Australians set to star at the 2024 Tour de France
Six Australian riders line up for the Tour de France starting Saturday, with Aussie team Jayco AlUla eyeing a podium for a star rider and stage wins for its red hot sprinters. The big race previewed.
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The 111th Tour de France embarks on a historic journey from Florence on Saturday, marking the first time that the race has started in Italy.
The Tour starts at 8pm on Saturday (AEST) and runs over 21 stages until July 21.
In another unprecedented move, the Tour will not end in Paris due to a scheduling conflict with the Olympics.
Instead, the final stage will feature an individual time trial from Monaco to Nice.
Slovenian powerhouse Tadej Pogacar emerges as the favourite.
His commanding victory in last month’s Giro d’Italia, coupled with uncertainties surrounding his three main rivals, positions him as the frontrunner.
Contrasting last year’s scenario where Pogacar was rebounding from an injury, defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark enters the race following a recovery from a severe crash in the Basque Country in April, which resulted in multiple fractures and a collapsed lung.
The Dane, who was invincible last year, faces the absence of his key ally in the mountains – American Sepp Kuss, due to Covid.
Despite this setback, the Visma Lease a Bike team, triumphant in all three Grand Tours last year, remains a formidable force.
Primoz Roglic, another Slovenian contender who triumphed in last year’s Giro d’Italia, was also affected by the Basque Country crash, albeit less severely.
Having switched to Bora Hansgrohe with the primary goal of securing his first Tour de France title, the team is now reinforced by Red Bull’s significant venture into cycling.
Roglic, fresh from his Dauphine Tour win, commands a robust team featuring his right-hand man, Australian Jai Hindley and Russian Aleksandr Vlasov.
Hindley, the only Australian to win the Giro d’Italia in 2022 and a runner-up in 2020, made an impressive Tour debut last year.
Despite falling ill in the final week, he clinched stage five, donned the coveted Maillot Jaune, and secured a commendable seventh place overall.
While designated as Roglic’s primary support, Hindley stands as a viable contender for the overall podium should circumstances shift.
Remco Evenepoel of Belgium is also heralded as a significant challenger for the title.
Suffering a collarbone fracture in the same Basque Country incident, Evenepoel, riding his first Tour de France, exudes class.
His accolades include the 2022 World Road Title in Wollongong and the current World Time Trial Championship.
His prowess in Grand Tours is evident, having won the Vuelta a Espana in 2022 and leading the previous year’s Giro d’Italia until Covid forced his withdrawal.
Evenepoel’s team, Soudal Quickstep, may lack the depth of his adversaries, necessitating strategic acumen to vie for victory.
Six Australians will take to the starting line.
Jack Haig, the 30-year-old from Bendigo, has faced challenges in recent Tours de France but showcased his potential with a third-place overall finish in the 2022 Vuelta a Espana.
As the chief lieutenant to Pello Bilbao of the Bahrain Victorious team, Haig’s prowess in the high mountains will be pivotal for Bilbao, who aims to surpass last year’s sixth-place finish.
South Australian newcomer Jarred Drizners embarks on his inaugural Tour de France with the Belgian outfit Lotto Dstny, providing crucial support for Belgian prodigy Arnaud De Lie, who is also making his Grand Tour debut.
Drizners finished the Vuelta a Espana last year proving he has the ability to a make it through a three week Grand Tour.
Australia’s sole World Tour team, Jayco AlUla, is poised to revitalise its season with a robust performance.
Spearheaded by Englishman Simon Yates, who secured fourth in last year’s Tour despite a late start due to injury, the team is bolstered by South Australian Chris Harper.
The duo, freshly returned from altitude training, is eager to make an immediate impact.
Michael Matthews began the season on a high note, narrowly missing victory in the Milan San Remo and placing 10th in the gruelling Amstel Gold Classic.
His recent altitude preparation positions him as a strong contender to clinch the opening stage and don the yellow jersey.
However, the stage’s difficulty may favour the general classification (GC) contenders.
Luke Durbridge, the third Australian in the eight-man squad, marks his 10th Tour appearance.
Durbridge acknowledges the complexity of supporting multiple leaders: “It’s challenging to work for three different guys.
“Some days, I’ll be aiding Simon to stay with the other GC contenders; other times, I might be driving the peloton to ensure Dylan is poised for the big bunch sprint, or I could be leading a breakaway to create opportunities for Michael.”
He adds: “Many GC contenders are incredibly tense and require the full support of their teammates. But Simon is remarkably relaxed — he only needs a couple of us by his side, allowing the rest to focus on Dylan or Michael.”
Team owner Gerry Ryan remains optimistic.
“I’m confident we can secure one or two stages and that Simon Yates can finish in the top five,” Ryan said.
“Michael Matthews is in peak form, the best he’s been in two years, and Dylan Groenewegen is sprinting strongly, as evidenced by his recent victory in the Dutch championships.
“It’s a well-rounded team, and Chris Harper will be invaluable to Simon in the mountains. He has excelled and exceeded expectations since joining us last year.”
Jacyo’s head sports director Mat Hayman emphasises the intensity of this year’s Tour.
“We’re diving straight into the deep end from day one,” he said.
“The first stage resembles last year’s Basque Country leg but is even more challenging.
“It’s too demanding for the sprinters and may push Michael (Matthews), Van Aert, and Van der Poel to their limits.
“We could witness the GC contenders battling it out.”
Reflecting on the team’s composition, Hayman noted: “It’s a similar line-up to last year, with Michael stepping in.
“Dylan has secured a few wins in recent weeks, and his speed is evident.
“Simon aims to improve upon last year’s performance which would put him on the podium, and Chris Harper has diligently prepared at altitude.
“Simon is a seasoned Grand Tour rider and knows precisely what it takes. Last year’s Tour was a breakthrough for Chris although a crash in the Dauphine hindered him recently, he’s currently in top form.”
Hayman also expressed concern over the increasing pace and peril of the Tour, particularly highlighting stage nine.
“The circuit around Troyes winds through the champagne region’s vineyards, featuring 14 gravel sections on narrow tracks,” he said.
“It promises to be a spectacle, but it will undoubtedly have everyone, cyclists and their crew, on high alert.”
When Pogacar burst onto the scene and won the 2020 Tour as a 20-year-old, he looked to be the rider who would dominate the Tour for the next decade.
His win in 2021 confirmed that.
But the unheralded Vingegaard surprised everyone with a gallant second place.
Then in 2022 Vingegaard turned the tables and repeated it with a dominating performance last year.
The final stage of the Tour de France is normally a procession for the GC contenders and dominated by the sprinters.
That all changes this year with the final stage being an individual time trial.
This has been a feature in other Grand Tours recently but last tried in the Tour de France in 1989.
That year produced a historic battle and the closest finish in Tour history with American Greg Lemond snatching the overall victory from French hero Laurent Fignon by a mere eight seconds.
It is extremely likely that we could see something very similar on July 21.
* Former cyclist John Trevorrow won the Australian national road race title in 1978, 1979 and 1980, and competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He has covered multiple Tour de France races.
Originally published as Australians set to star at the 2024 Tour de France
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