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Tadej pogacar, slovenia win tour de france for the ages.

• Nick Zaccardi ,
• Nick Zaccardi

A Tour de France that almost didn’t happen ended up among the most exciting in the race’s 117-year history.

Tadej Pogacar , a 21-year-old Slovenian, rode into Paris on Sunday as the first man in more than 60 years to pedal in the yellow jersey for the first time on the final day of a Tour.

Let’s get the achievements out of the way: Pogacar is the first Slovenian to win the Tour, finishing with the other overall leaders behind stage winner Sam Bennett on the Champs-Elysees.

“Even if I would come second or last, it wouldn’t matter, it would be still nice to be here,” Pogacar said. “This is just the top of the top. I cannot describe this feeling with the words.”

He is the second-youngest winner in race history, after Henri Cornet in 1904. (Cornet won after the first four finishers were disqualified for unspecified cheating. The 19-year-old Frenchman rode 21 miles with a flat tire during the last stage after spectators reportedly threw nails on the road.)

Pogacar is the first man to win a Tour in his debut since Frenchman Laurent Fignon in 1983.

And he’s part of a historic one-two for Slovenia, a nation with the population of Houston.

Countryman Primoz Roglic , who wore the yellow jersey for nearly two weeks before ceding it after Saturday’s epic time trial, embraced Pogacar after a tearful defeat Saturday and again during Sunday’s stage.

Tasmanian Richie Porte , who moved from fourth place to third on Saturday, made his first Tour podium in his 10th start, a record according to ProCyclingStats.com. The age range on the Paris gloaming podium -- more than 13 years -- is reportedly the largest in Tour history .

TOUR DE FRANCE: Standings | TV, Stream Schedule | Stage By Stage

Three men on a Tour de France podium in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe, each for the first time. Hasn’t been done since 2007, arguably the first Tour of a new era.

This Tour feels similarly guard-changing.

It barely got off, delayed two months by the coronavirus pandemic. Two days before the start, France’s prime minister said the virus was “gaining ground” in the nation and announced new “red zones” in the country, including parts of the Tour route.

Testing protocols meant that if any team had two members (cyclists or staff) test positive before the start or on either rest day, the whole team would be thrown out.

It never came to that. Yet the Tour finishes without 2019 champion, Colombian Egan Bernal , who last year became the first South American winner and, at the time, the youngest in more than 100 years.

Bernal abandoned last Wednesday after struggling in the mountains. His standings plummet signaled the end, at least for now, of the Ineos Grenadiers dynasty after five straight Tour titles dating to Chris Froome and the Team Sky days.

Jumbo-Visma became the new dominant team. The leader Roglic was ushered up climbs by several Jumbo men, including Sepp Kuss , the most promising American male cyclist in several years.

What a story Roglic was shaping up to be. A junior champion ski jumper, he was concussed in a training crash on the eve of what would have been his World Cup debut in 2007. Roglic never made it to the World Cup before quitting and taking up cycling years later.

As Roglic recovered from that spill in Planica, Pogacar had his sights on the Rog Ljubljana cycling club about 60 miles east. Little Tadej wanted to follow older brother Tilen into bike racing, but the club didn’t have a bike small enough.

The following spring, they found one. Pogacar was off and pedaling. In 2018, at age 18, he was offered a contract and then signed with UAE Team Emirates, his first World Tour team. The next year, Pogacar finished third at the Vuelta a Espana won by Roglic, becoming the youngest Grand Tour podium finisher since 1974.

Pogacar was initially slated to support another rider, Fabio Aru , for UAE Emirates at this year’s Tour. But his continued ascent propelled him into a team leader role.

Bernal and Roglic entered the Tour as co-favorites. After that, Pogacar was among a group of podium contenders but perhaps with the highest ceiling.

He stayed with the favorites for much of the Tour, save losing 81 seconds on the seventh stage, caught on the wrong end of a split after a crash in front of him.

“I’m not worried,” Pogacar said that day. “We will try another day.”

The next day, actually. He reeled back half of the lost time, putting him within striking distance of Roglic going into Saturday’s 22-mile time trial, the so-called “race of truth.”

Pogacar put in a performance in the time trial that reminded of Greg LeMond ‘s epic finale in 1989. Pogacar won the stage by 81 seconds, greater than the margin separating second place from eighth place. Roglic was a disappointing fifth on the day, but he could have finished second and still lost all of his 57-second lead to Pogacar.

Pogacar turns 22 on Monday, but that might not add much to the celebration.

“Sorry,” he said, “but I’m not really a fan of my birthdays.”

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Slovenian Tadej Pogacar wins second straight Tour de France

• Associated Press

Tadej Pogacar took the yellow jersey to Paris to win his second straight Tour de France on Sunday after a grueling three-week odyssey that at times he made look like a recreational ride.

Pogacar's repeat success at cycling's biggest event was a tale of total dominance, prompting one question: At age 22, how many more Tours can the Slovenian win?

Pogacar won his first title last September when he became the Tour's youngest champion in 116 years. He is now the youngest double winner of the race.

In sharp contrast to last year - when as a rookie he had to wait until the penultimate stage to seize the overall lead - Pogacar has been untouchable in this race.

His team was better equipped and better prepared, and Pogacar assumed the favorite's mantle with the ease of a seasoned veteran. His supremacy was such that, in addition to his overall win, he also claimed the King of the Mountains and best young rider jerseys.

The UAE Team Emirates leader successfully defended his huge lead of 5 minutes, 20 seconds over second-place Jonas Vingegaard in the mostly ceremonial final stage to the Champs-Elysees on Sunday. Richard Carapaz finished third overall, 7:03 off the pace.

Vingegaard and Carapaz were the only riders to finish within 10 minutes of the two-time champion.

"I did my best, maximum, like I always do, and that was enough," Pogacar said.

Wout van Aert won the 21st stage in a mass sprint. That prevented Mark Cavendish from beating Belgian great Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins which the British sprinter equaled earlier in the race.

The mostly flat 108-kilometer (67-mile) leg began in Chatou just outside Paris and concluded with eight laps up and down the famed avenue.

Pogacar and his teammates rode together at the front of the pack as they reached the Champs-Elysees, and the Slovenia champion raised his fist in the air in celebration.

Pogacar's gesture acted as a signal for those fighting for a prestigious stage win as the first accelerations took place. But the attackers' efforts did not pay off and the stage ended in a mass sprint.

Cavendish, who consoled himself with the best sprinter's green jersey, banged his handlebar in frustration after van Aert edged Jasper Philipsen to the line. Cavendish was third.

Van Aert, a 26-year-old versatile Belgian with exceptional skills on all terrains, became the first competitor since 1979 to win a sprint, a mountain stage and an individual time trial in the same edition of the Tour.

As for Pogacar, the only crack in his armor came in the Mont Ventoux stage in the second week, when he was briefly dropped by Vingegaard during the second ascent of the iconic mountain. But Pogacar showed calm and composure that day to catch his rival and remained unscathed.

Apart from that scare, Pogacar's ride was flawless and merciless.

Following his stunning display in the first time trial, he was in a class of his own in the Alps and seized the race lead with a vintage long-distance attack in atrocious weather. He then wrapped up the demolition work in the Pyrenees with two prestigious stage wins to become only the fourth rider in Tour history to win consecutive summit finishes at cycling's biggest race.

Even Merckx, the five-time Tour champion widely regarded as the greatest-ever winner, was impressed.

"I see in him the new 'Cannibal,'" said Merckx, who earned that nickname for his ruthless will to win. "He can certainly win the Tour de France more than five times."

Pogacar has won praise for his attacking mentality and his ambition to deliver in all types of races. This season, he linked up his first Tour triumph with victories at the UAE Tour, Tirenno-Adriatico and the prestigious one-day classic Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

But as always at the Tour de France when a competitor outclasses the field, Pogacar's dominant ride also raised suspicions. He was asked this week about UAE Team Emirates general manager Mauro Gianetti's ties with riders who received doping suspensions in the past.

Gianetti was previously the manager of Saunier Duval, the team of Riccardo Ricco, an Italian rider who tested positive for the blood-boosting drug CERA in 2008. He was also manager of the Geox-TMX outfit of Juan Jose Cobo, who was stripped of his 2011 Spanish Vuelta title for doping violations.

"I can only speak for myself," Pogacar said. "When I met Mauro, he was really great to me, and he is a super good person. I believe what is in the past is in the past, and this new cycling is a way more beautiful sport than before."

Pogacar has insisted that the repeated doping controls he underwent should be enough to convince doubters that he is riding clean.

"I think we have many controls to prove them wrong," Pogacar said during the race's first rest day.

Pogacar's dominance was helped by the misfortunes of two of his biggest rivals, last year's runner-up Primoz Roglic and former Tour champion Geraint Thomas, who tumbled during the crash-marred first week of racing and never recovered. More importantly, 2019 champion Egan Bernal skipped the Tour this year after his Giro victory in May. The Colombian climber is just 24, has excellent time trial abilities and should be Pogacar's main rival in the years to come.

Meanwhile, Pogacar will fly to the Tokyo Olympics where he will be among the favorites for the gold medal in the road race.

"Anyone who can follow Tadej will be close to victory," said van Aert.

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Tour de France Crowns Young Champion to Close Its Pandemic Edition

Riding into Paris a day after grabbing the lead, Tadej Pogacar, 21, was still struggling to fathom how he had claimed his victory over two unforgettable days.

By Elian Peltier

Tadej Pogacar on Sunday became the youngest winner of the Tour de France in the post-World War II era, rolling into Paris a day after he took the leader’s yellow jersey off the shoulders of his friend and rival Primoz Roglic in an epic time trial that rewrote the ending of a one-of-a-kind, pandemic-delayed edition of the world’s most famous cycling race.

Pogacar, who will turn 22 on Monday, also became the first rider from Slovenia to win the Tour, and the first to claim these three of the event’s simultaneous competitions in the same year: the yellow jersey for the general classification, the polka-dot jersey as the race’s top climber and the white one awarded to the Tour’s best young rider.

“This is an incredible feeling, standing here in Paris on the top of the podium,” Pogacar told reporters. “It was an amazing three weeks, an incredible journey.”

Sam Bennett of Ireland won Sunday’s 21st stage in a sprint on the Champs-Élysées but, in keeping with tradition on the race’s final day, the cyclists mostly rode at a slower pace than the one they had maintained for three weeks, and the overall standings remained unchanged from Saturday’s penultimate stage.

For most of the day, all eyes were on the 21-year-old Pogacar, who on Saturday accomplished what many had thought impossible: He wiped out Roglic’s 57-second lead by beating his rival by almost two minutes in an individual time trial. In doing so, Pogacar opened an insurmountable lead of his own entering the final day.

The dramatic finish lit up a Tour that took place amid stringent coronavirus-related regulations — imposed by both Tour organizers and French health officials — that affected several aspects of the race, including how the teams would compete in it and how fans would watch it from the roadsides. This year’s Tour might not have been as spectacular as last year’s edition, when Egan Bernal of Colombia, then 22 years old, became its youngest champion since World War II. But the rivalry between Pogacar and Roglic, two friends from Slovenia, kept the race captivating as it became clear entering the final week that one of them would win.

Throughout this year’s 2,165-mile journey, many focused not so much on who might lift the trophy but on all of the things that could go wrong. The race had already been pushed out of its traditional summer window by the pandemic, and in recent weeks, France, one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, has had a surge of new infections. Even as the race wound its way across the country’s roads and up and down mountain passes, the local authorities have reimposed restrictions to contain new outbreaks.

Taking hundreds of cyclists and staff members on a tour around France in that context seemed a risky, and perhaps reckless, endeavor. But organizers pressed ahead.

Fans were scarcer during many stages, and their access to the start and finish areas each day was limited. Selfies and autographs were forbidden, and masks were common. On Sunday in Paris, hundreds of spectators lined up on the Champs-Élysées and around the Arc de Triomphe plaza to see the 146 remaining riders.

But throughout the race, the protocols put in place to keep the riders safe appeared to have worked, and with the teams remaining in a so-called bubble, the Tour proved that a sporting event of its scale could take place in the middle of a pandemic, even as other events, like the 2020 Tokyo Olympics or this summer’s European soccer championship, were postponed to 2021.

While the coronavirus was largely kept out of the bubble, it remained omnipresent: The Tour’s race director, Christian Prudhomme, tested positive and had to isolate himself for a week, and during many stages, fans cheered and ran alongside unmasked cyclists on narrow roads with their own masks down or without masks at all.

The Tour breathed an enormous sigh of relief on Tuesday, after all of the remaining cyclists emerged from a final round of virus testing with negative results. Of the 176 riders who started the Tour, 30 abandoned the race, but none of the departures was linked to the coronavirus.

Amid all of this worry, though, the Tour remained the Tour, with its passionate fans and scenic climbs, its unexpected twists and age-old traditions: France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, paid a visit to the cyclists on Wednesday; favorites (including Bernal, last year’s champion) abandoned the race either through injury or when it became clear they could not win; and French cyclists turned in another year of disappointing performances.

Many expected the fate of the Tour to be sealed on Wednesday on Stage 17 at the Col de la Loze, a harrowing mountain climb in the French Alps that had never appeared on the race’s route. Experts predicted that the 7,560-feet-high climb would finally decide the duel between Pogacar and Roglic, but after nearly five hours of racing and 25 miles of steep hills, the two Slovenes remained only seconds apart, always in each other’s sight even as Roglic finished the stage second, 15 seconds ahead of Pogacar.

By Saturday, Roglic’s lead was a comfortable 57 seconds, with only the individual time trial and Sunday’s ride into Paris remaining. As he rolled down the starting ramp, Pogacar’s chances were slim. Roglic went off right behind him.

Yet it was a modest climb at the end of that time trial, not the fearsome ascents in the Alps or the hills of the Massif Central, that will be remembered as the defining stretch of this year’s Tour. It was there that Pogacar completed his last-chance push for the lead, and where Roglic, having fallen almost two minutes behind his rival’s pace, crumbled on the final hill.

Pogacar won the stage, and took over the leader’s yellow jersey. Roglic finished a disappointing fifth. Afterward he collapsed to the pavement, knowing that his lead, and his title hopes, were gone.

Richie Porte, the 35-year-old Australian rider who finished the Tour in third place overall, 3 minutes 30 seconds behind the winner, said Roglic may have deserved to win the race, but that Pogacar’s ride on Saturday had been incredible.

After crossing the finish line on Sunday, Pogacar said he still couldn’t believe he had won. “Finally,” he said, noting that he had taken the time during Sunday’s ride to talk with his teammates after weeks of “going full gas.”

“It’s unbelievable, it’s really crazy,” Pogacar said. “This is just the top of the top.”

Elian Peltier is the West Africa correspondent at The New York Times. He joined The Times in 2017 and was previously based in Paris and London. He now lives in Dakar, Senegal. More about Elian Peltier

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Tadej Pogačar Has Won His 2nd Tour De France In A Row

James Doubek

Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia celebrates in Paris after claiming his second Tour de France victory in a row on Sunday. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia celebrates in Paris after claiming his second Tour de France victory in a row on Sunday.

Slovenian powerhouse Tadej Pogačar officially claimed his second Tour de France victory on Sunday after dominating the field for most of the race's three weeks.

Pogačar, 22, pulled ahead in the general classification standings on a rainy stage eight and never gave up the leading rider's yellow jersey, winning three of the race's 21 stages.

Last year, Pogačar came to an unexpected victory after his rival Primož Roglič faltered in the penultimate stage time trial. At the time he was the youngest winner of the Tour in 116 years.

"I can't compare both Tour de France victories, I can't say which one is more beautiful," Pogačar said, according to The Associated Press. "This time, I took the yellow jersey quite earlier. It has been totally different."

A Pro Cyclist Rode An Unofficial, Solo Tour De France And Beat The Pack

Twenty-four-year-old Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard finished second overall, with Ecuadorian star Richard Carapaz, age 28, finishing third. Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian to ever finish in the top three in the Tour's history.

Pogačar was a favorite to win going into the race. Roglič, also of Slovenia, was another favorite but was caught up in multiple crashes early in the race and dropped out to recover from his injuries.

Mark Cavendish resurrects his cycling career

Meanwhile, Mark Cavendish, 36, a native of the Isle of Man, resurrected a career that had seemed to be on a downturn, winning four stages of the Tour.

Mark Cavendish, pictured on his fourth win of this year's Tour de France on July 9, matched the record Tour wins of the legend Eddy Merckx. Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Mark Cavendish, pictured on his fourth win of this year's Tour de France on July 9, matched the record Tour wins of the legend Eddy Merckx.

In doing so, Cavendish reached a total of 34 Tour de France stage wins in his career, matching the record set between 1969 and 1975 by Eddy Merckx, who is generally considered the greatest cyclist of all time.

Cavendish broke out in tears after his first win of this year's Tour, his first in five years. He was only selected to be on the team at the last minute after another rider's injury.

"I didn't think I'd ever get to come back to this race," he said in an emotional post-race interview.

"I don't know what to say man" First words from the 🇮🇲 Manx Missile, fresh from a 31st stage win. @MarkCavendish #TDF2021 pic.twitter.com/9tMygrixNA — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 29, 2021

American Sepp Kuss breaks through

And this year American audiences also saw the first American win a stage of the Tour since 2011: Sepp Kuss of Durango, Colo.

Sepp Kuss became the first American to win a stage of the Tour de France since 2011 this year, with a win in the 15th stage on July 11. Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Sepp Kuss became the first American to win a stage of the Tour de France since 2011 this year, with a win in the 15th stage on July 11.

"He's been tremendous," writer Patrick Redford of the website Defector told All Things Considered . "I mean, he's 26 years old, so some people are potentially talking him up as the next American winner of the Tour. He's looked incredibly strong."

Several of the riders from the Tour are now readying to travel to Tokyo, where they'll take part in this year's Olympics.

Tour de France results, standings: Tadej Pogačar invincible with Stage 20 victory

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar outsprinted rival Jonas Vingegaard in the final meters of the race to win the penultimate stage of the 2024 Tour de France on Saturday, effectively sealing his position as the general classification winner barring any catastrophe at tomorrow's individual time trial. Pogačar’s victory was his fifth individual stage win of the 2024 Tour de France and the 16th of his Tour career. With just one more test remaining tomorrow, the 25-year-old Slovenian seems invincible at this late stage of the race. Pogačar, of UAE Team Emirates, has had a dominant year. If he officially wins the yellow jersey on Sunday, he will become the first man in the 21st century to win both the Tour and the Giro d'Italia in the same season.

"I’m really happy I got another stage win — just one more day to go," Pogačar said. "That one, I’m going to enjoy it too."

Stage 20 marked the last day of group racing, as Sunday's final stage will be an individual time trial for the first time since 1989. The riders will tackle a 21-mile route from Monaco to the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France. 

Along the mountainous route from Nice to Nice to Col de la Couillole, the best climbers attacked early. However, the ascending speed of Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost and Spain's Enrich Mas of Movistar quickly separated the pair, who led the field until the final kilometers of the race.

With just the time trial remaining, Carapaz officially secured his polka-dotted jersey, becoming the first Ecuadorian to win the title in history.

"This Mountain jersey is a prestigious prize," Carapaz said yesterday after taking the lead in the mountains category. "All riders in my country dream of it because in Ecuador there are many mountains."

Eritrea's Biniam Girmay of Intermarché-Wanty also made history with his overall victory in the points classification, becoming the first Black rider to win a green jersey.

"We did such an incredible job to protect this jersey," Girmay said. "We gave everything we had."

Meanwhile, for most of the race, a second breakout group of the field’s top general classification riders formed to chase down Carapez and Mas. Approximately 8 km from the top of Col de la Couillole, white jersey wearer Remco Evenepoel of Belgium and Soudal-QuickStep attacked but failed to decisively break away as leading duo Pogačar and Vingegaard of Visma Lease a Bike followed. 

Portugal’s Joao Almeida of UAE Team Emirates put in extra work to lead the top trio for a few kilometers in aid of team leader Pogačar until Evenepoel attempted to surge to the front once again. This time, though, Vingegaard responded fiercely, and only Pogačar could follow the Dane, dropping the Belgian in the top duo’s wake. 

Vingegaard and Pogačar, both two-time Tour de France Champions, eventually caught Carapaz and Mas 2.5km from the finish line. Carapaz kept pace with the pair for a few hundred meters but was dropped in the last 800m of the race, setting the dynamic duo up for a sprint finish in which Pogačar ultimately prevailed. Pogačar’s relentless pace and strategic brilliance ultimately gave him a seven-second edge over his rival.

Pogačar now stands five minutes and 14 seconds ahead of Vingegaard and eight minutes and four seconds ahead of Evenepoel. Although Evenepoel has the best time trial ability on paper, Pogačar is so far ahead that, unless he suffers a disastrous outing tomorrow, the Slovenian should win his third Tour de France, having previously triumphed in 2020 and 2021, but finishing behind Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023.

Tour de France Stage 20 results

TOUR DE FRANCE: Recap, results and standings after Stage 19

Tour de France general classification standings after Stage 20

Tour de france jersey standings after stage 20.

• Yellow ( general classification ) : Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
• Green ( points classification ):  Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty)
• Polka dot ( mountains classification ):  Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)
• White (young rider classification ):  Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep)
• Yellow numbers ( teams classification) :  UAE Team Emirates
• Golden numbers ( combativity award ): Enric Mas (Movistar)

Tour de France Stage 21: How to watch, schedule, distance

Date : Sunday, July 21, 2024

Location : Monaco to Nice

Distance : 21 miles (33.7 km)

Type : Individual time trial

Streaming : Peacock, FuboTV

MORE: Watch the Tour de France with Peacock

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Slovenia's Cycling Stars Set for Historic Tour de France

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The 111th edition of Tour de France kicks off this Saturday. Slovenia's top champions, Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, have been frequently mentioned as potential overall winners since the last year's race. These exceptional cyclists also serve as ambassadors of Slovenian tourism.

The much-anticipated 111th edition of the Tour de France is predicted to be a Slovenian triumph. Two Slovenian champions who have topped the world cycling rankings in recent years, Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, are in top form and have been frequently mentioned as potential overall winners since the last year's race. Moreover, sports commentators are convinced that these two Slovenians are prime contenders for victory and will be the biggest draw for fans from all over the world, eager to discover Slovenia's formula for breathtaking sporting success.

More about Tour de France

A Unique Opportunity to Promote Slovenia as a Hub for Top Cyclists

Winning Tour de France , the most prestigious of the three grand cycling races, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of cycling achievement . This year’s 111th edition offers a unique platform to showcase Slovenia's cycling prowess on the global stage. Due to the Olympic Games in Paris, the Tour de France will follow a slightly modified route, starting in Florence and culminating in Nice. Over the course of three weeks, the world's elite professional cyclists will battle through a diverse number of challenges: sprints, hill climbs, mountain ascents, time trials, and, for the first time, a macadam stage. This varied terrain is designed to ensure a thrilling contest for the yellow jersey that promises to captivate fans right up to the final day.

During the race, the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB) is seizing the opportunity to elevate Slovenia’s profile as a top destination for cycling enthusiasts. Through a range of promotional activities during the race, the STB will promote Slovenia and the “ I Feel Slovenia” brand, highlighting the country’s exceptional outdoor experiences that attract cycling fans from around the globe. Among these efforts, the STB is crafting special stories featuring Slovenian tourism ambassadors and their cycling adventures. One such story follows the Roglič family on a scenic cycling tour through the picturesque region of Štajerska.

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Foreign Media on Slovenia: What’s the Secret Formula for Its Cycling Success?

As part of the Slovenian Tourist Board’s (STB) partnership with Eurosport, a new advertising campaign is capturing the global spotlight during the Tour de France. This year’s campaign is centered around a captivating promotional video titled “Slovenia: It’s All in Our Nature” featuring Tadej Pogačar. As the visibility and admiration for Slovenia’s cycling champions grow, so does the international curiosity about the nation where these exceptional athletes began their journey.

Since the end of last year's Tour de France and Primož Roglič's team change, it’s rare to find a race article that doesn’t at least mention Slovenia’s cycling stars, if not place them at the centre of the story. In anticipation of the Tour de France, the STB welcomed a journalist from Le Monde , France’s premier daily newspaper, for an in-depth special report on Slovenia’s unique cycling culture and the natural beauty that nurtures its champions. She explored Slovenia’s rich cycling tradition and picturesque landscapes, including visits to the national road cycling championship in Trebnje, the 6th Tadej Pogačar Cup, and the cheering atmosphere of the Tour of Slovenia with a challenging climb up Krvavec. She also experienced the winter allure of Planica and the Planica Nordic Centre, learning about the successes of Primož Roglič and Slovenia’s Nordic skiing legends. Additionally, she explored Slovenia’s diverse cycling infrastructure, from long-distance bike routes and mountain bike centres to the velodrome in Novo Mesto.

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Pogačar: " I Can't Wait to See the Fans Again!"

Tadej Pogačar , the top cyclist in the UCI's world rankings and one of Slovenia’s most prominent athletes, has been eagerly following the achievements of his fellow Slovenian stars since his triumph at the Giro d’Italia. From Luka Dončić ’s standout performance in the NBA Finals to the Slovenian national football team's impressive run at EURO 2024, Pogačar has been celebrating his compatriots' successes. Notably, he filmed a special motivational video for the Slovenian football team, which was featured during the Slovenia-Denmark match. You can watch the video here .

In his final interview before the team presentations and the start of the Tour de France on Saturday, Pogačar expressed his excitement and readiness for the challenge ahead. Reflecting on his intense preparation since the Giro, he stated: “I can’t wait to see the fans again!” As a two-time Tour de France winner and two-time runner-up in the past four editions, Pogačar is “hungry for overall victory” in this year’s Tour. He acknowledged that his rivals, including Primož Roglič, are exceptionally well-prepared, and he knows he will need to give his absolute best on every stage of the race.

Slovenia's Biggest Chance in History: Two Top Favourites for the Overall Title

The 111th Tour de France is set to be the most exhilarating edition in history, featuring an all-star line-up and an intense battle for the overall victory. Tadej Pogačar , fresh off his stunning triumph at the Giro d’Italia, is widely regarded as the top favourite for the title. He faces strong competition from Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard , who is a close second, and Slovenia’s own Primož Roglič , after winning the prestigious Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this season. Additionally, Matej Mohorič is a notable name on the shortlist of potential stage winners, while Luka Mezgec will represent Slovenia as the lead-out man for the sprints.

The excitement surrounding this year’s Tour de France is heightened by the race’s start in Italy, which is expected to draw a significant number of Slovenian fans. Research agencies report that accommodation prices in Florence are rising by over 30%, and dining costs have increased by 27%, reflecting the high demand from fans. For many European visitors, outdoor experiences are the main attraction, while American tourists tend to focus on museums and cultural events. According to marketing reports from Almawave Group, the 2024 Tour de France is projected to achieve record attendance and generate an additional economic boost of more than $901 million, thanks to its collaboration with Italy.

Primož Roglič – from ski jumping to cycling to Olympic gold

Discover the cycling routes of Slovenia, the homeland of Primož Roglič, a top cyclist who became the Olympic champion at the Tokyo Olympics.

Tadej Pogačar – winner of Tour de France 2024 and Giro d'Italia 2024

Get to know the Slovenian grandmaster of great cycling races, Tadej Pogačar.

Five cycling experiences in Slovenia picked by Tadej Pogačar

Cycling experiences in Slovenia that the two-time Tour de France winner swears by.

Cycling in Štajerska with the Roglič family

Discover the charms of the wine-growing regions around Ormož and Ptuj with Primož Roglič's family.

Global public relations and Marketing e-mail address: press(at)slovenia.info

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Pogačar wins first high mountain stage of Tour de France

Slovenian superstar rider Tadej Pogačar took control of the Tour de France after beating the other main general classification rivals up and down the Galibier pass in stage 4.

The 25-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider left his Danish rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) behind to earn the bonus seconds at the top of the first big climb of the race before stretching out his advantage on a daring descent into Valloire.

Soloing to the finish line 35 seconds ahead of Belgian Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step), he reclaimed the leader's yellow jersey after conceding it for a day to Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost), who finished the latest stage 5:10 minutes adrift.

In the general classification standings, Pogačar now has 45 seconds on Evenepoel and 50 seconds on Vingegaard in third.

"I'm super happy. This was more or less the plan, and we executed it really well," Pogačar told the organisers after his 12th Tour de France stage win and his 78th career victory.

"I wanted to hit hard today, I know this stage really well, I've been training a lot of weeks already, it felt like a home stage. I had confidence at the start. I had good legs, so I had to try," he added.

The other Slovenian favourite, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished the stage in fourth, 35 seconds adrift, to climb to 5th overall with a gap of 1:14 minute.

He could not keep up with Pogačar during the climb but managed to reel in losses somewhat during the descent.

"Because of Tadej the tempo was really fast, but it suited him well, so congratulations," he said about the Galibier climb, telling RTV Slovenija things were getting better for him.

More from Sport

Tadej Pogačar Earned $554K at the Tour de France. So, Why Did Kasia Niewiadoma Get Just 10%?

Pogačar and Niewiadoma both celebrated Tour de France victories, but their payouts tell a different story.

We know the arguments will come in that the men’s race has more sponsors, a longer history, and is longer, at 21 stages, compared to the women’s eight. But the discrepancy is so vast that even those arguments don’t stand. To put it in terms of Euros per kilometer raced, the 2023 men’s Tour winner was paid €142.94 ($158.74) per km while the women’s winner earned €52.7 ($58.52) per km.

Breaking it down

The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which is the highest paying race in the women’s WorldTour, has a total prize purse of €250,000 ($277,000). The overall winner earns €50,000 ($55,525), second place earns €25,000 ($27,762) and third place €10,000 ($11,105).

The men, on the other hand, had a total prize purse of €2.4 million ($26,652,240). Pogačar took home the €500,000 ($554,000) grand prize, which is exactly twice as much as the entire prize pool of the Femmes.

The discrepancies continue throughout the pay for the two races. For instance, an individual stage win in the Tour de France Femmes earns a rider €4,000 ($4,442). In the Tour de France, the men earn €11,000 ($12,215) for a stage win. This means that when all was said and done for Pogačar, he walked away with €650,000 ($721,831). Niewiadoma, on the other hand, took home less than a tenth of that.

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Cycling Weekly further broke down the various jersey earnings. The points classification was won by Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) in the men’s Tour, and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the women’s Tour. Girmay took home €25,000 ($27,762) and an additional €300 ($333) for every day he spent in the green jersey. Vos, on the other hand, took home €3,000 ($3,331) and an additional €100 ($111) per day in green.

The same is true, of course, for the mountain points jersey and the best young rider jersey. The men earned more than eight times what the women did. It’s no wonder most pro-women still have to work other jobs and scrape things together in order to make their dreams come true.

These numbers and the vast differences are almost identical to last year’s , meaning nothing has changed. But it needs to. More coverage of women’s racing means more viewers and more fans. More fans mean more money, which is the only way to achieve parity.

Micah Ling is a freelance writer who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She splits her free time between mountain biking and trail running.

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift

2024 Tour de France Femmes: Results from Stage 8

Neither Niewiadoma or Vollering May Win the TdFF

TdFF Stage 8 Preview: Alpe d’Huez or Bust

Do the Mountains Know the TdF Femmes Is Coming?

Cédrine Kerbaol’s Stage 6 Win Shifts the GC

Tour de France Femmes 2024 Stage 7 Preview

SD-Worx Put Too Much Trust in Their Radios

TdF Femmes Stage 6: The Calm before the Storm

How Puck Pieterse Beat Demi Vollering on Stage 4

2024 Tour de France Femmes: Stage 5 Preview

2024 Tour de France Femmes Preview

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Tour Femmes’24 Final Stage 8: Vollering Just Short of the Overall!

Niewiadoma wins the final overall.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage Report: The 8th and final stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift produced a thrilling finale on l’Alpe d’Huez with Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) securing the GC win as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) took the stage victory. Vollering rode incredibly to win the stage, followed across the line by Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) at 4 seconds, with Evita Muzic (FDJ-SUEZ) third at 1:01 and Niewiadoma fourth, in the same time, which was enough to secure the Yellow Jersey and GC glory for Niewiadoma by just 4 seconds. Vollering finished the race in second place overall, with Rooijakkers completing the podium in third at 10 seconds and Muzic fourth at 1:21.

The last kilometre of stage 8

Shayla Gutierrez (Movistar), Barbara Malcotti and Marit Raaijmakers (Human Powered Health) and Josie Talbot (Cofidis) didn’t start the last stage. There were 116 riders on the road as the peloton rolled out of Le Grand-Bornand ready for the 149.9km challenge to Alpe d’Huez, via Col du Glandon.

Ahead of the first categorised climb of the day, the Col de Tamie (27.2km, Cat.2, 9.5km at 4%), a strong 22 rider break formed, comprising of Mischa Bredewold, Christine Majerus, Blanka Vas and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Franziska Koch (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal), Loes Adegeest (FDJ-SUEZ), Riejanne Markus and Fem Van Empel (Visma | Lease a Bike), Silke Smulders (Liv-AlUla-Jayco), Alice Maria Arzuffi (Ceratizit-WNT), Kristen Faulkner and Noemi Ruegg (EF-Oatly-Cannondale), Liane Lippert and Olivia Baril (Movistar), Silvia Persico and Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ), Katrine Aalerud and Mie Bjorndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobilty), Camille Fahy and Celia Le Mouel (St-Michel-Mavic-Auber93).

At the top of the Tamie climb Ghekiere strengthened her position in the Mountain classification reaching the summit first, followed by Bredewold, Majerus and Adegeest. By the time the break reached the intermediate sprint at km 53.4km at Aiguebelle (Val D’arc) they had a 2:50 gap over the bunch. Wiebes won the sprint, ahead of Majerus and Barrel. Approaching the Col du Glandon (98.5km, HC, 19.7km at 7.2%) the peloton accelerated and the gap to the break was quickly reduced to 1:30 as the climb started.

The likes of Faulkner, Fahy, Wiebes and Persico were dropped by the break early on the Col du Glandon climb. 1:00 was the gap from the peloton to the front of the race 15.5km from the summit of the Glandon, with Lippert, Brand, Magnaldi, Aalerud, Smulders, Arzuffi and Adegeest riding clear of the remainder of the escape, their former companions in the lead group dropping back into the bunch on the climb. Ghekiere was one of those who fell back on the ascent, then also dropping behind the peloton having expended so much energy in her epic win yesterday.

Valentina Cavallar (Arkea-B&ampB Hotels) attacked from the main group and went solo at the front, overtaking what remained of the break, 5km from the summit of the Glandon. The race then exploded as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) distanced the wearer of the Yellow Jersey, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM) with her first attack, 2.5 kilometres from the top of the Col du Glandon, with only Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck) managing to follow the 2023 Tour winner, as they joined Cavallar at the front. Those three went over the summit 57 seconds ahead of Niewiadoma, who was in a group with Gigante, Realini, Muzic, Brand and Kerbaol. As Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) was not one of the point-scoring first 8 riders over Glandon summit it confirmed the polka dot jersey for Ghekiere.

Vollering initially left Rooijakkers and Cavallar behind on the first bends of the descent, but the pair soon rejoined her, only for Cavallar to eventually lose contact with the Dutch pair. Rooijakkers fought hard to stay with Vollering on the last kilometres of the descent and with 25km to go the pair were still together, 1:15 ahead of the Yellow Jersey group. Under Lucinda Brand’s leadership for Lidl-Trek and at the service of Gaia Realini, that group reassembled at the Verney dam, 25km from the finish. Niewiadoma, Kerbaol (3rd in the GC after Stage 7 at 37 seconds), Muzic (9th at 1:25), Realini (12th at 1:49), Brand (13th at 2:01), Fisher-Black (28th at 7:26) and Cavallar (36th at 14:22) were all present and ready for the final battle.

When the climb of Alpe d’Huez (149.9km, HC, 13.8km at 8.1%) commenced the gap between the front two and the chasing GC leader’s group was 44 seconds. A reduced chasing group of Niewiadoma, Realini and Muzic were only 39 seconds behind Vollering and Rooijakkers 12.6km from the finish, but as Vollering pressed on the gap was back up to 1:05 with 10km to go. By the 5km to go marker the difference between the two groups was 59 seconds as the tension mounted. Although Vollering would go on to reach the finish line first just ahead of Rooijakkers, Niewiadoma’s fourth place finish behind Muzic was enough to seal the Yellow Jersey.

Stage winner and 2nd overall, Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime): “It feels very sour that I lost by just four seconds. Because before the Yellow Jersey was very secure on my shoulders, but then the stupid crash was there and I lost it actually there. It’s really painful to know now that it was not enough today. Normally I would also be able to do it, but today I had a lot of pain in my back. It was a big fight against myself on Alpe d’Huez. I tried to fight with everything I had. I know that we have an event in Holland and there are a lot of people fighting every year for a good charity for cancer research. All those people fight all the way to here [Alpe d’Huez]. Today I was thinking about this. I could never give up, that was what I did, but it was not enough. I won two stages, one time second and one time third, I had a very good Tour de France, only one day was a bad day.”

Final overall winner and 4th on the stage, Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM): “That was a real rollercoaster of emotions. On the descent [of the Glandon] I was able to rebuild myself, refresh and I was so lucky to have Lucinda Brand there, so I think we also have to say a big thanks to Lidl – Trek because they did a great job for us. On Alpe d’Huez I knew that I just had to pace myself right, so that I could give my best in the last 5 km, so that I could minimise the gap as much as possible. To be honest I lost the faith again. In the radio they were screaming so much in the last 2 km and to be honest I went through such a terrible time on this last climb. I hated everything, to then arriving at the finish line and learning that I had won the Tour de France, which is insane! It is so mind blowing because there are so many people that I am thankful and grateful for, starting with my husband, my family, my whole team, my coach, who put in so much work to prepare me for this, and my friends! This is dedicated to so many people who contributed to the victory!”

# Thanks to ASO for the stage details. #

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Stage 8 Result: 1. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 4:34:14 2. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:04 3. Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:01 4. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM 5. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 1:31 6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT at 3:15 7. Valentina Cavallar (Aust) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 3:34 8. Sarah Gigante (Aus) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 5:10 9. Niamh Fisher-Black (NZ) SD Worx-Protime at 5:14 10. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 7:06.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Final Overall Result: 1. Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Pol) Canyon//SRAM in 24:36:07 2. Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 0:04 3. Pauliena Rooijakkers (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:10 4. Evita Muzic (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:21 5. Gaia Realini (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 2:19 6. Cedrine Kerbaol (Fra) Ceratizit-WNT at 2:51 7. Sarah Gigante (Aus) AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step at 7:09 8. Lucinda Brand (Ned) Lidl-Trek at 8:06 9. Juliette Labous (Fra) dsm-firmenich-PostNL at 8:07 10. Thalita de Jong (Ned) Lotto Dstny at 8:12.

Alastair Hamilton has been a pro team mechanic on the road, track and mountain bike and worked for the Great Britain team at the World championships in all disciplines. Since moving to Spain and finding out how to use a computer, he has gone from contributor of Daily Distractions at the 2002 Vuelta a España to editor at PezCyclingNews.

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A Brutal Crash and a French Victory in the Tour de France Femmes

John waechter | aug 17, 2024.

Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes blew up in a crash that significantly changed the dynamic of the race. The Tour de France Femmes’ return to the world stage in 2022 has highlighted women’s cycling, and this year’s Tour has supercharged the sport with exciting and competitive racing.

Demi Vollering, the defending race champion, entered Stage 5 sporting the Yellow Jersey, but was entangled in the crash and lost valuable time to the new Maillot Jaune Kasia Niewiadoma.

The 2024 Tour de France Femmes runs from August 12-18. The race began in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and will finish on the iconic Alpe D’Huez, France. The Alpe D’Huez represents the toughest final stage to the Tour de France Femmes in its three-year history.

Stage 5: Bastogne to Amnéville (93.2-miles) - Rolling terrain with five categorized climbs.

American Kristen Faulkner nearly repeated her Olympic success in Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes while leading a blazing finish. Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) overtook Faulkner, and three others, in the final seconds to capture the stage in electrifying fashion. She narrowly beat Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Liane Lippert (Movistar Team), and Faulkner (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) in the sprint of a group that survived a brutal crash just six kilometers from the finish line.

Faulkner initiated an explosive sprint in the final kilometer attempting to repeat Olympic glory, but Vas would not allow it.

The consequential pile-up engulfed the maillot jaune, Demi Vollering, who lost 1:47 and the GC lead to Niewiadoma – a devastating curse of bad luck. The stage belonged to a delighted Niewiadoma . 

“It’s crazy, I still can’t believe it. I really did not expect this today because I felt so bad during the race. Lorena Wiebes said to me, ‘believe in yourself’, and it helped me a lot. My radio was not working, so I did not know what happened at the back. Demi crashed, so we lost yellow, that’s a shame, and now I have mixed feelings,” said the stage winner.

In the last kilometre, Faulkner attacked to anticipate a sprint, almost a copy of the final in the Olympics – but this time, Vas quickly closed the gap.

“In the final, I was like, ‘I cannot let Faulkner go’, because I did the same mistake in the Olympics. I was suffering so much, but I knew if I survive this small climb, then maybe I can win. The Olympics gave me a lot of confidence because I was racing in the front, so I know if I have a good day, I can be in the front,” Vas said.

Stage 6: Remiremont to Morteau (99.4-miles) - The first major mountain stage with over 2,200 meters of climbing.

France prevailed in a historic Stage 6. For the first time since the Tour de France Femmes was revived in 2022, a French rider took a stage win. Cédrine Kerbaol, just 23 years-old, engineered an a solo attack 14.5 kilometers from the finish line to seal a stunning victory. Kasia Niewiadoma retained the yellow jersey, which she will take into the Tour’s final, mountainous weekend to conclude the prestigious race.

The penultimate Stage 7 awaits. The 103.4-mile (166.4 kilometers) stage gains close to 10,000 ft. of vertical, marking the first true test of climbing and the effects of altitude.

Tour Race Director, Marion Rouse, described Stage 7: “The longest stage of this 2024 edition will begin with a number of smallish hurdles, plus the long haul up the Col de la Croix de la Serra (12km at 5.1%), from the Saint-Claude side. It concludes with a new and steep finish at Chinaillon (7km, 5.1%), an authentic hamlet with traditional chalets on the flanks of the Col de la Colombière.”

And, it only gets tougher with Stage 8, when the tour concludes on the grueling slopes of Alpe d’Huez to conclude the Tour.

JOHN WAECHTER

John Waechter reached the summit of Mt. Everest (29,029 ft.) on May 25th, 2001. With the ascent of Mt. Everest, he successfully completed climbing the highest peak on each of the world’s seven continents, becoming the 58th person to conquer the Seven Summits. John continues to climb and enjoys other outdoor pursuits including road and gravel biking, running, and hiking. He covers climbing expeditions throughout the world, as well as other extreme adventures. John is the co-author of ‘Conquering The Seven Summits of Sales, published by HarperCollins. This book explores business sales practices and peak performance, while weaving in climbing metaphors and experiences. John graduated from Whitman College and received an MBA from the University of Washington. John serves on the Board of Directors at Seattle Bank, and SHWorldwide, LLC.

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Tour de France Femmes Stage 7: Justine Ghekiere a Superb Solo Winner on Le Grand-Bornand

Kasia niewiadoma and demi vollering trade gc punches but dutchwoman unable to snap elastic on first summit finish of race..

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Justine Ghekiere took a dazzling stage victory in the Queen of the Mountains jersey Saturday, winning solo from the break on the first summit finish of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift .

On what was the toughest stage thus far, race leader Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) and defending champion Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) took digs at each other amid stop/go action on the final climb of Le Grand Bornand, with Vollering unable to snap the elastic and Niewiadoma driving the pace inside the closing kilometers.

Vollering declined to work and while she pulled slightly ahead in the sprint to the line, it wasn’t enough to register a time difference.

The time bonus for third behind Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) and Maëva Squiban (Arkéa-B&B Hotels Women) was the only change to her GC time, with the Dutchwoman reducing her deficit to Niewiadoma by just four seconds.

It wasn’t the outcome she was seeking, with Vollering still a distant 1:15 off the yellow jersey in eighth place overall.

“I felt really good, actually,” said Niewiadoma. “At first at the beginning of the climb I was like, ‘wow, we have been riding for so long,’ and I definitely felt the fatigue. But once you get into the race mode you kind of forget about everything. So I was happy that was I able to just dial in.”

Niewiadoma was happy with the outcome, and with good reason. That four seconds to Vollering aside, she is in a better position than before the stage, extending her overall lead on her closest rivals. Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuncink) yields five seconds while moving up two places to second overall, 27 seconds back.

Friday’s stage winner Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team) slips one place to third, 37 seconds down.

It means that with one stage remaining Niewiadoma is increasingly confident about her chances, knowing that Vollering, Pieterse and the other riders will need to be significantly stronger if they are to seriously challenge for yellow on Sunday’s concluder on the famed climb of Alpe d’Huez.

As for Ghekiere, she was a late call-up to the race and was in disbelief after a successful solo attack from the day’s break with 13km to go.

“I really have no words. I think I am dreaming. It is crazy.

“When I took the last [mountains] points, I was really dead. I thought I would just go at my own pace and I could stay away. I can’t believe it. I really can’t believe it.”

The mountain jersey wins at the summit! Relive Justine Ghekiere’s triumphant final KM. Le @maillotapois qui s’impose au sommet ! Revivez le dernier KM triomphal de Justine Ghekiere. #TDFF2024 | #WatchTheFemmes | @GoZwift pic.twitter.com/ENZ5tRP9Ch — Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) August 17, 2024

Into the big mountains

The penultimate stage of the Tour de France Femmes saw a significant jump in difficulty, with more than 3000 meters of altitude gain across 166.4km. The longest stage of this year’s Tour featured an early uncategorized climb prior to the first category Col de la Croix de la Serra (km 57.8), then subsequent fourth and third cat. climbs.

The final two ascents were second category, including the 7km summit finish climb of Le Grand-Bornand.

Non-starters included the American rider Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) and Australian national champ Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco).

Former mountains leader Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceninck) beat QOM leader Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) to the summit of the category one climb, narrowing the gap to just one point. However Ghekiere had bigger plans than trading blows with her main rival for that competition, moving clear as part of a group of six riders 87km from the finish, and joining with points leader Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) on a mission to boost their grip on those respective jerseys.

Also there were Julie Van de Velde (Ag Insurance-Soudal), Sara Martín (Movistar Team), Sarah Roy (Cofidis) and the American Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health).

Ghekiere collected top points on the category four Côte de Bois d’Arlod while Vos bossed the intermediate sprint at Frangy, 65km from the finish. That saw her points total jump to exactly double that of second-placed Lorena Wiebes with a day to go.

GC battle fires off as Queen of the mountain soars towards the summit

The break increased its lead to more than five minutes and Ghekiere was again first at the Côte de Cercier climb 55km from the line.

Both the bunch and the break were then thinned out on the Col de Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, which started 16km from the finish.

Ghekiere romped clear on that climb and went over the summit 11km from the finish with a lead of 2:40 over the peloton. FDJ-Suez was drilling the pace to try to set up Evita Muzic, with Vollering springboarding off this with an attack on the lower slopes of the final climb. This was immediately covered by Niewiadoma.

Vollering’s teammate Niamh Fisher-Black then took over and set a brisk tempo, but didn’t respond when the Frenchwoman Maëva Squiban (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) leaped clear.

The stop/go racing favored Ghekiere, who was 1:14 ahead of Vos and Martín and 1:47 in front of Suiban with 5km to go. The Niewiadoma bunch was at 2:31 there and down to about two dozen riders.

A Muzic attack under the 5km banner was followed by a blistering surge by Pauline Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), forcing Niewiadoma to herself start chasing.

Vollering then surged, only for Niewiadoma to immediately mark her and then to lead again and bring first Vos and Martín and then Rooijakkers back. A subsequently stall saw first Gaia Realini (Lidl-Trek) and then teammate Lucinda Brand try to slip away from the group, but it was Niewiadoma who forged ahead with 1km go to.

Vollering was the only rider able to go with her, with the rest of the group finally cracking. However while she still had several riders ahead of her in the general classification, Vollering declined to ride with the race leader, waiting until the final 200 meters and springing slightly clear.

She took the bonus seconds for third place but didn’t make any real inroad into her overall deficit.

Four seconds is a scant gain, leaving her with a huge amount to do on Sunday’s final stage if she is to realize her dream of winning again.

Niewiadoma is feeling good for now, while acknowledging that a a big day of racing remains.

“I think four seconds is still nothing,” she said of Vollering’s gains. “Tomorrow on Alpe d’Huez the real battle will start, I think.”

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Notable feats and failures make 8 significant impressions at 2024 Tour de France Femmes

From the decisive four seconds on Alpe d'Huez to Charlotte Kool’s duo of triumphs and Justine Ghekiere’s stunning win to Le Grand-Bornand

The third edition of the Tour de France Femmes lived up to the hype, with the spoils of eight stages divided among six individual winners, including two stages compressed into one day. From the fast, low-lying plains of the Netherlands to the punchy climbs of the Ardennes Classics in Belgium and finally to the mountainous peaks of the Alps, the 946.3 kilometres of racing came down to precious seconds to determine the maillot jaune.

Two of the best from last year’s race fought for podium spots again, this time on the epicentre of European climbing on the Alpe d’Huez, defending champion Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) took her second stage victory of the week on the fabled ascent, but would ultimately fall short by four seconds to new champion Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), who improved from last year’s third overall finish.

Most significant was that the GC was decided by the smallest margin of victory in Tour de France history, since Greg Lemond defeated Laurent Fignon by eight seconds in the 1989 men’s race.

It wasn’t just about two riders battling on Sunday across the 21 switchbacks either. There were plot twists each day in breakaways, classification leads and moments to define careers, as well as give home crowds several reasons to turn out in big numbers and name new heroes. It had been since 1991 that two stages were packed into one day at a Tour de France, this year's race contesting a road race and an ITT on the second day.

Cyclingnews had a strong contingent covering the Tour de France Femmes from start to finish, including Deputy Editor Kirsten Frattini, News Writer James Moultrie and contributor Lukas Knöfler. Here are our choices of the most memorable moments and conclusions from the race.

Charlotte Kool's wins were no fluke

Before the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, Lorena Wiebes was not only the favourite for the opening two stages in the Netherlands but also the undisputed best sprinter in the world. But things didn’t go to plan on the opening stage to The Hague, when late contact with Anniina Ahtosalo before the sprint saw Wiebes’ rear derailleur come off, leaving her unable to contest the sprint. 

Emerging from the bunch to take the win and with it the first yellow jersey, was Charlotte Kool (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), the sprinter who used to be Wiebes’ final lead-out rider and the only rider who had really matched her compatriot for top-end speed in the past season and a half.

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This could have seemed like a fluke at the time, but Kool explained how a breathing problem had been holding her back throughout the 2024 season, leading Wiebes to enter the Tour with 18 wins while Kool had netted just one this season, and on the second sprint, she confirmed it was her strength, not Wiebes’ bad luck that led her to victory.

Wiebes tried to bounce back in Rotterdam after a strong lead-out by Barbara Guarischi, but Kool wasn’t too far back just on the wheel of Marianne Vos. When Wiebes hit the front, there wasn’t the usual separation she has at lift-off, but a yellow jersey instead getting up to her and around her before the line. The doubling up on wins confirmed that Kool was every bit Wiebes’ equal in a flat finish, if not stronger. 

It’s a sprint battle that we should see continue into the next few seasons from the former teammates, however, for now, Kool will hold that crown and be confident for each of her next meetings with Wiebes. Women’s sprinting has two stars.

Prestige of the Tour breeds unexpected winners

One of the most intriguing things the Tour de France Femmes has led to since its inception in 2022, is a number of surprising winners. That continued and then some at the 2024 edition of the race, right through from Kool’s duo of triumphs ahead of Wiebes to Justine Ghekiere ’s (AG Insurance-Soudal) stunning solo win from the break to Le Grand-Bornand.

The Dutch Grand Départ actually had three surprise wins, with Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) also producing a stunning individual time trial on the 6.3km stage 3 course to move into the yellow jersey. The Course was expected to be one for the sprinters or for the pure TT specialists, but not a GC favourite due to the mainly flat profile.

But neither Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM) nor Kristen Faulkner (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) was able to put in better performances than Vollering, who made up all her time in the final 3km of the course, as the lactic acid built up in the legs for the specialists over the Erasmusbrug bridge. She would win by five seconds ahead of the ITT World Champion Dygert in a huge shock. 

This theme didn’t end there, with Vollering herself then being stunned by Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), who enjoyed a terrific debut at her first-ever stage race, topped off by her victory into Liège on stage 4 ahead of the defending champion - in a photo finish no less. 

As the race finally hit France for stage 5, three consecutive surprise winners arrived at the line: Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime), Cédrine Kerbaol (Ceratizit-WNT) and Ghekiere. Vas triumphed in a sprint on the drama-filled day to Amnéville, where teammate Vollering crashed and lost yellow, while Kerbaol produced a stunning descent and TT effort into Morteau to hold off the chasers, and Ghekiere went solo after getting into the days early break on the first real mountain stage.

There’s something special about the Tour and the extra motivation it can give riders, being a common theme throughout the 121 years the men's race has existed and now making its way consistently into the women's race. The added power that chasing the glory of a Tour de France Femmes stage win can extract is not to be underestimated.

Two stages in one day is a logistical nightmare

The Tour de France Femmes had good reason to host the double stage on day two, with the Dordrecht to Rotterdam sprint stage and the Rotterdam time trial allowing them to keep the race at eight stages as it had been for the previous two editions, all while fitting in with the Paris Olympics-altered calendar.

However, for riders, teams, mechanics, organisers and press, it can only be described as a massive headache. The teams had to be up early to make the Dordrecht start, with little time to comfortably make the journey to the finish after 66k of incredibly fast racing.

The problems started just there, as, after the sprint, the mechanics then had to work double time to ensure two sets of bikes - road and TT - were cleaned and set up properly for the race against the clock and the day after.

FDJ-SUEZ even booked another hotel for after the sprint, so their riders could get out of the 30-degree heat in the city, shower and prepare optimally for the time trial. It also meant that stress levels were higher and everyone had to do double the work for a normal stage.

Even for the press, there was confusion about whether cars would need to be moved to a different car park after the first stage, and the late finish of the time trial meant there was little time between the end of Vollering’s winner’s press conference and the press centre closing. Coverage was perhaps done half as well as it could have been had there been the normal one stage. 

While it’s understandable why the organisers had to do it so the race didn’t shrink in size and so that spectators in Rotterdam had a double day of action on the same finish line, it perhaps shows why double stages haven’t been at any Tour, men’s or women’s since 1991. 

SD Worx-Protime’s tactics continue as biggest weakness

For the best team in women’s cycling, SD Worx-Protime’s biggest weakness continues to be themselves. With many of the best riders in the world and the top GC star in women’s cycling - Demi Vollering, they should have been able to retain their crown from 13 months ago, but a tactical error on stage 5 cost them the race.

Vollering’s crash on the approach to Amnéville will surely be looked at in years to come as the defining moment of this year’s race, with the subsequent response, or lack thereof, from SD Worx-Protime being the biggest mistake. 

When the yellow jersey hits the deck with 6km to go, she should have been surrounded by teammates waiting to help her try and keep the jersey. But Vollering was instead alone, in pain and losing the Tour de France Femmes. Only Mischa Bredewold would drop back to help her after she finally remounted 49 seconds after going down on the exit to a roundabout, with teammate Blanka Vas winning the stage and Lorena Wiebes crossing the line eighth - neither dropped back to help their leader.

Sports manager Danny Stam said that team radios weren’t working and that there wasn’t much extra help would have done in the final approach to the line. But with a four-second margin now separating them from yellow, would SD Worx-Protime perhaps rethink their approach?

Even with Bredewold dropping back. She’d already been on the front trying to lead out Wiebes so she wasn’t fresh to save her teammate four seconds or more from the eventual 1:47 she lost to overall winner Niewiadoma. It was nothing short of a tactical disaster and perhaps vindicated part of why Vollering is rumoured to leave the team - they aren’t all in for her.

At that point, she was in the yellow jersey after a stunning stage 3 time trial and with the hardest mountain stages, that suited her better than anyone, still to come on stages 7 and 8. SD Worx-Protime simply weren’t tactically astute enough and it’s come back to bite them in the form of gruelling defeat. 

Women’s riders are true icons 

Having been introduced to men’s racing in 1952, Alpe d’Huez is finally set to see one of its fabled 21 bends marked with the name of a women’s rider, the winner of the final queen stage, Demi Vollering. The likes of Bernard Hinault, Gianni Bugno and Geraint Thomas have long been present on the bends, but now Vollering’s name will be etched and championed in the same way on the blue and white signs.

After rarely being seen in women’s racing having been a part of the 1992 and 1993 Tour Cycliste Féminin, where Dutch competitor Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel took victory twice, Vollering emulated her countrywoman and took victory, albeit a bittersweet one as she lost the overall.

But nonetheless, her victory up the climb and the grittiest of defences that followed it by yellow jersey Kasia Niewiadoma, will go down in history as one of cycling's closest but most incredible finishes, setting up Alpe d'Huez to feature as a historic climb for women as it has for men in racing.

Women’s stars being honoured on a corner was also a bit of a theme in this race, with the 'Virage' Juliette Labous coming to life on stage 6 to Morteau, as she raced in front of hundreds of fans lining the roads just to see and cheer her on.

Allez Juliette signs were everyone on the course as the race headed towards the finish, with Labous honouring the crowds with an attack that ultimately didn’t come off but showed just how heroic these riders are to the fans. 

The various virages that have been seen recently are all from men’s racing - Thaibaut Pinot, Romain Bardet and Julien Bernard, with Labous now joining them in a special list of honoured riders.

Kerbaol’s win opens the door to more French success

The first two editions of the Tour de France saw the Dutch dominate most of the stages, be that the sprints or the high mountains, with little success coming from the French outside of Cédrine Kerbaol’s success in the best young rider’s classification last year.

So it was very fitting that after a Dutch-dominated Grand Départ in the Netherlands, France finally found its first home stage winner, since the women’s Tour was revived in 2022 through, Kerbaol again. 

It was an opportunistic move by the 23-year-old into Morteau, with her launch coming off the back of the GC favourites Vollering and Niewiadoma marking each other out on the final climb up Côte des Fins. She followed it up with a daring descent on roads she knew well, railing each corner on the absolute limit before time trialling her way to the line.

It felt huge for the French, with this now opening the door for more French stage wins to follow. Kerbaol embraced race director Marion Rousse at the finish, with her compatriot captioning a post to Instagram ‘forever the first’. 

With lots of French talent on show at the race through Kerbaol, Labous and Muzic, who are all still young, the even younger generation of future stars like Marion Bunel and Celia Gery will be hoping to emulate what Kerbaol did at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes.  

The race is ready for 9 days and more

A four-second margin separated Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma at the finish of one of cycling’s greatest-ever finales, coming right down to the wire after a brutal week of racing. While it was exciting to witness the closest winning margin the Tour de France has ever seen, men’s or women’s, that is partly down to the race being only eight stages still. 

With such a short ‘Grand Tour’ format, this puts higher pressure on each and every mistake made, especially for the GC riders. This was felt worst by Vollering of course, who after a crash on stage 5, saw her lead overall completely evaporated in the Amnéville heat.

While this is part of racing, and it makes the jeopardy higher in the women’s race, only having eight stages and seven days to win the Tour means there is little time to come back from a minor setback, caused by yourself or someone else accidentally.

Alongside this, the race has now experienced three great years of racing in different regions and it feels right to start expanding - albeit in small increments - so the proposed one extra stage for next year sounds about right. The 2025 race is due to start in Brittany and is scheduled to run for nine days based on the current information released by ASO, which means more of the great action.

Women’s races have also been much longer in the past, such as the old women’s Tours de France from the 80s and 80s and the women’s Giro d’Italia, which had 10 stages for a long time It’s not as if eight stages is a barrier the riders cannot handle, but a UCI limit. The stages are getting longer - 150km and over, the most famous climbs are now being used, so why not expand the race? 

Niewiadoma and Canyon-SRAM rode the perfect race

A lot of the focus since the end of the race has been on the mistakes made by SD Worx-Protime and Demi Vollering, however, it’s important to note just how brilliant Canyon-SRAM were in their pursuit of yellow.

Their language right from the pre-race media day was confident, spurred on by showing brilliant race tactics throughout the season such as at the Tour de Suisse where Kasia Niewiadoma and Neve Bradbury lit up the racing to try and beat Vollering to the top spot. On that occasion, they weren’t able to do it but they had their eyes on the bigger prize.

But losing Elisa Chabbey early on and Bradbury as a GC card to play due to crashes meant it had to be the Polish star who took the reigns and led the German team.

Niewiadoma, twice a third-place finisher at the Tour de France Femmes, had her full focus on Vollering and even identified that there were weaknesses in the Dutch squad’s roster without Lotte Kopecky and Marlen Reusser. And it was the crash and subsequent poor tactics that arrived on stage 5 which perhaps proved Niewiadoma’s point - they were vulnerable. 

Canyon-SRAM then responded perfectly, putting time trial World Champion Chloé Dygert to work and letting the brutally powerful American do some serious damage on the front which maximised Niewiadoma’s time gain.

This ride put Niewiadoma into the lead with a 1:19 gap to Vollering, and despite many riders being in between them on GC, she knew that only the Dutch rider could fully challenge her now. Niewiadoma quickly changed tack from her usual attacking style and settled brilliantly into the role of defender, keeping Vollering close on stages 6 and 7 to only lose four seconds heading into the final stage.

Four seconds that she called insignificant post-stage 7, but close to 24 hours later, she was calling a different four seconds "magical" after that was all of her lead that remained following the queen stage to Alpe d’Huez. Niewiadoma produced the grittiest ride of her life, albeit with some help from Lidl-Trek and FDJ-Suez, defending a 1:01 gap for the final 54km of stage 8 up Col du Glandon and Alpe d’Huez to take victory. 

Once the perennial bridesmaid of professional cycling but now the champion of the biggest race, Niewiadoma’s rise from serial second-place finisher and podium contender to winner is one that hasn’t come without the required hard work. It’s a win that will live on in the memory of cycling fans for an awful long time, as the closest margin of victory ever in a Tour de France.

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James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.

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Niewiadoma Wins Women's Tour De France by 4 Seconds Overall After Alpe D’Huez Thriller

Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma has done just enough in a thrilling battle with Demi Vollering on the iconic Alpe d’Huez to win the women’s Tour de France by four seconds overall

Niewiadoma Wins Women's Tour De France by 4 Seconds Overall After Alpe D’Huez Thriller

Peter Dejong

Tour de France Women's winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium after the eighth stage of the Tour de France Women cycling race with start in Le Grand-Bornand and finish in Alpe d'Huez, France, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

ALPE D'HUEZ, France (AP) — Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma did just enough in a thrilling battle Sunday with rival Demi Vollering on the iconic Alpe d’Huez to win the women’s Tour de France by four seconds overall.

It was the smallest margin of victory in any Tour de France edition, including the men's race.

“It’s so crazy, this Tour has been a crazy roller-coaster,” Niewiadoma said after the eighth and final stage. “I’ve had bad moments. I hated every moment of this last climb, but when I heard that I had won the Tour de France, I could not believe it.”

Niewiadoma sat on the road after finishing, exhausted and waiting to get the confirmation that she had won. When the news finally came, she lifted her bike in triumph and appeared overwhelmed by the magnitude of her achievement.

Knowing she still trailed Niewiadoma overall, Vollering had been part of a breakaway Sunday with fellow Dutch rider Pauliena Rooijakkers earlier in the race. Vollering accelerated powerfully in the final stretch to win the stage.

But the gap wasn't quite enough as Niewiadoma finished fourth to narrowly clinch her first Tour title, with an overall time of 24 hours, 36 minutes, 7 seconds. Vollering's final time was 24:36:11.

Vollering, the defending champion, had fought back after suffering a crash in the fifth stage. She was inconsolable when she learned she had finished second overall after starting the stage more than a minute behind Niewiadoma overall.

“Right now I feel really bitter that I only lost by four seconds,” Vollering said. “It's really painful to know that I did not do enough today.”

Rooijakkers, also a title contender, finished third in the overall standings at only 10 seconds behind Niewiadoma.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Copyright 2024 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Kasia Niewiadoma wins Tour de France women’s title by four seconds overall

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Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma did just enough in a thrilling battle Sunday with rival Demi Vollering on the iconic Alpe d’Huez to win the women’s Tour de France by four seconds overall.

It was the smallest margin of victory in any Tour de France edition, including the men’s race.

“It’s so crazy, this Tour has been a crazy roller-coaster,” Niewiadoma said after the eighth and final stage. “I’ve had bad moments. I hated every moment of this last climb, but when I heard that I had won the Tour de France, I could not believe it.”

Niewiadoma sat on the road after finishing, exhausted and waiting to get the confirmation that she had won. When the news finally came, she lifted her bike in triumph and appeared overwhelmed by the magnitude of her achievement.

Knowing she still trailed Niewiadoma overall, Vollering had been part of a breakaway Sunday with fellow Dutch rider Pauliena Rooijakkers earlier in the race. Vollering accelerated powerfully in the final stretch to win the stage.

But the gap wasn’t quite enough as Niewiadoma finished fourth to narrowly clinch her first Tour title, with an overall time of 24 hours, 36 minutes, 7 seconds. Vollering’s final time was 24:36:11.

Vollering, the defending champion, had fought back after suffering a crash in the fifth stage. She was inconsolable when she learned she had finished second overall after starting the stage more than a minute behind Niewiadoma overall.

“Right now I feel really bitter that I only lost by four seconds,” Vollering said. “It’s really painful to know that I did not do enough today.”

Rooijakkers, also a title contender, finished third in the overall standings at only 10 seconds behind Niewiadoma.

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Niewiadoma wins women's Tour de France by 4 seconds overall after Alpe d'Huez thriller

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Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma did just enough in a thrilling battle with rival Demi Vollering on the iconic Alpe d'Huez to win the women's Tour de France by four seconds overall.

Vollering was part of a breakaway Sunday with fellow Dutch rider Pauliena Rooijakkers after the Col du Glandon. She accelerated powerfully in the final stretch to win the eighth and final stage.

But Niewiadoma finished fourth to narrowly clinch her first Tour title, with an overall time of 24 hours, 36 minutes, 7 seconds.

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