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Tour de France bikes 2024: The ultimate equipment guide

A rundown of the bikes and kit used by the 22 teams at this year's Tour de France

Team equipment table

Tour de france team bikes, tour tech predictions.

The 2024 Tour de France begins on Saturday the 29th of June in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy, before working its way into France. It is the biggest bike race in the world and sees the very best cyclists from the sport's biggest teams do battle over 21 stages. 

If you want to know more about the 22 teams involved, head to our Tour de France team guide for a comprehensive breakdown. 

This Tour de France bike guide looks at each team's bikes and equipment in depth. It can be hard to spot individual bike brands in the peloton while the racing is on, but we have a list of all the individual components and equipment teams are using. So if you're wondering what computers, frames or saddles a certain team is using, we have the answers. How about groupsets? 18 teams are using Shimano Dura-Ace and four teams are using SRAM Red AXS, for example.  

You can also check out our feature on last year's Tour de France winner's bikes if you want to refresh your memory or relive the excitement from 2023 to get into Tour spirit ahead of this year's racing. 

A lot of new equipment and bikes get released before the Tour, and are first seen underneath riders at the Critérium du Dauphiné. This year we spotted four new bikes and lots of interesting tech ahead of the main event, including a new unreleased Trek ridden by Mads Pederson and his Lidl-Trek teammates. 

Cyclingnews will be at the Grand Départ of the Tour de France to cover all the breaking tech news as it happens, so check the website tech section for all the latest news.

Astana-Qazaqstan Team

• Bikes : Wilier Zero SLR, Wilier Filante SLR, Wilier Supersonica SLR TT, Unreleased Wilier spotted in recent races. 
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Disc 12 Speed
• Wheels : Vision Metron
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro
• Clothing : Biemme
• Saddles : Prologo
• Finishing Kit : Wilier
• Computers : Garmin

Astana-Qazaqstan have ridden with Wilier bikes for five seasons now and the team can now make use of the brand-new and very expensive Supersonica SLR TT time trial bike. 

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All eyes will be on Mark Cavendish, who recently became a knight of the realm in the UK, as he tries to take the outright Tour de France stage win record of 35 stages. Don't be surprised to see Cavendish on a custom or specially painted bike for the race, and look out for his custom Nike shoes.

The team should also have access to a new unreleased lightweight Wilier, which was spotted beneath Wilier's other sponsored team, Groupama FDJ. Elsewhere the team use Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets, Vision wheels and Vittoria Corsa tyres, some of the best road bike tyres around.

Bahrain-Victorious

• Bikes : Merida Reacto, Merida Scultura, Merida Warp TT
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 Disc
• Wheels :  Vision Metron - various options 
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR
• Clothing : Alé
• Finishing Kit : FSA, Vision

Bahrain-Victorious will be racing on the Merida Reacto aero bike and the Merida Scultura all-rounder for road stages during the Tour, and a Time Warp TT bike against the clock. Like Astana-Qazaqstan, they also use Dura-Ace groupsets and Vision wheels but instead use Continental GP5000 S TR tubeless tyres, a peloton favourite and now available in several versions. 

Ahead of last year's race, the team rolled out a new paint job which featured a lot more white and paid homage to Bahrain's pearl fishing industry. We're yet to see a 2024 change-out design, but there's still time. Matej Mohorič managed to win a stage last year on his custom bike.  

Bora-Hansgrohe

• Bikes : Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8, Specialized S-Works Shiv TT
• Groupset : SRAM Red AXS
• Wheels : Roval
• Tyres: Specialized Turbo
• Clothing : Sportful
• Saddles : Specialized
• Finishing Kit : PRO, Specialized
• Computers : Hammerhead Karoo  

The main change at Bora-Hansgrohe this year is the updated SRAM Red AXS groupsets and new Hammerhead Karoo computers the team have fitted to their bikes. 

They use the S-Works Tarmac SL8 frame from Specialized as well as some special new wheels from Roval that were recently released, in which the hub leaves the paint off the hub shells to save weight. 

The team will also formally announce a partnership with Red Bull ahead of the race so look out for some new look kit and bikes. 

• Bikes : Look 795 Blade, 796 Monoblade RS (TT)
• Wheels : Corima
• Tyres: Michelin Power Tubular
• Clothing : Van Rysel
• Saddles : Selle Italia
• Finishing Kit : FSA/Vision
• Computers : Wahoo

French team Cofidis use equipment from several French brands. Their Look frames, Corima wheels and Michelin tyres are all French. Look frames have long been famed for their quality carbon fibre construction.

The team race on the Look 795 Blade frameset module which Victor Lafay rode to a stage win last year. They also rolled out a cool Mondrian-inspired Tour paint job last year so keep your eyes open for something special this year. 

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale

• Bikes : Van Rysel RCR / XCR time trial bike
• Wheels : SwissSide Hadron
• Clothing : Rosti / Van Rysel 
• Saddles : Fizik
• Finishing Kit : Deda / Van Rysel 

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team have enjoyed a stellar start to 2024 and have taken over 20 victories already. So much so that the team currently sits 2nd in the UCI Team rankings. 

The team has a new equipment package for 2024, including the Van Rysel RCR frame, owned by parent company Decathlon, which caused a stir in the media for being one of the most affordable bikes to have graced the WorldTour peloton in years. We have it on good authority the team may just have one of the fastest kit packages around. 

The team uses the Van Rysel FCR — one of the best aero helmets — which finished in the top five in our recent aero helmet wind tunnel test . 

EF Education-EasyPost

• Bikes : Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB 71, SystemSix, SuperSlice (TT)
• Wheels : Vision
• Clothing : Rapha

EF Education-EasyPost race on the Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB 71 frame and is famous for limited edition pain jobs or collaborations in big races. Their team edition frame also just became available to buy for the public. 

The team also have the option to race on the more aero SystemSix frame, but riders seem to stick to the SuperSix. That is with the exception of aero-obsessed Irish rider Ben Healy. The team also have access to the fastest helmet around, the new POC Procen Air

Elsewhere, EF are another Shimano team, using Dura-Ace equipment, though they buy their own parts as they're not directly sponsored, and they use FSA power meter chainsets. 

Groupama-FDJ

• Bikes : Wilier Zero SLR, Wilier Filante SLR, Wilier Supersonica SLR TT 
• Wheels : Shimano C35, C50, C60
• Tyres: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR / Competition tubular 

Groupama-FDJ switched to Wilier bikes for the 2024 season and rolled out a fairly classy, predominantly white and blue paint job. The team have the same models available to them as the Astana squad, including the new hyper-expensive Supersonica SLR TT time trial bike and an unreleased climbing bike. 

Over the past few years, we have seen a mix of Continental GP5000 tubeless and Competition tubular (glued-on) tyres being used by the team. We'll be keeping an eye on whether the team fully transitions to tubeless at the Tour. 

Ineos Grenadiers

• Bikes : Pinarello Dogma F, Bolide (TT)
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 12 Speed
• Wheels : Shimano (Princeton Carbonworks / Tactic and Aerocoach will be present as non-sponsored additions)
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR
• Clothing : Gobik
• Finishing Kit : MOST

Pinarello, Ineos-Grenadiers' long-term bike sponsor, just launched a new version of the Dogma F ahead of the Tour, so expect to see the team riding the brand-new bikes there. 

The team's equipment package which is mostly from Shimano (groupsets and wheels) remains unchanged. But Ineos Grenadiers have been known to change to aftermarket, special wheels for key stages of the race or for time trials, such as the £1000 Tactic hubs , we spotted them using last year.

Intermarché - Wanty

• Bikes : Cube Litening C:68X, Aerium C:68 (TT)
• Wheels : Newmen
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR
• Clothing : Verge
• Finishing Kit : Cube
• Computers : Bryton

Intermarché - Wanty has stuck to a fairly standard - even unexciting dare we say it -equipment setup for the last few years. 

The team use Cube Litening road frames with Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and Newmen wheels. Their bright green handlebar tape and silver wheel decals always stand out. Team leader Biniam Girmay will be looking to win a stage on his Cube bike.

Alpecin-Deceuninck

• Bikes : Canyon Aeroad CFR / Ultimate CFR / Speedmax (TT)
• Wheels : Shimano
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro
• Clothing : Kalas
• Finishing Kit : Canyon / Selle Italia 
• Computers : Wahoo 

Alpecin-Deceuninck's equipment package hasn't changed for a long time and the team has enjoyed a lot of success aboard their Canyon Aeroad bikes. The team also technically has the Canyon Ultimate all-rounder to use alongside the aero model, but we hardly ever see any team riders using it. 

Let's not forget team sprinter Jasper Philipsen, who last year raced a custom green Aeroad as a result of leading the green jersey sprints competition. 

We have seen glimpses of a special custom-painted frame for World Champion Van der Poel and rumours are circulating of a new Canyon Aeroad which we will be keeping an eye out for at the Tour. 

Visma-Lease a Bike

• Bikes : Cervélo S5, R5, Caledonia, P5 (TT)
• Wheels : Reserve 
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro
• Clothing : Agu
• Finishing Kit : Cervelo / FSA

Visma-Lease a Bike will be aiming to defend defending champion Jonas Vingegaard's yellow jersey from last year using their Cervélo bikes. 

The team used custom painted bikes last year, but stuck to the yellow and black theme. This year, however, they've changed their colourway entirely, to a dark blue palette that pays tribute to the Renaissance . 

The team has an aero and lightweight all-rounder to use. The S5 is the team's aero model and R5 is the climbing bike. The team also has the more comfortable Caledonia as well as the Soloist at their disposal but we don't expect to see these bikes as much. For the time trials, it will be the aero P5. 

The team has also switched to the new SRAM Red AXS groupset and Vingegaard was reportedly testing the new carbon cranks at last year's Tour. 

Visma are famed for leaving no stone unturned regarding equipment and we expect them to use 1x drivetrain systems on at least one stage as well as plenty of other tech hacks and optimisations.

Arkéa B&B Hotels

• Bikes : Bianchi Oltre RC, Specialissima, Aquila (TT)
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
• Wheels : Vision Metron - 45 and 60 
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro 
• Clothing : Ekoi
• Finishing Kit : Reparto course by Vision / FSA

Arkéa - B&B Hotels have been riding Bianchi bikes for two years and have two road models to choose from: the Oltre RC aero bike, and lightweight Specialissima. There's also the Aquila TT for time trials. 

The Oltre RC aero bike has not been without controversy during its lifespan after mechanical issues resulting in snapped handlebars and issues at Paris-Roubaix . Bianchi responded to some of the allegations made in a statement at the time. 

The Tour de France is a harsh test and every team arrives with its equipment in perfect order and ready for a hard three weeks. 

• Bikes : Canyon Aeroad CFR, Ultimate CFR, Speedmax CFR (TT)
• Wheels : Zipp - various options 
• Clothing : Gobik / BORN
• Finishing Kit : Canyon

Movistar are another team, like Ineos Grenadiers, who have been with the same bike supplier for a long time, and 2024 marks the 11th year of the partnership. 

The Spanish squad has more climbers than Alpecin-Deceuninck, so you see a lot more of the Canyon Ultimate model alongside the Aeroad. 

The team also have the new SRAM Red AXS groupset to use this summer after its release in May.

Soudal-QuickStep

• Wheels : Roval - various options 
• Clothing : Castelli

Soudal-QuickStep has ridden Specialized bikes for a long time now and rides the Tarmac SL8 model in the top-tier S-Works version, which was released at the Glasgow World Championships last year.

The team or 'Wolfpack' as they like to be known, will be built around Remco Evenepoel's tilt at the overall classification this year. The Belgian, who is also the World Time Trial Champion, has a custom-painted rainbow Shiv TT bike to use. 

Elsewhere the team uses Dura-Ace groupsets from Shimano, along with Roval finishing kit by Specialized. We also expect to see Roval's limited edition Rapide CLX II Team wheels being used during the race.

Team Jayco-AlUla

• Bikes : Propel Advanced SL, TCR Advanced SL, Trinity (TT)
• Wheels : Cadex
• Saddles : Cadex
• Finishing Kit : Giant

Team Jayco Al-Ula races on Giant bikes, with Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and wheels from Cadex, a subsidiary brand of Giant.

The team can choose between the aero-focused Propel Advanced model or the longstanding all-rounder the TCR Advanced SL which received an update earlier this year.

The team's eye-catching paint jobs have drawn attention this year and look great out on the road. Look out for Australian Champion Luke Plapp's custom kit and bike which really stand out. 

Team DSM - Firmenich PostNL

• Bikes : Scott Addict RC, Foil RC, Plasma (TT)
• Wheels : Shimano C36, C50, C60
• Tyres: Vittroria Corsa Pro
• Clothing : Nalini
• Saddles : Syncros
• Finishing Kit : Syncros

Team DSM - Firmenich PostNL race on Scott bikes, and the lightweight Addict model has been around for over fifteen years in its various guises. Like several other teams, they can also choose to race on an aero-focused model. In this case, that is the Foil RC, a bike that first broke cover at the 2022 Tour, and which team sprinter Fabio Jakobsen will likely choose to ride. 

Shimano Dura-Ace takes care of the groupset and wheel package, whilst Syncros provide the integrated handlebars.  

• Bikes : Trek Madone, Emonda, Domane, Speed Concept (TT)
• Wheels : Bontrager
• Tyres:  Pirelli P Zero
• Clothing : Santini
• Saddles : Bontrager
• Finishing Kit : Bontrager

Lidl-Trek is a team to watch this year on the equipment front, there are plenty of techy changes to spot this summer. 

The team has been spotted using a brand new frame that looks like a more lightweight, all-rounder compared to the team's Trek Madone model. We expect to see more of this at the race. 

The team also switched to the new SRAM Red AXS groupset this year, and will also race on the brand-new Pirelli P Zero tyres that launched recently. 

Trek released a series of special custom bikes for last year's Tour, Mads Pederson's in particular caused quite the sir . 

UAE Team Emirates

• Bikes : Colnago V4Rs, TT1 (TT)
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 / Carbon-Ti chainrings and rotors
• Wheels : Enve 
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR 
• Finishing Kit : Colnago

Fresh from victory at the Giro d'Italia , Tadej Pogačar looks to be in unstoppable form this year. He will aim to win his third Tour this year using his Colnago V4Rs which he uses for all stages. As well as the TT1 time trial model pictured above. 

UAE Team Emirates uses Dura-Ace groupsets and Enve wheels and handlebars. Notably, the team have used exotic Carbon Ti carbon chainrings and disc rotors to save even more weight. 

We have heard the team have made some extra tweaks to their bikes ahead of the Tour to make them even lighter so will be keeping our eyes peeled for any extra modifications. 

Lotto-Dstny

• Bikes : Orbea Orca / Orca Aero / Ordu TT bike
• Wheels : Zipp / Oquo 
• Clothing : Vermarc / Ekoi / Defeet 
• Saddles : Selle Italia 
• Finishing Kit : Orbea

Lotto-Dstny is a non-WorldTour team who have secured a place at this year's race. The team races on Spanish Orbea bikes and can choose between the Orca and Orca Aero models. They also use the Ordu time trial bike against the clock. 

The team use Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets along with Zipp wheels and Vittoria tyres. Controversy reigned earlier in the year after a spate of wheel/tyre compatibility issues for the team. 

The team will be gunning for victory and supporting star rider Arnaud De Lie in his quest for a stage win. 

Israel-Premier Tech

• Bikes : Factor Ostro / O2 VAM / Hanzo TT Bike
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
• Wheels : Black Inc. 
• Clothing: Ekoi 
• Finishing Kit : Black Inc.
• Computers : Garmin 

Israel-Premier Tech uses Factor bikes and can choose between two road models, the aero Ostro and the lightweight O2 Vam . They race on the Hanzo model for time trials. 

The team's wheels and integrated handlebars and stems are from Black Inc, a subsidiary brand of Factor. You can also read our exclusive in-depth interview with Factor founder Rob Gitelis for insight into the bike industry and carbon frame construction.

Team TotalEnergies

• Bikes : Enve Melee / Specialized S-Works Shiv TT 
• Groupset : Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
• Wheels : Enve
• Tyres: Continental GP5000 S TR 
• Clothing : Sportful 
• Saddles : Selle Italia
• Finishing Kit : Enve
• Computers : Garmin

Total Energies switched from Specialized to Enve bikes after the departure of Specialized-sponsored star rider Peter Sagan last year. 

The squad now uses Enve Melee frames, wheels and handlebars with Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and Continental tubeless tyres. 

Notably, Enve doesn't currently have a time trial bike in its range so the team uses blacked-out Specialized Shiv time trial bikes against the clock. 

Uno-X Mobility

• Bikes : Dare VSRu / TSRf time trial bike / Velocity Ace Prototype
• Wheels : Garmin
• Tyres: Schwalbe Pro One
• Clothing : Bioracer
• Saddles : Prologo
• Finishing Kit : Dare

Uno-X Mobility races on Dare bikes that are some of the most eye-catching in the peloton. The all-black bikes look aggressive standing still, especially the Velocity Ace Prototype we spotted earlier in the year, we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for this model again at the Tour, including its very aggressive-looking aero handlebar. 

The team uses Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets and DT Swiss carbon fibre wheels - the same wheels that won our wind tunnel wheels test a couple of years ago - with Schwalbe Pro One tubeless tyres, the only team in the race using the German tyre brand. 

The team bikes are usually also fitted with the new CeramicSpeed OSPW for an added drivetrain gain. 

The Tour is the sport of cycling's biggest shop window, it's a great opportunity for marketing, showing products off and gaining attention. 

Brand new bikes tend to get tested in advance of the Tour to ensure riders are happy and we assume to just make sure everything is ready. That being said, you still see new bikes roll out at the Tour, and we'll be sure to keep an eye out for anything new. 

We may see new parts, components and kit appear during the Tour. Everything from optimised new clothing to new sunglasses and cycling shoes as well as bike components. We will be covering everything we spot in detail. 

Sometimes things are so secret or closely guarded we don't even know they are being used. For example, the new SRAM Red AXS crank arms that Jonas Vingegaard was using this time last year.   

There are trends in equipment that inform what we think we might see, and we have written about them here in our tech predictions for the Tour de France

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Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as tech writer. Tom has over 10 years experience as a qualified mechanic with 5 or so of those being spent running an independent workshop. Tom has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track and has ridden and competed in most disciplines, even the odd bit of bike polo. Tom is as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike exploring the Worcestershire lanes.

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What to Know About This Year’s Tour de France (Which Begins in Italy)

Two previous winners are the leading contenders to win cycling’s most famous race, which, in a rarity, does not end in Paris.

By Victor Mather

For three weeks starting Saturday, the world’s best cyclists will do battle in the Tour de France, racing through valleys, hills and high mountains. Though 176 riders will start, most eyes will be on a pair of two-time winners who seek title No. 3.

After more than 2,000 miles and dozens of punishing climbs, will the winner be Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark, who took the last two Tours de France but was hurt in a crash this year? Or Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia, the 2020 and 2021 winner ? Or will an unexpected contender jump up and surprise them?

And, wait: Is it really the Tour de France if the race doesn’t finish on the Champs-Élysées? Here’s a primer to read before the race gets underway.

Where will they race?

For the first time, the race will start in Italy , with the opening stage beginning in Florence and winding through the Apennine Mountains to Rimini, a city on the Adriatic coast. It will be more difficult than most opening stages, with several uphill climbs.

After a few days in Italy, the race will enter France, then go counterclockwise around the country, passing through the Alps, the Massif Central, the Pyrenees and then the Alps again.

Who are the favorites?

Vingegaard won last year’s event by an emphatic seven and a half minutes. But after a good start to the 2024 cycling season, he crashed badly in the Tour of the Basque Country in April and spent 12 days in the hospital with a broken collarbone. He is expected to ride in the Tour de France, but there is uncertainty as to what kind of shape he will be in.

As a result, Pogacar, who has been in fine form, is the favorite to win and regain his crown.

Pogacar rode in the Giro d’Italia, or Tour of Italy, in May. Unlike riders in that race who hold back to preserve their strength for the Tour de France, he gave it his all, winning by almost 10 minutes. If Pogacar claims the Tour as well, he will be the first cyclist since Marco Pantani, in 1998, to win the Giro and the Tour in the same season.

After the big two, other possible contenders include Primoz Roglic of Slovenia, the 2023 Giro winner, and Remco Evenepoel of Belgium, who won the 2022 Tour of Spain.

Though an individual wins the Tour, his team can help a lot, pacing him in the mountains and blocking attacks from rivals. Last year’s leading team, Jumbo-Visma (now Visma–Lease a Bike) has broken up; Vingegaard is still its leader, but Roglic left to join Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. UAE Team Emirates will support Pogacar with a squad that includes Adam Yates of Britain, a rider with the talent to win the Tour himself; he placed third last year.

Tell me the days that really matter.

The first stage to focus on is July 2, when the riders travel from Italy to France. It includes a climb up the Galibier, one of the Tour’s toughest mountains, and one that still has snow on the side of the roads.

In the midst of a week of flat stages that won’t change the leaderboard much, there is a time trial on July 5 in Burgundy wine country. The riders will race alone against the clock, with no help from teammates, which is why a time trial is known as “the race of truth.”

The real action comes at the end, with five mountain stages. The July 13 stage is particularly notable; it includes a climb up the Tourmalet in the Pyrenees and ends with an uphill — or more accurately, up-mountain — finish that is sure to winnow out any pretenders. Also make note of July 14, 17, 19 and 20 as four more brutal mountain stages where the Tour is likely to be won, or lost.

But even the flat stages, which are usually won by sprinters and seldom affect the overall standings, may have some extra interest this year. The great sprinter Mark Cavendish, 39, has 34 career stage victories and needs one more to break the record he shares with Eddy Merckx, the dominant rider of the 1960s and ’70s.

What’s different this year?

The day after that last mountain stage, the race will end, but not with the traditional ceremonial cruise down the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Instead, the field will hold a time trial to finish the Tour for the first time since 1989. If the race is close, the winner could be decided on that final day, as it was in 1989. That year, the American Greg LeMond snatched the Tour from Laurent Fignon of France in a time trial by a mere eight seconds, still the closest margin in history.

To avoid the Paris Olympics, which open five days later, the time trial will run from Monaco to Nice. It is the first time since 1974 the race has not ended on the Champs-Élysées and the first time ever it has not ended in Paris or its environs.

Remind me what the jerseys mean.

In each stage, whoever is the overall leader wears the yellow jersey to make him easier to spot for TV viewers and the thousands of fans along the route.

But there are other jerseys, too. Finishing near the front in individual stages, especially flat ones, earns points toward the green jersey for best sprinter. Last year’s winner of this jersey was Jasper Philipsen.

The first riders to reach the top of the race’s many mountains earn points toward the garish polka-dot jersey for best climber. The top contenders for yellow are also favored to win this jersey, as is Giulio Ciccone of Italy, who won last year.

Are there any Americans racing?

The days of American favorites like LeMond and Lance Armstrong are over for the time being. Moreover, Sepp Kuss, the American who won the 2023 Tour of Spain, is out because of a Covid-19 infection.

Matteo Jorgenson, 24, on the Visma team, is the top-ranked American. He won this year’s weeklong Paris-Nice race, and some think he can contend for the tour’s title in the future, or maybe, if all goes well, this year.

How can I watch?

Stages generally start around 6 or 7 a.m. Eastern time and last four to five hours. In the United States, Peacock will stream every stage live. Some stages will be shown on NBC and USA as well.

Other broadcasters include ITV and Eurosport (United Kingdom), SBS (Australia), FloBikes (Canada), France Televisions (France), ARD (Germany) and J Sports (Japan).

Victor Mather , who has been a reporter and editor at The Times for 25 years, covers sports and breaking news. More about Victor Mather

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2024 Tour de France odds, field, predictions, dates: Cycling expert reveals surprising picks, best bets

Sportsline's gene menez, who correctly hit a +3300 best bet in last year's tour de france, has identified his picks for the 2024 tour de france, which begins saturday in florence, italy.

Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar renew their cycling rivalry on Saturday when the two champions begin their three-week battle in the world's most storied cycling race, the 2024 Tour de France. The 25-year-old Pogacar already has won the Tour de France twice, in 2020 and '21. The 27-year-old Vingegaard has won the Tour de France the last two years, relegating Pogacar to second both times. The 2024 Tour de France begins on Saturday with a tough 128-mile stage beginning in Florence, Italy, and ends on July 21 in Nice, France. Pogacar is the -190 favorite (risk $190 to win $100) to win the yellow jersey in the latest 2024 Tour de France odds, while Vingegaard is the +200 second choice. Primoz Roglic (+800), Remco Evenepoel (+1400) and Adam Yates (+2800) round out the top five choices among the Tour de France riders. With so many variables in every Tour de France, you'll want to  see how SportsLine senior writer Gene Menez, who hit a +3300 best bet in last year's race, breaks down the race before making any 2024 Tour de France picks of your own .

A former reporter and associate editor for Sports Illustrated, where he covered an array of sports for almost 14 years, Menez has been obsessed with the Tour de France for almost four decades. He has been following the iconic three-week race since the mid-1980s when Greg LeMond was riding to three yellow jerseys. Last year, Menez correctly hit Adam Yates to finish in the top three overall, at +3300.

Now Menez has analyzed the 2024 Tour de France route and contenders and has identified five best bets. He's sharing his expert Tour de France 2024 picks only at SportsLine . 

Top 2024 Tour de France picks

Menez is backing American Matteo Jorgenson to finish in the top three overall at +1000 odds. The young rider from Boise, Idaho, is in the midst of a career season. Earlier this year, he became just the third American to win the storied Paris-Nice stage race, and earlier this month he finished second in the Criterium du Dauphine in preparation for the Tour de France.

Also, with teammate Jonas Vingegaard's fitness in question after a serious crash, Jorgenson could very well inherit the leadership role at Team Visma-Lease a Bike at some point during the Tour de France. That would mean the team would work for him and not Vingegaard. "This budding American star already is one of the best riders in the world at age 24," Menez told SportsLine.  You can see whom else to back here .

How to make 2024 Tour de France picks

Moreover, Menez has four other best bets, including one on a rider to win the Tour de France at odds longer than +2500. This rider is in "his best career form" and could surprise.  He's sharing his Tour de France picks and analysis only at SportsLine .

So what rider in career-best form is the one to bet at odds of more than +2500, and what other best bets does Menez like? Visit SportsLine now to see Menez's detailed Tour de France picks, all from the SportsLine staff writer who hit a +3300 best bet in last year's Tour de France , and find out.

2024 Tour de France odds, top contenders

See 2024 Tour de France picks at SportsLine Tadej Pogacar -190 Jonas Vingegaard +200 Primoz Roglic +800 Remco Evenepoel +1400 Adam Yates +2800 Juan Ayuso +3000 Carlos Rodriguez +3000 Matteo Jorgenson +4000 Joao Almeida +4000 Jai Hindley +6500 Egan Bernal +6500 Simon Yates +7000 Felix Gall +8000 Tom Pidcock +10000 Enric Mas Nicolau +10000 Alexander Vlasov +10000 Richard Carapaz +15000 Mikel Landa +15000 Pello Bilbao +20000 David Gaudu +20000 Daniel Martinez +20000 Wout Van Aert +25000 Wilco Kelderman +25000 Laurens De Plus +25000 Geraint Thomas +25000 Derek Gee +25000 Santiago Buitrago +40000 Louis Meintjes +40000 Romain Bardet +50000 Pavel Sivakov +50000 Oscar Onley +50000 Hugh Carthy +50000 Giulio Ciccone +50000 Ben O'Connor +50000 Chris Harper +50000 Marc Soler +70000 Kevin Vauquelin +70000 Jack Haig +70000 Ilan Van Wilder +70000 Eddie Dunbar +70000 Ben Healy +70000 Alexey Lutsenko +70000 Tobias Halland Johannessen +80000 Rigoberto Uran +80000 Oier Lazkano +80000 Torstein Traeen +100000 Steff Cras +100000 Sergio Higuita +100000 Romain Gregoire +100000 Neilson Powless +100000 Michael Woods +100000 Mauri Vansevenant +100000 Mathieu van der Poel +100000 Kobe Goossens +100000 Johan Esteban Chaves +100000 Jakob Fuglsang +100000 Ivan Ramiro Sosa +100000 Fausto Masnada +100000 Chris Froome +100000 Wout Poels +100000 Valentin Madouas +150000 Tiesj Benoot +150000 Pierre Latour +150000 Maximilian Schachmann +150000 Mattia Cattaneo +150000 Matej Mohoric +150000 Koen Bouwman +150000 Darren Rafferty +150000 Carlos Verona +150000 Johannes Kulset +150000 Davide Formolo +150000 Stephen Williams +150000 Jesus Herrada +200000 Harm Vanhoucke +200000 Dylan Van Baarle +200000 Bauke Mollema +200000 Victor Campenaerts +200000 Odd Christian Eiking +200000 Louis Vervaeke +200000 Dylan Teuns +200000 Archie Ryan +200000 Alexy Faure Prost +200000 Michal Kwiatkowski +250000 Joshua Tarling +250000 Ethan Hayter +250000 Mark Cavendish +250000

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Tour de France 2024 team guide – Start list and star riders for UAE, Ineos, Visma Lease-a Bike and all 22 teams

Updated 28/06/2024 at 09:14 GMT

Our Tour de France preview series continues with a look at each of the 22 teams and weighing up their form, options, goals and star riders ahead of the 111th edition of the race. Felix Lowe also asks the important question on the tip of everyone’s tongues: which Asterix comic would each of the participating teams be? Stream the 2024 Tour de France live and on-demand on discovery+.

‘It is my life’ - Cavendish relives his 34 Tour de France stage wins

'Everything from now a bonus' - Vingegaard tempers expectations ahead of defending crown

12 hours ago

• Yellow jersey guide and ratings: Can Vingegaard stop Pogacar doing the double?
• Tour de France stage guide: 8 key dates as Pogacar battles Vingegaard for yellow

ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK

• Mathieu van der Poel
• Jasper Philipsen
• Jonas Rickaert
• Axel Laurance
• Gianni Vermeersch
• Silvan Diller
• Soren Kragh Andersen

ARKEA-B&B HOTELS

• Kevin Vauquelin
• Arnaud Demare
• Cristian Rodriguez
• Luca Mozzato
• Daniel McLay
• Raul Garcia
• Clement Champoussin
• Amaury Capiot

ASTANA QAZAQSTAN

• Alexey Lutsenko
• Mark Cavendish
• Michael Morkov
• Davide Ballerini
• Yevgeniy Fedorov
• Harold Tejada
• Michele Gazzoli

Can Cavendish break Merckx record? Breakaway team on Brit's 'big statement' at Tour of Hungary

BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS

• Matej Mohoric
• Pello Bilbao
• Phil Bauhaus
• Santiago Buitrago
• Fred Wright
• Nikias Arndt

Cycling Show: 'I knew I had it in me' Mohoric recalls memorable 2023 Tour stage win

RED BULL-BORA-HANSGROHE

• Jai Hindley
• Aleksandr Vlasov
• Matteo Sobrero
• Primoz Roglic
• Bob Jungels
• Marco Haller
• Bryan Coquard
• Guillaume Martin
• Piet Allegaert
• Axel Zingle
• Alexis Renard
• Simon Geschke
• Jesus Herrada
• Ion Izagirre

DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE

• Dorion Godon
• Oliver Naesen
• Sam Bennett
• Nicolas Prodhomme
• Paul Lapeira
• Bruno Armirail
• Nans Peters

EF EDUCATION-EASYPOST

• Richard Carapaz
• Neilson Powless
• Marijn van den Berg
• Stefan Bissegger
• Alberto Bettiol

GROUPAMA-FDJ

• David Gaudu
• Kevin Geniets
• Romain Gregoire
• Stefan Kung
• Lenny Martinez
• Valentin Madouas
• Quentin Pacher
• Clement Russo

INEOS GRENADIERS

• Carlos Rodriguez
• Tom Pidcock
• Geraint Thomas
• Michal Kwiatkowski
• Egan Bernal
• Laurens De Plus
• Jonathan Castroviejo

INTERMARCHE-WANTY

• Louis Meintjes
• Biniam Girmay
• Laurenz Rex
• Mike Teunissen
• Georg Zimmermann
• Kobe Goosens
• Gerben Thijssen
• Carlos Verona
• Giulio Ciccone
• Jasper Stuyven
• Julien Bernard
• Mads Pedersen
• Ryan Gibbons
• Tim Declercq
• Toms Skujins
• Oier Lazkano
• Nelson Oliveira
• Davide Formolo
• Alex Aranburu
• Fernando Gaviria
• Javier Romo
• Gregor Muhlberger

SOUDAL QUICK-STEP

• Remco Evenepoel
• Mikel Landa
• Ilan Van Wilder
• Louis Vervaeke
• Casper Pedersen
• Yves Lampaert
• Gianni Moscon

TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL

• Romain Bardet
• Warren Barguil
• John Degenkolb
• Nils Eekhoff
• Fabio Jakobsen
• Oscar Onley
• Frank Van Den Broek
• Bram Welten

TEAM JAYCO-ALULA

• Dylan Groenewegen
• Luka Mezgec
• Simon Yates
• Elmar Reinders
• Luke Durbridge
• Chris Harper
• Christopher Juul-Jensen
• Michael Matthews

UAE TEAM EMIRATES

• Tadej Pogacar
• Joao Almeida
• Pavel Sivakov
• Tim Wellens
• Nils Politt

VISMA-LEASE A BIKE

• Jonas Vingegaard
• Tiesj Benoot
• Matteo Jorgenson
• Christophe Laporte
• Jan Tratnik
• Wout van Aert
• Wilco Kelderman
• Bart Lemmen

ISRAEL-PREMIER TECH

• Stephen Williams
• Pascal Ackermann
• Jakob Fuglsang
• Guillaume Boivin
• Krists Neilands
• Jake Stewart

LOTTO DSTNY

• Arnaud De Lie
• Victor Campenaerts
• Maxim Van Gils
• Brent Van More
• Jarrad Drizners
• Harm Vanhoucke
• Sebastien Grignard
• Cedric Beullens

UNO X-MOBILITY

• Magnus Cort
• Johannes Kulset
• Rasmus Tiller
• Odd Christian Eiking
• Alexander Kristoff
• Soren Waerenskjold
• Tobias Halland Johannessen
• Jonas Abrahamsen

TOTALENERGIES

• Mathieu Burgaudeau
• Anthony Turgis
• Jordan Jegat
• Thomas Gachignard
• Matteo Vercher
• Sandy Dujardin
• Fabien Grellier

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Trending Teams

2024 tour de france jerseys: what do the yellow, green, white and polka dot jerseys mean.

• Mary Omatiga ,
• Mary Omatiga

Cycling’s most prestigious event returns this weekend as the 2024 Tour de France kicks off on Saturday, June 29, and continues through Sunday, July 21. The world’s top riders will compete for the highly coveted yellow, green, polka-dot, and white jerseys but what is the significance of each jersey?

See below to find out what each jersey represents and for details on how to watch all 21 stages of this 2024 Tour de France live on Peacock .

RELATED - How to watch every stage of the 2024 Tour de France: Stages, schedule, start times, live stream info

What does the yellow jersey mean in the Tour de France?

The yellow jersey, known as maillot jaune in French, is awarded to the rider leading the overall classification after all stages are completed, making it the most coveted prize. The fastest rider from the previous day earns the right to wear the jersey for the following day of racing.

The winner of the yellow jersey is determined by cumulative time rather than points, meaning the stage winner may not necessarily wear the jersey.

What does the green jersey mean in the Tour de France?

The green jersey or maillot vert goes to the rider with the most overall points after all stages are complete. Points are awarded on given stages for winning ‘sprints’ within the stage and winning an overall stage. This jersey is often referred to as “the sprinter’s jersey”.

The number of points available for each stage will vary based on the stage’s profile. For example, a flat stage finish is typically worth more points than a hilly or mountainous stage finish.

What does the white jersey mean in the Tour de France?

The white jersey ( maillot blanc ) symbolizes the future and honors the youth. The jersey is awarded to the highest-ranked cyclist in the overall standings who is under the age of 26.

What does the polka-dot jersey mean in the Tour de France?

The polka-dot jersey ( maillot à pois rouges ) goes to the rider with the most overall mountain-related points after all stages are complete. Riders earn points by reaching the summit first in designated climbs during each stage. The amount of points awarded varies depending on the difficulty of the climb.

Climbs are categorized into 5 levels, with category 1 being the most challenging and 4 being the least. “ Hors Catégorie” (beyond category) is reserved for the toughest climbs.

Has anyone won all 3 jerseys in the Tour de France?

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar captured the yellow, polka-dot, and white jerseys at the Tour de France in both 2020 and 2021, marking the first time since Eddy Merckx in 1969 and 1970 that a rider achieved this impressive triple-jersey feat.

RELATED: 2024 Tour de France route - Stage profiles, previews, start, finish times

How do I watch cycling on Peacock?

Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports and events, including cycling.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here .

Could an American win the 2024 Tour de France?

2024 Tour de France: How to watch, schedule, odds for cycling's top race

The biggest cycling event of the year - the 111th Tour de France -- kicks off Saturday from Florence, Italy. The 2024 Tour de France's unusual route starts in Italy for the first time ever to honor 100 years since the first Italian victory in the Tour by Ottavio Bottecchia in 1924. Also, due to the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Tour de France will not finish in Paris for the first time in event history.

The 21 stages will cover more than 2,000 miles from Saturday through July 21. Two-time defending winner Jonas Vingegaard looks to become just the ninth cyclist to win at least three Tour de France races. Last year's runner-up, Tadej Pogačar, is looking to do the same. He won in 2020 and 2021 before finishing second to Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023.

Here's what you need to know about this year's race:

How to watch the 2024 Tour de France

NBC Sports will broadcast the 2024 Tour de France in the U.S. All stages will be available via streaming on Peacock and fuboTV with three stages - 8, 14, and 20 - broadcast on NBC as well.

How to watch: Catch the 2024 Tour de France FREE on Fubo

Looking for reliable streaming options? Check out  USA TODAY Home Internet  for broadband service plans in your area.

2024 Tour de France stage schedule, distance, characteristics

• Coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 6:05 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 6:50 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 6:55 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7:10 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 6 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7:05 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7:30 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 7:35 a.m. ET
• Coverage begins at 10:10 a.m. ET

2024 Tour de France odds

Pogačar holds a slight edge as the favorite for victory in the 2024 Tour de France, per BetMGM's latest cycling odds . Here's how the field looks:

Odds as of Tuesday afternoon.

• Tadej Pogačar (-165)
• Jonas Vingegaard (+200)
• Primož Roglič (+800)
• Remco Evenepoel (+1400)
• Juan Ayuso (+3300)
• Carlos Rodríguez (+3300)
• Adam Yates (+3300)
• João Almeida (+3300)
• Matteo Jorgenson (+3300)
• Egan Bernal (+6600)
• Simon Yates (+6600)
• Enric Mas (+10000)
• Tom Pidcock (+10000)
• Felix Gall (+10000)
• Richard Carapaz (+10000)
• Mikel Landa (+10000)
• Geraint Thomas (+10000)
• David Gaudu (+30000)
• Oscar Onley (+30000)
• Wout van Aert (+30000)
• Romain Bardet (+50000)
• Giulio Ciccone (+50000)
• Mathieu van der Poel (+100000)
• Mark Cavendish (+500000)

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Tour de France fantasy guide and tips: How to score and the best riders to select

Here are our top tips for success across the three-week grand tour, article bookmarked.

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The Tour de France is back with a star-studded peloton set to do battle across three weeks of racing — and avid cycling aficionados and total newbies to the sport can join in the fun by signing up for the official fantasy game of the Tour.

Ever more popular year-on-year, the Tour provides its own platform in partnership with Tissot, awarding points based on riders’ performances in each stage and overall throughout the race.

With such variety from stage to stage across the route, figuring out the best combination in an eight-strong selection can be tricky — here are our top tips for success for prospective directeur sportifs.

Before the start of Stage 1 in Florence on Saturday 29 June, those wishing to enter the official fantasy game must sign up and select a team of eight riders. Each entrant is allocated a budget of 120 “stars”, with cyclists assigned a value based on their likely output at the Tour. Tadej Pogacar , for example, is the most expensive rider at 25 stars.

The peloton is split into four categories — Leaders, Sprinters, All-rounders and Climbers — with a maximum of three of each type permitted to be selected. Similarly, only three riders can be chosen from a single team. A limited number of changes can be made to your team during the race, so use these wisely.

Points scoring

Points are awarded both based on stage performances and in the overall classifications. Picking stage winners is most valuable, but riders who rank highly in the chase for the yellow, green, white and polka dots jerseys also boost your points tally.

Before each stage, a Stage Winner Bonus can also be designated. This doubles the points of the rider chosen on that particular stage and should be updated based on each day’s parcours.

There is little surprise that Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates, 25 stars) is the most selected player in the game. Even at a price higher than any other rider, the Slovenian shapes as a prolific points scorer as both a ravenous stage hunter and likely general classification favourite having already torn the Giro d’Italia to pieces this year.

Heading the sprinting field, meanwhile, is Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck, 23 stars) . After winning four stages in France last year, the Belgian will arrive full of confidence even with a host of contenders sure to be nipping at his heels. There could be as many as eight sprint stages across the three weeks, though there will be no traditional final-day dash up the Champs-Elysees due to preparations for Paris 2024.

Another man who may be in the mix out of the bunch is Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike, 19 stars) — no other rider is conceivably competitive on such a wide variety of terrains as the Belgian, and with questions surrounding his team leader, Van Aart might have the freedom to go hunting for both stages and green jersey points.

What about the defending champion?

No-one will be writing off Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike, 22 stars) as the Dane targets a third consecutive yellow jersey, but there are doubts about the defending champion’s form and fitness entering the Tour. Vingegaard has not raced since suffering serious injuries at the Tour of the Basque Country in April. The noises coming out of team camp are more pessimistic than you might expect, and taking a cautious approach with Vingegaard is probably wise for fantasy directeur sportifs until he has shown that he has the legs to mix it with Pogacar.

Other GC candidates

Similar concerns swirl around Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step, 20 stars), who was short of his best at the Criterium du Dauphine after recovering from injury. Vingegaard’s former teammate Primoz Roglic (Bora-hansgrohe, 21 stars) went better at the traditional Tour tune-up, taking overall victory on his return from a lay-off, though lacked the end-of-stage sharpness that tends to characterise the Slovenian’s racing.

At a lower price point, big things will be expected of Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers, 18 stars) as he leads a team also containing Geraint Thomas (18 stars) and Egan Bernal (17 stars). Looking for a value option? Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech, 16 stars) might be your man after an unexpected podium finish at the Dauphine.

The sprinters

It’s an intriguing selection of sprinters at the Tour this year. Beyond Philipsen, perennial contenders like Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich PostNL, 17 stars) and Sam Bennett (Declathlon AG2R La Mondiale, 16 stars) are viable options, while young guns Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike, 19 stars) and Arnaud de Lie (Lotto DSTNY, 18 stars) are priced highly with each tipped for an impressive debut.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek, 18 stars) is usually a good option for fantasy players given the Dane’s ability to get through the tougher stuff and survive climbs - like Van Aert, he has the ability to contest plenty of stage finishes in an intriguing route to Nice.

And what about Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan, 15 stars)? The Manx Missile will bid farewell to the Tour (again) after postponing his retirement in search of a record-breaking 35th stage win. He may lack the sheer speed of younger, more in-form rivals but nous and a nose for the line count for a lot in heat of a sprint finish. Cavendish has a loaded sprint train to help him out, too.

Value picks

It can be hard to forecast which riders will enjoy a standout Tour, but there are plenty of possible picks that might provide real value at a cheaper cost. It feels like a breakthrough victory is coming for Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious, 11 stars) after a series of near misses, while Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost, 13 stars) is one to watch in the hills. Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL, 12 stars) may have a limited role on Tour debut but there is a lot to like about the young Scot, too.

Tiny French climber Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ, 11 stars) should like the steeper slopes in the Alps and Pyrenees if not dedicated to supporting team leader David Gaudu (16 stars). Another home hope might be Bryan Coquard (Cofidis, 12 stars) — the Frenchman will have his work cut out forcing a long-awaited victory at the race given the quality of his sprint rivals, but Coquard seems to have found another gear this season.

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

First Published Jul 5, 2023

Gearing choice in the Tour used to be easy, a standard chainset was the only way to go and cassette choices were limited at best. However, these days, with 12-speed options from Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo all represented in the peloton, there's more choice than ever. We've had a nosey at the pros' bikes to see what they're using this year.

> ​Suffering on the hills? Find out how to get lower gears to make climbing easier

The peloton's gearing choices differ from many consumer bikes simply because the riders race at very high speeds and therefore need bigger gears to keep a comfortable cadence. Whereas most bikes you can buy come specced with 50/34t compact or 52/36t chainset, (or 48/35t and 46/33t on SRAM 12-speed groupsets paired with 10-tooth start cassettes) you'll typically find the peloton powering along on chainsets with larger chainrings.

Check out this article for a primer on the basics of gears and all the lingo

The most common chainset size in the pro peloton on normal stages is 54/40t. That's a standard Shimano Dura-Ace option, and most teams racing in the Tour de France use this groupset. This is the chainset from Dylan Groenewegen's Giant Propel (above), for example.

There are plenty of other choices, though. We spotted Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team TotalEnergies using this 55/42t chainset (above) which comes from the days when Shimano Dura-Ace was an 11-speed system.

Enric Mas, who had to withdraw from this year's Tour after sustaining an injury during the first stage, was using a 52/39t SRAM chainset (above).

Intermarché - Circus - Wanty's Georg Zimmermann uses this 55/42T Rotor setup on his Cube Litening Aero.

The Shimano neutral service bikes are fitted with 52/36T chainsets that give a broad spread of gear options for any rider who is unfortunate enough to require one.

You'll find larger chainrings during the time-trial stages when riders are consistently moving at high speeds. For example, this (above) is Luke Durbridge's TT bike with 58/46t chainrings fitted.

During last year's Tour de France, Stefan Bissegger was spotted using this 64 tooth chainring that is not available to the public.

Cassettes have varied much more over the years, largely as a consequence of the steady increase in gears, from the old days of 5-speed and 6-speed to the 12-speed setups that are currently used in the pro peloton.

As the number of gears has increased, so too has the range, with larger cassettes increasingly common, partly as a response to race routes that are getting ever harder as race organisers attempt to find even more cruelly savage mountains to send racers up.

The increase in the number of gears also means that riders can cover those larger ranges with smaller jumps between sprocket sizes. This helps them keep a more even cadence as they move across the cassette.

When we visited the Critérium du Dauphiné recently, loads of pro bikes were fiitted with 11-30t and 11-32t cassettes. These are positively humongous compared with a few decades ago when you'd get an 11-21t cassette and, if you were lucky, 11-23t for the mountains. 

We saw quite a lot of 11-34t cassettes too, and that surprised us. David Gaudu's Lapierre Xelius SL (above), for example, was fitted with a 54/40t chainset and an 11-34t cassette. With a 40t inner chainring now more common than a 39t, it looks like more riders want a larger cassette to compensate on hillier roads.  

Campagnolo has just updated its Super Record EPS groupset and now the cassettes come with a 10t smallest sprocket. The standard options are 10-25t, 10-27t and 10-29t.

> Campagnolo ditches iconic thumb shifter and goes wireless with new Super Record Wireless electronic groupset... and it'll cost you £4.5k

The largest sprockets on those cassettes might seem pretty small but at the same time Campagnolo has altered the size of its chainsets to compensate. They're available in 50/34t, 48/32t and 45x29t options.

That said, we saw Ben O'Connor's BMC Teammachine (above) at the Dauphine fitted with new Campagnolo Super Record EPS shifters and derailleurs, with a 54/39t chainset and a larger cassette than any of those listed above.

SRAM offers a 10-33t cassette for Red eTap AXS, and that's what we saw fitted to one of Jonas Vingegaard's bikes ahead of the Dauphiné, matched to a 52/39t chainset. 

>  Which chainset is right for you?

The use of that 10t sprocket means that SRAM chainsets don't need to be as large as Shimano's to achieve the same gear ratios (Shimano's smallest cog is 11t). However, as well as the 52/39t chainset Vingegaard was using, SRAM now offers 54/41t and 56/43t options.

What about 1x?

Pic: © Zac WiLLIAMS SWpix.com (t-a Photography Hub Ltd)

Jumbo-Visma switched from Shimano to SRAM for this season and we first saw Vingegaard experimenting with 1x at the Dauphiné.

> Jonas Vingegaard uses 1x gearing for Tour de France opening stages

A few riders have dabbled with 1x, with varying levels of success, and of course, there was the ill-fated Aqua Sport Blue team which solely used 1x drivetrains on 3T Strada bikes. The team boss at the time was quite scathing about  either the drivetrain or the bike, or perhaps both. 

There are benefits to a 1x system. There’s no duplication of gears – which is something you get with 2x groupsets – it can be lighter and more aerodynamic, and the lack of a front derailleur means there's one less component to fail.

Jumbo-Visma uses single chainring setups on its time trial bikes (above) when it doesn't need a huge spread of gears. 

However, Vingegaard and Van Aert have also used 1x for normal road stages with a Wolf Tooth LoneWolf Aero chainguide fitted to help keep the chain in place. 

It's not as if Jumbo-Visma has chosen to give 1x a go just for flat courses; the first two stages of this year's Tour were pretty hilly. It'll be interesting to see if the team sticks with the tech throughout the race and, if not, the circumstances in which it turns to 1x.

SRAM insists that Jumbo-Visma's use of 1x isn't a marketing exercise, by the way. It's down to the team and the individual riders which of SRAM's components they decide to use.

One issue with 1x is that you can still get some fairly sizeable jumps between the gears. A possible solution to this is the Classified system which basically moves the function of the front mech into the rear hub.

Classified's tech could also bring aero benefits and it has been used by a few teams. Uno X has tried it out in competition, for example, and Lotto-Dstny's Victor Campenaerts rode this year's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with a Classified system on his bike.

The system raises some questions about wheel changes but could it be something we see in the Tour de France in the future?

> Check out Classified's innovative Powershift drivetrain

What about the rest of us?

Today’s pro road racers are provided with equipment vastly superior to 10-20 years ago, but it’s the range of gears that has been the most interesting trend as the groupsets have evolved. As the number of sprockets has increased, the gear range has increased. Are riders getting soft, are courses getting harder, or is the higher number of gears making it possible?

The three big groupset manufacturers are still focused on the needs of the pro racers and delivering groupsets to meet their needs, and then selling them to the public, but there just aren’t many normal people that need a 54-11 gear. The requirements of the pros are very different to people like you and me. 

This is slowly changing though. Outside of the pro peloton, we're starting to see a shift in focus from the equipent manufacturers to meet the growing diversity of modern cyclists that are less influenced by pro racers and more by their riding, whether long-distance road rides or adventure and gravel bikepacking.

Largely thanks to adventure riding, we're now seeing much wider range groupsets with more realistically usable gear ratios for the many people that don't go racing every Sunday, but want gears to help them out on challenging terrain and let them conquer every hill.

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Jamie has been riding bikes since a tender age but really caught the bug for racing and reviewing whilst  studying towards a master's in Mechanical engineering  at Swansea University. Having graduated, he decided he really quite liked working with bikes and is now a full-time addition to the road.cc team. When not writing about tech news or working on the Youtube channel, you can still find him racing local crits trying to cling on to his cat 2 licence...and missing every break going...

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25 comments.

No one other than a professional racing cyclist or an amateur of the very highest level needs an 11 tooth or even a 12 tooth sprocket, unless their big chainring is a 44 rather than a 50 or 52.

People tell themselves that they do because they want to pedal really fast down hill. But it's likely that their pedalling at the low wattages of ordinary cyclists merely increases their drag from the air, downhill; so they go slower than they would if they stopped pedalling, tucked in their knees to the frame and crouched in an elbows-in aero position.

As to the idea that a double or triple chainring giving duplicated gear ratios is somehow a disadvantage .... this too is an unthinking analysis.

The point of a double or triple chainring is to provide, from the same cassette, two or three gear ranges that are close enough to enable the rider to find the ideal cadence, whether for generally slowish ascents, mid-speed undulations or flats agin' the wind, or fast riding when the road is smooth & flat with the wind behind. It isn't to provide more gears but rather to provide better gear ranges for different terrains/speed ranges.

But our culture encourages sales of high end racey bike parts by seeming to promise the buyer of high-geared stuff that they too can be just as fast as them riders in the TdF by having a Dura-Ace 53/39 chainset and an 11-25 cassette. This is just a-one o' them daft "dreams" they install in the heads of folk far too blase about having their wallets emptied whilst paying no attention to the reality of their actual cycling abilities.

The annoying part for those wanting more realistic gears is that it's often very hard to find them. Because road bike frames tend to come with front braze-on fitting to suit chainrings from 48 - 56, rather than 44 - 50, you'r stuck with a 48 or (more probably) the 50 that the bike comes with. But can you buy a 14-34 cassette? Not really - you have to buy an 11- 34 cassette plus three Shimano cogs of 14, 15and 16 (to replace the 11, 13 & 15). This becomes expensive - and difficult to do as only SJS cycles seems to sell spare Shimano sprockets in Blighty, these days. 

My own preferred and favourite gear range is a 50/39/30 chainset with a 15 - 36 cassette of 10 cogs. It goes as fast as I can go pedalling (without a significant downhill) in 50/15 (30 mph, briefly) but also allows a twiddle in a very low gear. Each chainring provides relatively close-ratio gears from the cassette, since there's only usable cogs and no wasted 11, 12, 13 or 14 that would never get used.

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I'm a very ordinary (and I mean very very very ordinary) 54-year-old cyclist and I use my 50/12 as my standard flat no wind gear to ride at around 23mph, on the bike that has a 52/11 I can certainly get a higher speed downhill than just tucking in until the speed starts to approach 50mph. Pardon me saying so but you seem to be rather solipsistic in your belief that what suits you is what should suit anybody and that anyone who disagrees is just a mug falling for marketing hype. We are all different, you know.

Rendel Harris wrote: I'm a very ordinary (and I mean very very very ordinary) 54-year-old cyclist and I use my 50/12 as my standard flat no wind gear to ride at around 23mph, on the bike that has a 52/11 I can certainly get a higher speed downhill than just tucking in until the speed starts to approach 50mph. Pardon me saying so but you seem to be rather solipsistic in your belief that what suits you is what should suit anybody and that anyone who disagrees is just a mug falling for marketing hype. We are all different, you know.

At 23 mph in 50/12 you'll be revving at mid-60s rpm. That's a hard way to pedal unless you're a body builder. 

At 120rpm in 50/11, you'd only be doing 44mph, so you must have very whizzable legs to get to 50mph whilst pedaling!

Perhaps you need to practice tucking in a bit if you can't increase speed quite dramatically by getting more aero? To increase downhill speed above around 30mph just by pedalling harder, you'd have to be inputting a rather large number of watts - certainly more than those of "a very very ordinary" cyclist.

You can call hard facts about gearing, aero positions and so forth "solipsistic" but facts are uncaring of our mere opinions, seeing as how they're quite hard to avoid or change.

Cugel wrote: At 23 mph in 50/12 you'll be revving at mid-60s rpm. That's a hard way to pedal unless you're a body builder.

As a result of a lot of leg weight work as a rugby player I do have rather large pins - think Chris Hoy rather than Froome, though without an ounce of the talent of either - and I find 65-70 a comfortable cadence at that speed. Which just goes to prove what I said, we're all different and it's nonsense to issue blanket statements like "No one other than a professional racing cyclist or an amateur of the very highest level needs an 11 tooth or even a 12 tooth sprocket."

Cugel wrote: At 120rpm in 50/11, you'd only be doing 44mph, so you must have very whizzable legs to get to 50mph whilst pedaling!

If you look again I said that was on the bike with 52/11 and I get close to 130rpm before spinning out on a downhill, which I don't think is terribly unusual or "whizzable".

Cugel wrote: facts are uncaring of our mere opinions

That is very true, but most of what you wrote was opinion based on what you think is an ideal way to ride.

Rendel Harris wrote: Cugel wrote: At 23 mph in 50/12 you'll be revving at mid-60s rpm. That's a hard way to pedal unless you're a body builder.

Fact-based based on my experience, that of many others and that forced on anyone who employs various gear ratios and positions on a bike, I think you'll find.

But a mental experiment is also available. Consider the gearing of professional cyclists able to output 400 watts continuously then work out what gearing might, scaled, be appropriate for everyday cyclists with power output capbilities more between 100 and 200 watts.

Will the latter somehow be able to emulate the 400 watters just by having the same gear ratios? Some think so, going by their claims. This is not so much "just a different opinion" as "magical thinking".

Rendel Harris wrote: Cugel wrote: facts are uncaring of our mere opinions

Let's face it, the reason why most go about with cassettes starting with 11 teeth (soon to be 10 or even 9!) is that its very, very difficult to buy anything else. And nearly every road, gravel, touring or audax bike sold as such comes with such a cassette.

You can buy a 14-28 cassette from Mr Shimano. But no 14 - 34 cassette - you have to make your own franken-cassette from a 14-28 plus an 11-34; or buy individual alternative cogs. This is costly.

In short, the reason most have 11- summick cassettes is because of marketing, driven by the fashions of professional racing (also determined by marketing). "Reasons" given by ordinary cyclists to justify their 11 toofers seem, to me, to be "rationalisations after the fact" (of being caught by a fashion-net).

It reminds me of the highly successful marketing trick concerning cycling helmets - no decent proof they achieve anything but a lot of profits for manufacturers (not to mention the polluting landfill) and increased "accidents" due to risk compensation thinking .... but millions buy, wear and defend them.

I knew it wouldn't be long before we got back on to those dark forces of the global commerce conspiracy and their evil plan to reprogram the worker drones with their "marketing".

This is simply drivel and your determination to say that anyone who disagrees with your opinion as to the correct gear ratio is falling for a marketing ploy is risible. What is the marketing advantage to Shimano of selling 11 toothed smallest ring cassettes? Do you think they are making a few bob on the micrograms of metal saved? 

If you want a 14-34 11sp cassette, buy a Miche Primato and stop telling everybody else that they are wrong and falling for a sucker punch by The Man just because they prefer a different gear ratio to you.

I commute with 11-34 and 50/34 and usually average about 75rpm. My speed averages out about 25kph (according to Garmin) I moved to that setup because it was the cheapest option that I knew would fit on my bike. It is commuting, so I do the same route every day and don't move out of the 50. I am able to drop to the 11 when the headwind isn't too strong, but usually I don't get down there. My cadence tops out about 105 on some of the uphill sections. I am in exercise clothing, arrive sweaty and very much treat it as my daily exercise routine. I am not a pro.

I commute on 52/36 chainrings with an 11-28t cassette and I'm usually in the 52/11 on the flat if the road is clear. And I'm just a 48-year old hobby cyclist.

CumbrianDynamo wrote: I commute on 52/36 chainrings with an 11-28t cassette and I'm usually in the 52/11 on the flat if the road is clear. And I'm just a 48-year old hobby cyclist.

What speed are you doing and, as a result, what's your cadence, in that gear?

When I were a lad, 382 years ago, even professionals like that Merckx, had 52 X 13 as their top gear. They still managed to race at speeds not that much slower than today's professionals. 

When I raced, often in races on the flat that averaged 27mph+, I managed to do so on a 52X14 or even 15 top gear. This didn't win me any sprints but it got me to the finish only a few seconds behind those who did sprint to victory.

Of course, I don't mind if you want to go about in 52 X 11 at 55rpm cadence but when it means I can't buy the cassette I want because all the fellows with "all the gear" only want to have the same gears as the bloke wot won Le Tour, it gets a bit tedious.

About 45km/h, cadence about 80. Is that acceptable to you?

CumbrianDynamo wrote: About 45km/h, cadence about 80. Is that acceptable to you?

Your flat road commuting pace equates to about 21m30s minutes for a 10 mile TT. That's pretty fast (particularly as I don't suppose you commute on tri-bars, TT wheels, etc.) 

As I'm commuting it's not a speed I sustain for particularly long distance thanks to the hazards you might expect on a city rush hour journey, but I need the 11 when I have enough clear and flat bus lane to be able to get to around 30mph. Wouldn't know about riding TT as I've never done one, but on a good commuting day on my sub-8kg carbon bike it'll take me about 30 mins to travel about 9 miles in London traffic with a couple of hundred metres of ascent. 

www.bikecalc.com/gear_speed may be of interest here.

80rpm in 52/11 is almost 50kph.

Recent hour record breaking bikes had around the equivalent of a 52x11 gear, pedalled at about 100rpm. I guess MAMILs are more likely to be in the 80-90rpm range - much less over any distance doesn't seem very efficient.

Dnnnnnn wrote: www.bikecalc.com/gear_speed may be of interest here.

Cugel wrote:   My own preferred and favourite gear range is a 50/39/30 chainset with a 15 - 36 cassette of 10 cogs. It goes as fast as I can go pedalling (without a significant downhill) in 50/15 (30 mph, briefly) but also allows a twiddle in a very low gear. Each chainring provides relatively close-ratio gears from the cassette, since there's only usable cogs and no wasted 11, 12, 13 or 14 that would never get used.

In my opinion, nce the gear ratio goes much below 1:1 then you can't pedal any mr beause the front wheel keeps lifting off the ground.

wycombewheeler wrote: Cugel wrote:   My own preferred and favourite gear range is a 50/39/30 chainset with a 15 - 36 cassette of 10 cogs. It goes as fast as I can go pedalling (without a significant downhill) in 50/15 (30 mph, briefly) but also allows a twiddle in a very low gear. Each chainring provides relatively close-ratio gears from the cassette, since there's only usable cogs and no wasted 11, 12, 13 or 14 that would never get used.

Is that a bald opinion (one with no experience-hair), a potted opinion from a cycling website or one based on your own experience?

My own experience is that gears below 1:1 are very good at enabling a pedal up those very long and steep ascents to be found in many locations across Blighterdom. This also seems to be the experience of tens of thousands of touring cyclists, over the years, including me on my many cross-Pennine trips with rear panniers but no front 'uns.

I've not yet seen a tourist or any other slow-twiddler o' the hills go tit-over-arse from the bike whilst twiddling up the steeps (and I've frequented many such steeps) despite their 24 ring and 34 cog.

Cugel wrote: No one other than a professional racing cyclist or an amateur of the very highest level needs an 11 tooth or even a 12 tooth sprocket, unless their big chainring is a 44 rather than a 50 or 52.

Rather simplistic to state that. Try living in the alps and you will rapidly find the average cyclist with a 50/34T and 11/34 setup is now the most common. As a 50 is needed, so is the 11 to compensate for the lack of a bigger ring.

philsinclair wrote: Cugel wrote: No one other than a professional racing cyclist or an amateur of the very highest level needs an 11 tooth or even a 12 tooth sprocket, unless their big chainring is a 44 rather than a 50 or 52.

The reason all those Alpine cyclists have 50/34 and 11/34 is that it's rather difficult to buy anything else with lower gears, in a road bike.

The touring cyclists I know, though - those who understand the need for lower gears up steep/long hills because of their loads - tend to buy from places like Spa, where chainsets of 44-34-24 are sold in significant numbers. A 44 ring with the ubiquitous 11 tooth sprocket is at least a usable gear at an efficient cadence.

What missing bigger ring does the 11 tooth with a 50 ring compensate for?

As a 50 year old 77kg 3.8w/kg rider, as far as I'm concerned my 11 & 12 tooth sprockets are effectively spacers that help with my chain line. I run 11-28 and 11-30 11 speed cassettes (with 50/34 or 36 front) but would happily give up the 11 tooth for tighter mid-gear ratios. 

On my gravel bike I've got 46/30 at the front and 11-34t at the rear. I find this suits me very well cycling on the road. I can comfortably ride at any speed from walking pace up to 35 mph.

My cadence is usually around 90 though, if it was lower then I'd want a higher top gear.

Reminder that unless you are putting out 5.5 watts per kg you shouldn't be making gearing decisions based on what the pros are riding. 

To be fair, the article says that.

Indeed it does, hard to overstate though. You see so many ordinary people who wholeheartedly believe that they need gearing to pedal at 40mph and sacrifice an enjoyable ride to get it. 

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Our 2024 tour de france roster.

It’s going to be an exciting July. We're going for stage wins.

June 24, 2024

It’s time for the Tour de France.

Alberto Bettiol , Neilson Powless , Ben Healy , Marijn van den Berg , Rui Costa , Sean Quinn , Stefan Bissegger , and Richard Carapaz will race the 2024 Grand Boucle for EF Education-EasyPost.

Every one of them is a winner. From the Grand Départ in Florence, Italy to the grand finale in Nice on the Côte d’Azur, they are going to light up this year’s Tour de France in attacking style, chasing stages at every opportunity. Our 2024 Tour team balances youth with experience, strength in the windswept vineyards and sunflower fields of middle France with climbers born to fly up sweltering cols in the Pyrénées and Alps. Sit back this July, because we won’t. From stage one to 21 of this year’s Tour de France, every day will be an opportunity for EF Education-EasyPost.

It’s going to be an exciting summer.

Before the Tour gets started in Florence, hear from our riders.

Alberto Bettiol

My first race in my new Italian champion’s jersey will be in Florence, my hometown, at the start of the Tour. It’s going to be very, very special. The Grand Départ will be crazy beautiful. I know the roads really well. I want to win a stage at the Tour. I’ve been close before and know I can do it. This year is really important for me. I’m not super young anymore. I don’t have too many years in front of me. Winning the Italian championship was a goal and another goal is to win a stage in the Tour de France. I have to make the most of all of the opportunities I get. To win in this jersey would mean a lot to me. You have to be ready and you always have to fight, because winning in the Tour is not like winning in any other races. It's doubly hard to win a stage at the Tour, especially for an all-rounder like me. I think the team is making a smart choice to go for stages. It is going to be fun and really exciting.

Neilson Powless

I think this was probably the hardest year I've had yet with injuries and illnesses, so I'm just excited that I was able to overcome that and still race the Tour de France. Nationals and the first half of the Dauphine reassured me that I'm back to a really high level after the rocky spring. I'm going into the Tour with high ambitions and big goals. I really want to win a stage this year. I still haven't gotten one. Winning a stage is my first and foremost goal, and I think I've got the fitness to do it. It's just about getting it right on the day, just following the right moves and using my energy wisely. I think everyone on the team is eager to take their shot. Every one of us has something to prove. We haven't had the smoothest spring as a team and everyone is chomping at the bit to make up for that.

The Tour is the biggest race there is and I am really excited for it. It's a pretty big milestone. The first step is making it to the WorldTour and the next is going to a Tour. I'd love to try and win a stage. That’s what I'm good at. That’s what I want to go and try to do. I need a pretty hard day out with a hard finish. Stage one looks really good for me, but there are a few towards the end of the second week as well. Since the Ardennes, I've knuckled down and done the altitude camps and some good races. The preparation has gone well for me. I’m excited that we’re going to get to go for our own opportunities. There will be days when I’m really suffering. I will just go all-in on the days when I’ve got to go all-in and save my legs on the others, when our other guys will be going for it.

Marijn van den Berg

Going to the Tour is something I had always dreamed of. When I was a kid, we would often go on holidays to France in July and watch the race. We would watch it in a bar or on a terrace. That’s the thing I remember the most, my brother and my dad and I would do a ride and then go to the swimming pool and then watch the race afterwards . I would be super happy if I got a bottle from a rider and always be a big fan of that rider because of that. Now, to maybe become the guy who does the same thing is a strange feeling actually. You watch it as a kid, and it's super special and now you are a part of it. It shows that hard work pays off. I hope we can get some stage wins with the team. For me personally, there are a few stages that suit me, so I will definitely focus on those, and then help the other guys on the others to get them in the best position possible to go for stage wins as well. I will have some chances of my own, but also help the team. My friends at home who don't have a lot of knowledge about cycling always ask if I have done the Tour. Now, finally, I will be able to say yes.

It’s going to be an honor for me to represent my country and wear the colors of Portugal at the Tour. Since joining EF I always wanted to have the Portuguese flag on my EF jersey. That was one of my ambitions this year. Now, when I wear the jersey at the Tour, I will have accomplished two dreams. I went through a lot after my crash this spring. I worked very hard to get fit for the Tour and to get selected for it. In the end, it worked out and I’m super grateful for the selection and that the team believes in me. I will do my best to fight for a stage, fight as a team and get wins for the team. It’s the most important race of the year. The level of the Tour is a level that you can’t experience in any other race of the season. The team looks very strong, and there are many stages for us. This will be our focus, to go and hunt for stages. I believe we will win. We will get a big one this year.

I feel like I've been waiting for this moment forever. So, I’m really pumped. The Tour is the reason I started chasing the dream of being a professional in the first place. Getting selected is an achievement in itself. I think it's probably my most proud accomplishment so far. Wearing the stars-and-stripes jersey is going to be sweet. It's an opportunity to represent the country on the world's biggest stage. I will just do my best and try to make everyone proud, because I will be representing a lot of people by flying that flag. The race starts in Italy, where I raced a ton as an amateur and I know that area super well, and then it finishes in Nice, which is where I live now, so we’re going full circle. If I could win a stage myself, that'd be pretty epic. We’ll see how many opportunities I get, because I will also be helping the other guys. I'm just happy to be there, but the big dream would be to win a stage. For all my friends, it's the only bike race they actually know so they're going to be pretty pumped to see me. They will be like, ‘okay, so you're actually a real cyclist.’ My parents have seen me work at it for many years. They're super pumped about it. They know they played a big part in the journey as well and are really proud of me.

Stefan Bissegger

We’re going to go for stage wins, so I'm going to try my best and hopefully come back with a nice result. I like the first TT. I would like to tell my son that I won a stage at the Tour. That’s the goal. Just riding is one thing, but I don't participate just to be there. I want to perform. The Tour is such an important race. I always watched it with my own father, all the cycling races, but especially the Tour. We watched it basically every day. For sure, he is super proud. The Tour is never easy. It's also always different than you expect it to be. There is always tension in the bunch, and so much more media and so many more spectators. It's a lot more stressful for us riders. I will drink my coffee in the morning and try to be relaxed. Good coffee in the morning and then it should all be great.

Richard Carapaz

I’m now back, working hard, and not only prepared, but also excited for this Tour. The Tour is the Tour, and it’s always emotional. After my crash at Suisse, I got sick. My form will arrive late, but I will give my best for this Tour de France. My preparations before the crash were very good. The first week will be very hard, but I will try to get through it as best as possible. Winning a stage is super important. In the last editions, I was very close, so winning one would be very important for me, but also to the team and everyone who prepared for that moment. It would be the result of hard work and perseverance. Last year was tough. I had to go home. This year we’re going for it again. Everyone around me knows how much I’ve worked for this. We have a strong, versatile team. We can win on all sorts of terrain. The Tour is the best race in the world. It creates many emotions and that’s what makes it special.

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Tadej Pogacar was infected with COVID-19 during his Tour de France preparations

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates fellow riders leave for a team training in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

UAE Team Emirates riders with Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, left, line up during the team presentation in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Cylings fans raise their hands to catch the water bottle of Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar during the team presentation in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar greets spectators as he lines up with his UAE Team Emirates riders for the team presentation in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Britain’s Mark Cavendish greets spectators as he arrives for the team presentation in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, center rear, arrives for the team presentation in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Britain’s Mark Cavendish greets spectators during the team presentation in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

A man in an uniform dating from the Florentine Republic walks ahead of the presentation of participation cycling teams in Florence, Italy, Thursday, June 27, 2024, two days before the start of the Tour de France cycling race. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Tadej Pogacar was infected with COVID-19 during his Tour de France preparations, the two-time champion revealed Thursday — two days before the race starts in Italy.

The Slovenian is aiming for the rare Tour and Giro d’Italia double after dominating the Italian race last month.

Pogacar, who won the Tour in 2020 and 2021, said that the virus only prevented him from training for one day.

“It’s not as serious anymore. Especially if your body already had the virus before and I had it once or twice,” Pogačar said, adding that he caught the virus about 10 days ago. “It wasn’t too bad, just like a cold. It passed really fast.

“I stopped for one day and then (did) some rollers inside,” he added. “Then when I wasn’t sick anymore, I was riding outside.”

Pogacar has been dominant this season, winning four of the five races he’s entered and collecting 14 victories in 31 days of racing — including Strade Bianche and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

The last rider to win the Giro and the Tour in the same year was Marco Pantani in 1998.

After back-to-back Tour titles, Pogacar then finished runner-up to Jonas Vingegaard the last two years.

Vingegaard was hospitalized for nearly two weeks in April following a high-speed crash in the Tour of the Basque Country. He sustained a broken collarbone and ribs and a collapsed lung and has not raced since.

“I’m just happy to be here at the start line of the Tour de France — I think that’s a victory in itself,” Vingegaard said. “I did a lot of work, a lot of good work, and I’m not in a bad shape. But it was such a bad crash that everything from here is a bonus.”

AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

The Best Cycling Pants to Keep You Warm This Fall

For those days when shorts just won’t cut it.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. How we test gear.

The Best Cycling Pants for Warmth

Best Overall

Giro men's havoc pant.

ROCKBROS Unisex Windproof Cycling Pants

Best Jogger

Inbike windproof thermal cycling joggers.

Best Weatherproof

Gore wear men's c5 gore-tex paclite trail pants.

Best in Men's Sizes

Rapha men's technical trousers.

Best for Mountain Biking

Patagonia men's dirt roamer storm cycling pants.

Best for Commuting

Pearl izumi women's launch trail pant.

Best in Women's Sizes

Prana women's standard halle pant, what to consider.

Comfort is of the utmost importance when considering a new pair of cycling pants—gravitate toward pairs that don’t restrict movement and will accommodate any extra padding and chamois you’ll wear underneath. While baggy and loose-fit pants might be comfortable when lounging at home, on a bike, they’re irksome and can cause sagging and snagging on a ride. A great pair of cycling pants will be form-fitting and tapered, so as to not hinder movement, or worse, get caught in your drivetrain.

As for fabrics, look for synthetics like polyester and nylon that are hard-wearing and abrasion-resistant, as well as finished with Durable Water Repellent, which will guard against elemental annoyances like splashes and snow. Consider pants with leg zippers for moments where you’d like to change on the fly, and a larger opening that allows you to easily peel those pants off over a pair of cycling shoes . For additional warmth, pants lined with soft, cozy fleece are best, though keep in mind that if the fabric isn’t breathable, you’ll feel like you’re in a sauna.

How We Selected

To create a well-rounded list of the best cycling pants, we scoured the internet, took note of the most popular and highly-rated products mentioned at various bike websites and sporting retailers, and considered a variety of different pant styles. We also, of course, consulted our own guide to the best trail pants for cyclists . This list includes cycling pants that are produced in both men’s and women’s sizes, in addition to a few gender-neutral picks, though we also included two gender-specific sizes that we believe offer a unique style that adapts well from the trail to the city.

Looking for more fall and winter gear to keep you warm on your ride? Check out our picks for the best knee warmers and arm warmers .

Stretchy, slim, and sturdy, the Havoc Pant is a well-rounded pair of cycling pants that you can wear no matter the season. Finished with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) that repels snow and rain, these flexible pants are far from restrictive, thanks to a makeup of nylon and stretchy spandex. They have perforated side panels that help excess moisture escape and offer plenty of room for any additional padding you may need underneath—chamois and knee pads included.

We’ve tested these pants ourselves and believe they’ll stand up to whatever situation you throw at them.

This budget-friendly option will do you just fine on the trail, especially in cold conditions. Accented with plenty of reflective piping, these thermal pants are windproof and water-resistant, so they’re able to handle some light rain and snow. They’re lined in polyester-brushed fleece, making for a soft and cozy wear experience, and even have an extended back to prevent any wind from sneaking up on you from behind.

Although they’re labeled as men’s sized, plenty of users on Amazon say they’re unisex-friendly and skew on the smaller side, so those looking for women’s sizes should find these an easy fit.

These tailored joggers offer a windproof outer layer and an inner lining of soft fleece, which is exactly what you need to brave cold, wintry riding conditions. They’re an easy fit, thanks to an elastic waistband, and they’ll give you the sort of stretchy, lazy feel of a regular pair of joggers you’d wear while lounging at home. This pair has reflective strips around the calves, making for a safer ride at night, and a loose fit around the knees to accommodate extra room for padding.

This pair of polyester joggers run on the smaller side, which makes them a great fit as a unisex pair. Take note, however, that some reviewers say the pockets are somewhat shallow.

Gore-Tex is a trusted name in the world of tough, weather-proof fabrics, and its apparel company, Gore Wear, makes clothing that lives up to the brand's stellar reputation.

This pair of trail pants is completely water- and windproof, yet super breathable and light enough to pack down for travel. They have reflective accents on the hind, legs, and sides, and they’re warm enough to bring on even the harshest of winter days. The knees are pre-shaped for easier performance, and the usual crinkle you hear with synthetic fabric is quiet, thanks to Gore-Tex Active technology.

They may be pricey, but these pants are weather-resistant and reinforced where it matters. They’ve also got excess room for any padding you’d like to wear for your ride and are both lightweight and packable.

Buy in Women's Sizes

These all-around trousers from Rapha are so attractive, it’s hard to believe they’re made for cycling. These slightly loose-fitting pants are made of breathable, hard-wearing nylon with a hint of spandex that makes cycling in them both easy and comfortable.

The waistline has a high-cut back, so you aren’t showing off that crack while in motion, and they’re quick-drying to prevent moisture and water stains if you take them to work. Tying this all together are a reflective logo and accents for some additional safety. Grab a pair in one of six colors.

Looking for completely waterproof pants to take out on a mountain ride? How about a pair that’s tough as nails and blocks out the elements with a three-layer shell?

This abrasion-resistant pair of pants from Patagonia is lightweight and breathable, yet still strong enough to keep out water, dirt, and wind while you’re on the move. It comes with a set of zippered pockets, a built-in adjustable waistband, and zippered knee-high leg openings so that you don’t have to take off your shoes to peel them off.

And just in case you take a fall, these pants have reinforced areas on the knees, seat, and crotch to guard your body against harm. With a name like Dirt Roamer, you should expect nothing less.

This pair of trail pants is sleek enough to wear on a business-casual outing or workday, thanks to their tailored fit and below-the-knee taper. They’re equipped with Pearl Izumi’s PI Dry technology, which permanently sheds water away from the garment and keeps the pants looking clean, even after encountering a splash on your commute or morning ride.

They’re built with a tough Cordura nylon, feature four-way stretch thanks to a touch of elastane, and have a hook-and-loop closure for a sag-free fit, so you can look polished without sacrificing comfort. You won’t have to risk safety either—despite their close fit, there’s still plenty of room for padding and chamois if you need them.

Buy in Men's Sizes

The bestselling Halle Pant from prAna is a cross-functional bottom for those looking for a stylish cycling option for commutes to work and weekends alike.

They’re equipped with prAna’s proprietary Stretch Zion fabric, which provides plenty of give for the trail and wicks away moisture when you work up a sweat. They’re also woven with a Durable Water Repellent finish to ward away some droplets from a splash or light rain.

These straight-leg pants have easy-roll legs, in case you want some extra breathing room, and articulated knees for an even wider range of motion. With a button-fly closure, multiple inseam lengths to choose from, and a whopping 20 color options, the Halle Pant is a versatile and stylish option that's sure to become a staple in any rider's cycling wardrobe.

Kevin Cortez is an editor for Runner's World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics covering reviews. A culture and product journalist for over ten years, he’s an expert in men’s style, technology, gaming, coffee, e-bikes, hiking, gear, and all things outdoors. He most recently worked as the Style Editor for Reviewed, a top product recommendation site owned by USA TODAY. He also helped with the launch of WSJ's Buy Side commerce vertical, and has covered the music and podcast industries for Mass Appeal, Genius, Vulture, Leafly, Input, and The A.V. Club. Equally passionate about leisure as he is his penmanship, Kevin dedicates his spare time to graphic novels, birding, making cold brew, and taking long, meandering walks.

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Tour de france 2024 livestream: here’s how to watch the cycling race online.

Watch the 111th edition of the 21-day race throughout Italy and France.

By Rudie Obias

Rudie Obias

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Spanning more than 2,200 miles, the Tour de France begins on Saturday, June 29. The 21-day endurance cycling event features nearly 180 riders competing to hoist the Coupe Omnisports at the finish line.

At a Glance: How to Watch Tour de France 2024 Online

• When Saturday, June 29, to Sunday, July 21
• Network NBC, USA Network
• Stream online Peacock

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Since the Tour de France airs across NBC and USA Network, it’s also streamable on web-based streaming cable services, some of which even offer free trials — including DirecTV Stream , Fubo and Hulu + Live TV . You can also livestream the event on Peacock .

If you want to watch the entire Tour de France 2024, the endurance cycling race is available to stream at home on Peacock . Not a Peacock subscriber? Right now, the streamer is the ad-free Peacock Premium package for only $19.99 for the first year with promo code STREAMTHEDEAL — saving you 65 percent off its regular price through June 30. Otherwise, the ad-supported plan is only $5.99 monthly (or $59.99 per year) until July 18, when Peacock’s prices increase ahead of the Olympics. Aside from the Tour de France, you’ll also get access to originals like Apples Never Fall , In The Know , The Traitors , Ted and others; hit movies like Oppenheimer , Lisa Frankenstein , Drive-Away Dolls , Night Swim and others; live sports and entertainment from NBC Sports and WWE; and more than 50 “always-on” streaming channels. Related: The Best Peacock Streaming Deals

DirecTV Stream

Watch the Tour de France on DirecTV Stream , which offers NBC and USA Network. The service also includes more than 90 other channels — like ABC, Fox, CBS, AMC, Bravo, ESPN and much more. The streaming service has a free five-day trial available, but that’s more than enough time to watch the Tour de France. Afterward, you can cancel the service or keep watching, with prices starting at $69.99 for the entry-level Entertainment plan.

Watch the Tour de France on NBC and USA Network, as well as nearly 200 other news, entertainment and sports channels, with a subscription to  Fubo , starting at $79.99 monthly. In addition, other plans offer nearly 270 channels for the Elite plan for $89.99 monthly, along with 276 channels, Showtime and 4K Ultra HD quality for the Premiere plan for $99.99 monthly. The online TV streaming service also offers a seven-day trial for new subscribers , so you can watch NBC and USA Network online for free.

Hulu + Live TV

To livestream the Tour de France online on NBC and USA Network, a subscription to Hulu + Live TV is another fantastic option. The streaming service has access to more than 90 other live channels — like BET, CNN, ESPN, Food Network and more — starting at $76.99 monthly and comes with Hulu’s entire streaming library, as well as Disney+ and ESPN+. Hulu is currently offering a three-day free trial to try before you commit.

Sling might be a good fit to watch the Tour de France on NBC and USA Network — and the live TV streaming service is on sale for half off your first month of service. With Sling Blue , which includes NBC, you can begin watching for $22.50 for your first month (reg. $45 monthly). Additionally, Sling Blue also has ABC, Bravo, Discovery Channel, NFL Network, National Geographic and other channels.

How to Watch Tour de France 2024 With Cable

The Tour de France airs on NBC and USA Network. You can watch by tuning in through your cable TV provider, on NBCSports.com or the NBC Sports mobile app with your cable TV account login — including streaming and traditional services such as DirecTV Stream , Fubo , Hulu + Live TV , Sling , Verizon , Xfinity and others.

Tour de France 2024 Dates, Schedule

The Tour de France begins on Saturday, June 29, in Florence, Italy and the cycling race ends 21 days later on Sunday, July 21, in Nice, France. Scroll down for a complete schedule, including dates and cities featured throughout the event. Learn more about the Tour de France route here .

• Day 1, Sat., June 29 Florence to Rimini, Italy
• Day 2, Sun., June 30 Cesenatico to Bologna, Italy
• Day 3, Mon., July 1 Piacenza to Turin, Italy
• Day 4, Tues., July 2 Pinerolo, Italy to Valloire, France
• Day 5, Wed., July 3 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas
• Day 6, Thurs., July 4 Mâcon to Dijon
• Day 7, Fri., July 5 Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin
• Day 8, Sat., July 6 Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
• Day 9, Sun., July 7 Troyes to Troyes
• Day 10, Tues., July 9 Orléans to Saint-Amand-Montrond
• Day 11, Wed., July 10 Évaux-les-Bains to Le Lioran
• Day 12, Thurs., July 11 Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Italy
• Day 13, Fri., July 12 Agen to Pau
• Day 14, Sat., July 13 Pau to Saint-Lary-Soulan
• Day 15, Sun., July 14 Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille
• Day 16, Tues., July 16 Gruissan to Nîmes
• Day 17, Wed., July 17 Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to SuperDévoluy
• Day 18, Thurs., July 18 Gap to Barcelonnette
• Day 19, Fri., July 19 Embrun to Isola 2000
• Day 20, Sat., July 20 Nice to Col de la Couillole
• Day 21, Sun., July 21 Monaco to Nice

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Tour de France favorite Pogacar says he has 'never felt so good on a bike'

Tadej Pogacar issued an ominous warning to his Tour de France rivals on Wednesday, with the two-time winner declaring "I've never felt so good on a bike."

And three days before the 2024 edition of cycling's showcase event starts in Florence, Pogacar oozed confidence as he aims to add to his 2020 and 2021 Tour triumphs.

"I have the feeling that I've made progress since the Giro and that my form is better than expected," said the 25-year-old, the runner-up to Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard in each of the past two years.

"I've tested my legs a little and to be honest, I've never felt so good on a bike," he told his UAE Team's website.

"Everyone thinks that I'm going to win the Tour every year, but I didn't win the last two times," added Pogacar, whose preparations last year were hampered by a wrist fracture.

"A lot of things weren't right after my fall in Liege," he recalled.

"I found out who was there to help me and who wasn't. There was disappointment and negative energy around me and I wasn't feeling 100% confident on the Tour.

"All that built up to a point where I crumbled. It was during the time trial at Combloux. After that I was at a standstill."

Twelve months on it is Pogacar's rivals who have endured less than ideal build-ups to the three-week marathon that starts in Florence and ends this year in Nice due to preparations for the Paris Olympics.

Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Pogacar's fellow countryman Primoz Roglic have all had falls that have interrupted their preparations.

"Jonas was really badly injured (with multiple fractures) but I think he'll be okay. If he is feeling mentally strong and has made a good recovery he will be at his top level.

"We saw that Remco and Primoz were in good shape in the Dauphine and I reckon they'll be at their best.

"But you never know. Last year I thought I was 100%, but one day I was really good, then the next I wasn't ready."

Asked if he was keen to make a strong start to exploit any possible weakness in his main contenders for the 2024 title he shrugged: "I can't speak too much about that. The first two stages are difficult and will show where we all are compared to one another.

"We'll decide after the first two stages how to approach the following days."

Race director Christian Prudhomme, meanwhile, said he expects an action packed race this year and that Florence is the perfect launchpad for the 21-stage marathon.

"It's an exceptional platform and should produce an outright brawl from day one," he said of the four-way struggle for supremacy between Vingegaard, Pogacar (UAE), Evenepoel and Roglic.

"With these four competing with the back up of four different teams is amazing. The Tour has a habit of crowning the great champions and bringing new one's into the spotlight."

The 2024 edition avoids Paris and instead ends on the French Riviera with a long and arduous individual time trial which could produce a last day shake up of considerable proportions.

"Replacing Paris was a huge challenge and the usual last day race on the Champs-Elysees is a huge television draw the world over," Prudhomme said.

"So we needed a place which shines as brightly as (south coast city) Nice does, but one that also provided a sporting aspect in terms of who wins the overall title," he said.

"This stage not only has a unique backdrop between the sea and the mountains, but it will also sort out the form riders from the fading ones."

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

‘How do cyclists pee whilst racing the Tour de France?’ – you asked Google and we’ve got the answer

Sometimes they just need a little push from a team-mate to keep rolling...

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Professional riders racing the Tour de France , Giro d'Italia or the Vuelta Femenina are out on their bikes for hours and hours a day. With it being so important to stay properly hydrated, it’s no surprise that the pros have to deal with peeing while racing - and without ruining the team’s tactics on the day. 

Google's autocorrect can provide us with a wealth of information around the general public's thoughts, attitudes and curiosities towards cyclists. One thing it tells us is that they desperately want to know 'how do cyclists pee?',  'when do cyclists pee [at the] Tour de France?’ and if ‘Tour de France riders pee their pants?’

At the 2021 Tour de France, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Luke Rowe (Ineos Grenadiers) were amongst those who were fined for 'inappropriate behaviour - urinating in public'. With each fine coming to 200 Swiss Francs (£166), their bodily needs certainly clocked up expenses for teams.

Obviously, with the physical exertion throughout a race, a certain amount of a rider’s fluid intake will be expelled simply through sweat. But even so, with the length of the stages and the vital importance of not tipping over into a state of dehydration - sometimes a rider is going to have to take a leak. 

So how do they do it?

Well, the answer is that - perhaps unsurprisingly, with peeing being a rather personal thing - different riders do take different approaches…

Pee at the side of the road

If the need to pee is only really affecting one rider, the rider may stop at the side of the road and pull down their shorts to go for a pee. There’ll be points in the race when the pace is more leisurely and catching back onto the peloton is an easier feat - riders will be looking to take advantage of these opportunities.

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It's also common practice for the cross-legged individual to make their way to the front of the peloton before stopping off, to give themselves the longest possible window during which to empty their bladder.

Should the rider take their time and be passed by the peloton, they can use the team cars to draft their way back to the bunch, especially early on in a race.

But quite often it’s not just one rider who needs to pee. This is why the peloton may  organise itself, selecting a 'nature break' slot during which the riders will collectively pee; at a Grand Tour tradition dictates that the GC leader determines when this will be. Anyone that keeps rolling is bound by unwritten law not to attack during this time.

Of course, like all unwritten rules, this little gem has been conveniently overlooked -  most notably on stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia 2017 when Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) stopped for a little bit more than a wee .

And from the sounds of it, there has been a shift in attitudes from the new pros and the whole peloton pee stop is beginning to become a thing of the past. 

Peter Sagan recently told Het Nieuwsblad that there is currently a behaviour change within the peloton, with young riders actively choosing to ignore the unwritten rules in races, creating "total anarchy" as a result. 

"I first noticed it when as a leader in a stage race I stopped to pee. They kept on attacking, while that used to be a moment of rest in the peloton.

“The bathroom break just doesn't exist anymore. I saw it again in the Haut Var. You used to have the fixed time to stop to pee together.”

So, how are they doing it now? Well…

Pee whilst you ride

If the pace of the race is high and there’s no collective ‘nature break’ in sight, some riders will call on their teammates to give them a push while they relieve themselves whilst still riding. 

Reputable UK news source The Sun (please apply pinch of salt) was most shocked when a fan sent in a picture of Madison Genesis rider Taylor Gunman "pulling out his willy to wee" whilst riding in the Tour of Britain.

Some riders tend to look for a helping hand - with a team-mate pushing them from behind so they can keep up momentum whilst pedalling.

“Now everyone is peeing from their bicycle,” Sagan shared with Het Nieuwsblad. “I then ask: Is that normal? I understand if you ride the final of say the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix. But at a dead-end in the race? You don't lose anything by stopping for a while. And they don't even bother going to the edge of the road.

"No names, but they just piss in the middle of the pack. Everyone pees on everyone. Disgusting. And if you say something about it, you are supposedly arrogant, because you can't decide what someone else should do."

Just get a bit wet 

The final option is simply to let it happen without any real planning, stopping, or pushing from team mates.

Choosing this option can be particularly effective in cold conditions - something Mark Cavendish pointed out when he told GQ : "In races that are soaking wet and freezing cold, I like to piss myself.

"It warms me up for a split second. You get warm and you don’t have to fuss around," he added.

How do female professional cyclists pee? 

Women's races, which in the past have not been as long as their male equivalents, are becoming longer, and with that, the need to take a nature break becomes more pertinent. 

Last year at the Vuelta Femenina there was even controversy over a nature stop, as Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) accused Movistar and Annemiek van Vleuten of attacking while she had to take a break, something she later described as a "shame".

Long races and stages do bring in some extra complications as the whole process of peeing certainly takes a little bit longer for women. While it is possible for women to pee standing up when wearing bib shorts, as this excellent and widely shared illustration demonstrates - it can be a messy process if it goes wrong, and frankly it's probably quicker just to squat and use the pull down design of women’s bib shorts. 

Since women's races are often shorter, the female peloton tends to avoid nature breaks where possible. The average distance of the road stages this year for the men’s Tour de France is 180.68, whereas for the Tour de France Femmes it’s just 134.29.

What to do if you need to pee on a long bike ride 

If you’re on a group ride , you can talk to the other riders about slowing down so you can quickly relieve yourself behind a tree without getting left behind. On ‘no drop’ rides, there’s also going to be points when you can take advantage of the group already waiting for others, particularly at the top of the hills.

Another option is making sure to include a cafe stop along your route. 

It’s also a lot easier for women these days too, thanks to the easy-pee access now built into many women’s bib shorts .  

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I’ve been hooked on bikes ever since the age of 12 and my first lap of the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit in the bright yellow kit of the Hillingdon Slipstreamers. For a time, my cycling life centred around racing road and track. 

But that’s since broadened to include multiday two-wheeled, one-sleeping-bag adventures over whatever terrain I happen to meet - with a two-week bikepacking trip from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia being just the latest.

I still enjoy lining up on a start line, though, racing the British Gravel Championships and finding myself on the podium at the enduro-style gravel event, Gritfest in 2022.

Height: 177cm

Weight: 60–63kg

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