the Giro is arguably the most difficult. Two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar is making his Tour of Italy debut, and he will be looking to claim the pink jersey over the likes of Geraint Thomas, Cian Uijtdebroeks, Ben O’Connor, and Romain Bardet will look to fend off the Slovenian.

How to Watch 2024 Giro d’Italia Must-Watch Stages Riders to Watch

Check out stage-by-stage recaps of the action below.

Stage 12: Martinsicuro to Fano, 193 km

Julian alaphilippe takes stunning victory in signature style.

Stage Winner : Julian Alaphillippe (Soudal-Quickstep)

Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

May 16, 2024— Stage 12 turned out to be a lightning-fast stage over a hilly course with 2,200 meters of elevation, leading to some animated racing from the breakaway, chase groups, and even the peloton, where GC riders sat hoping for the race to calm down. But for 193 km, it never really did.

The victory was taken with aggression and style by two-time World Champion Julian Alaphillippe (Soudal-Quickstep). Alaphilippe was part of a huge breakaway battle that started in the Marche region, and at an average of 47 kilometers per hour, it turned out to be one of the top ten fastest stages in Giro history.

Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) finished in second, and Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was third after the chase-group sprint in Fano.

This is the Soudal-Quickstep rider’s first win since last year’s Critérium du Dauphiné and his first at a Grand Tour since 2021. The win also completes his Grand Tour stage-win set and adds to his six Tour de France stage victories and one La Vuelta a España win.

Alaphilippe launched the first of many attacks about 138 km from the finish before meeting his breakaway companion Mirco Maestri (Polti-Kometa). Their effort would hold off the chasers until Alaphilippe attacked the last ascent 11.5 km from the finish.

“I didn’t plan it. I was expecting a big group to be in the breakaway. First, I have to thank my teammates who perfectly controlled the first 60 km. I was focused on being on the front,” said the Frenchman in the post-race interview.

Alaphilippe believed he could win the stage, but made sure to continue working and hold off the chasers. “Until the last kilometer, I had to keep pushing full gas because I hear Narvaez was close behind me,” he said. “It was my dream to win a stage of the Giro.”

While Maestri would have certainly liked to finish behind a champ like Alaphilippe, the chase caught up to him on the last climb, and he went on to finish in 9th place. “He also deserved to win today. He was amazing. We collaborated super well,” said Alaphilippe.

This is how the stage went down. Alaphilippe, along with Andrea Piccolo, sparked a decisive move on an uncategorized climb, prompting a group of former stage winners to join in the action. As the breakaway materialized, Alaphilippe initiated another acceleration, reducing the group’s size to just him and Maestri, leaving the peloton behind.

Although the breakaway initially held a substantial advantage, cooperation within the group was scarce, allowing the chasing peloton to gain ground. As the race approached the final climb, Alaphilippe made his move, leaving Maestri behind in pursuit of the stage win.

Jan Hirt (Soudal-QuickStep), who sits in 11th place in the GC, tried to get in the early break, but team Bahrain Victorious, who has rider Antonio Tiberi sitting in 5th in the GC, made sure Hirt wouldn’t get very far.

While Alaphilippe dominated the finale, Narváez showcased his strength by securing second place. Behind them, the GC contenders remained cautious; race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) stayed safe in the peloton alongside Dani Martínez (Bora-hansgrohe), and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers). Bora-hansgrohe did attempt to position Martínez for a potential attack, but it never materialized. With the flat stages ahead and a crucial time trial looming, the focus has shifted to preserving energy and maintaining position in the overall standings.

Stage 11: Foiano di Val Fortore to Francavilla al Mare, 207 km

Jonathan milan beats tim merlier and kaden groves in messy sprint finish.

Stage Winner : Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)

May 15, 2024—After a bit of whistle-wetting with Stage 10’s summit finish, the sprinters again took the spotlight for Wednesday’s Stage 11.

The 207-kilometer stage that started in Foiano di Valfortore kicked off with a few bumps in the road before the parcours sloped gently downward toward the sea, with the day’s final hundred kilometers offering more or less a flat run into Francavilla al Mare.

A small breakaway built a two-minute-and-forty-second lead heading into the day’s only classified climb, the category three Pietracatella, which pitched up at the stage’s fortieth kilometer. But they were slowly reeled in along the flat Adriatic coastline and fully caught one-hundred-and-thirty kilometers late, with just over thirty-five kilometers to go.

Despite a fruitless late attack from EF Education-EasyPost’s Andrea Piccolo, the peloton stayed together at a blistering pace of well over sixty kilometers per hour (occasionally over seventy).

With 4 kilometers to go to the finish, the course bent a hard ninety degrees, a brief wrench thrown into an otherwise straightforward day. And other than a bit of slowing, the peloton came through the turn unscathed.

Movistar’s Fernando Gaviria launched first with just a few hundred meters to go, but by the time the final meters ticked down, the race came down to Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier and current and reigning maglia ciclamino Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek. It marks Milan’s second win in this year’s Giro.

“Our team put me in a really good position,” Merlier said immediately following the stage.“Perfect job from the guys. It’s just a shame that I couldn’t win for them.”

One developing non-racing story to keep an eye on is just how many riders have abandoned due to an illness that is spreading through the peloton. Twenty-one riders have thus far dropped out of the Giro d’Italia, several due to crash-related injuries. However, an inordinate amount of riders have packed it in, citing fevers and viral symptoms.

Just one day after winning Stage 9, Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij abandoned with illness during Monday’s rest day. The following day, his team leader, Cian Uijtdebroeks, suffered the same fate. Visma’s main leadout man, Christophe Laporte, crashed out on Stage 4, leaving last year’s world beaters with just four riders left and two weeks still to race.

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Stage 10: Pompei to Cusano Mutri, 142 km

Paret-peintre claims his first professional win.

Stage Winner : Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale)

Fresh off a rest day, it was all out from the flag drop on today’s stage. With 142 km to cover, it was a relatively short stage. Riders had a long warmup before the climbing started. This stage featured a summit finish on a new climb, the Category 1 Bocca della Selva, with a deceiving 4.6-percent average gradient. Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike) led for more than 25 km, but it was Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) who finally caught him and took his first professional win.

Despite pleasant temperatures, riders had to contend with wet roads and rain. Staying upright required all the bike handling skills and smart choices on turns and descents. Riders also had to maneuver around a dog on the course—likely a stray.

The first sprint came at 52 km in Arpaia. Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco-AlUla) took first, Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech) took second, and Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) crossed the line in third.

At 73 km, the lead group and the chase group were still fairly chaotic. Alessandro De Marchi and Simon Clarke remained the lead duo, followed by many attacks. Eventually, we saw a breakaway group of 27 riders.

The 6.1 km category 2 climb at Camposauro saw Simon Geschke (Cofidis) take first, Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè) second, and Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) third.

Eventually, Simon Clarke was dropped by the breakaway and caught by the peloton. With 28 km to go, Tratnik took a solo lead. Tratnik took the bonus sprint points at Cusano Mutri with 20 km to go. He remained out front into the final climb of the stage.

The Bocca della Selva climb started with just under 18 km to go. Riders climbed 976 meters (3,202 feet) with a maximum gradient of 10 percent. A plateau broke up the climb a little over halfway through.

With less than 3 km to go, Tratnik was finally caught by Paret-Peintre, followed by Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL).

Following in his brother (and teammate) Aurélien’s footsteps, and just ahead of his idol, Bardet, Paret-Peintre took his first professional win. Previously, his best Giro stage result was 31st place. This was the 15th win for Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale. It’s like they gained superpowers by abandoning the brown bibs.

In his post-race interview, Paret-Peintre said that he decided to go for it in the final kilometers because it was the toughest section, and he felt like he had it in his legs. “I can’t describe what I feel now. It’s just amazing,” said Paret-Peintre. “I was there to go for a good result and why not win? Now, I have a Giro stage win for my first pro win. It’s amazing.

“I saw that the last 4 km was the hardest, so I said, ‘ok, if I want to attack, it’s in the last 4km, so I was waiting waiting waiting for all the last climb, then when I see the last 3 km, I attacked.”

Tratnik took third at the summit, after a strong and successful ride. There were lots of changes in the top ten, with a huge scramble for seconds with the chase group. But no change in the pink jersey going into Stage 11. Is it possible that Tadej Pogačar is finally riding a bit conservatively?

Stage 9: Avezzano to Naples, 214 km

Olav kooij takes first-ever grand tour stage win.

Stage Winner: Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike)

The longest stage so far is arguably one of the easier stages despite covering 214 km. Compared to the gravel stage, a short, hard time trial, and the brutal summit finish in yesterday’s stage, Avezzano to Naples may have a lot of distance, but it was relatively flat and fast. While a valiant effort from Polti Kometa’s Andrea Pietrobon and Mirco Maestri kept the two riders away for most of the race, Julian Alaphilippe and Jhonathan Narváez both made impressive attacks in the final kilometers. But it came down to a sprint finish that was played perfectly by Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij.

The long, flat start meant plenty of attacks from early on, with Soudal-QuickStep, EF Pro Cycling and Bahrain Victorious as some of the early teams to head to the front. But the first early attack that stuck came from Polti Kometa’s Andrea Pietrobon and Mirco Maestri—they grew a gap of over two minutes, but the peloton behind seemed unbothered. As always, kudos to the Giro Twitter feed for gems like this:

The two led for much of the race, maintaining a nearly two-minute gap at 65 km to go—a no man’s land with the intact peloton behind and charging hard. The Alpecin-Deceuninck team led the peloton behind Pietrobon and Maestri as the two teammates continued to sweep up sprint points.

A crash at 57 km to go saw three Ineos Grenadiers, including Geraint Thomas—currently third in the general classification—go down. But with his teammates, Thomas was unconcerned and was back on and riding back to the peloton quickly.

Meanwhile, the peloton began to pull the Polti Kometa riders back, dropping the gap to 1:20 with 53 km to go. UAE Team Emirates and EF Education-EasyPost took control of the front of the peloton as the three Ineos Grenadiers, including Thomas, made their way back into it.

At 27 km to go, Julian Alaphillipe launched an attack with the two leaders just 10 seconds ahead. He swiftly chased them down with teammate Nicola Conci as they closed on the top of the punchy climb. Alaphilippe raced past the Polti Kometa riders, continuing his attack up the road. Kevin Vermaerke (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Lewis Askey (Groupma FDJ) were able to launch themselves from the peloton and attach themselves to the now-six-man strong lead group.

Behind them, attacks came fast and furious from the peloton as the clock ticked down on Stage 9, and riders tried to bridge up to the lead group. Arkea-B&B Hotels’ Ewen Costiou made his way across the now-lowered gap, and the peloton struggled to get organized to chase with Lidl-Trek on the front.

Costiou and Alaphillipe attacked, spearing themselves from the lead group, opening a 15-second gap to the five riders behind them. The peloton continued to reel in the leaders, tightening the gap between them and the now-chase group to only four to 10 seconds.

While Costiou and Alaphillipe made a valiant effort, on the final climb with 10 km to go, Costiou couldn't hold the pace, and Alaphillipe was forced to continue his attack solo, reestablishing a 10-second lead on the peloton as he raced out of the saddle and towards the finish.

But he couldn't quite make it. He was absorbed by the peloton at just over 7 kilometers to go, as Ineos Grenadiers’ Jhonatan Narváez made an attack, opening a five-second gap as the peloton splintered on the climb.

Stage 1 winner Narváez hit the final descent at 3 km to go, enjoying the use of the entire road on the downhill. He held an 8-second gap as the peloton started to organize for the final sprint.

With 1400 meters to go, Narváez had a 12-second gap as the small peloton, including Pogačar, tried to prepare for the sprint. But Narváez was unable to hold on to his gap as the teams massed behind him, swallowing him up with under a hundred meters to go.

Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij ultimately took the sprint win ahead of Lidl-Trek's Jonathan Milan and Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates), who was led out by race leader Pogačar. (“If I can help… it’s better for me to be in front and help my friend,” he said in the post-race interview, adding, “I’m really looking forward to the rest day tomorrow.”)

Stage 8: Spoleto to Prati de Tivo, 152 km

Pogačar sprints to victory and maintains overall lead.

Stage Winner: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

We know he can win races with dramatic breakaways, but it turns out Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) also can perfectly play out a sprint. In today’s race, he just narrowly outsprinted Daniel Martínez (Bora-hansgrohe) and Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) for the win at the top of the steep final ascent to the finish.

In case you were wondering, Pogačar has continued to opt for the full pink kit after the sartorial debacle earlier this week .

Today marked the first major mountain stage of the Giro, with some of the classic climbs we love to see. Right from the start, it was clear that riders were going to be attempting breakaways before, during, and after every climb. Mountain stages at the Giro are often where we see unlikely stage winners thanks to a breakaway that comes as a surprise and actually sticks.

By 20 km into the race, a large group had formed at the front, but only 20 seconds separated them from the full might of the peloton. The group ebbed and flowed, and was cut down to 14 riders by just under 100 km to go. Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Romain Bardet (dsm–firmenich PostNL) and Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) were a few of the riders making moves in the lead group, and their lead stretched to over 2 minutes ahead of the peloton at 61 km to go.

But when a team like UAE Team Emirates is chasing the breakaway to preserve Pogačar’s overall lead, does it stand much of a chance?

“We thought the breakaway had a good chance, to be honest,” said Thomas in a post-race interview . “Obviously, UAE set a good tempo on the climb, and I guess because it was still quite close, I don’t know if they decided to go for the stage in the beginning, but they certainly decided to go for it in the end.”

As the group hit 15 km to go, heading towards the final climb into Prati di Tivo, the gap had dropped to just over 30 seconds. While several riders made valiant efforts to hold off the peloton, Pogačar sped into the finish with a group of seven riders and ultimately took the sprint.

However, the GC remained relatively unchanged, since seven of the top finishers on the stage were in the top eight in the GC, which is now led by Pogačar by 2:40 over Martinez and Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers).

“I wasn’t expecting this today,” Pogačar said in the post-race press conference, making him pretty much the only person in the world who wasn’t expecting it.

Stage 7: Foligno - Perugia (Individual Time Trial), 40.6 km

Pogačar strengthens grip on pink jersey.

165 riders rolled down the little pink ramp this morning, each one minute apart, for the first time trial of this year’s Giro.

Vicious crosswinds pushed riders across the road at points, their giant disc wheels acting as windsails, slowing down even some of the most skilled time triallists around.

And there is arguably no rider more skilled on a TT bike than INEOS Grenadiers’ Filippo Ganna, one of the world’s fastest men in the race against the clock.

“Top Ganna” is what the commentators called him, saying that everyone else looked like a passenger plane next to the fighter jet that is Ganna.

However, the 40.6-kilometer stage included a mighty pitch in the final stretch, gaining over two hundred meters over the last four kilometers, whose multi-digit grades benefitted some of the punchier riders in the bunch. After all, today’s time trail ran from Foligno to Perugia, across the undulating hills of Umbria.

By the time Geraint Thomas—who started the day in second place in the GC standings—rolled down the ramp, his INEOS Grenadiers teammates held all three positions on the podium (Ganna, Thymen Arensmen, Magnus Sheffield). By the time he crossed the line, those results held.

But there was only one rider left in the starting tent behind Thomas: current pink jersey, race favorite, and generational talent across a variety of disciplines, Tadej Pogačar.

Going back to his stunning time trial on the penultimate stage of the 2020 Tour de France, where he snatched the yellow jersey from Primož Roglič, Pogačar has displayed that he, too, is one of the world’s great time triallists.

And today, that skill on a TT bike threw a wrench directly into the works of INEOS’s 1-2-3 day, as Pogačar made up over a minute on the stage’s final six kilometers. Pogačar finished seventeen seconds ahead of Ganna, giving the UAE Team Emirates superstar the stage win.

A bunch of INEOS riders who couldn’t quite nip Pogačar. Seems to be one of the themes emerging from this year’s Giro.

Pogačar’s ride put nearly two additional minutes into his nearest rivals in the GC standings, increasing his overall lead from 46 seconds to 2:36.

Meanwhile, BORA-hansgrohe’s Dani Martinez, who entered the day in third place overall, bested Geraint Thomas by thirteen seconds on the stage, putting him ten seconds ahead of Thomas in the GC standings.

“There was a lot of preparations for this, a lot of ups and downs,” Pogačar said. “I’m super happy that today I felt good. I paced myself until the climb and then the climb, full gas.”

Geraint Thomas, meanwhile, wore a subtle look of disappointment after the race.

“I tried to ride within myself, and when it was time to go, I just lacked it a little bit. It is what it is. It’s just one of those days.”

Thomas ended his post-race interview abruptly when the interview reminded him that his teammates did an excellent job on the day, without actually asking a question

“Thanks,” he said sternly, taking a sip of his drink.

Stage 6: Torre del Lago Puccini - Rapolano Terme, 180 km

Underdog victory: pelayo sánchez triumphs in giro’s gravel stage.

Stage Winner: Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar)

May 9, 2024—Looking at the profile of Stage 6, you might think that the day would have been relatively mellow. One-hundred-eighty kilometers, minimal elevation, a pair of category-four climbs. However, thanks to a trio of gravel sectors—the strade bianche of Tuscany—today’s stage was anything but.

What many thought might be a launching pad for Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who won March’s Strade Bianche with a stunning eighty-kilometer solo break, ended up seeing a series of breakaways, none of which stuck.

Until one did. And, for the second day in a row, the break stayed away.

The trio of Movistar’s Pelayo Sánchez , Soudal Quick-Step’s Julian Alaphilippe, and Jayco AlUla’s Luke Plapp had a lead that stretched out to as much as two and a half minutes as the race entered its third and final gravel sector. But INEOS Grenadiers set a blistering pace behind, quickly whittling the three-man breakaway’s lead to less than thirty seconds with just a few kilometers to go.

But the gap stayed at around twenty seconds as the Plapp, Alaphilippe, and Sánchez passed under the 1 km to go banner. Alaphilippe launched early, and Sanchez responded. Though Plapp was hanging on their wheels, it was clear that this was a two-man race to the finish.

In his post-race interview, Sánchez was asked if he knew what he had just accomplished. “No,” Sánchez replied. “This is amazing. I don’t have words. Crazy, crazy day for me. I thought today that I could be in the breakaway, but I could never imagine winning here.”

Sánchez also admitted that, even though he spent the last several dozen kilometers working with Plapp and Alaphilippe, he tried several times to put time into his mates in the breakaway. “I tried to drop [Plapp and Alaphilippe], but it was impossible for me,” he said. “So, I tried at the end with the sprint. Luckily, I was the fastest.”

Plapp, who spent much of the day in the virtual pink jersey, said after the race, “That was an insane day. The race was out of control, the whole race. It was ridiculous for the first eighty kilometers.”

“The three of us worked reasonably well to the finish,” Plapp added. “We played games a bit. I was half-eyes looking for time and half-eyes looking for the stage, so I ended up riding a bit harder.”

Asked if he was thinking about the pink jersey during his breakaway, Plapp said, “No, no, no. I know (UAE Team Emirates) were never going to let it go. You could see from the gaps they were keeping, they weren’t willing to let the jersey go.”

Stage 5: Genova - Lucca, 178 km

A win for the breakaway as the peloton couldn’t get it together.

Stage Winner: Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis)

May 8, 2024—Another flat-ish day, another sprint finish. That was supposed to be the script for Wednesday’s fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia. But if there’s a theme emerging from the early stages of this year’s Giro, it’s to expect the unexpected.

Because in a move that seems ever more rare, the day’s breakaway stuck, the charging group of sprinters behind unable to catch up.

At the end of the 178-kilometer stage, Benjamin Thomas captured Cofidis’s first win this season. Behind him were EF Education-EasyPost’s Michael Valgren, Andrea Pietrobon of Polti Kometa, and Groupama-FDJ’s Enzo Paleni. The group spent about half of the day with a lead of around one minute over the peloton.

Eight seconds behind Paleni, Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan—the current maglia ciclamino— led the rest of the peloton across the line.

With 5 kilometers to the finish, the four-man breakaway had a solid forty-second lead, and it seemed as though the peloton couldn’t organize themselves enough to reel them back in. Ineos Grenadiers had the most notable attack, but pulled off after the 3-kilometer mark, ostensibly working to protect their lead man Geraint Thomas’s time.

From there, nothing much materialized, and the breakaway was allowed to duke it out themselves for the win.

“I said maybe today’s my day,” said the French Thomas, who captured both his first WorldTour and Grand Tour victories with the win. “Everything is perfect today. I knew the final because I trained there sometimes. I knew the Montemagno in the final, and it helped me, knowing the cobbles and the corners. It's a nice thing to win in Italy. It means a lot to me.”

Thomas, who is a seasoned track racer, likened the four-man break to a “long, long team pursuit.”

Valgren added that the topography of the parcours aided the breakaway’s chances.

“It was actually only with three or four ks to go (that we thought we could win) because you always think the peloton will take 10-seconds-per-kilometer more or less,” Valgren said after the race. “We kept working well together and there was in our favor kind of downhill. Chapeau to the other guys for working well together. We didn't start to play the games, so it was nice.”

The one thing that was expected was that nothing much changed in the GC battle. UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogačar remains forty-six seconds clear of Geraint Thomas and forty-seven seconds ahead of BORA-hansgrohe’s lead man, Dani Martinez.

Stage 4: Acqui Terme - Andora, 190 km

Jonathan milan wins sprint finish.

Stage Winner: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)

May 7, 2024—For the second straight day, the Giro d’Italia ended with a flat sprint that was almost nabbed with a daring and unexpected last-minute attack.

The 190-kilometer route from Acqui Terme to Andora started with a gradual ride into the day’s only categorized climb, the category 3 Colle del Melogno, where the KOM points were taken by Intermarché-Wanty’s Lilian Calmejane. After that, it was an almost wholly downsloping back half of the stage, ending with a straight, flat shot into the seaside town of Andora.

If the peloton felt a bit jumpy heading into Andora, it no doubt had to do with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Geraint Thomas’s (INEOS Grenadiers) almost successful late break in yesterday’s sprint stage.

And then, just like yesterday, a solo attack was launched with plenty of racing left. Today, it was Ineos-Grenadiers’ Filippo Ganna, one of the fastest solo bike racers that’s ever lived, who attacked at the foot of the day’s final pitch, the Capo Mele, with 4 km to go. However, the long-distance attack was once again in vain, as he was caught and swallowed up with just a few hundred meters to go.

Moments later, another Italian, Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan, launched a furious and commanding 300-meter sprint that would net him his second Giro stage win, exactly one year to the day from his first.

Meanwhile, Dani Martínez, who entered the day in third place in the GC standings, suffered a late-stage mechanical. Lucky for the BORA-hansgrohe racer, it was within the final 3 kilometers, meaning he was awarded the same time as the bunch ahead and lost no extra time to Pogačar and Thomas.

In sad news, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) slid out on a slick descent with about 62 kilometers left, crashing out of the race with an injury. It was a brutal reminder of the Eritrean’s luck, who, moments after becoming the first Black African rider to win a Grand Tour stage in 2022’s Giro, suffered a freak injury when the cork from his celebratory champagne bottle shot him in the eye, causing him to abandon the race with a hemorrhage in his eye.

“We saw Ganna going full gas in the last climb, and we just had to catch him,” said Milan of his Italian track teammate. “Today, the guys did such an amazing job. This experience was special because my parents were here today. I’m really happy about it,” Milan, who won last year’s maglia ciclamino, added.

After the race, second-place finisher Kaden Groves said the day’s blisteringly high speeds made the stage “quite scary at times.” And when asked about how his Alpecin-Deceuninck team was shaping up over the Giro’s first week, Groves said, “We’re getting there.”

Stage 3: Novara - Fossano, 166 km

Soudal quick-step’s tim merlier takes sprint victory amidst gc favorites’ late attack.

Stage Winner: Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)

May 6, 2024 – The sprinters had their first chance to shine, as the race’s third stage from Novara to Fassano featured just 750 meters of elevation over 166 kilometers.

However, it wasn’t without a bit of drama, as the race’s biggest GC favorites launched a thrilling attack over the last four kilometers, throwing a wrench into what was expected to be a straightforward day. After an early move from EF-Education EasyPost’s Mikkel Honore, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) followed, forming a small, three-man breakaway that, for a moment, looked as though it might stay away from the group.

Honoré was swallowed up by the group with about 1 kilometer to go, and given the day’s high pace and series of breakaways, there was some thought that Pogačar and Thomas’s attack might just stick. However, the two GC men were caught with about 400 meters to go, setting up the bunch sprint everyone expected the day to end with.

Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier nipped a group at the line that included Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan and Intermarche Wanty’s Biniam Girmay, who rounded out the day’s podium, along with Arkea’s Jenthe Biermans and dsm-Firmeninch PostNL’s Tobias Lund Andersen.

After a masterful recovery from a late crash to win Sunday’s second stage, Pogačar started the day in the maglia rosa , forty-five seconds clear of Dani Martínez of BORA-hansgrohe and Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers. By the time stage 3 was over, those standings remained exactly the same.

“It wasn’t the plan,” Thomas said of the two-man attack over the closing kilometers. “We just wanted to stay out of trouble.”

He added that, over the final few hundred meters, it took everything he had to keep contact with Pogačar. “I was just trying to hold his wheel,” Thomas said, admitting that the attack was never part of the day’s plan.

“It was the hardest victory so far,” stage winner Merlier said of the unexpected chase he and his group of sprinters found themselves in as Thomas and Pogačar rode away. Merlier said he hesitated, causing him to miss out on his leadout man, and eventually forcing him to attack directly into the wind without any support.

Stage 2: San Francesco al Campo - Santuario di Oropa, 161 km

Tadej pogačar wins stage 2 and takes the maglia rosa.

May 5, 2024 - Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates wins Stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia 2024 and takes the Maglia Rosa. Twenty-seven seconds behind, Dani Martínez (Bora-hansgrohe) takes second, and Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) is third.

It was a masterful performance by UAE Team Emirates once Pogačar made it back to the front of the peloton after a small crash due to a front flat tire. The Slovenian leads Thomas and Martinez by 45" in the General Classification.

In the post-race interview, Pogačar was asked if he panicked after crashing in the lead-up to the last climb. “Not really. I was quite calm. I hit a hole in the city and had a super fast flat tire. There was a bit of confusion. I wanted to stop before the corner, but the DS said, ‘No, no, after the corner.’ I was feeling good. The team was super good today. And then we set the pace that we like and it was perfect,” said the race leader.

“I didn’t know the climb well. Everybody was maybe doing this climb for the first time, and it was hard to guess where to do the [hard] pacing, but I think we did a really good job today. And it was super good the last pull of Rafał Majka in the hard part so that I could attack,” Pogačar added.

“I just wanted a stage win today and some gap. Test the legs a little bit. And the [goal] was to take the pink jersey. Now I can relax a little bit in the next few days with the team and we stay safe in the sprints.”

Watch the final kilometer of Stage 2 on the Giro d’Italia’s YouTube Channel

Geraint Thomas of INEOS Grenadiers found himself meeting his limit in today’s stage. “It was so hard to follow, but I knew if I tried to keep going I would completely blow up. I felt bad for sitting on Ben [O’Connor], but I was on the limit for a while there,” said Thomas in the post-race interview.

Regarding Pogačar’s crash, Thomas said, “Honestly, I didn’t know until I was on the climb, and someone said Tadej was back. The plan was to go to the front, not to attack, but to stay safe on the front.”

Stage 1: Venaria Reale - Torino, 140 km

Narváez upstages pogačar to secure stage 1 victory and maglia rosa.

Stage Winner: Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers)

Race Leader: Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers)

May 4, 2024 - The opening stage of the Giro d’Italia produced plenty of fireworks and a surprise winner on the line. Team UAE Emirates set it up perfectly for Tadej Pogačar on the opening stage. After some long-lasting breakaways were caught, Pogačar broke free in the last four kilometers with Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe). The Slovenian just couldn’t gap those two rivals, and it set it up for a sprint finish. In a bit of a surprise, it was Narváez, the 27-year-old Ecuadorian national champion, outsprinting Schachmann (second on the stage) and Pogačar (third). Narváez earns the first Maglia Rosa of the 2024 Tour of Italy.

Though he didn’t win the stage, Pogačar will head into Stage 2 with an advantage over many of his top GC rivals. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) was 10 seconds behind Pogačar on the stage and, after factoring in time bonuses, 14 seconds behind Pogačar in the GC standings.

Watch Stage 1 Highlights on the Giro d’Italia’s YouTube Channel

“It was a great feeling. We knew it was going to be a stage for me, and I worked a lot on it,” Narváez said in the post-race interview. “Following the best guy in the world on the climb was really hard, so it’s a special victory today. It’s still hurting me now. It was really hard—really, really hard. But in the end, I made it.”

“I think [Pogačar] went too long in the sprint, 200 meters after a really hard stage, and I did a short sprint, and in the end, I took the victory. For me, it’s amazing. There aren’t many opportunities in a Grand Tour to get the maglia rosa on the first day because you have a bunch sprint, a TT, or a different stage. Today was a good opportunity. I worked really, really hard for it,” added Narváez.