Tour de France 2024 week one wrap: Mark Cavendish, Biniam Girmay and Tadej Pogacar star

The opening stages of the Tour de France have been spectacular with records smashed, a firestorm in the GC battle and Aussie team Jayco AlUla nailing a stage. The full recap.

Tadej Pogacar leads the Tour but his main rival – Jonas Vingegaard – is breathing down his neck only one minute and 15 seconds behind. Picture: AFP

As the peloton carved through the heart of Champagne country, Stage 9 of the Tour de France unfurled like a vintage thriller, with the gravel roads around Troyes setting the stage for a day of high drama.

The 32 kilometres of treacherous terrain, a gauntlet of gravel, promised to be the great decider, potentially fracturing the field and rewriting the general classification.

Yet, amid the swirling dust and the relentless grind of wheels on stone, it was Frenchman Anthony Turgis who emerged victorious, outpacing England’s Tom Pidcock in a stunning upset, securing his team TotalEnergies’ inaugural stage win in this year’s Tour.

In an extraordinary turn of events, the trio of titans – Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel – broke away from the peloton.

However, the unity fractured as Vingegaard, the defending champion, chose not to lend his might to the alliance, trailing behind the duo in a tactical gambit that drew both ire and intrigue.

His team have claimed that Vingegaard’s defensive stance was necessitated by a mechanical mishap that saw him astride a teammate’s bike, unable to switch back due to the unyielding pace.

There’s tension in the peloton, with Jonas Vingegaard criticised for not doing his bit and sitting on the wheel of his closest rivals, including race leader Tadej Pogacar. Picture: AFP

But his refusal to work with Pogacar and Evenepoel, when victory seemed within their collective grasp, has sparked a firestorm of criticism and speculation.

Pogacar, bewildered by Vingegaard’s tactics, lamented the missed opportunity to distance themselves from the other contenders, hinting at Team Visma’s singular focus on him, to the detriment of recognising the threat posed by other riders like Roglic and Rodriguez.

“I think it was a great opportunity for us to put some time on the rest of the GC favourites and secure the podium, but Jonas refused to co-operate,” he recalled in the post-stage interview.

“I think Visma is just focusing on me and underestimating the other GC contenders. They just follow me, without thinking of Primoz Roglic or Remco.”

Evenepoel also expressed his frustration.

“Tadej and I were certainly not happy about it. I really had the feeling that the final podium of the Tour could already be determined here.

“Unfortunately we have to accept that, although I think that sometimes you just have to show balls in the race. Unfortunately Jonas didn’t have that.”

Commentator Maarten Ducrot said on his podcast: “If it looks like a wheel sucker, it rides like one and it acts like a wheel sucker, then it is a wheel sucker.”

The first week of the Tour has been spectacular, from dusty gravel stages to mountain finishes. Picture: Getty

The first week of the Tour has been nothing short of a spectacle, each stage unfurling with its own narrative arc, showcasing the prowess of only a quartet of riders with a realistic shot at the title.

Pogacar, the race leader, appears indomitable, his team a fortress of strength, particularly in the mountain stages. Vingegaard, despite his vulnerabilities, remains a looming presence, poised to ascend as the race wears on.

Evenepoel, the reigning World Time Trial Champion, has proven his mettle, and his recent victory underscores the urgency for Pogacar to widen his lead before the final time trial from Monaco to Nice.

Roglic, though seemingly the underdog among the four, is a testament to resilience, a rider who embodies the spirit of never yielding.

The narrative of the Tour thus far has been one of relentless intensity – both in the scorching heat and the fierce competition.

The opening stage was a testament to this, culminating in a poignant victory for French luminary Romain Bardet, who donned the yellow jersey for the first time in his final Tour, edging out his young Dutch teammate, Frank Van den Broek.

The saga of Mark Cavendish, the English sprinting legend, unfolded with equal parts tragedy and triumph.

Initially left behind on the inaugural climb, his hopes of surpassing Eddy Merckx’s record seemed to vanish into the thin mountain air.

Yet, in a display of sheer will, Cavendish surged through the chaos in Stage 5, his sprint evoking memories of the great Robbie McEwen.

Eritrean Biniam Girmay’s historic victory on the third day, the first for a black African rider, was a milestone moment, further solidified by his subsequent stage win and commanding lead in the green jersey competition.

Meanwhile, Jasper Philipsen’s relegation and Mathieu Van der Poel’s dip in form have added layers of complexity to the race for the Green Jersey.

The ascent of the Col du Galibier in Stage 4 was a crucible of competition, where Pogacar’s mastery of both climb and descent was on full display, securing a solo victory and setting the stage for the tactical battles to come.

For the Australian contingent, the Tour has been a mixed bag of fortunes.

While no stage victories have come their way, Dylan Groenewegen’s triumph in Stage 6, under the banner of Australia’s only world tour squad, Team Jayco AlUla, was a moment of collective pride.

The efforts of Michael Matthews, Luke Durbridge, and Chris Harper were instrumental in this success, a testament to the power of teamwork and strategy.

Gerry Ryan, the team owner, revelled in the victory, recognising it as a culmination of collective effort and a beacon of hope for the team’s future endeavours.

“It was a superb sprint by Dylan and a great team performance,” he told CODE Sports.

“A stage win is so important for everyone, the riders, the staff and the sponsors – it’s a reinforcement of all the efforts that everyone has put in. It just adds a whole new feeling to the group.”

When it was mentioned that the team has gone well recently taking out stages and the overall title in the Tour of Slovakia and also the women’s squad winning, Ryan reflected.

“Yes, they have been good results but a stage win in the Tour is a whole different level,” he said.

“The Tour de France is the biggest annual sporting event on the planet and the eyes of the world are focused on the event for the month of July. A stage win here is recognition for all our partners.”

Team Jayco AlUla’s Dylan Groenewegen (right) throws for the line to win the Aussie team’s only stage. Picture: AFP

Ryan was impressed with Groenewegen’s win.

“Dylan has been working hard and has shown even better form this year,” he said.

“I think those glasses may have done the trick.”

Jai Hindley is the best placed Aussie in 18th spot more than 6 minutes down, but his job is to support Red Bull – Bora Hansgrohe leader Slovenian Primoz Roglic in the mountains.

Similarly, Jack Haig is in 22nd, 7 minutes behind but supporting his two Bahrain Victorious leaders Buttrago and Bilbao in the mountains.

Jarred Drizners is riding his first Tour de France and has been very impressive.

The 25-year-old South Australian is the Lotto Dstny team captain on the road and has been instrumental in getting young Belgian sprint sensation Arnaud De Lie to the front in the chaotic sprint finishes.

The Tour de France continues tonight, with the race ending on July 21 in Nice.

Originally published as Tour de France 2024 week one wrap: Mark Cavendish, Biniam Girmay and Tadej Pogacar star