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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Cavendish (GBR) – 2007 to present

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

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

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

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

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

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

Andre Darrigade (FRA) – 1952 to 1966

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

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

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

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

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

Mario Cipollini (ITA) – 1993 to 1999

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

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

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

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

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

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

Erik Zabel (GER) – 1995 to 2008

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

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

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

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

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

Freddy Maertens (BEL) – 1972 to 1981

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

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

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

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

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

René Le Grevès (FRA) – 1933 to 1939

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

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

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

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

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

Robbie McEwen (AUS) – 1997 to 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (UZB) – 1990 to 1997

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

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

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

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

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

Charles Pelissier (FRA) – 1922 to 1939

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

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

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

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

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

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Tour de France

The top 10 tour de france riders of all time.

The Tour de France – originally scheduled to run from June 27 to July 19 – will now start on August 29 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look through the history books to profile 10 of the greatest riders from the race's history.

Eddy Merckx

Widely considered the greatest ever cyclist, 'the Cannibal' won the Tour in each of the first five editions he entered, four in a row between 1969 and 1972, then again in 1974 after he skipped the 1973 race to win the Giro-Vuelta double instead. Merckx's insatiable desire for victory saw him win a record 34 stages of the Tour in his career. He completed the Giro-Tour double three times, and in 1974 became the first man to win cycling's 'triple crown' of the Giro, Tour and World Championships road race, an achievement matched only once since by Stephen Roche in 1987. Merckx's hopes of a sixth title in 1975 were ruined when he was punched by a spectator on the Puy-de-Dome during stage 14, battling on to finish second overall despite suffering from an inflamed liver as a result of the incident. He would never again win another stage of the race he had dominated for so long, with his only other appearance in 1977 ending in a sixth-placed finish.

Bernard Hinault

The last Frenchman to celebrate victory in the Tour de France, Bernard Hinault took the title in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985. A sixth title eluded 'the Badger' – a knee injury forced Hinault to withdraw in 1980 while in the yellow jersey, with a similar problem preventing him from starting in 1983. But most fascinating of all was the 1986 race, in which Hinault had pledged to help La Vie Claire team-mate Greg LeMond . If he did help, he did so grudgingly, happy to play up to the idea he was capable of winning a sixth title. An attack on stage 12 to Pau put him more than five minutes clear of LeMond and he held yellow for five days, losing it after stage 17. The pair finished arm-in-arm on Alpe d'Huez at the end of stage 18 but the gesture seemed an empty one given Hinault's interview immediately afterwards claiming the race was still on. LeMond eventually triumphed by three minutes but the distrust lingered, and Hinault retired at the end of the season, still only 32.

Miguel Indurain

Of the four men to have won five Tour titles, only Spaniard Indurain achieved it with five consecutive victories as he seized control of the race from 1991 to 1995. It was a record perhaps in keeping with a rider many criticised as "robotic" as he ripped up time trials to stamp his authority on the race. Indurain's success came in the second half of his career – he had competed in the Tour and Vuelta a combined 10 times, never cracking the top 15 until he finished 10th in the 1990 Tour and seventh in that year's Vuelta, teeing up the success that began a year later. He also claimed two Giro titles, in 1992 and 1993, but never bettered his second place from 1991 in his home Grand Tour.

Jacques Anquetil

★ D-61 ★ Jacques Anquetil, ahead of Imerio Massignan, wins one of his 5th Tour, unstoppable "Maitre Jacques"... #TDF pic.twitter.com/R0zkbqn39v — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) April 29, 2013

Anquetil was the first man to win the Tour five times, taking victory in 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964, with a Tour-Vuelta double in 1963 and a Giro-Tour double in 1964. After emerging as a strong amateur, Anquetil broke the prestigious Hour Record while on national service in the French army, teeing up the professional career that would soon follow. Riding in a very different era, Anquetil never denied doping, saying during a television debate: "Leave me in peace; everybody takes dope". Anquetil died in 1987 from stomach cancer, aged 53.

Chris Froome

Froome's awkward-looking style on a bike might frequently be mocked, but none can now question the success it has brought him with seven Grand Tour trophies in the cabinet. His Tour successes in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 have been complimented by his stunning 2018 Giro victory and Vuelta titles from 2011 and 2017 – the 2011 title having only been awarded last year after Juan Jose Cobo was found guilty of doping, retroactively making Froome Britain's first Grand Tour winner. Many believe Froome was strong enough to have beaten Sir Bradley Wiggins in the 2012 Tour but for team orders, and it remains to be seen if his chance at a record-equalling fifth title is now gone after a high-speed crash during last year's Criterium du Dauphine left him with a long list of injuries which may prevent him from ever getting back to his best again.

Greg LeMond

LeMond's victory in 1986 went down in history as one of the most fascinating ever Tours given the intra-team battle with Hinault, but for the American it was only the beginning as he followed up with an even more dramatic win in 1989. After suffering life-threatening injuries in a 1987 hunting accident, LeMond's future in the sport was in question – he was not considered a contender in 1989 and had told his wife he was thinking about retirement. But he bossed the stage-five time trial and battled tooth and nail with Laurent Fignon through the mountains. As they began a rare time trial into Paris on the final stage, LeMond began some 50 seconds behind Fignon but stunned the Frenchman to win the Tour by just eight seconds, going on to take the world title a month later. LeMond would claim a third Tour title in 1990.

Louison Bobet

★ D-55 ★ 1955, Louison Bobet, taking a lap of honor in the Parc des Princes, wins the Tour! #TDF pic.twitter.com/6XQQIjsTrg — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) May 5, 2013

Regarded as the first great rider of the post-war era, Bobet was the first to win the Tour in three consecutive years as he dominated from 1953 to 1955. Having taken up cycling after serving in the army during World War II, Bobet's introduction to the Tour was an inauspicious one as his 1947 debut ended in an early withdrawal and earned him the nickname 'cry-baby' as he wept at the difficulty of the race. But he returned a year later to spend two days in yellow and finished third in 1950 to point to far greater potential. He won the 1955 Tour despite saddle boils which required surgery and which Bobet said made him a lesser rider for the rest of his days. After missing the 1956 and 1957 Tours, he returned in 1958, finishing seventh, but was no longer able to compete for yellow.

Philippe Thys

Philippe Thys won his 3 @letour with the number 15 & it's not the end...Learn more > https://t.co/aHbuSnUsPf pic.twitter.com/l0UlesMUff — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 9, 2016

'The Basset Hound' was the first three-time winner of the Tour and a man who would no doubt have contended for or won many more but for the First World War. The Belgian's first win came in 1913 despite him suffering a broken fork and incurring a 10-minute penalty when he stopped at a bike shop for repairs. He won again in 1914 but, with the intervention of war, had to wait until 1920 for his third. Tour organiser Henri Desgrange wrote: "France is not unaware that, without the war, the crack rider from Anderlecht would be celebrating not his third Tour, but his fifth or sixth."

Raymond Poulidor

1⃣9⃣6⃣6⃣ Rivalry Anquetil/Poulidor reaches its peak 👉👈🇷️🇹️ Poulidor / ❤ AnquetilRead more> https://t.co/byljkwm1rX pic.twitter.com/1UgHNH9YNn — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 3, 2016

Raymond Poulidor never won the Tour de France but he rode his way into its legend during his long rivalry with Jacques Anquetil. 'Pou-Pou' became known as the 'Eternal Second' as he finished second three times and third five times, riding on to the age of 40 in his hunt for the yellow jersey – a garment that would always elude him. Poulidor came closest in 1964, losing by only 55 seconds to Anquetil after the two men rode themselves to exhaustion on the Puy de Dome. But with every failure, Poulidor's popularity with the French crowds only grew, even as he was competing with a compatriot, and by the time of his death last year he was arguably France's most popular ever rider.

Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish sits in a category of his own in the history of the Tour as its greatest ever sprinter. Though effectively competing in a different event to those seeking to wear the yellow jersey in Paris, Cavendish became synonymous with Tour success as he utterly dominated the flat stages at his peak. Between 2008 and 2011 he won an incredible 20 stages and in total the Manxman has piled up 30 victories – second only to the record of Merckx – before illness and injury slowed him and left a question mark where there had once appeared near certainty he would one day take the record for himself.

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10 Most Successful Tour De France Riders Ever – Cycling Titans

Ah, the Tour de France! It’s not just a race; it’s a testament to human will, determination, and endurance. Ask anyone, even non-cycling enthusiasts, and they’ve at least heard of it. But what makes this event so renowned?

The Tour de France stands out because it showcases more than just athleticism. It’s a celebration of France’s picturesque landscapes, from its winding mountain paths to its idyllic countryside. The race brings together a myriad of nations, fostering camaraderie among competitors and fans alike.

Furthermore, the Tour de France isn’t merely about the speed or the distance. It’s about strategy, team dynamics, and unexpected challenges . Riders don’t just confront the road, but the unpredictable weather, grueling mountain climbs, and the pressure of maintaining a lead or catching up.

Finally, the rich history of the event contributes to its fame. Established in 1903, it’s been a stage where legends are born and records are broken. The best Tour de France winners have become household names, inspiring generations to take up the sport.

With the 2017 Tour De France currently underway, it seems a great time to take a look at the famous race. Making up the Grand Tour series along with the Giro D’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, the Tour De France is widely considered the most prestigious of the three. Starting in 1903, the race quickly caught the public’s attention for its excitement and drama.

Over the years there have been some quality riders to test themselves against the course and we look at the ten greatest ever:

10 – Joop Zoetemelk

His 1980 win was after a move to the TI-Raleigh team who saw his potential based on previous Tour de France stage wins and appearances. The masterstroke the team pulled was to use the other riders to attack his main rival Bernard Hinault and allow Zootemalk to push on to win. One criticism of him was that he was not ruthless enough to lead a team or give orders when racing which stopped him claiming more victories.

09 – Alberto Contador

With a reputation as a great all-round cyclist, his excellence in time-trials as well as normal road racing explains why he does so well in Tours. Always in there with a shout to win, you write off Contador at your peril!

08 – Jacques Anquetil

Known for his motivation of racing for money rather than the love of cycling, he was a superb rider against the clock in particular. He would always do just enough to win and never use more energy than was necessary to do so.

07 – Chris Froome

Froome became the first rider since Miguel Indurain in 1995 to defend his Tour title when winning in 2016. While his sudden rise from relative obscurity to Grand Tour star raised a few eyebrows, his talent and skill in the saddle explain his recent success.

06 – Greg Lemond

An affable, popular rider Lemond probably would have won more titles but for an unfortunate hunting injury that led him to miss the 1987 and 1988 Tours. Since retiring, he has been a vocal advocate of anti-doping measures in the sport along with at one point designing and selling bikes.

05 – Phillipe Thys

A tough, competitive rider, Thys had plenty of stamina and endurance to enable him to win stages and the Tour overall. Sadly, his career was disrupted by the First World War but history still shows what a fantastic career he had.

04 – Fausto Coppi

Called by the nickname of ‘Champion of Champions’. Coppi was the dominant rider either side of the Second World War. Another rider on our list who had it all, he was a great sprinter as well as being at home climbing in the mountains. Winning the Tour De France in 1949 and 1952, he also won five Giro D’Italia titles too.

The modern-day Tour still remembers this true champion by naming one of the mountain stages Cima Coppi. A legend of the sport, he is most remembered for his famous quote of “Just ride. Just ride. Just Ride” when asked how to be successful.

03 – Miguel Indurain

Many believe that it was Indurain’s physical size and power that allowed him to be so victorious. He could simply go past people like they weren’t there and have the extra stamina to keep going to the end of a stage. Great in time trials as well as normal racing, he was a legend in every sense of the word.

02 – Bernard Hinault

An aggressive rider, Hinault would wait for the best moment to exploit his opponent’s weakness and then launch his attack. This power and tactical brilliance made him a rider that others had to take seriously. He would probably have won more but for knee injuries that kept him out of the Tour or forced his retirement as in 1980. Hinault is the last Frenchman to win the Tour De France and as such is well loved by the French public.

01 – Eddy Merckx

Another notable achievement of Merckx’s is that he held the yellow, green and polka dot jerseys in the same Tour De France in 1969. This meant he was the best rider overall (yellow jersey), best rider for points (green jersey) and best rider in the mountains (polka dot jersey). This shows just what a great all-round rider he was and just why he was so successful.

The Tour De France is the ultimate test of endurance and skill and the riders we have looked at have both these in abundance. With numerous Tour wins between them, these were the people who the public loved to watch flying past with the yellow jersey on. As the Tour continues, no doubt there will be many more names to add to this roster over the years.

Champions Through the Ages: Tracing the Historical Path of Tour de France and Its Legendary Winners

Established in 1903 by L’Auto newspaper’s Henri Desgrange, the Tour de France began as an ambitious venture to increase newspaper sales. Its inaugural edition saw 60 riders cover a whopping 2,428 kilometers across France, a considerable challenge during that era. Maurice Garin emerged as the first champion, setting the stage for future legends.

As the years rolled on, the Tour underwent various transformations. The introduction of mountain stages in the Pyrenees in 1910 added a new level of complexity, turning the event into a test of both flat terrain speed and climbing prowess. This addition was not without controversy, with riders often expressing their displeasure at the grueling climbs.

The two World Wars inevitably left their mark on the Tour de France. While races were canceled during the wars, the Tour’s post-war editions symbolized hope and recovery for a war-torn nation. In these years, the competition saw the rise of legends like Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali, cyclists who didn’t merely race but showcased a battle of spirits against the backdrop of global conflict.

Yellow jerseys, green jerseys, polka dot jerseys – the introduction of these classifications in the mid-20th century spiced up the race, giving riders and fans more to cheer for. These jerseys, symbolizing the race leader, best sprinter, and best climber, added layers of strategy to the Tour.

Modern times have witnessed the domination of some of the best Tour de France winners in history. Riders like Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Induráin have etched their names into Tour folklore, their achievements becoming a gold standard in the cycling world.

Today, as we marvel at the feats of the most successful Tour De France riders, it’s essential to appreciate the Tour’s rich history, which has witnessed societal shifts, global upheavals, and the ever-evolving landscape of professional cycling.

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Ten of the best Tour de France past winners

Mathew Mitchell

• Published on June 20, 2023
• in Men's Cycling

The Tour de France, since its inaugural race in 1903, has consistently proven to be the pinnacle of professional cycling. It has borne witness to several extraordinary champions, whose triumphs, struggles, and rivalries have shaped the race’s rich history. Let’s revisit ten of the most iconic Tour de France past winners, spread across more than a century of gripping competition.

Table of Contents

1. Maurice Garin (1903)

The first-ever winner of the Tour de France, Maurice Garin, dominated the inaugural edition of the race in 1903. He won 3 out of 6 stages and finished nearly 3 hours ahead of his closest competitor, Lucien Pothier, in an event far more gruelling than today’s race.

Known as ‘the Chimney Sweep’, was born in Italy but became a naturalised French citizen in 1901. Prior to his Tour de France victory, he was already a successful cyclist, with wins in Paris-Brest-Paris and Bordeaux-Paris. His first Tour victory in 1903 was overshadowed by disqualification in the following year due to alleged cheating, a controversy that has since become part of Tour lore.

2. Philippe Thys (1913, 1914, 1920)

Belgian cyclist Philippe Thys holds the distinction of being the first rider to secure three Tour de France victories. His tactical prowess and remarkable physical endurance brought him successive victories in 1913 and 1914, and a triumphant return in 1920.

Philippe Thys’ victories were built on his ability to endure long stages, some over 300 km, which were characteristic of the early Tours. Known for his smart race tactics, Thys is often credited with being the first rider to use a strategy of saving energy for critical parts of the race, an approach that would become a staple of Tour racing.

3. Antonin Magne (1931, 1934)

Magne, known as ‘The Monk’ for his quiet and solemn demeanour, claimed the yellow jersey twice, in 1931 and 1934. The Frenchman defeated esteemed rivals like Rafaele di Paco and Giuseppe Martano through his consistent performances and excellent time-trialling abilities.

Apart from his Tour de France victories, Antonin Magne had an illustrious career which included wins in the French National Championships and the prestigious ‘Monument’ Classic, the Milan-San Remo. Magne also mentored another Tour de France champion, Louison Bobet, further cementing his legacy in French cycling.

4. Gino Bartali (1938, 1948)

Italy’s Gino Bartali’s victories are particularly notable for their ten-year gap – the longest between Tour de France wins. Despite the fierce competition, including a rising star Fausto Coppi, Bartali’s tenacity and strength saw him triumph, securing his status as one of Italy’s greatest cyclists.

Gino Bartali was not only an exceptional cyclist but also a war hero. During World War II, he worked with the Italian resistance, using his training rides as a cover to carry messages and documents. His 1948 Tour de France victory is also credited with helping to quell civil unrest in Italy, demonstrating the cultural impact of his cycling career.

5. Jacques Anquetil (1957, 1961-1964)

Jacques Anquetil, the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, was renowned for his time-trialling prowess. His key rivals included Raymond Poulidor, with their battle during the 1964 Tour being one of the most memorable in the event’s history.

Jacques Anquetil was a master of the time trial, earning him the nickname ‘Monsieur Chrono’. His cool demeanour and calculated racing style often contrasted with the passionate and aggressive riding of his rivals. Anquetil also had success in the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, making him one of the few cyclists to win all three Grand Tours.

6. Eddy Merckx (1969-1972, 1974)

Belgian Eddy Merckx , widely considered one of the greatest cyclists of all time, won the Tour de France five times. Known as ‘The Cannibal’ for his insatiable appetite for victory, Merckx often triumphed over skilled competitors like Roger De Vlaeminck and Luis Ocaña.

Beyond the Tour de France, Eddy Merckx’s list of achievements is astonishing, with victories in all five ‘Monument’ Classics and multiple World Championship titles. Renowned for his aggressive, attacking style, Merckx also holds the record for the most stage wins in Tour de France history, with an astounding 34 victories.

7. Bernard Hinault (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985)

Bernard Hinault, another five-time winner, is one of the ‘Greats’ of French cycling. Hinault’s career was marked by his rivalry with Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond, especially during the 1985 and 1986 Tours.

Bernard Hinault, known as ‘The Badger’ for his fierce competitiveness, was a versatile cyclist who could excel in both mountains and time trials. Like Merckx and Anquetil, he too won all three Grand Tours. Hinault now works closely with the Tour de France organisation, a role that allows him to remain influential in the sport.

8. Greg LeMond (1986, 1989, 1990)

Greg LeMond, the first non-European winner of the Tour, is best remembered for his 1989 victory, where he beat Laurent Fignon by a mere 8 seconds in the final time trial on the Champs Élysées . His comeback after a near-fatal shooting accident makes his victories even more remarkable.

Greg LeMond’s victories paved the way for non-European riders in the Tour de France. He was known for his innovation and is often credited with popularising aerodynamic time trial helmets and triathlon handlebars in professional cycling. After his cycling career, LeMond has remained active in the sport, advocating for clean competition and anti-doping regulations.

9. Miguel Indurain (1991-1995)

Spain’s Miguel Indurain dominated the early 1990s, winning five consecutive Tours. Known for his calm demeanour and extraordinary physical abilities, Indurain overcame rivals like Claudio Chiappucci and Alex Zülle in his impressive run.

Miguel Indurain was known for his stoic persona and incredible physical ability, including an extraordinary lung capacity and low resting heart rate. He was particularly dominant in time trials but could also hold his own in the mountains. Indurain’s string of five consecutive victories set a new benchmark for consistency in the Tour de France.

10. Chris Froome (2013, 2015-2017)

Chris Froome, a four-time winner, was a dominant force in the 2010s and the most recent of the Tour de France past winners to make this list. His victories were defined by his fierce rivalry with Nairo Quintana. Froome’s journey from a humble background in Kenya to Tour de France stardom makes his achievements particularly compelling. It might have been 5 in a row if not for a crash before the cobbles on a Paris Roubaix -style stage in 2014.

Chris Froome’s journey to Tour de France success started in the high-altitude landscapes of Kenya and South Africa, where he developed his immense endurance. His tactical acumen and time-trialling prowess, combined with his impressive climbing abilities, made him one of the most complete riders of his generation. Despite a severe crash in 2019, Froome’s determination and resilience have seen him return to professional racing, a testament to his character.

While each of these Tour de France past winners has carved their unique paths to victory, they share a common trait – an indomitable will that enabled them to conquer one of the most gruelling races in the world. Their stories, rivalries, and victories continue to inspire and will forever be etched in the annals of the Tour de France. A usual book to explore more of the Tour de France past winners is the Official History of the Tour de France .

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• Overview 2024
• Total editions: 111
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Tour de France 2023: Riders with most stage wins in Tour history - Complete list

Mark Cavendish and Eddy Merckx hold the top position on the all-time list of stage winners, each with an impressive 34 victories. Here is the full list of riders with 10 or more wins.

A total of thirty-four riders have won 10 or more stages at the road cycling 's Tour de France.

Belgian legend Eddy Merckx and British sprinter Mark Cavendish currently share the record for most wins (34 each).

Below is the complete list, with an asterisk indicating active riders.

Tour de France 2023: Daily stage results and general classification standings

Tour de france 2023 preview: full schedule and how to watch live.

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• Tour de France

Tour de France coverage from Cycling Weekly, with up to date race results, rider profiles and news and reports.

The Tour de France 2024 begins on Saturday 29 June and marks the 111th edition of cycling's flagship race. In the first Grand Départ for Italy, the race starts in Florence and traces a path east across the country, before heading back west towards France and into the Alps. 

The riders will also take on the Apennines, Massif Central and Pyrenees mountain ranges, and pass through Italy, San Marino, Monaco and France.

With Paris busy preparing for the Olympic Games in August there will be no room for the Tour de France's traditional final stage finish on the Champs-Elysées. Instead the race will finish in Nice – the first time it has ever finished outside the capital.

The world's best riders are set to vie for overall victory, with newly crowned Giro d'Italia winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) due to take on Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) – both of whom are currently returning from injury – and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe).

The three-week event is the second in the trio of Grand Tours, coming after the Giro d'Italia and before the Vuelta a España .

Tour de France 2024: Overview

Tour de france 2024: the route.

One for the climbers, the 2024 Tour de France route incorporates four summit finishes, spans four mountain ranges, and features the hilliest opening stage in Tour de France history.

One of the most interesting and intriguing routes of recent years, sitting between the predominantly hilly week one and week three sits a flatter week two, and stage nine – with an abundance of white roads; 14 sectors in total.

There's plenty for the sprinters as well as the general classification and climbing specialists, although there are going to be some tough mountains to get over to reach the sprint stages, and to finish the three weeks.

For the first time in 35 years, a final day time trial means the yellow jersey won't be decided on the penultimate day. 

• Tour de France 2024 route: Two individual time trials, five summit finishes and gravel sectors
• Opinion: Is the 2024 Tour de France too hard?
• FAQs of the Tour de France: How lean? How much power? How do they pee mid-stage? All that and more explained

Tour de France 2024 route: Stage-by-stage

Tour de france 2024: the teams.

There will be 22 teams of eight riders at the 2024 Tour de France. This includes all 18 UCI WorldTour teams, as well as the two best-ranked UCI ProTeams, and two further squads invited by the organiser, ASO. 

Tour de France 2024: General classification riders

When it comes to potential yellow jersey winners, there are four riders due to take the start line in Florence on June 29. 

The quartet comprises Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who has just won the Giro d'Italia; Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step), Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike), and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) . 

Reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard is the only rider over whom hangs a significant questions mark for the race. Along with Roglič and Evenepoel, he came down in a nasty crash on stage four of the Itzulia Basque Country in April. All were injured but the Dane came off worst, and he only began riding outside in May. The plan, says his team, is still to take him to the Tour de France – but only if he is good enough. 

Following the route announcement in October, Tadej Pogačar said that the "end of the journey makes me smile", with the final two stages starting and finishing close to his home in Monaco. Pogačar is hoping to take back the top step in 2024 after two years of missing out on yellow to Vingegaard.

Remco Evenepol intends to make his Tour de France debut in 2024. Although he took a win in 2022 at the Vuelta, his performance in other Grand Tour races has been either inconsistent or blighted by illness. If he's to compete against the likes of Vingegaard and Pogačar, he'll have to up his game. It's not yet known who Ineos Grenadiers will hand the reins to, but, coming 5th overall and taking a stage win in his Tour debut in 2023 , Carlos Rogríguez seems a likely choice.

Tour de France 2024: Sprinters

It's going to be a tough year for the sprinters. Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck was one of the star men of last year's Tour de France, taking four stage wins and the green sprinter's jersey at the end of the three weeks. He has had a fine season so far, with a win at Milan-San Remo and second at Paris-Roubaix and is likely to be the rider to beat at the Tour.

Like Philipsen, Mads Pederson of Trek-Segafredo has enjoyed a successful early season, with a win at Gent-Wevelgem and (unlike Philipsen) a hatful of sprint victories. He's likely to be the Belgian's main rival in the bunch finishes.

All eyes will be on Mark Cavendish in the 111th Tour de France after he postponed retirement to target the Tour win record, currently shared with Eddy Merckx, and gain his 35th win. He said, however, that he was "in shock" and that this was the "toughest course" he had ever seen , when it was revealed in October. 

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) and Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich-PostNL) are also set to be there and should challenge for wins.

Tour de France 2024: On TV

As you'd expect the Tour de France will be avialable to watch in a lot of places this July.

The race is expected to be live-streamed on GCN +, Discovery+ and Eurosport , as well as ITV4, in the UK and in Europe. Subscription costs are £6.99/month or $8.99/month, and £39.99 or $49.99 for a year.

A Flobikes  annual subscription will cost you $209.99 if you want to watch in Canada, while in the USA  NBC Sports  via Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month) will show the race. Australians can can watch the Tour for free on SBS on Demand.

And, of course, if you want to watch your local stream from anywhere in the world you'll need a VPN from a trusted company like ExpressVPN .

Tour de France: The jerseys

Much like every year in recent memory, the Tour de France jerseys and classifications are yellow for the overall leader, green for the leader in the points standings, polka-dot for the mountain classification, and white for the best young rider.

Along with the jersey prizes, there is an award for the most combative rider of each stage, with the winner wearing a red number on the following day. This is awarded each day, with a 'Super Combativity' award decided by a jury at the end of the race for the most active rider throughout the entire event.

There is also a team classification where the time of the first three riders from each team is put together to create a single time. This is then done in a similar way as the individual general classification.

In addition, there are plenty of bonus seconds up for grabs at the race. There are ten, six and four bonus seconds available at the end of each stage for the first three riders, as well as bonus sprints that are dotted throughout the race on key climbs to try and make the racing more entertaining for spectators.

Of course, there's also prize money up for grabs. For winning the 2023 edition of the race, Jonas Vingegaard collected €535,220 (£463,100), a sum which is customarily shared out among the team's riders and staff.

Tour de France past winners in the last 12 years

• 2012: Bradley Wiggins (GBr) 
• 2013: Chris Froome (GBr) 
• 2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) 
• 2015: Chris Froome (GBr) 
• 2016: Chris Froome (GBr) 
• 2017: Chris Froome (GBr) 
• 2018: Geraint Thomas (GBr) 
• 2019: Egan Bernal (Col) 
• 2020: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) 
• 2021: Tadej Pogačar (Slo)  
• 2022: Jonas Vingegaard (Den)
• 2023: Jonas Vingegaard (Den)

Tour de France FAQ

How does the tour de france work.

The Tour de France is one of a trio of races that are three weeks long, known as the Grand Tours, alongside the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. The Tour is the best known and arguably the most prestigious.

It is the second of the three races in the calendar with the Giro taking place in May, the Tour usually in July, and the Vuelta in August and September.

The Tour, like all Grand Tours, takes on varying terrain with flat days for sprinters, hilly days for puncheurs and mountains for the climbers and GC riders, along with time trials, so that a winner of the race has to be able to perform on all types of road.

The main prize in the race, known as the general classification, is based on time with the overall leader wearing the yellow jersey. The race leader and eventual winner is the rider who has the lowest accumulated time over the 21 days of racing. Riders can win the Tour de France without winning a stage, as Chris Froome did in 2017. Time bonuses of 10, six, and four seconds are given to stage winners though, creating incentive for those general classification riders to chase individual victories and lower their overall time.

In 2020 it took race winner Tadej Pogačar 87 hours 20 minutes and 5 seconds to complete the race with the second-place rider overall 59 seconds slower. That continues all the way down to the last place rider, which was Roger Kluge (Lotto-Soudal) who finished 6 hours 7 minutes and 2 seconds behind.

The white best young rider's jersey is worked out in the same way but only riders under the age of 26 are eligible for the jersey.

The polka-dot mountains jersey and the green points jersey are based on a points system and not time. The only reason time would come into account would be if riders are tied on points, then it would go to who is the best placed in the general classification.

The team classification is based on the general classification times of the first three riders of a team on each stage. The time of those three riders is added up and put onto their team's time, creating a GC list much like in the individual classifications. The leading team gets to wear yellow numbers and helmets on each stage.

The final classification available is the combativity prize. This is decided by a race jury or, in more recent years, Twitter. This takes place just before the end of each stage and often goes to a rider from the breakaway who has put in a daring performance or attempted to liven up the stage by attacking. The winner of the combativity award gets to wear a special red race number on the following day's stage.

There is a final prize added to this with the Super Combativity prize being awarded on the podium in Paris. This is decided in a similar fashion to pick out the most aggressive, entertaining, and daring rider of the whole three weeks. Again, usually going to a rider who has featured regularly in the breakaway.

Stage winners do not wear anything special the day after apart from getting a small yellow jersey to stick on their number on their bike, this can be replaced if they win multiple stages.

Teams used to come to the race with nine riders but the UCI, cycling's governing body, decided that nine riders from each team was too dangerous and dropped it to eight, however more teams now take part.

How long is the Tour de France?

The Tour de France takes place over 23 days with 21 of them being race days. The riders get two days of resting; they usually fall on the second and third Monday of the race.

This year's race is 3,492km long, which is 2,170 miles, around the same distance from Washington DC to Las Vegas, or Helsinki to Lisbon. 

Road stages can range from anything around 100km to something approaching 250km, sometimes more. This year the shortest road stage is stage 20, from Nice to Col de la Couillole, with the longest being 229km on stage three in Italy, from Plaisance to Turin.

Road stages often take around four to five hours with the longer days sometimes nudging over seven hours.

Time trials are always much shorter. Team time trials have long since gone out of fashion in the world of road racing so individual time trials are the main focus these days. 

In 2024, the Tour has two individual time trials for the riders to tackle, the first on stage seven at 25km long from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin, and the second on the final stage from Monaco to Nice, at 34km long.

When does the Tour de France start?

The 2024 Tour de France starts on June 29 in Florence, Italy, with a road stage. There will be three full stages in Italy, before the fourth heads into France. The race finishes in Nice three weeks later.

The 2024 edition of the race runs from 29 June - 21 July, covering 21 stages. 

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Tour de France 2024 Rider Power Rankings

Less than a month out from the start of the men’s Tour de France, we ranked the top yellow jersey threats in the peloton.

This is the latest edition of Bicycling’ s Power Rankings for the 2024 Men’s Tour de France, where we rank the top contenders leading up to July’s race. This continuously updated list will give you an in-depth look at the riders that have the best shot to stand atop the podium at the end of the Tour—and how they’re performing in the races leading up to July.

These rankings will be constantly refreshed, so you can see who’s up and who’s down on the road to the 2024 Tour de France.

The 2024 Tour de France was expected to bring together the sport’s four best grand tour riders: Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), winner of the last two Tours de France; Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), winner of the 2020 and 2021 Tours de France and the recent Giro d’Italia; Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step), winner of the 2022 Vuelta a España; and Slovenia’s Primož Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe), a 3-time winner of the Vuelta and the champion at last year’s Giro d’Italia.

Each rider was taking a different route to the Tour de France, with each choosing to mix race days with extended periods of time spent at training camps. And while some of their paths crossed at select races throughout the first few months of the season, they weren’t expected to all race together until the Tour. For fans, it was a dream scenario.

But the dream became a nightmare in early-April after a scary, high-speed crash during Stage 4 of Spain’s Tour of the Basque Country took down several riders, including Vingegaard, Roglič, and Evenepoel. Two of them–Vingegaard and Evenepoel–suffered serious injuries, and all of them had their Tour preparations interrupted.

That was almost eight weeks ago, and they’re all back on their bikes and training again. But with the Tour de France beginning in Florence, Italy just four weeks from Saturday, one big question still remains: Will Vingegaard–who suffered the worst injuries of the three–be on the starting line, and if he is will he have the form he needs to defend his title? This storyline is the one we’ll be watching the most in the month leading up to the start of the Tour, but it’s not the only one.

We’re also excited to see if Pogačar can become the first rider since 1998 to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same season (spoiler alert: we think he can). And last but definitely not least, we’re eager to learn which other contenders–if any–will be ready to challenge him.

So with four weeks left before the Tour’s “Grand Depart,” here’s our latest–and perhaps most optimistic–Tour de France contender Power Ranking.

Tadej Pogačar

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Previous Ranking : 1

Race Days : 31

Race Wins : 14

Best Result : 1st-place, General Classification - Giro d’Italia

Next Race: Tour de France, June 29-July 21

With about four weeks until the start of the Tour de France, there are still no questions about who the Tour’s top contender is. Pogačar just wrapped-up a three-week training camp in Italy. You may have heard it–it’s called the Giro d’Italia.

We’re kidding, right? Well, not really. Pog absolutely dominated the Italian grand tour, winning the maglia rosa by almost ten minutes over the next-closest rider on the Giro’s General Classification. Along the way he won six stages–finished second or third on three more–and won the Giro’s King of the Mountains prize. But more importantly, he finished the race healthy and reasonably fresh for a rider who just won a three-week grand tour. 

He only crashed once–near the end of Stage 2 when he flatted and his front wheel slipped out from him. It was a minor fall, and Pogačar quickly quickly got back on his bike and promptly won the stage. Otherwise, he escaped the race injury-free.

He also stayed healthy, which–considering the terrible weather that the race encountered at the beginning of the third week–was another blessing for the Slovenian. Staying safe and healthy during a three-week is often a greater challenge than overcoming the competition, and Pog came through that battle unscathed. 

And speaking of the competition, between a relatively gentle course and a rather weak (sorry, guys) start list, Pogačar was never really pushed to defend his lead. With the exception of the Giro’s two individual time trials, he basically won the race with a series of quick, uphill accelerations that no one else could follow. Then he simply rode a steady tempo to the finish line, extending his advantage as he pedaled. 

Pogačar’s near-perfect Giro–plus the fact that he raced minimally in the months before it–means that he probably ended the Giro stronger than he was when he started it. That’s bad news for the men he’ll be racing against at the Tour de France. 

With the Giro behind him, Pogačar will rest for a week and then head to a ski station in the French Alps for nineteen days of altitude training. He won’t race before the Tour de France, but with a grand tour in his legs, he doesn’t need to. 

At this rate, we’ll be eating some humble pie in late-July. At the beginning of the season, we didn’t have much faith in his chances of winning the Giro and the Tour in the same season. But given the way things are shaping up, now we’ll be more surprised if he doesn’t. 

Primož Roglič

Read the complete analysis.

Previous Ranking : 2

Race Days : 11

Race Wins : 1

Best Result : 1st-place, Stage 1 - Tour of the Basque Country

Next Race : Critérium du Dauphiné, June 2-10

Roglič also went down in the crash that took out Vingegaard and Evenepoel, and like the other two, he abandoned the race immediately. But after a series of medical examinations, BORA-hansgrohe reported that the 34-year-old suffered no major injuries. Compared to the others, the Slovenian dodged bullet.

He was initially expected to take part in Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège last week, but the team changed plans to give him extra time to heal. That was a good call, as the weather in the Belgian Ardennes was atrocious that week, and the risk of getting sick or worse–another crash–just wasn’t worth it. In fact, he probably made more gains by training than he would have by racing. 

The Slovenian spent the past five weeks training–which was always the plan–and now he’s heading to the Critérium du Dauphiné–which starts this Sunday–for his last big test before the Tour de France.

The Dauphiné is essentially an 8-day mini-Tour de France with several stages that mimic key stages from the upcoming Tour. It’s also early enough in the month that riders have time for one more small block of training before the start of the Tour. That makes it a popular dress rehearsal for Tour contenders, and Roglič will be going head-to-head with several of his rivals. And it’s a race he knows well: he won it in 2022. 

That’s why anything worse than a top-5 finish would be bad news for the Slovenian. He doesn’t need to win it; after all, the Dauphiné ends four weeks before the start of the Tour, and he needs to be at his best in July not June. 

But a poor performance against many of the men he’ll be racing against at the Tour will raise some eyebrows, putting even more pressure on a 34-year-old rider who might be staring down his last reasonable chance to win the Tour de France. 

Remco Evenepoel

Previous Ranking : 3

Race Days : 17

Race Wins : 4

Best Result : 2nd place, General Classification - Paris-Nice

Another victim of the crash at the Tour of the Basque Country, Evenepoel broke his right clavicle and scapula in Spain and had surgery a few days later in Belgium to address the broken collarbone. The injury meant the Belgian missed a chance to become only the fourth rider to win Liège-Bastogne-Liège three years in a row. 

But his injuries have healed and he’s been on his bike for several weeks. He even attended a recent training camp with his team in Sierra Nevada. So he’s back on schedule in terms of his training for this summer’s Tour de France. 

This sets Evenepoel up for an important showdown with Roglič–and others–at the Critérium du Dauphiné–the Belgian’s last race before the Tour de France–and the pressure he’ll face there will be intense. 

The winner of the 2022 Vuelta a España, Evenepoel is Belgium’s best chance to win a Tour in several decades (a Belgian hasn’t won the Tour since 1976), so he already carries the weight of a nation of passionate cycling fans on his shoulders.

So there’s really no way for the 24-year-old to come out of the Dauphiné without facing even more pressure: if races well–let’s say, finishes on the podium–everyone will start talking about him as if he’s bound to win the Tour. But a bad Dauphiné will fire up the naysayers, putting the wrong kind of pressure on a rider who sometimes struggles to handle adversity. It’s an unenviable position, but that’s life as when you’re Belgium’s first grand tour winner since 1978. 

Egan Bernal and Carlos Rodriguez

Previous Rankings : 4 (Bernal) and 5 (Rodríguez)

Race Days : 28 (Bernal) and 24 (Rodríguez)

Race Wins : 0 (Bernal) and 2 (Rodríguez)

Best Result : 3rd place, General Classficiation - Volta Ciclista a Catalunya (Bernal) and 1st-place, General Classification - Tour de Romandie (Rodríguez)

Next Race : Tour de France, June 29-July 21 (Bernal) and Critérium du Dauphiné, June 2-10 (Rodríguez) 

We’re hedging our bets with this one because–at the moment–we can’t find a reason to put one ahead of the other. But that could change after the Critérium du Dauphiné, which Rodríguez will be starting this weekend.

The Spaniard flew a bit under the radar at last year’s Dauphiné, but in hindsight he shouldn’t have: he finished ninth overall against some tough competition and won the white jersey as the race’s Best Young Rider. The then-22-year-old went on to finish fifth overall and win a stage at the Tour de France. Perhaps we should have seen it coming.

But Rodríguez won’t sneak up on anyone this year, and his performance will indicate if he’s ready to become a true Tour de France podium contender. If he is, he’ll likely bump Bernal–who last raced in late-April and is currently training in Colombia–down a notch in the team’s leadership hierarchy. And that might not be a bad thing: we like the chances of “Bernal the Dark Horse” better than those of “Bernal the Pre-Tour Podium Contender.” 

Jonas Vingegaard

Previous Ranking : Under Consideration

Race Days : 14

Race Wins : 7

Best Result : 1st-place, General Classification - Tirreno-Adriatico

Next Race : TBD

Given some recent news, we’re optimistically moving the Tour’s two-time defending champion back into our top-5—well, 6 if you consider the INEOS tandem above. 

One of the worst victims of the crash at the Tour of the Basque Country, Vingegaard lay motionless along the side of the road for a few minutes before finally being placed in an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, where tests revealed a broken collarbone and a few cracked ribs. Later the team shared that Vingegaard also suffered a pulmonary contusion and a collapsed lung. He stayed in the hospital for 12 days. 

At first, Visma-Lease a Bike wouldn’t discuss the Dane’s chances of racing the Tour de France. But now they are–albeit in uncertain terms–because Vingegaard is back on his bike and training. He was first spotted on a bike path in Denmark, and this week, he arrived in Tignes, France for altitude training camp.

At the Giro d’Italia last week, his team manager Richard Plugge confirmed that Vingegaard has indeed resumed training but would only head to the Tour if he is 100 percent ready to defend his title. And he didn’t sound as if the possibility of the Dane being ready in time was as far-fetched as it seemed a month ago.  

He won’t ride the Dauphiné, but his teammates racing it will meet him in Tignes afterwards. Things are clearly going better than they were in April for Vingegaard, and we think there’s about a 50% chance that he starts the Tour de France. 

Vingegaard started the season in dominating fashion. In fact, he was so strong that some wondered how he could possibly maintain such a high level of fitness all the way through the Tour. Assuming he’s able to get anywhere close to the form he had before the crash–and he starts the Tour–he’s good enough to break back into our Power Ranking. It’s an optimistic take, but we’re going with it–for now.

Under Consideration

If Vingegaard is ultimately unable to start the Tour de France, American Sepp Kuss (Visma Lease a Bike) –the winner of last year’s Vuelta a España–will likely lead the team instead. Kuss hasn’t raced since the Tour of the Basque Country, but he’s starting the Critérium du Dauphiné this Sunday. With three summit finishes to close out the race, it’s the perfect chance for Kuss to assert himself as a Tour de France contender.

Spain’s Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) is also riding the Dauphiné and likely racing to win it. The 21-year-old finished third at the 2022 Vuelta a España and is set to start his first Tour de France this summer. He’ll be riding in support of Pogačar, but the Spaniard could be a contender himself–both as a domestique (UAE put two riders on the podium last year) and as a back-up plan (should something happen to Pog).

Ecuador’s Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) has been training since his last race, April’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The 31-year-old is racing the Tour de Suisse–which takes place one week after the Dauphiné–as his final race before the Tour. And he’ll be racing with a chip on his shoulder: the reigning Olympic champion was not selected to represent his country at the games this summer. Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers)–who won Stage 1 at the Giro d’Italia–was chosen instead.

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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The youngest and oldest riders at the Tour de France

Twenty-two teams and 176 riders lined up for the 2022 Tour de France. We look at the youngest and oldest riders at the race and their relative place in the history books

It was 1904 when Henri Cornet won the Tour de France aged just 19. Since then, the ages of winners have seemed to converge on a median age of around 28. But, things seem to have been changing...

With young winners like Tadej Pogacar and Egan Bernal, you could be excused for seeing a trend for a newer, younger Tour de France.

Yet, older riders have also been faring well at the Grand Boucle in recent years. So what does the real breakdown of riders by age look like? How young is too young, and how old is too old?

Oldest riders at the 2022 Tour de France

You can never have too much experience, right?

Last year, Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) completed the Tour de France at the age of 41. He very nearly became the race's oldest winner too, finishing second to Sepp Kuss on the mountain stage to Andorra.

-  Tour de France 2022 route: everything you need to know about the 109th edition - Tour de France standings: the latest results from the race - Tour de France favourites: who will win this year's yellow jersey?

The oldest ever Tour de France stage winner was Pino Cerami, who won stage nine of the 1963 Tour de France aged 41 years and 65 days. On stage three last year, Valverde was the exact age that Cerami was when he won in Pau in 1963.

In 2022 though Valverde has chosen to skip the Tour de France in favour of riding the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in his final season before retirement, leaving the door open for another rider to take on the mantle of the Tour's oldest competitor.

Philippe Gilbert is the oldest rider at the 2022 Tour (Image: James Startt)

That man this year is Philippe Gilbert (Lotto-Soudal), who turns 40 on stage four of the race (July 5), and will be hoping to sign off from his 12th and final Tour de France with a stage win. 

Frenchman Cyril Lemoine (B&B Hotels - KTM) is the second oldest rider in 2022 at 39, while Movistar's Imanol Erviti is third at a spritely 38.

• Philippe Gilbert - 39 years and 361 days (when race began) <
• Cyril Lemoine - 39 years and 120 days
• Imanol Erviti - 38 years and 228 days
• Luis León Sánchez - 38 years and 219 days
• Maciej Bodnar - 37 years and 116 days

Youngest riders at the 2022 Tour de France

Last year Britain's Fred Wright took the crown of youngest rider at 22 years and 14 days, but this year that age would only just crack the top-three. 

Quinn Simmons is the youngest rider at the 2022 Tour de France (Getty Images)

The next youngest rider is California's Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM) at 21 years and 258 days, while another Californian, Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) is the fifth youngest, celebrating his 23rd birthday on the day of the Grand Départ).

Britain's Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) is the third youngest rider, making his Tour debut at the age of 22 years 336 days.

Defending champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has slipped out of the top-10 for the first time in his three Tour appearances, languishing in 12th at the wise old age of 23 years and 283 days.

• Quinn Simmons - 21 years and 54 days (when race began)
• Kevin Vermaerke - 21 years and 258 days
• Tom Pidcock - 22 years and 336 days
• Matis Louvel - 22 years and 347 days
• Matteo Jorgenson - 23 years and zero days

No-one at the Tour this year will have the opportunity to be crowned its youngest ever stage winner however. The youngest ever stage winner at the Tour de France was Fabio Battesini, who was just 19 years and 134 days old when he won a stage at the 1931 edition.

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Tour de France

‘we make a winning plan every day:’ coach says vingegaard is pulling out all stops to be ready for the tour de france, danish rider still dealing with effects of dramatic crash in april, with nervousness also a factor..

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Jonas Vingegaard suffered a career-threatening crash on April 4, but he is making better than expected progress in his race against time to be ready for the Tour de France in less than one month away.

That’s according to coach Tim Heemskerk , whole told Velo that he lauds the double Tour de France winner for his ability to rapidly improve his fitness levels.

“What impresses me the most is, especially after injury or being sick, how fast these top athletes can improve,” he told Velo this week. “When Jonas follows the training and does all the [right] things, I’ve never seen anything like it. I think it’s part of genetics but it’s also trusting in what you’re doing.

“I think it was two years ago, in one of the altitude camps before Dauphiné, one of the teammates said ‘ah, it’s not fair. This guy trains for a week, and he’s improving so fast.’

“That is that is something that I’ve never seen with any other athlete yet, that he is so able to improve so quickly.”

Vingegaard needs to draw on that attribute if he is to stand a chance of winning a third consecutive Tour. Indeed he’ll need that to even to be there at the start line with a fighting chance.

The Dane is in a race against time to be ready for the Tour, having spent two months trying to recover after serious disruption.

His crash at the Itzulia Basque Country left him suffering with a broken collarbone and shoulder blade, fractured ribs and a punctured lung. And while he has been able to put in good training in Mallorca and is now at altitude at Tignes, it remains to be seen if he can be ready in time for the Tour.

Despite his emphasis of Vingegaard’s ability to rapidly build form, Heemskerk also acknowledges what he has been through.

“I also do realize that he’s dealing now with a situation which is different than just an illness, that it will take energy,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘ah, I don’t feel pain,’ that nothing’s happening in the body. His body is still healing. That takes energy, and it also takes energy away from the [training] adaptation process.

“We give our all, we try to make every day a winning plan. But we don’t we don’t have a lot of time. So every day counts.”

Getting the nerve back again

Tadej Pogačar is on everyone’s radar after his near-10 minute victory in the Giro d’Italia, but Vingegaard is the athlete who proved the stronger in the past two Tours. After taking second in 2021 he returned to vanquish the Slovenian in 2022, cracking him in the mountain, and did so again last year.

And while Pogačar lit up the peloton this season, Vingegaard did likewise in his own race program. He dominated the O Gran Camiño in February, winning three out of four stages, the overall, the points and the mountains classifications, and also pummeled his rivals in Tirreno-Adriatico.

The two seemed set for a huge showdown in the Tour, but everything was thrown into doubt when Vingegaard plus fellow Tour contenders Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) went off the road on a high speed descent in the Itzulia Basque Country.

Those who know Vingegaard were left horrified by what they saw.

“The crash itself was a very emotional day for everybody in the team, and especially for Jonas and the family,” Heemskerk said, acknowledging the fears of those watching the stage.

“Then you go step by step. You’re waiting for him first to be released from the hospital. And then once you know that will happen in the next few days, you start planning already a little bit.”

However any hopes that Vingegaard could quickly return to normal life were dashed. Heemskerk confirms media suggestions at the time that he was unable to return home.

He told Velo that the punctured lung Vingegaard suffered coupled with rigorous medical rules set by Denmark made taking a flight impossible.

The Tour champion was forced to remain in Spain, and also had to do regular rehab to rebuild strength and flexibility in his affected shoulder.

He and his coach worked closely together throughout this period, with Heemskerk sometimes splitting a planned three hour ride into two separate sessions on the same day to boost adaptation.

“I tried to make it as smart as possible to get more out of the planned training,” he said.

La Visma-Lease a Bike a partagé une vidéo de Jonas Vingegaard, qui a repris l’entraînement en extérieur plus d’un mois après sa grave chute. Le Danois, dont l’état “s’améliore de jour en jour”, espère être sur le Tour de France et “au top” de sa forme. pic.twitter.com/ASYFxX0ZcQ — Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) May 7, 2024

Physical fitness is one thing; another issue to be worked on is his confidence after his crash.

“He went to Majorca to be training uphill, and also descending on a higher speed. This is really the next step again, towards a normal Jonas.

“When he is able to join the team, the complete Tour de France team when they come from Dauphiné, that will also be the moment Jonas will be training and descending in a group again.”

Heemskerk confirmed that the accident has left Vingegaard with some nervousness, particularly on descents.

“I think everybody will have it after such a high speed crash,” he said. “Having so many injuries, and trauma. So that’s normal when you get back on the bike.

“But also when you have had broken bones, and you’re released to go ride outside, there is also the fear of falling onto that same side again when you know it’s not completely recovered yet. So that is something everybody would have on their minds.”

He and Vingegaard have focused on just taking things one step at a time. Being back in a group could initially be nerve wracking, but he believes he will overcome any lingering skittishness.

“It’s just about gaining the confidence,” he said. “You know how it is if you go train in the Alps. If you haven’t done it for a while, then you have to get used to it again. And then maybe after a week, you’re going pretty fast down the descent.

“It’s just something that comes with doing it.”

‘We are not sure yet how this will evolve’

Heemskerk would undoubtedly like to be able to say now that his rider will be back to 100 percent by the time the Tour starts.

He doesn’t do that, instead saying that he, and Vingegaard, and the team itself, don’t yet know things will play out.

However they are taking an all systems go approach to maximizing the chances of a Tour start. Will that bear fruit? Time will tell.

“He’s in Tignes now,” he said. “He is there for a few days now, taking easy rides to get used to the altitude.

“Then [after that adaptation] it’s just train, eat sleep, spend time with the family. That’s probably the best possible thing we can do at the moment. And then monitor every day if it’s going to be good enough to even start the Tour.”

He is surprisingly frank about that uncertainty.

“We’re not sure yet how this will evolve. The most important thing is that Jonas should get the feeling at one point like, ‘this is doable,’ or ‘I have my doubts, it is not doable.’ Of course then the plan will change,” he said.

“For now, we do our best, day by day. Jonas is putting in the hours and watches his nutrition and do the things we normally would do on an altitude camp. Then we will see how the body will react to it.”

There’s now just four weeks to the Tour de France, a short period of time for a rider who has been out of competition since early April.

Does Heemskerk rate his chances at 50-50, or how does he see it?

“That’s difficult, because I don’t really think like that,” he answers. “It’s day by day. It’s like, ‘what will come out of the numbers and the feeling and the feedback you get from Jonas today? What will be the new plan for tomorrow?’

“Basically, it’s like a bottom up process. Because we’ve done it in the past three Tours de Frances, where he was second, won and won, I do know what is needed. So in my mind, it’s like ‘okay, this is still the gap that’s there.’

Given the tight timescale until the start of the sport’s biggest event, how would the final decision be made about riding the Tour or not, and when would that come?

“I think the most important player there is Jonas,” he answered. “I can only say when he has doubts or has questions, to tell him where we are. And he knows it very well.

“Seeing the amount of time we have, that there is a gap we have to bridge in the next four, four and a half weeks.”

‘He should go to the Tour to win it’

Visma-Lease a Bike has had a huge turnaround since last season. The team could hardly put a foot wrong then, making history by becoming the first team to win all three grand tours in the same season.

This year the squad has seen key riders get ill or crash out, and is trying frantically to get back on track.

But the goals remain high despite what has happened.

“Without forcing, what Richard Plugge said, he needs to be 100 percent,” he explained. “When Jonas goes to the Tour, he should go to win it. And if there are any doubts, Jonas will also feel it.

“That’s also a quality of his. He can also feel that something is doable or not. If he’s improving fast, and he shows that he has good numbers in training and has a really good feeling, then we also will know.

“If that happens in the next month, then we’ll see a good Jonas in the Tour. For now, we make a winning plan every day towards being in the best possible shape.”

If everything works out, what is shaping up to be a fascinating Tour will be even better.

“You can only hope that there’s going to be a big battle between Evenpoel, Roglič, Pogačar and hopefully also Jonas,” Heemskerk said. “Those three will battle for sure, if nothing [unexpected] would happen, because they have really, really good preparation.

“And then if Jonas gets into the mix, it will be really good.”

Cycling fans will agree. The Giro was dramatic, but one-sided. A four-way Tour battle would make for spectacular viewing.

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Tadej Pogačar underlines dominance with biggest Giro d'Italia winning margin in 59 years — and he's not done yet

Analysis Sport Tadej Pogačar underlines dominance with biggest Giro d'Italia winning margin in 59 years — and he's not done yet

Tadej Pogačar has confirmed, once again, everything that we thought we knew.

The Slovenian cyclist is, quite simply, a freak.

By winning the 2024 Giro d'Italia in such emphatic fashion, the 25-year-old wrote himself into the mystic annals of a sport that craves the romantic more than any other.

On the face of it though, there is little to be misty-eyed about.

Pogačar's winning margin of nine minutes and 56 seconds is borderline obscene.

Not since Jan Ullrich won the 1997 Tour de France by nine minutes and nine seconds has a rider claimed victory at a grand tour by over nine minutes.

In fact, Pogačar's winning margin is the biggest at a grand tour since Laurent Fignon won the 1984 Tour by 10:32, the largest at a Giro since Vittorio Adorni in 1965.

His six stage wins is the most by a Giro general classification winner since Eddie Merckx did the same in 1973.

'The best I've raced with': Thomas

Pogačar may have just sealed his third grand tour, but in truth, the Slovenian racks up wins for fun across multiple disciplines and race-types.

He already has six one day Monument victories that has led to some branding him the second coming of Merckx, the most versatile rider of the past half century.

While Merckx was called the Cannibal for his insatiable appetite for victories, Pogačar has been christened the Cannibale Gentile by Gazetta della Sport, the gentle cannibal.

"For me he's the best I've raced with I think," said third-placed finisher and peloton veteran Geraint Thomas.

"And I've raced with a lot of good guys."

The 38-year-old sure has, counting among his one-time teammates five-time Olympic gold medal winner and 2012 Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins, seven-time grand tour winner Chris Froome and the greatest grand tour sprinter in history, Mark Cavendish.

Thomas, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Saturday's penultimate stage is also a contemporary rival of seven-time grand tour winner Alberto Contador and four-time winner, Primož Roglič.

"He's [Pogačar's] just so versatile and aggressive, and all year round as well.

"It's not just – well, like me, for a couple of months a year where you're good. It's insane how talented he is.

"The only thing is he makes us look pretty slow, but that's the whole peloton, that's not just me."

Pogačar's palmarès already rivals the very best in the sport.

When he won the first of his two Tours de France in 2020 aged 22, he was the youngest winner in 116 years.

His back-to-back victories were only halted by Jonas Vingegaard's emergence as a grand tour specialist .

It is realistically only the Danish rider who stands between Pogačar and a feat not seen in cycling since Marco Pantani managed it in 1998, a Giro-Tour double.

Indeed, Pogačar has already emulated the Italian legend by overcoming a mechanical at the base of the climb to Santuario di Oropa on stage seven , where Pantani did the exact same thing in 1999.

Back to the present though, and two-time defending champion Vingegaard is unlikely to reach the start line in peak condition following his  shocking crash earlier in the season that resulted in a collapsed lung, among other injuries .

"Jonas [Vingegaard] is the only guy that's really on the same level as him," Thomas said.

"But it's yet to be seen how he is.

"The rest – of course, there's always a chance, it's a bike race, but on pure physical talent he's unique."

A three-week long coronation

Sunday's celebratory procession around Rome was Pogačar's coronation but, in truth, much of the preceding three weeks has been little more than a homage to his greatness.

Saturday's penultimate stage was a case in point .

Pogačar burned through his teammates before embarking on a solo ascent of the Monte Grappa — during which he handed out alms in the form of bidons to young roadside admirers and high fives to others, while also chastising those others who dared reach out to him — in an astonishing display of reckless power.

That 18km long climb, with an average gradient of 8.1 per cent was less of an obstacle to overcome and more a ramp towards his inevitable podium.

"I wanted to finish the Giro with a good mentality and in good shape. I think I achieved that," he said at the finish.

His triumphant roll into the finish in Bassano del Grappa, during which he saluted and bowed to an adoring public like the conquering hero he has become, was a worthy tribute to a man who has lit up a race that his own dominance threatened to overshadow.

"Are you not entertained?" was Pogačar's emphatic demand of a people who know they are witnessing majesty.

If they weren't, they should have been.

Pogačar's mix of dashing attacks and solo chases dared those on the roadside to equate his flamboyant dominance to that displayed by the mechanised deployment of Team Sky at the height of their powers.

Those comparisons are moot though. Never has a rider attacked so wilfully, with such regularity, and with such consummate ease over the duration of a race that will go down in history.

Former grand tour winner Sean Kelly said on Eurosport that there has never been a rider like him, "He has got everything."

'Pog is on a different planet'

Pogačar has held such mastery over his rivals at the Giro that he has seemingly been racing against himself — and everyone knows it.

"People were giving the GC guys and me abuse for just racing amongst ourselves," Thomas said on his podcast, Watts Occurring, during the second week of the race.

"To put it in perspective, anyone out there that's a runner, if your best 10k run is 40 minutes, if you start off at 30 minute pace for 20 minutes, just see what happens.

"You're going to blow your doors off, you're going to creep in, and you'll do 49 minutes rather than 40.

"That's what it was like today [on stage 15], I could try and stay with him [Pogačar], but I knew I didn't have the legs, especially with the altitude and everything.

"You can completely blow your doors off.

"It sounds defeatist, but at the end of the day, Pog is on a different planet."

Tour tilt on the cards

So who can stop this seemingly unstoppable Slovene sensation?

Three weeks is a long time to race, and the cumulative fatigue of dominating a race to the extent that he has — with the added effect of daily post-race press conferences — may yet take its toll when it comes to a mountainous Tour de France later in the year.

Then there is the scrutiny that inevitably follows the world's best cyclist.

Cycling's very history demands a thorough introspection about what is being witnessed.

Too often in the sport's chequered past have things that appeared too good to be true turned out to be exactly that.

It's why the most astonishing of performances have been met with the caveat of a raised eyebrow and knowing wink.

There's no suggestion that what Pogačar is doing is fuelled by anything other than natural talent.

The Slovene is undisputedly a generational star. What happens next will be thrilling to watch.

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Remco Evenepoel: 'Best rider in the world' Tadej Pogacar is the one man who can complete Giro and Tour de France double

Updated 02/06/2024 at 07:44 GMT

Soudal-Quick-Step rider Remco Evenepoel believes Giro d'Italia champion Tadej Pogacar is the favourite at the Tour de France, and expects a strong challenge from back-to-back winner Jonas Vingegaard. Going further, he declared that Pogacar is the only man in the world who is currently able to do the double of both the Giro and Tour de France Grand Tours.

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Pedersen wins Dauphine sprint

Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (France) (AFP) – Denmark's Mads Pedersen won the opening stage of the Tour de France warm up race the Criterium du Dauphine on a foggy 172km run on Sunday.

Issued on: 02/06/2024 - 17:55 Modified: 02/06/2024 - 17:53

The 2019 world champion also takes the yellow jersey after his ninth win so far this season in a week he was named in Denmark's Olympic Games team.

The Lidl Trek rider edged Sam Bennett and Hugo Page in a mass sprint, one of two flat stages on the eight-day race seen as a fine tuning opportunity ahead of the Tour de France later this month.

"I love racing in France, it's all so well organised," said Pedersen.

"It'll be a challenge defending the yellow jersey," said the 28-year-old rider, looking ahead to the hilltop finish at Col de Loge on Monday.

Pedersen explained his main task was to protect team leader Tao Geoghegan Hart, a climb specialist and dark horse for a podium spot or at least some mountain stage wins at the Tour de France.

Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel or Juan Ayuso are more likely to win this Criterium which ends with three blockbuster mountain stages in the Alps next weekend.

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• Critérium du Dauphiné stage 2 live - A first mountain test at the Col de la Loge

Jonas Vingegaard 'the big favourite' for the Tour de France says UAE team manager

Visma-Lease a Bike leader with the advantage due to altitude training, Tadej Pogačar 'tired after the Giro' says Joxean Matxin

With an inaugural Giro d’Italia victory less than a week in the rear view mirror and Tadej Pogačar now switching focus to a third Tour de France win, UAE Team Emirates team manager Joxean Matxin has labelled rival Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) as the favourite to win the Yellow Jersey in July. 

The Danish two-time Tour winner is on the path to recovery after a major crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in April left him with a lung injury and several broken bones. 

Matxin reflected on the 2023 season, when Pogačar had been the one to have a severe spring crash, breaking his wrist at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

"That Vingegaard crashed heavily in the Tour of the Basque Country? Last year, Tadej crashed 3 weeks further in April and was in Vingegaard's slipstream until the Tour time trial (stage 16)," Matxin said, as reported by Sporza .

"Vingegaard has been training at altitude for weeks, he is the big favourite," he added.

The Spaniard seemed keen to take the pressure off Pogačar during his historic Giro-Tour double attempt, pointing out the energy the Slovenian expended during his triumph in Italy.

“Of course Tadej was also tired after the Giro…Tadej has had days when he burned 8,000 calories, his wattages were also very high."

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Although Pogačar won the race by almost ten minutes ahead of Bora-Hansgrohe’s Daniel Martinez, Matxin assured that tactically the aim in Italy was to race as “economically” as possible with one eye on July.

"He didn't pull off an 80km solo like he did in Strade Bianche. And Tadej never had to fight for his position in the peloton thanks to the perfect work of his teammates," Matxin said.

Having beaten Pogačar in the last two Tours de France, Vingegaard is the opponent that UAE Team Emirates appear most concerned about, but Matxin also named Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick-Step), Primoz Roglic and Alexandr Vlasov (both Bora-Hansgrohe) as leading favourites for the Tour de France. 

All three are set to compete in the Critérium du Dauphiné as preparation for the Tour, with Evenepoel and Roglic on their own comeback trails after falling victim to the same crash as Vingegaard in April. Meanwhile Pogačar is resting before heading to an altitude camp in the French Alps to fine tune his form.

Vingegaard has already been training at altitude but will not be on the start line to race the Dauphiné. Visma - Lease a Bike have taken a flexible and conservative approach to the reigning Tour de France champion’s recovery.

Vingegaard’s coach, Tim Heemskerk, told the Radio Cycling podcast that “the plan for the next four weeks is decided on a day-by-day process. What he’s doing today will make tomorrow’s training. If I see he’s improving, he can do a bit more tomorrow, respecting the recovery of course. We are not forcing anything.”

Grand Tour Treble

If Tadej Pogačar were to win the Tour de France in seven weeks’ time, he would become the first rider to complete the Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998.

The World Championships in Switzerland later on in the season is another big ambition of Pogačar's, bit for a rider with a seemingly endless appetite for winning the temptation would surely be too much to prevent him from going for an unprecedented grand tour treble. No rider has ever won the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España in the same season.

Although this achievement would eclipse everything that has preceded it in Pogačar’s  illustrious career so far, Matxin denied the possibility.

"Winning the three Grand Tours in the same year is great for the history books, but that is not the case this year…the Vuelta was never on Pogačar's schedule."

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