JAKARTA - Tour de France will feel different in 2024. There are major changes that occur due to the Olympics in the same country.
For the first time since 1905, Tour de France will not finish in Paris, as has always been done in previous editions. One of the most prestigious cycling events in the world will close with a time trial ending in Nice, as reported by Antara.
In addition, this event was also pushed forward for one week to avoid clashes with the Olympics. The Tour de France will be completed on July 21 or five days before the opening ceremony.
Therefore, the decision was taken to move the finishing point to Nice which is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The city has hosted the Tour 37 times with two starting points, namely in 1981 and 2020.
"Nice is a shining city. Famous all over the world," Tour Chritian Prudhomme director told AFP.
"The location is beautiful and also mountainous nearby. This city has an extraordinary location and route," he continued.
Like Paris, Nice also has iconic walks, with the race likely ending at the Promenade des Anglais.
Tour 2024 will also end likely with individual time-trials determining instead of sprint finishing as usual for eight rounds in Champs-Elysees.
The last day's time-trial was a thrilling spectacle at the end of the 1989 Tour when Greg Lemond of the United States snatched a yellow shirt from Laurent Fayur who was shocked that his rivals won the race with a lead of just eight seconds.
The 2024 edition will begin in Florence with a possible opening three days around Italy, but the official route has yet to be confirmed.
Prudhomme hints that the time-trial route in the 2024 edition will not be short.
"It's a shame if the times are completely flat as well," Prudhomme said, adding that the hills around Nice could be a drama-packed arena in the closing stage later.
Two Tour de France races in 1903 and 1904 ended in Ville d'Avray, on the outskirts of Paris, but every issue since 1905 has finished in the country's capital.
Since 1975, the big show has been along Champs-Elysees. The race is scheduled to return there in 2025.
"We would be very pleased to return to Paris and Champs-Elysees for the 50th anniversary of the first arrival in Champs by 2025," Prudhomme said.
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