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Tour, Giro, and Vuelta: Cycling Grand Tours Statistics Compared (2023)

I love cycling, and I enjoy playing with numbers. One day, I asked myself: What if I combine these two hobbies? What if I create a comparison of cycling Grand Tours statistics?

The result is a unique comparison of all three Grand Tours: Tour de France , Giro d’Italia , and Vuelta a España .

I am sure you will see some of these stats for the first time.

Below, you will find comparisons of all edition distances, average stage lengths, general, mountain, and points classification winners’ height and weight data, rider BMI, and many more interesting stats.

Abbreviations used: GC – General Classification, GT – Grand Tour, TdF – Tour de France, BMI – Body Mass Index

I used publicly available data from sites such as wikipedia.org , procyclingstats.com , and official GT websites letour.fr , giroditalia.it , and lavuelta.es for the statistics and charts below. Some data is not available (especially the rider’s weights/heights).

Please, also remember the following:

• The Tour de France did not take place between 1915-1918 and 1940-1946.
• Giro d’Italia did not take place between 1915-1918 and 1941-1945.
• Vuelta a España did not take place between 1937-1940, 1943-1944, and 1951-1954.
• Lance Armstrong was stripped of all his results and prizes from 1 August 1998. No alternative winners of TdF 1999-2005 were declared yet.
• The actual rider’s racing weight could vary.

I update this article once a year once all Grand Tours are finished.

Grand Tours Total Distance

Let’s start with the basics. The chart below shows the total distance of individual Grand Tour editions. The Tour de France was the longest Grand Tour for decades.

The average Grand Tour length of all editions is 3,747 km . It was around 3,680 km between 1960-1980, 3,720 km between 1980-2000, and “only” 3,390 km between 2000-2020. The average length of the 2023 Grand Tours is 3,297 km .

Number and Length of Grand Tours Stages

The number of stages experienced an opposite trend to the average length. While the first Tour de France editions had only six stages, this number multiplied in the following decades and oscillated around 21 for the past decades.

The average Grand Tour stage length of all editions is 200 km (time trials included).

It was a whopping 278 km between 1909-1939 and 191 km between 1949-1979 (excluding Vuelta because its first edition took place in 1935). The average stage length of the 2023 Grand Tours is 157 km .

Grand Tours Average Speed

The average Grand Tours speed of all editions is 35.42 km/h .

It increased dramatically over time, mainly thanks to technological progress, better training methods, and nutrition—it exceeded the mighty 40 km/h mark.

The average speed of the 2023 Grand Tours was 40.49 km/h .

Will we ever see a Grand Tour surpassing the average speed of 45 km/h?

TIP : Interested in cycling? Feel free to read my guide on how to choose a bike type in 5 minutes or less.

Grand Tours (Historical Extremes)

What about the longest and shortest editions ?

Unsurprisingly, the Tour de France was the longest Grand Tour ever in 1926. Riders had to cover 5,745 km (about the same distance from New York to London).

The longest Giro d’Italia took place in 1954 (4,337 km), and the longest Vuelta a España was in 1936 (4,407 km).

The shortest Grand Tour ever was also the Tour de France.

The first two editions (1903 and 1904) were the same length of 2,428 km .

The shortest Giro was 15 km longer (1912), and the Vuelta 14 km longer (1963), resulting in 2,443 and 2,443 km.

Speaking of length, here is another “best” for the Tour de France.

The longest Grand Tour stage ever ( 482 km ) was the 5th stage in the 1919 edition.

Meanwhile, the longest Giro stage (stage 3 in 1914) was 52 km shorter. Vuelta falls behind with only a 310 km stage (stage 6 in 1935).

However, Vuelta holds a record for the fastest Grand Tour edition ever. Riders covered the 58th edition of Vuelta a España (2003) with an average speed of 42.53 km/h .

The fastest TdF was in 2022 (41.84 km/h) and Giro in 2011 (41.86 km/h).

The title for the slowest Grand Tour holds Giro d’Italia. 1914 Giro was ridden at an average speed of 23.37 km/h .

My humble guess is that this record won’t be broken – 8 out of 12 stages were classified as mountain stages.

The slowest Tour de France took place in 1924 (5,425 km). The winner, Ottavio Bottecchia, reached the winning time of 226h 18′ 21″, resulting in an average speed of 23.97 km/h.

The slowest Vuelta a España (25.72 km/h) took place in 1948. It took the winner 155h 06′ 30″ to cover the 3,990 km.

IMPORTANT NOTE : Many websites (including Wikipedia) list the 1919 Tour de France as the slowest TdF ever. This figure is incorrect because the winning time of Firmin Lambot was 231h 07′ 15″. The 1919 edition was 5,560 km long. When we do some math, it is easy to calculate that the average speed was 24.0567 km/h.

Rider’s Height, Weight, and BMI (Over Time)

How do the rider’s height, weight, and BMI develop over time? How do these data differ between riders for the general classification, climbers, and sprinters?

Unfortunately, the weights and heights of riders from the past century are often missing. So, the resulting trends can be skewed.

General Classification Winners

Are GC riders getting taller and leaner?

The past decades have shown that even riders above 1.85m can win Grand Tours—to name a few: Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins, Miguel Indurain, Fabio Aru, or Tom Dumoulin, who are all tall riders.

The GC winner’s height oscillates around 179 cm (±10 cm). Giro and Vuelta seem to be more “short riders friendly.” More riders below 175 cm won these Grand Tours in the past decades.

The trend for the lower weight also seems not to be a myth.

Although many heights and weight data are not available, the following chart shows that riders are really getting leaner on average .

An average GC winner’s weight was 67.67 kg between 1980-2000, while only 64.33 kg between 2000-2020.

The most interesting chart of the series of these 3 is probably the following BMI chart. BMI uses your height and weight to work out if your weight is healthy. ( Source )

Here is a quick guide on how to interpret the values:

• Below 18.5 – underweight,
• 18.5-24.9 – normal,
• 25.0-29.9 – overweight,
• 30.0 and above – obese.

The GC winner’s BMI has varied between 21 and 19 in recent decades, averaging around 20.11 . For example, Chris Froome’s BMI was around 19.08 when he won his Grand Tours, and Sepp Kuss’s (Vuelta 2023 winner) was even lower at 18.42.

BMI CALCULATOR

Mountain Classification Winners

The height data of the winners of mountain classification is also exciting. The average height of the GT mountain classification winner is 1.74 m .

Vuelta is, according to some people, considered the toughest GT. However, based on data, the average weight of the Giro mountain classification winner is 64.4 kg.

The average weight of the GT mountain classification winner is 64.4 kg .

The average BMI of mountain classification winners is 21.19 .

We can see a similar trend like with GC winners. Nowadays, climbers have a lower BMI on average than at the beginning of this classification. The average BMI of mountain classification winners is lower than the BMI of GC winners (21.51).

Points Classification Winners

Sprinters and all-around riders’ height rarely goes below 1.70 m or exceeds 1.85 m . The average height of a points classification winner is 1.79 m .

Not surprisingly, sprinters and all-around riders are heavier than climbers. The average weight of a GT points classification winner is 71.3 kg .

The average BMI of points classification winners is 22.3 . However, the BMI variance of individual winners has been relatively significant in recent years.

Rider’s Height, Weight, and BMI (Historical Extremes)

The following stats are focused on historical extremes. You can easily compare your own height and weight with Grand Tour GC winners.

The average height of a Grand Tour GC winner is 1.77 m .

The tallest GC winner ever is Bradley Wiggins (TdF 2012). He is 1.90 m tall.

The shortest GC winner ever was Romain Maes (Tour de France 1935 winner). He was 1.60 m tall.

The average weight of a Grand Tour GC winner is 67.4 kg .

The heaviest GC winner was Tour de France 1909 winner François Faber. He weighed 88 kg .

The lightest GC winner was Marco Pantani. He won the Tour de France and Giro in the same year (1998), weighing just 57 kg .

A GC winner has an average BMI of 21.51 .

A GC winner with the highest BMI was François Faber. He won the 1909 Tour de France with a BMI of 27.77 (1.78 m, 88 kg).

A GC winner with the lowest BMI was Sepp Kuss. He won the 2023 Vuelta with a BMI of 18.42 (1.82 m, 61 kg).

The average height of a mountain classification GT winner is 1.74 m .

The tallest mountain classification winner ever was Mauricio Soler (TdF 2007). He is 1.90 m tall.

The shortest mountain classification winner ever was Mariano Díaz (Vuelta 1967). He was 1.59 m tall.

The average weight of a mountain classification winner is 64.4 kg .

The heaviest mountain classification winner was the Giro d’Italia 1933 mountain classification winner Alfredo Binda. He weighed 77 kg .

The lightest mountain classification winner was José Rujano. He won the 2005 Giro mountain classification, weighing just 48 kg .

A mountain classification winner has an average BMI of 21.19 .

A mountain classification winner with the highest BMI was Mariano Díaz. He won the 1967 Vuelta a España mountain classification with a BMI of 24.92 (1.59 m, 63 kg).

A mountain classification winner with the lowest BMI was José Rujano. He won the 2005 Giro mountain classification with a BMI of 18.29 (1.62 m, 48 kg).

The average height of a points classification GT winner is 1.79 m .

The tallest points classification winner ever was Tom Boonen (TdF 2007). He is 1.92 m tall.

The shortest points classification winner ever was Stan Ockers (TdF 1955 and 1956). He was 1.65 m tall.

The average weight of a points classification winner is 71.3 kg .

The heaviest points classification winner was Rik Van Steenbergen. He won Vuelta a España 1956 points classification weighing 83 kg .

The lightest points classification winner was Joaquim Rodríguez. He won the 2012 Giro points classification, weighing just 57 kg .

A points classification winner has an average BMI of 22.3 .

A points classification winner with the highest BMI was Walter Godefroot. He won the 1970 Tour de France points classification with a BMI of 24.94 (1.71 m, 73 kg).

A points classification winner with the lowest BMI was Chris Froome. He won the 2017 Vuelta points classification with a BMI of 19.08 (1.86 m, 66 kg).

Overall Victories & Stage Wins

Eddy Merckx is the rider with the most Grand Tour GC wins (11). He won TdF and Giro 5 times, as well as Vuelta once.

The following table shows the three riders with the most stage wins for a given Grand Tour.

Consider these Incredible Bicycle Statistics to discover more about the sport we all love so much.

We have a song in the Czech Republic that goes like this:

“Statistics are boring, but it has valuable information…”

I have never enjoyed statistics, but spending dozens of hours putting this comparison together was fun. I was surprised to see some Grand Tour data visualized. The riders’ height, weight, and BMI data points are pretty interesting. What do you think about these cycling Grand Tours statistics?

I hope you like this comparison. If so, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

You can also check out my other articles dedicated to individual Grand Tours that go into more detail:

• Tour de France Statistics
• Giro d’Italia Statistics
• Vuelta a España Statistics

Cycling Grand Tours FAQ

Yes, several riders won all three Grand Tours at least once (TdF Wins, Giro Wins, Vuelta Wins): Eddy Merckx (5, 5, 1) Bernard Hinault (5, 3, 2) Jacques Anquetil (5, 2, 1) Chris Froome (4, 1, 2) Alberto Contador (2, 2, 3) Felice Gimondi (1, 3, 1) Vincenzo Nibali (1, 2, 1) No rider has won all three Grand Tours in the same calendar year.

The Giro d’Italia proves to be challenging, mainly due to the demanding Alp and Appennine climbs, as well as frequent inclement weather. The Tour de France stands out as the premier cycling event worldwide, drawing significant attention and placing considerable mental strain on riders. Nevertheless, there’s a consensus among some that the Vuelta a España is the toughest because it serves as the final Grand Tour of the season, with riders already exhausted. I’ll let you decide, but it’s evident that no Grand Tour can be considered easy.

Depending on how you define “the greatest.” However, the rider with the most GT wins is Eddy Merckx. He won 11 GT (5 times Tour de France, 5 times Giro d’Italia, and once Vuelta a España).

wikipedia.org procyclingstats.com letour.fr giroditalia.it lavuelta.es

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About The Author

Petr Minarik

4 thoughts on “tour, giro, and vuelta: cycling grand tours statistics compared (2023)”.

Great work! Can you add a cumulative vertical meters comparison to each GT? And create a weighted index according to Cumulative distance – Cumulative ascent – Average speed.

Thanks a lot. – Eran

Hi Eran, I thought about doing something like you describe. Unfortunately, total vertical meters are unavailable for many editions. Therefore, I decided not to include it. But you are right, that would be interesting!

You’re the guy to do it, you’re Great! I’d like to see day by day where riders have gained or lost time to the current GC leader. Does that make sense? I think it would be interesting as hell! Thanks for doing such a great job at what you do!!!

Hi Dan, Thank you for your trust and appreciation. I am afraid this is beyond my time capacity. However, this would be interesting data. 🙂 – Petr

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Your Guide to the Cycling Grand Tours

January 10, 2024 5 min read

The Grand Tours are known for their infamously hard climbs, breathtaking battles to the top and impressive feats of athleticism. We’re taking a look at the 3 cycling Grand Tours which dominate our cycling calendars over the summer. 

Table of Contents:

What are the 3 Cycling Grand Tours?

• Tour de France

Giro D’Italia

• Vuelta a España
• Ride the Grand Tour Stages Virtually with Wattbike

The cycling Grand Tours are the three major European cycling races which take place between May and September each year. All three Grand Tours are three-week races with daily stages for professional cyclists to tackle. The three tours are famous for their gruelling climbs, tests of endurance, and feats of power. 

The three Grand Tours are the: 

Tour de France 

The Tour de France is one of the Grand Tours which is held primarily in France, and takes place during July, annually.

The  Tour de France   was first held in 1903, making it the oldest of the 3 cycling Grand Tours. The race consists of 21 stages, each a day long, and the route of these stages primarily takes place in France. Around 20 teams take place with a number of riders each, and each rider is timed on each day. 

Whilst this cycling Grand Tour is a men-only race, there have been many versions of the race for women over the years. The ' Tour de France Femmes '  was held for the first time in 2022, allowing female riders to compete in their own version of the iconic race. 

Standout Stages

Iconic climbs of the Tour de France   include the infamous Alpe d’Huez climb. With its seemingly endless hairpin bends in an upwards gruelling challenge, this stage is usually vital in determining the winner of the cycling Grand Tour. 

The rider with the lowest accumulative time during  the Tour   is the current leader and wears the famous yellow jersey. 

• There are 4 riders who have won this cycling Grand Tour the most times. Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Miguel Indurain have each taken the title 5 times. 
• In 2012, Bradley Wiggins became the first Brit to win this prestigious cycling Grand Tour. 
• Kenyan-British cyclist Chris Froome has won the Tour four times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).
• Welsh Geraint Thomas won the Tour in 2018. 

The Giro D’Italia Grand Tour takes place in Italy primarily, and is usually held in May or early June. 

The  Giro D’Italia   was first held in 1909 and welcomes cyclists from all over the world. This cycling Grand Tour primarily takes place in Italy, although the route often dips in and out of its neighbouring countries. As with the other cycling Grand Tours, the Giro consists of 21 stages with each stage taking place over a number of days. 

There are a number of types of stages that are used in the Giro: the mass-start stages,  individual time trials ,  and team time trials. As with the Tour de France, there are  iconic climbs of the Giro D’Italia   which push the cyclists to their limits, including those through the Alps and Dolomites. 

• 3 riders have the most Giro wins: Eddy Merckx, Alfredo Binda, Fausto Coppi each have 5 Giro wins to their names.  
• British-Kenyan rider Chris Froome won in 2018 riding for Team Sky. 
• Tao Geoghegan Hart won in 2020, riding for the INEOS Grenadiers. 

As with the Tour de France the cyclist with the shortest aggregate time is the leader, and begins the following stage wearing a pink jersey (or la maglia rosa). Within  the Giro ,  there are other competitions taking place - with the ability to win the mountain, points, young rider, or team classifications. 

Vuelta a España 

The Vuelta a España is the Grand Tour held primarily in Spain, which usually takes place over August and September annually. 

La Vuelta a España   was first held in 1935. The Vuelta primarily takes place in Spain, but as with the other cycling Grand Tours, often visits other European countries. The Vuelta welcomes riders from all over the world to compete in two time trials, passage through the mountain chain of the Pyrenees, and cross the finish line in Madrid. 

There are multiple mountain stages for each year of the  Spanish Grand Tour ,  which in the past have included:

• Lagos de Covadonga
• Les Praeres de Nava
• La Cobertoria
• Puerto de San Lorenzo

As with the other cycling Grand Tours, the rider with the lowest time at each stage of the ride will be the leader, donned in the red jersey. Whilst there are also winners of different classifications, which each wear different jerseys: points, mountains, combination, and team classifications. 

• Roberto Heras holds the record of most Vuelta victories, with four. 
• Alberto Contador, Tony Rominger and Primož Roglič have each won three times.
• British-Kenyan Chris Froome won the general classification in 2011 after Juan José Cobo was found guilty of doping by the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale). Froome also won in 2017, taking the points and combination classification in the same year. 
• In 2018, British cyclist Simon Yates won the Vuelta, also taking the combination classification in the same year. 

Ride the Grand Tour Stages Virtually with Wattbike 

Indoor cycling   is a great way to prepare for the Grand Tours. You can train for the different stages using your  indoor bike trainer .

• Training for the Tour de France with Wattbike   means tackling the climbing workouts in our Wattbike Hub cycling app. Complete climbing, sprinting, or endurance workouts on the  Wattbike Hub cycling app   to see your performance improve. You can even recreate the famous Alpe D’Huez climb without leaving the house!
• Complete the Tour de France stages with Alex Dowsett   to get a proper taste of the tour. This tempting tasting menu will get the job done in eight stages, each under 45 minutes, charting the heady heights and peak pressure moments that make for a complete Tour de France experience.
• You can  ride the Giro D’Italia on your indoor bike   to see how you measure up against the professionals. Complete your training and prepare to be put to the test. 
• Ride the Vuelta a España on your indoor trainer   and see how you fare against the gruelling climbs of the iconic Spanish cycling Grand Tour. 

Whether you’re  training for cycling sportives   or just a fan of the thrilling races, you can follow along from home and see what it takes to compete. 

Virtual Racing with Zwift 

Connect to the  Zwift cycling app   and pedal yourself through virtual races from the cycling Grand Tours. You can even compete with friends along the iconic routes with  visually spectacular recreations of real-world locations. 

Not only that, but the app offers the chance to enter the Zwift Racing League, which involves teams competing in virtual events on smart bikes or  turbo trainers . 

Wattbike: More than Exercise

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August 18, 2022 4 min read

Expert training tips for the La Vuelta Grand Tour. Simulate key stages at home with the Atom & Wattbike Hub. Push your peak.

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Close encounters: Are grand tours getting closer?

Procycling magazine analyses whether grand tour results are getting closer

For the first time ever, all three of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España were decided by less than a minute in 2020. Are the grand tours getting closer? Procycling magazine looks at the history of three-week races that are decided by seconds.

This article was taken from Procycling magazine issue 277, January 2021.

Subscribe to Procycling magazine here .

The winner of the first Tour de France in 1903, Maurice Garin, would have had time to stop during the final stage, sit down for a meal of steak and cognac, put his feet up for a muddy post-prandial coffee, get back on his bike, ride to the finish and still win by a long way. His final margin of victory was two hours, 59 minutes.

These days, the winner of a grand tour is more likely to be seconds ahead of his rivals, let alone minutes or hours. The last time a gap of more than an hour separated first from second in a grand tour was in the the 1927 Tour de France; the last 10-minute beating was in the 1984 Tour. And in the last decade, only two grand tours have been won by more than five minutes come the final day: Vincenzo Nibali’s 2014 Tour and Alberto Contador’s 2011 Giro. (And Contador was later stripped of that win for a previous doping offence.)

From the perspective of early 2021, it feels more than ever that grand tours are getting closer and closer. Exhibits A, B and C: the three grand tours of last year.

For the first time ever in a single season, the Tour, Giro and Vuelta were all won with margins that were less than a minute. Not only that, all three went down to the wire - the lead switched hands on the penultimate day in the Tour and on the final day in the Giro , and the race lead in the Vuelta wasn’t far from being overturned on the second-last day. As if to underline the point, the general classification with only the final-day time trial of the Giro left saw Jai Hindley and Tao Geoghegan Hart on the same time, separated only by the fractions of seconds they’d accrued in the previous time trial stages. That was unprecedented - after 20 days of racing, over thousands of kilometres, the leading pair were effectively tied .

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It certainly feels like grand tours are getting closer. The Giro has not been able to separate first and second by more than 65 seconds in the last five years. The biggest gap in the Vuelta since 2007 has been 2:33 - a decent lead, but one off-day from disaster. And even the Tour has got in on the act in the last few years - Froome trounced everybody in 2016, with a 4:05 lead in Paris, but since then, the margin of victory has been less than two minutes, and less than one minute in two of those editions.

It might be easy to conclude from this that grand tours are getting closer, but as always in cycling, it’s more complicated than that. It would only take one big win in one race in the next few years to demonstrate that bike races happen out in the real world, not in the post-event stats and analysis of previous events.

There’s also, obviously, a small sample size with grand tours - with only three a year, one anomaly has the potential to disrupt previous assumptions about the trend. Even the definition of a grand tour is a very recent thing in cycling - the Vuelta only really established itself as anywhere near the level of the Giro, let alone the Tour, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and even then, many of the early editions in the 2000s were a mostly Spanish, parochial affair. And lastly, close grand tours are not a modern invention. If we include the early editions of the Vuelta, there have been 285 races in total, out of which 55 have been decided by margins of less than a minute. That’s almost one in every five - not a huge proportion, but not insignificant. 

The 1921 Giro was won by Giovanni Brunero, and he was just 41 seconds ahead of Gaetano Belloni. In the 1970s, a decade dominated by Eddy Merckx, a rider famous for handing out grand tour thrashings, there were still eight decided by less than a minute. Merckx himself wasn’t above winning by narrow margins - he won the 1974 Giro by 12 seconds. That was a good year for fans of close races, because the Vuelta was even closer - 11 seconds separated winner José Manuel Fuente and runner up Joaquim Agostinho. (Karmic balance was restored in the Tour that year, however - Merckx beat Raymond Poulidor by 8:04). The closest ever race happened 37 years ago in 1984, when Frenchman Éric Caritoux won the Vuelta by just six seconds.  The most famous close grand tour of all was the 1989 Tour, won by Greg LeMond, eight seconds ahead of Laurent Fignon. That year, Pedro Delgado won the Vuelta by 35 seconds, and Fignon the Giro by 1:15 - in fact if you add up the three margins of victory, it comes to an even smaller total than 2020. The only real anomaly, in fact, is the 1990s, where large winning margins were noticeably more common than in other decades - only two grand tours in the whole decade came down to less than a minute.

So we can look at the three grand tours of 2020 and acknowledge that they were close-run affairs, but this is not to say that there haven’t been many close races over the course of cycling history.

There’s also an interesting digression into sporting ethics. The 1990s and early 2000s, especially in the Tour de France, saw many massive winning margins, mainly by Miguel Indurain and Lance Armstrong. Indurain has obliquely referenced the realities of cycling in the 1990s, when EPO usage was rife, and everybody knows what Armstrong was up to. However, it’s true that not just race winners were doping in this era, and the question of whether EPO and blood doping magnified winning margins is a hard one to resolve. Armstrong says not, though he would say that, wouldn’t he? (For our statistics, we’ve used original results, to reflect the reality of the race as it happened, not the post-event changes and disqualifications, and we don’t condone the methods.)

Overall, however, the stats tell us that we are currently in an era of closer grand tours. If there is one difference with past eras, it’s that almost all of them have been close, when the close races of the past were distributed randomly. The question is: why?

The first reason is that riders have been getting better in general. The top echelon of riders is currently quite closely matched, because training has become more exact and scientific. Even as recently as 2015, Froome could go on a long solo attack on a summit finish to lay the foundations for overall victory, but the Tour especially has not seen an exploit like that since. The top riders are leaving things sometimes right to the sprint for the finish line to squeeze seconds out of their rivals, and even on the most significant mountain road stage of the 2020 Tour, to the Col de la Loze, the favourites waited to the final few kilometres to sort out their differences, and the top five were only separated by just over a minute. This has gone in tandem with the increasing strength of mountain domestiques, who can control grand tour stages deep into the final climb, sometimes even all the way to the finish. And the current trend in grand tour racing is for strong teams to ride in a controlled and conservative fashion. Team Sky did this for many years, Jumbo-Visma copied them last year, and though it didn’t result in overall success for the Dutch team, the truth is that if they didn’t do it, another team would - for example Bahrain-McLaren, who attempted to strangle the Loze stage themselves. Critics have pointed out that these tactics aren’t as exciting as the long-range attacks of cycling history. But then again, they have also resulted in closer races in the last few years.

Race organisers also like their races to be closer, because the more people are still interested in the ongoing battle, the more they can charge to sell their race to advertisers and television companies. To this end, they’ve ditched long time trials, and designed in many cases backloaded courses which leave the big battles to the final week, or even weekend.

The flip side of this is that while we were treated to incredible finales in all three grand tours this year, it doesn’t guarantee that the two weeks before are entertaining. The Vuelta saw an exciting three-week long battle between Primož Rogličc and Richard Carapaz. However, the Giro favourites seemed happy to let João Almeida sit in the pink jersey for two weeks, with little movement at the top of the GC. The head of the Tour was similarly undynamic (until that extraordinary stage 20 TT from Tadej Pogacar) through most of the race. Jumbo-Visma crushed the life out of the GC battle with strength in numbers in the mountain stages (which they now have ample time to regret) and the excitement was largely a by-product of the hard-fought and unpredictable race for the green jersey.

There’s one more trend in grand tour GCs which may be related to the closeness of the final GC between first and second, and the general tendency of the favourites to stick together in a group - there’s been a large fall-off behind the first dozen or so riders. It used to be the case that the Tour would see at least 22 riders finish within an hour of the winner, spread reasonably regularly, and as recently as 2011 that number was 30. In 2020, there were only 16 riders within an hour of Pogacar, even though the top nine were only separated by nine minutes. 

Riders are either finishing right at the front of the race, or they are finishing a long way down, perhaps because teams have worked out that once a rider’s job is done, the best thing to do is not get to the finish as fast as possible, but to get to the finish as slowly as possible, the better to save energy.

It’s now been five years since a really one-sided grand tour, and cycling fans will be keen to see another trio of close races in 2021. Given the fact that no single rider is head and shoulders above any of the others, that trend should continue, and that can only be a good thing for the sport. 

Edward Pickering is Procycling magazine's editor. Take advantage of  Procycling magazine's subscription offers  and never miss an issue.

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Edward Pickering is Procycling magazine's editor. He graduated in French and Art History from Leeds University and spent three years teaching English in Japan before returning to do a postgraduate diploma in magazine journalism at Harlow College, Essex. He did a two-week internship at Cycling Weekly in late 2001 and didn't leave until 11 years later, by which time he was Cycle Sport magazine's deputy editor. After two years as a freelance writer, he joined Procycling as editor in 2015. He is the author of The Race Against Time , The Yellow Jersey Club and Ronde , and he spends his spare time running, playing the piano and playing taiko drums. 

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Everything you need to know about the Grand Tours of road cycling

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The Tour de France is one of the world’s most famous sporting events. But did you know it is just one of three road cycling Grand Tours?

The Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España  are the other road cycling Grand Tours, each one comprised of 21 stages. The Grand Tours each cover more than 3000 kilometres during three weeks of racing with little rest for the riders.

Keep reading to learn more about the Grand Tours of road cycling.

When and where do the Grand Tours take place?

The Giro d’Italia is the first Grand Tour on the annual calendar. It takes place throughout Italy each May.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia)

The Tour de France comes next, taking place throughout France each July.  

The Vuelta a España is the final Grand Tour of the year, held each August/September in Spain.

The routes for all three cycling Grand Tours change each year. Every so often, race organizers will choose to have a Grand Tour start outside the primary host country. This happened recently for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023, which began in Denmark (Copenhagen) and Spain (Basque Country), respectively. The 2022 Giro d’Italia had its Grande Partenza in Hungary. The first three stages of the 2022 Vuelta a España were in the Netherlands.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tour de France™ (@letourdefrance)

Since 1975, the Tour de France has always finished on the Champs-Élysées, providing classic images of cyclists going around the Arc de Triomphe, the winner sometimes with a glass of champagne in hand. The Vuelta a España traditionally concludes in Madrid. The Giro d’Italia has moved around its final stage, holding it in cities such as Rome, Verona, and Milan.

How old are the road cycling Grand Tours?

The Tour de France is the oldest of the Grand Tours. First held in 1903, it has been an annual highlight of the summer, except during World War I (1915-18) and World War II (1940-46).

The Giro d’Italia has been held annually since 1909, with similar exceptions because of the First and Second World Wars.

The Vuelta a España was first organized in 1935 but endured many disruptions during its first two decades because of wars and a difficult economic situation. For many years, it didn’t have the same level of prestige as the two older tours and didn’t attract a lot of top international cyclists. But that changed in the mid-1990s when it was moved from the spring to late summer, no longer putting it in near-conflict with the Giro d’Italia.

What is a stage race?

Road cycling races can be classified as a one-day race or a stage race. A one-day race is exactly what the name says. A stage race takes place over multiple days and can include various forms of racing. In a 21-stage Grand Tour, there are usually only a couple of recovery days interspersed, so fitness is key.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by La Vuelta (@lavuelta)

Some stages might be held in a time trial format, with riders leaving the start in intervals and racing directly against the clock. Most stages will be of a mass start format, in which the first rider across the finish line wins that stage.

But stage wins are not what matters most. The winner of a stage race is the rider who has the fastest overall time at the end of all stages. Some stages will cover flat terrain well suited to sprinters. Some stages will be hilly while some will include big mountains best suited to strong climbers. You can be sure that whoever wins a stage race is strong in all aspects of road cycling.

What do the different coloured jerseys mean?

It’s pretty well known that the most coveted prize in the Tour de France is the yellow jersey, or maillot jaune . That is given to the leader in the general classification – the rider with the fastest overall time.

The leader of the Giro d’Italia general classification wears a pink jersey, or maglia rosa . It is pink because Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, which created the race, is printed on pink paper. 

At the Vuelta a España, the leader of the general classification wears a red jersey, or maillot rojo .

But there are several other classifications for which the leaders in each race are given special jerseys in various colours and patterns.

The points classification is based on riders winning sprints. More points are available when a stage is conducive to a sprint finish. There is also usually an intermediate sprint during each stage for which points are awarded.

• Giro d’Italia: purple
• Tour de France: green
• Vuelta a España: green

The king of the mountain classification is almost self-explanatory. Points are awarded to the best riders on specific climbs in each stage.

• Giro d’Italia: blue
• Tour de France: red polka dots
• Vuelta a España: blue dots 

The best young rider classification is restricted to cyclists who are under the age of 26.

• Giro d’Italia: white
• Tour de France: white
• Vuelta a España: white

Do women race in Grand Tours?

Sort of is the complicated answer. It is only in recent years that the organizers of the Grand Tours have begun staging women’s races. But they are not yet of the same scale as the men’s races.

The Giro d’Italia Donne is the longest running women’s stage race. Formally known as the Giro Rosa, it was first held in 1988. The 34 th edition in 2023 will feature 10 stages in early July. Canadian Olympian Leah Kirchmann wore the maglia rosa during the 2016 and 2018 editions of the Giro Rosa.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leah Kirchmann (@leahkirchmann)

After an initial attempt in 1955 to hold an equivalent women’s race, the Tour de France Féminin took place from 1984 to 1989. Over the next two decades, there were different women’s stage races in France, but without a direct link to the Tour de France. From 2014 to 2020, La Course by Le Tour de France was primarily a one-day race. In 2022, Tour de France Femmes was launched as an eight-stage race. The 2023 edition will begin on the same day the men’s Tour de France concludes in late July.

La Vuelta Femenina was created in 2015 and has since expanded from a one-day race. Held in early May, the 2023 edition featured seven stages.  

Has a Canadian cyclist ever won a Grand Tour?

In 2012, Ryder Hesjedal became the first Canadian to win the general classification of a Grand Tour. He claimed the maglia rosa at the Giro d’Italia by coming from behind in the final stage. It was just the second time in the history of the race that there was a lead change on the last day.  

Prior to that, the best a Canadian had ever finished in the general classification of a Grand Tour was a fourth-place finish by Steve Bauer at the 1988 Tour de France. Bauer had made history on the opening day of that race when he became the first Canadian to win a stage of the Tour de France.

More than three decades later, Hugo Houle became the second Canadian to win a Tour stage. It was an emotionally charged day, as he dedicated his Stage 16 victory to the memory of his younger brother Pierrik who had been killed by a drunk driver 10 years earlier.

Hesjedal was the first Canadian to win a stage of the Vuelta a España, achieving that in 2009 and 2014. Mike Woods earned stage wins at the Vuelta in 2018 and 2020.

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The Three Grand Tours of Bicycle Racing

4/6/2023 – Danny Holman

Gears, Guts and Glory: The Grand Tours of cycling

The Grand Tours of cycling - the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and La Vuelta - are considered the most prestigious events in cycling. They're revered by riders, fans, and media. But what makes them unique and how does La Vuelta compare against its two older rivals?

"The Grand Tours are more than just races, they are cultural events that bring people together from all over the world to witness the triumph of the human spirit." - Greg LeMond

The special appeal of the Grand Tours

The FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, the Superbowl, Le Mans, Wimbledon. These famous events all represent the height of achievement in their respective sports. And for cycling, it is the Grand Tours. The three separate races of the Grand Tours are considered the absolute pinnacle of the sport, attracting the very best cyclists from around the world to compete in the race, and winning brings sporting immortality.

"The Grand Tours are a reflection of life itself - they have their ups and downs, their triumphs and setbacks, but in the end, it's the journey that matters most." - Chris Froome

But despite obvious similarities, the three events are distinctly different with their own character and flavour. Their fame has grown over the decades for different reasons but why are they so important and revered by cyclists?

1. Tradition and History:

The Grand Tours all have a rich history, dating back over a century. The Tour de France, first held in 1903, is the oldest, while the Giro d'Italia and La Vuelta were first held in 1909 and 1935, respectively. Over the years, these races have become an integral part of cycling culture - both nationally and internationally, with fans and riders alike eagerly anticipating each edition of the race.

2. Difficulty and Challenge:

The Grand Tours are purposely designed as incredibly tough and demanding races. They typically last over three weeks and cover thousands of kilometres over 21 stages, with riders facing gruelling mountain stages, flats, and time trials. Winning a Grand Tour requires not only exceptional physical ability but also mental toughness, tactical astuteness, as well as teamwork.

3. Prestige and Recognition:

Winning a Grand Tour is one of the greatest achievements in professional cycling. It is an indisputable mark of excellence and places a rider among the sport's elite. But while honour is great, the financial rewards cannot be ignored either. The media attention and public recognition that come with winning a Grand Tour will help a rider secure sponsorship deals and significantly increase their earnings.

4. Cultural Significance:

The Grand Tours are also important cultural events, with each race featuring stages that pass through historic cities and landmarks. Each Tour is seen as a reflection of the soul of the country. They showcase the beauty and diversity of the host countries and attract millions of spectators each year.

"The beauty of the Grand Tours is that they are not just races, but journeys. They take you on a physical and emotional rollercoaster that is both exhausting and exhilarating." - David Millar

The Tour de France

The Tour de France, or the Tour as it is affectionately known, is undoubtedly the most famous of the three races, and is considered by many to be the most prestigious. Usually held in July, the race covers a distance of around 3,500 kilometres over 21 stages (in 2023 it will be 3404 km). The original purpose of the race was to boost newspaper sales but this has evolved over the decades to boost the culture and heritage of the country. It's quite a progression. The Tour features a mix of flat stages, mountain stages, and individual time trials, but it is most famous for its mountain stages, where riders must climb steep peaks such as the Alpe d'Huez and the Mont Ventoux. The Yellow Jersey, or Maillot Jaune, is worn by the race leader and has become an iconic symbol of excellence in the sport and even beyond that. There are other jerseys to battle for: the green jersey, or maillot vert, is awarded to the rider who accumulated the most points in the intermediate sprints and stage finishes. The polka-dot jersey, or maillot à pois rouges, is awarded to the rider who accumulated the most points in the mountain stages and the white jersey, or maillot blanc, is awarded to the best-placed rider under 25 years of age. The race attracts millions of spectators every year, who line the roads of France to fervently cheer on their favourite riders. The most successful rider in the history of the Tour de France is Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx, who won the race five times between 1969 and 1974.

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The Giro d'Italia

The Giro d'Italia, or the Tour of Italy is perhaps the second most well-known race in the world of cycling with the Pink Jersey, or Maglia Rosa worn by the race leader. The Giro is famous for its challenging mountain stages, which often take riders through the Italian Alps. The race usually takes place in May and so the weather is often unpredictable at this time of the year. Snow can be encountered at some of the higher altitudes. The Giro has become famous for its sprint finishes, where riders battle it out in a final dash to the finish line. This race attracts a large international following and has been won by some of the greatest cyclists of all time, including icons such as Eddy Merckx and Marco Pantani. The race has seen its fair share of drama over the years. In 1949, the "Fight of the Century" took place between Italian riders Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi. The two were fierce rivals, and their rivalry reached boiling point during Stage 17, where Bartali punched Coppi. Bartali went on to win the race, while Coppi finished second.

La Vuelta a España

And then there is La Vuelta a España, or the Tour of Spain. It's the youngest of the three Grand Tours, having been first held in 1935. The race covers a distance of around 3,000 kilometres over 21 stages, often with challenging mountain stages through the Pyrenees and the Sierra Nevada. The race is also famous for its gruelling time trials, where riders must push themselves to the limit against the clock. Despite a shorter history than the other two, La Vuelta has still featured some of the greatest cyclists of all time, including Miguel Indurain and Alberto Contador.

"La Vuelta is a race that captures the spirit and passion of Spain, and is one of the greatest events in professional cycling." - Eusebio Unzue

What makes La Vuelta special?

Initially overshadowed by the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, La Vuelta struggled to establish itself as a major race in the cycling world in its early years. The race suffered from financial difficulties and an inability to really establish its own identity. However, in the 1990s, the race underwent a transformation, with new organizers and a renewed desire to define the race's unique character. The organizers introduced new routes through less obvious regions that showcased the many beautiful and varied landscapes of Spain. The new approach worked and a new generation of riders and fans were drawn to the race.

La Vuelta has ultimately found success by trying to be different from the other two Grand Tours, rather than an imitation. So how does it stand out? La Vuelta is usually the last of the Grand Tours in the calendar year, running from late August to September. That means it misses the scorching heat of the midsummer that characterizes the Tour. But the heat still plays a key role in the character of the race - it's often perfect weather for both cyclists and spectators but it can still get hot on La Vuelta and with that heat comes passion. Earlier versions of La Vuelta included lots of long, flat stages. These were the safe but uninspiring options. What audiences and spectators really love are the shorter, punchier mountain stages such as Alto de l'Angliru . The introduction of these stages has reinvigorated the race, which now attracts huge crowds of enthusiastic hardcore fans, known as "aficionados", who line the stages to cheer on their heroes.

The Tour that showcases Spain

The race often passes through ancient cities and historic landmarks, giving fans a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of Spain. The race also has a strong emphasis on food, with each stage featuring local cuisine and delicacies. La Vuelta is a celebration of Spanish culture, and the race is seen as a symbol of national pride. The race also features traditions unique to Spain, such as the daily siesta, which often results in later start times for the stages. This is also reflected in the atmosphere of the festival. It's perceived as a little more chilled and accessible than the others. La Vuelta is now considered by many to be the most exciting of the three Grand Tours. It has developed a reputation for being unpredictable, which is a good thing for audiences. There are some murmurs that the long flat 200 km+ stages of the Tour de France are boring. La Vuelta doesn't suffer from that perception. As the youngest of the Tours, it can be more adventurous and progressive. The Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador has won all three Grand Tours in his career, but has often spoken about his love for La Vuelta. In fact, he has won the race three times (2008, 2012, 2014) and described it as the most beautiful and exciting of the Grand Tours.

"The fans in Spain are incredible, and the passion they have for La Vuelta is contagious." - Fabio Aru

How you can ride La Vuelta for yourself

Each of the Grand Tour's has its own unique character that defines it, although it has changed over the decades. Here at ROUVY our favourite of the three is La Vuelta but then we are a little biased as we are exclusive virtual partners and have a proud relationship with this amazing event. This means we are the only indoor cycling platform to give riders the chance to ride the routes of La Vuelta from their own homes. So if you want to explore some of these epic rides through Spanish towns and countryside, ROUVY can help you with the experience.

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What riding a Grand Tour does to a professional cyclist’s mind and body

A Grand Tour can take a toll on your body

© Denis Klero/Red Bull Content Pool

Noticeable changes in physical appearance

This is what a day competing in the tour de france is like, severe energy depletion and muscle breakdown.

Stocking up on mid-stage snacks

© Ydwer van der Heide / Red Bull Content Pool

With the muscles, if you don’t fuel them enough you will lose muscle. That’s why protein is very important Nico Bruijnen

What do Tour de France riders eat?

Intense physical fatigue.

Breaks are few and far between

© Masha Berliner / Red Bull Content Pool

The fatigue setting in at the end of the stage

© Pavel Sukhorukov / Red Bull Content Pool

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Tour de France jargon buster: all the cycling terms you need to know to understand the race

Don’t know your bidon from your lanterne rouge? BikeRadar’s glossary of Tour de France terms is here to help

MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

Colin Henrys

Cycling can be a jargon-strewn minefield for newcomers and the Tour de France is no different.

Perhaps you enjoyed the Tour de France Netflix series and will watch the race live for the first time this year, but are daunted by the racing lingo.

There's also the multi-coloured wardrobe of Tour de France leaders jerseys and the classifications they represent.

The way in which Tour de France prize money is distributed is hardly straightforward either.

Factor in the Tour de France bikes and who's riding what and there's a lot to get your head around.

Ne t'inquiète pas. Our guide to commonly used Tour de France terms and what they mean will help you follow this year's action.

Common cycling phrases and what they mean

A sudden acceleration designed to distance a rider's opponents, often but not always in the mountains.

Every Tour de France stage has a time limit and the autobus forms on the mountainous days when non-climbers from every team work together to finish inside the cut-off. Otherwise, they'll be swept up by the broom wagon (see below).

The autobus is also known as the grupetto.

An aggressive rider who specialises in breakaways (see below) in the mould of EF Education-Easy Post's Magnus Cort. They might target the combativity award (see below).

The French word for a water bottle; many roadside fans will try to collect discarded bidons as souvenirs (though the UCI officially banned the practice of discarding empty bottles in 2021).

In French, un bidon collé/collant is a sticky bottle (see below).

A small group of riders (or sometimes an individual), who accelerate away from the main bunch during a stage.

Broom wagon

The vehicle at the back of the race, which metaphorically sweeps up riders struggling to make the time cut due to injury or fatigue. In fact, they're more likely to step off their bike into the team car.

Bunch sprint

Flatter stages will usually finish with a bunch sprint – a high-octane, hell-for-leather battle for stage honours between the fastest sprinters in the peloton.

Though the peloton arrives at the finish together in a bunch sprint, it is the sprinters and their lead-out riders (see below) who contest the stage win.

Chasse patate

Wild-goose chase in French, literally potato chase; when a rider is stuck between the breakaway and the peloton, with no chance of bridging the gap.

Combativity award

Awarded each day to the most aggressive rider according to the race commissaires.

The combativity award rewards the rider who animated the stage by initiating a breakaway, repeatedly attacked or spent a long time in front of the bunch.

The winner can be spotted easily the next day thanks to their red race numbers. An overall combativity award is also given at the end of the race.

Commissaire

The official(s) who adjudicate the race; they hand out fines in Swiss Francs and demote or even disqualify riders if rules are broken.

Directeur sportif

A team’s race-day director; the master strategist; the person gesticulating wildly and conveying tactics out of the team-car window. Some teams prefer 'sports director'.

The unsung heroes of the team, selected to look after their team leader. Domestiques keep their lead riders safe, fed and watered, and will work to chase down breakaways or try to dictate the pace of the stage.

The French, however, use the more egalitarian équipier or Italian word gregario to describe team helpers.

Lunchtime. Each stage has a dedicated feed zone, where the riders knock the pace off to collect musettes (see below) from their team soigneurs (see below).

Flamme rouge

The one-kilometre-to-go marker, denoted by a red air bridge, under which hangs a red kite.

General classification

Each rider’s finishing time is collected after the day’s stage. The general classification sorts the riders according to their cumulative time, plus or minus any bonuses or penalties.

The rider who has taken the least time to complete the race so far wears the fabled yellow jersey.

Grand Départ

The start of the race. This year’s Grand Départ is in the Spanish city of Bilbao.

Simply l e départ is the start of each stage and l'arrivée is the stage finish.

Cycling’s three most prestigious stage races, each lasting three weeks, the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España are known as Grand Tours.

Grand boucle

Literally the 'big loop', the Grand Boucle is an arguably undeserved nickname for the Tour de France. These days, the race doesn't visit the whole of the country.

A climber; a rider who's best uphill and may go for King of the Mountains (see below) points.

Intermediate sprint

As well as the finish line, each stage features an intermediate sprint, where there are points and prize money to be won for the first riders across it.

King of the Mountains

One of the Tour de France’s secondary prizes, the mountains classification ranks the first riders across each classified climb in the race.

The tougher the climb, the more points there are available for that ascent. The leader of the mountains classification is the King of the Mountains and wears the polka-dot jersey.

Lanterne rouge

Named after the red light hung on the back of a train, the lanterne rouge is the rider placed last on the general classification.

Ironically, in the past riders competed to finish last in order to gain invitations to money-spinning post-tour circuit races called criteriums.

Lead-out rider

This rider's job is to guide their team's sprinter through the frenzied final hundred metres of a bunch sprint.

They shield them from the wind and leave them in the best position possible before peeling off.

Mark Renshaw and Michael Mørkøv have excelled as poissons-pilotes for joint-record Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish .

Maillot jaune/yellow jersey

The iconic yellow jersey, or maillot jaune , is worn by the general classification leader. Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma) won the yellow jersey last year.

Maillot vert/green jersey

The green jersey is the prize awarded to the points classification leader. Usually dubbed the sprinters’ classification, due to more points being available on flatter stages, Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma) won it last year.

Maillot à pois/polka-dot jersey

A distinctive white jersey with red polka-dots, awarded to the leader of the mountains classification.

Maillot blanc/white jersey

The white jersey is worn by the highest-placed young rider in the general classification. All riders younger than 26 on 1 January of the year following the race are eligible for that year’s youth classification.

A rider's worst nightmare; a puncture or other mechanical issue, such as a dropped chain, that causes them to pull over.

A team's most valuable riders will get a spare bike from their mechanic or a team mate, ideally of the same height, will give them their bike. Less important riders will have to change wheels instead.

If the team car is not in sight, the rider will have to rely on the neutral service (see below) car for assistance.

A small cloth shoulder bag handed out in the feed zone, containing a rider’s food and extra bidons to help them avoid bonking ( la fringale).

Nature break

No, not a civilised pique-nique at a leafy French aire d'autoroute (service station). A nature break is when the riders slow down or stop for a wee.

Neutral service

A car carrying mechanics, spare bikes and wheels to assist riders who have a mechanical if their team car is not close by.

Shimano took over the job from Mavic in 2021.

The ‘course’ or route the race is taking.

The peloton is the main bunch of riders during the race.

Points classification

The top finishers in each stage and at each intermediate sprint are awarded points according to their position. Those points are added together to form the points classification, the leader of which wears the green jersey.

An all-rounder and often one of the hardest riders in the peloton; a rouleur can excel on all different terrains and often makes for an excellent domestique.

The unsung hero of a team’s staff behind the scenes; the soigneur (also known as a 'swannie' in English-speaking teams) is responsible for looking after riders off the bike and handing out musettes, bidons and extra layers of clothing during the race.

Capable of stunning bursts of acceleration over short distances, the sprinters slug it out with their counterparts in the peloton on the flatter stages.

Sprint train

Sprint trains form ahead of a bunch sprint, with team-mates providing a wheel for their sprinter to follow through the chaos that unfolds.

At the back of the train will be the lead-out rider with the team’s sprinter on his wheel, ready to burst for the line at the latest possible moment.

Sticky bottle

When a directeur sportif hands a bottle out of the team car to a rider who holds on longer than strictly necessary, getting a coup de pouce ( helping hand) from the car's motion.

Three-kilometre rule

On sprint stages, under the three-kilometre rule riders delayed by a crash or mechanical within the final three kilometres of the race will be awarded the same time as the stage winner.

Intended to calm the race for the position in the finale, the rule doesn't always have the desired effect.

Team classification

The team classification ranks each team according to the cumulative time of their top three finishers on every stage. The team classification leaders may – but don’t always – wear yellow helmets to distinguish them in the peloton.

Team time trial

There is no team time trial again this year. A team’s time is calculated at the fifth rider to cross the finish line.

Stage 16 of this year’s Tour de France will be a 22km individual time trial.

Riders set off individually, in reverse general classification order, on specialised time trial bikes with the aim of finishing the stage in the quickest time.

Often dubbed the ‘race of truth’, an individual time trial can result in big changes in the general classification.

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• 1.1 Alternative forms
• 1.2.1 Derived terms
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English [ edit ]

Alternative forms [ edit ], noun [ edit ].

Grand Tour ( plural Grand Tours )

• ( cycling ) One of the three most prominent cycling races: either the Tour de France , Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España .
• 2008 September 5, Matt Gross, “Lessons From the Frugal Grand Tour”, in New York Times ‎ [1] , archived from the original on 2008-09-19 : Three hundred years ago, wealthy young Englishmen began taking a post-Oxbridge trek through France and Italy in search of art, culture and the roots of Western civilization. With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months (or years) to roam, they commissioned paintings, perfected their language skills and mingled with the upper crust of the Continent. No one knows who came up with it, but their adventures soon had a perfectly appropriate name: the Grand Tour .
• 2011 , Tony Perrottet, The Sinner's Grand Tour: A Journey Through the Historical Underbelly of Europe , Broadway Books, →ISBN , page 254 : By the late eighteenth century, the nearby city of Naples was a goal for every educated traveler, and a visit to Capri a high point of every Grand Tour . In fact, looking back over the last 250 years, it seems that every sexual libertarian in the West made his or her way to its shores, where paganism soundly trumped austere Christian morality and inhibitions wilted under the warm southern sun. The islanders' casual attitude to sex was legendary: It was whispered that the most shocking [ … ]
• 2012 , Rosemary Sweet, Cities and the Grand Tour: The British in Italy, C.1690-1820 , Cambridge University Press, →ISBN , page 236 : As such, it is indicative of the fact that by the 1780s a more informed interest in the history of the middle ages and the 'gothic' era was already beginning to make itself felt amongst the literate travelling public, even in that most classical of environments, the Grand Tour . The Grand Tour as a cultural institution underwent a fundamental change in character during the nineteenth century, as we saw in the introduction, both in terms of itinerary and the composition of the travelling classes.

Derived terms [ edit ]

• Grand Tourist

Further reading [ edit ]

• English lemmas
• English nouns
• English countable nouns
• English multiword terms
• English terms with historical senses
• English terms with quotations

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PREVIEW | Giro d'Italia 2024 - Tadej Pogacar the big star of the season's first Grand Tour

The Giro d'Italia is every year one of the best and most exciting races in the calendar. We will find out what the 2024 edition has in store for us, in a route that is brutal, a startlist packed with strong sprinters and Tadej Pogacar as the main favourite to conquer the pink jersey. We preview the race, which starts on the 4th of May and ends on the 26th.

We take a look into the 21 stages that form the race, starting in Torino and ending with Rome; with a route that avoids the south of Italy which often has plenty stages.

Profiles & Route Giro d'Italia 2024 - 71Km of time-trial; Gravel; Stelvio and double Grappa ascent included

Stage race starts off with a short and explosive stage into Torino. The Grande Partenza takes place in the city of Venaria Reale in 2024 and the first day is open to many scenarios. Climbers, puncheurs and sprinters can all be in the mix. The day features three ascents and the last of which is the famous Superga, 5 kilometers at 7.5% which summit with 20 kilometers to go. It will be far enough from the finish that the race can be reshaped afterwards, to attribute the first pink jersey. A climb close to the finish, which is 1.5 kilometers at 8.6%, could see the decisive attack for the stage win.

Stage 2 is the first day in the mountains and it will not be easy by any means. 150 kilometers on the menu, the first half flat, the second with five ascents. Two uncategorized and two categorized - 5.7Km at 5.1% and 3.2Km at 6.5%, which will be a warm-up for the first summit finish of the race.

This will be at the Santuario di Oropa. Last used in 2017 with Tom Dumoulin's epic win, it'll be a climb well known in the peloton. It's 11.8 kilometers at 6.1%, but the first third is considerably less steep. We'll see gradients close to 10% for several climbs towards the scenic finish, and perhaps the first meaningful gaps of the race.

Stage 3 is the first day that can be properly called to be one for the sprinters, however far from a simple one. Most of the day is flat, but the run-up to Fossano will not be easy. Summiting with 1.5 kilometers to go, the riders will tackle a 1.8-kilometer ascent at 4.2% which can take out a few riders from contention.

Stage 4 will take the riders in the Ligurian region. Some call this a mini Milano-Sanremo and with good reason. The final kilometers follow roads familiar to the peloton, and the finale in Andora takes place inbetween two of the Tre Capi.

Stage 5 will be another day for the fast men. After start that was anything but friendly to the sprinters, the fifth day of racing also presents little obstacles to a bunch sprint in Lucca.

Stage 6 ill be a very tricky day, one that perhaps flows under the radar of many. After some climbing there will be some definition in the overall classification but on this day the tension will be very high. Three gravel sectors total over 10 kilometers of off-road riding. It will be a nervous day for many, one that can have many outcomes at the end of the day as well.

The seventh day of racing presents the first and longest time-trial of the race. 37 kilometers between the cities of Foligno and Perugia, the route will be 40 kilometers and end with some climbing. An ITT where pacing will matter the world.

Stage 8 sees the riders finally return to the mountains. It's a very hard day too with climbing from start to finish. The brutal summit finish at Prati di Tivo is more commonly known to headline the Tirreno-Adriatico route, but this year it'll have a pink jersey to award at it's summit. After a day in the mountains, the 14.6-kilometer ascents that averages 7% will create differences with no doubt.

The final day of the first week sees the riders back into Napoli. After the success of the two past years, the city hosts another stage finish with a similar formula. A day for the sprinters but with enough climbing to launch questions.

Stage 10 opens up the second week and presents a rather unknown summit finish. A short day on the bike only with 141 kilometers, but it ends at Cusano Mutri, an 18-kilometer climb which has 18 kilometers in distance but gradients that are often quite harder than the 5.6% average suggests.

Preliminary startlist Giro d'Italia 2024 with Tadej Pogacar, Geraint Thomas, Filippo Ganna, Biniam Girmay, Nairo Quintana, Julian Alaphilippe and Tim Merlier

Stage 11 sees the riders close to the Adriatic sea, a transition day of 203 kilometers into Francavilla al Mare where the sprinters will have the chance to shine.

Stage 12 from Martinsicuro to Fano will be a tricky day. It features six categorized climbs - all of them small - and a few others. It's a day that is not too hard for a sprinter to take the win, but the combination of ascents will see breakaway specialists and classics riders try out their luck.

Stage 13 is the flattest day of the race with no doubt. The 179 kilometers between Riccione and Centro will pass by quite quickly for sure, without a single hilltop on the day to slow down the riders or be a serious challenge to a possible bunch sprint.

Stage 14 is the second and final individual time-trial of the race. It is 31 kilometers long and flatter than the first. It will create some more gaps before the riders finally reach the Alps.

That will happen on stage 15. A Giro classic (when it comes to the formula, not the location). With 220 kilometers in distance it's the longest day of the race and perhaps the toughest too. Starting in Manerba del Garda the riders will find a tough start, but it's the final combination of climbs that will cause serious damage. The Forcola di Livigno is 18 kilometers long at over 7% and it's closely followed by a summit finish just above town of 8.1 kilometers at 6.6%. Both climbs summit at over 2300 meters of altitude and it will certainly be a hugely demanding day.

The 16th stage kickstarts the third week and in what way. The start in Livigno is very explosive and soon on features the mythical Passo dello Stelvio - climbed from Bormio. 202 kilometers on the menu, the Stelvio will likely be a warm-up however. The stage ends with a quick combination of two completely different climbs. The Passo Pinei which is 23.4 kilometers at 4.7% and the summit finish at Santa Cristina Val Gardena which is 7.6 kilometers at 6.1%.

Stage 17 is another contender for queen stage. 154 kilometers with five tough ascents. Right from the start the Passo Sella (8.9Km; 7.4%) kickstarts the day brutally and up to over 2200 meters of altitude. Follow the Passo Rolle, Passo Gobbera and the ascent on two different sides of the Passo del Brocon. The last coincides with the finish, with 12.2 kilometers at 6.4%.

As tradition, the final week features a pan-flat day between the mountains. This time around it takes place in the Veneto region between Fiera di Primiero and Padova. It's 166 kilometers will suit the sprinters, but breakaways have often succeeded on this kind of day...

Stage 19 is a mixed day. Most likely to the breakaway opportunists, it lacks serious climbing to make difference among the big GC riders. However, the combination of three climbs before the finish in Sappada will ensure that this remains a day for the climbers.

The final mountain stage of the race, a quite different one than the normal. Besides the steep early Muro di Cal' del Poggio, the riders will have to climb Monte Grappa twice before the final at Bassano del Grappa. One of the Giro's most epic climbs will be a gruesome final GC challenge, with the climbers having to ascent it's 8% average slopes throughout 18 kilometers on two closely spaced occasions.

The riders fly into Rome for the final day of the competition, where they will face a circuit finish where the sprinters will have their final shot.

Overall classification

Tadej Pogacar - Not many words are needed. Pogacar is the ultra favourite, and perhaps the rider who has the least amount of riders at his level at the start of a Grand Tour since the Chris Froome years. If he avoids injuries and illnesses, it simply is virtually impossible for him to be beaten here. Not only does he not have a weak spot, but he is an entire level above the whole competition when it comes to climbing; whilst on stages like the time-trials and the gravel day he can also make the difference. UAE have left many quality riders at home and even gave room for a sprinter in the team, but Pogacar will likely not need an array of stars backing him up if he is at his regular level.

Geraint Thomas - His biggest rival perhaps is Geraint Thomas. The leader of INEOS Grenadiers found his best form at the perfect time last year and did a perfect Giro, losing the pink jersey only on the final competitive day. Hence, Thomas knows how to prepare for this race. He hasn't shown the form recently however, but I do trust that he's getting there. Good against the clock and with a very strong and experienced team, with no doubt he can lead INEOS into the podium or more if Pogacar abandons. Thymen Arensman also comes as a podium contender if he is at his best level, as this year he will likely not have to support Thomas as much.

Ben O'Connor - O'Connor is a rather consistent rider in the stage-races and this year he is on fire. After finishing second at the Tour of the Alps, I also believe he's on good form. Decathlon are flying through the season and are the third team with the most UCI points; if they continue this good run than a podium is certainly in the cards. A modest team without big support names, but the Paret-Peintre brothers looked brilliant over the past few weeks and should be up there with him.

Romain Bardet - Fifth at the Tour of the Alps and then second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, it is safe to say that Bardet is in great form and motivated. He comes in the position of leader at Team DSM and is an experienced Grand Tour contender, who loves the cold and altitude which the Giro often throws into the riders. His problem is that DSM is possibly the team that presents the lead support in the mountains for it's leader. Some due to Max Poole's injury, but Bardet will quickly be isolated in the mountains and his tactics will be limited.

Pedal Punditry #6 | Tadej Pogacar will only have a C-team behind him at the Giro d'Italia... But it is more than enough

Juan Pedro López - 'El Patron' won the Tour of the Alps in convincing fashion. Honestly, there was no luck. There is no question on why that's his nickname, he looks like a born leader and has a great tactical eye both for attacking and defending his GC. For two years - since he had his Giro breakthrough - he hadn't shown his best level, but it comes now just in time. His performance in the Alps was very strong and in Italy he aims for a strong final result. Trek will put a lot of focus on Jonathan Milan which does not favour him, but he will be protected on the flat days because of that. However, López will also not have good support in the mountains, and the time-trials will certainly be a big hit for his chances of chasing a podium.

Antonio Tiberi - Tiberi has been a consistent rider this year, finishing eighth at the Volta a Catalunya and third at the Tour of the Alps. The Italian will lead Bahrain - Victorious; it's the first time he aims for a GC result in a Grand Tour but I have the belief that he will do well. The team decided to keep Wout Poels out - an unbelievable decision in my eyes - but the experienced Damiano Caruso will be another Top10 contender.

Alexey Lutsenko - Initially set to race the Tour de France, but a last-minute change to the Giro d'Italia. A smart choice I think, Lutsenko recently won the Giro d'Abruzzo and I think that he was in terrific form. I don't know if he still has it, but if so then he is a good contender for a strong GC result. Twice a Top10 at the Tour de France, he certainly can do and improve on that with this field if he is consistent and strong, and Astana sure does need the UCI points.

Daniel Martínez & Florian Lipowitz - BORA were the team whose lineup was the most surprising. No Sam Welsford or Emanuel Buchmann as initially expected, and no Lennard Kämna due to injury. The team comes in a huge mess, but one that can work in the right hands. Daniel Martínez on paper is the GC leader. After beating Remco Evenepoel twice in the Volta ao Algarve it looked like the Colombian was back, but ever since he's absent. Without a proper Grand Tour result in the past, it's hard to imagine him doing too much. Then there is Florian Lipowitz who just had an incredible breakthrough at the Tour de Romandie; finishing third and almost winning the queen stage. Can he be a GC contender? The team certainly will give him freedom, and what he can do will only be known during the race.

Tadej Pogacar 100% ready for Giro d'Italia debut: "It’s a race I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time"

Cian Uijtdebroeks - Visma have had a rough spring... Cian Uijtdebroeks' Giro debut was supposed to go a bit under the radar under the spotlight of Wout van Aert, but that is now not the case. The team focuses on Olav Kooij for the sprints, but after the injuries and illnesses of most of it's leaders, there is pressure to perform at the Giro. Uijtdebroeks was incredibly consistent last year - his first as a pro - but this spring that streak ended in Catalunya where he was very hopeful. Not having raced since then, and being 21 years old, it puts into question his chances of a Top5. But I do trust the Dutch team to do good work and manage the Belgian well, he certainly can show his best level and if so he will be up there.

Eddie Dunbar - Seventh at the Giro last year, a great confirmation of his potential. This year however the Irishman has been nowhere near the same level. However, we know that he has been aiming for the Giro this whole time and I would not be surprised if he still comes up. Luke Plapp also has that potential on paper, but honestly he has not proven to be consistent yet to fight for a result in a Grand Tour.

Hugh Carthy - EF does not promise much ahead of the Giro to be honest. Carthy and Esteban Chaves may fight for a place in the Top10, if not then they will likely aim for stage wins. Simon Carr will probably be the team's most likely rider to succeed.

Einer Rubio - Many questions over Nairo Quintana , but he will not be contesting the GC with certainty as very little so far this year has gone according to plan. Einer Rubio already chased stage wins last year and succeeded, he will likely aim higher and test his GC skills fully this time around - also as Movistar's riders will all be looking towards the same pretty much, Nothing too flashy so far this year, but in this modest field I do believe a Top10 is a possibility.

Prediction Giro d'italia 2024 overall classification:

*** Tadej Pogacar ** Geraint Thomas, Ben O'Connor, Romain Bardet * Thymen Arensman, Juan Pedro López, Antonio Tiberi, Alexey Lutsenko, Cian Uijtdebroeks

Pick : Tadej Pogacar

Giro d'Italia podium "within my capabilities" insists optimistic Ben O'Connor

Points classification

The sprinters present in the race may actually have the tightest battle of the race. Of course not many will actually aim for the points classification, but it is good to mention the quality sprinters present in the race. I believe the main sprinters to take into consideration will be Tim Merlier , Olav Kooij and Jonathan Milan . If Pogacar does not win the classification himself, one of these three men should do so.

Kaden Groves , Phil Bauhaus, Juan Sebastián Molano, Caleb Ewan and DSM's Fabio Jakobsen (with Tobias Lund Andresen in the hillier days) headline a second row of sprinters.

In a third row we can count on Danny van Poppel and Max Kanter who come with freedom after their team's main sprinters are not present; Biniam Girmay, Fernando Gaviria, Alberto Dainese, Ethan Vernon, Stanislaw Aniolkowski ; and for a few hillier days we could see Filippo Ganna and Laurence Pithie also try and discuss it.

Prediction Giro d'italia 2024 point classification:

*** Jonathan Milan, Kaden Groves ** Tadej Pogacar, Olav Kooij, Tim Merlier * Caleb Ewan, Biniam Girmay, Laurence Pithie

Pick : Jonathan Milan

"Our strategy for the Giro d'Italia has changed radically in the last four weeks" - BORA - hansgrohe respond to Emanuel Buchmann's outburst

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Tue 30 Apr 2024

Wed 01 May 2024

Giro d'Italia 2024: Preview, full schedule and how to watch live

The Giro d’Italia 2024 is about to kick off the Grand Tour season in men’s road cycling .

On Saturday 4 May, Venaria Reale will host the opening stage of the 107 th edition of the Corsa Rosa that will see its conclusion three weeks later in Rome on Sunday 26 May.

All eyes will be on the Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar , who aims to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to achieve the Giro-Tour double.

Reigning champion and Olympic time trial gold medallist, Primoz Roglic , will not be defending his crown, as he has got his eyes set on the Tour de France.

The 2024 edition of the Italian Grand Tour features gruelling mountain stages in the Alps, gravel roads in Tuscany and more than 70 kilometres of time trial. The winner will lift the prestigious Trofeo Senza Fine (Endless Trophy) and wear the coveted Maglia Rosa in the Italian capital.

This year's race will cover a total of 3400.8 kilometres , making it the shortest edition in 45 years.

Find everything you need to know about the Giro d’Italia 2024 below, including the riders to look out for and how to watch the event live.

• Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2024: Tadej Pogacar powers to second victory
• Jambaljamts Sainbayar: From braving Ulaanbaatar's freezing roads to making history for Mongolian cycling

Who are the riders to watch at the Giro d’Italia 2024?

Pink jersey (general classification).

There is one overwhelming favourite for the Giro d’Italia 2024, and that is Tadej Pogacar .

Fresh off his second Liège–Bastogne–Liège title in impressive fashion, the two-time Tour de France winner is arriving to Italy in top shape.

Pogacar started his season by conquering the gravel roads of Strade Bianche , riding 81 kilometres solo to claim victory in Siena.

At Volta a Catalunya , the Slovenian swept four out of seven stages, securing the overall victory and sending a clear message to his rivals at the Giro about who the man to beat is.

Geraint Thomas suffered heartbreak at last year’s Giro d’italia, narrowly missing out on the overall victory by just 14 seconds.

The 2018 Tour de France champion was leading the race going into the penultimate stage, only to relinquish the pink jersey to Primoz Roglic after the Slovenian's formidable performance in the individual time trial.

The INEOS Grenadiers leader has some unfinished business with the Corsa Rosa and will try to pose a challenge to Pogacar.

Among the outsiders is Australia's Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R), who finished fourth in the 2021 Tour de France.

This year, the 28-year-old has consistently finished within the top five in week-long stage races. At the Giro d'Italia warm-up race, the Tour of the Alps, he was the runner-up behind the former Maglia Rosa wearer Juan Pedro Lopez , who also will be lining up at the start line in Venaria Reale.

French veteran Romain Bardet recently said that he is at his best level in years and is convinced he can challenge for the podium.

A second place at the Liège–Bastogne–Liège behind Pogacar was a boost of morale for the 33-year-old, who has not been on a Grand Tour podium since 2018, when he finished third at the Tour de France.

Daniel Martínez will lead the BORA - hansgrohe team. The Colombian climber is no longer in the shadow of INEOS stars Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal , following his move to the German team ahead of this season.

In 2021, Martínez was a strong domestique for compatriot Bernal and helped him secure the overall victory. He also achieved his best overall result in a Grand Tour by finishing in the top five that year. With the absence of teammate Roglic, it is up to Martínez to secure a top result.

“The Killer Bees” Team Visma|Lease a Bike made history in 2023, becoming the first team to claim all three Grand Tours in a single year. Although a repetition of the historic achievement looks difficult, the Dutch team have put their faith in 21-year-old prodigy Cian Uijtdebroeks .

The Belgian has been under the wings of reigning Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard at the O Gran Camiño and Tirreno-Adriatico. Now he faces the ultimate test as Grand Tour captain.

Cyclamen jersey (points classification)

This year’s course is more sprinter-friendly than usual, featuring eight expected mass sprint finishes. Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek will aim to defend the maglia ciclamino (mauve jersey for the points classification) that he secured last year.

However, he will face a fierce competition for the mauve jersey as several of the world's top sprinters will travel to Italy.

Soudal Quick-Step will fully support Remco Evenepoel at the Tour de France, giving Tim Merlier the opportunity to pursue success at the Giro.

The Belgian has been one of the fastest sprinters during the first part of the season, winning three stages at the UAE Tour, the Nokere Koerse, and the sprinters’ classic Scheldeprijs.

Another challenge will come from Australian Kaden Groves . In 2023, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider added stage wins at both the Giro and the Vuelta a España, where he also left with the green jersey.

Biniam Girmay will be back on Italian soil, where he outsprinted Mathieu van der Poel in the Giro two years ago to take his first Grand Tour stage victory. The Eritrean looks to be close to his form from 2022.

Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij will finally get his Grand Tour debut. The 22-year-old beat Mads Pedersen twice to claim two stage wins at the Paris-Nice in March and is one of the most promising sprinters in the peloton.

Five-time Vuelta a España stage winner Fabio Jakobsen is set to race his first Giro and can complete the set of Grand Tour wins, having already secured a stage victory at the Tour de France in 2022.

Will Filippo Ganna sprint for stage wins again? The Italian time trial specialist was fighting in the bunch sprints at last year’s Vuelta a España and showed a new side of his talent.

Despite not having shone in the last couple of years, Caleb Ewan and Fernando Gaviria are both multiple Grand Tour stage winners and they have the power to be competitive in the bunch sprints.

Blue jersey (mountains classification)

Unlike in the Tour de France, the winner of the mountains classification in the Giro d’Italia is usually not the same as the winner of the general classification.

Thibaut Pinot , who has since retired, clinched the blue jersey in the previous edition while finishing fifth overall.

However, the breakaway riders often view for the mountains classification.

A potential contender is Simon Geschke of Cofidis. The German rider was close to seal the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France in 2022, but ultimately Jonas Vingegaard ended up with both the yellow and polka dot jersey.

Other names to watch are Britain's Simon Carr , who just won a stage and the mountains classification at the Tour of the Alps, and Dutchman Koen Bouwman , who is aiming for his second blue jersey after claiming it in 2022.

Key stages of the Giro d’Italia 2024

Five stages are singled out by cycling experts as the most decisive for the Giro d'Italia 2024.

The first one arrives already on stage two , which is the earliest summit finish in 35 years. It is a true climbing test, which takes the peloton to Santuario di Oropa (6.2% over 11.8km) and will give an early indication of who will be the main general classification contenders.

A 40.6-kilometre time trial awaits the peloton on stage seven . The course is technical and the uphill finish should shake up the top ten. Some will see it as an oppornunity to gain time, while others will try to limit their losses.

Stage 15 is the queen stage of the 2024 Giro d’Italia. Containing 5,200 metres of elevation gain over 220 kilometres, it is a brutal day in the mountains. Hopefully, snowfall will not affect this blockbuster Alpine stage.

The riders get a rest day following the queen stage, but already on stage 16 , climbing legs will be tested again. It includes the Passo dello Stelvio , the Cima Coppi of this year’s race. At an elevation of 2,757 metres it is the second highest pass in the Alps.

The lack of oxygen at high altitude will make the peloton suffer. With over 100 kilometres remaining from the summit of Stelvio, the favourites who might fall behind still have the chance to catch up before the final ascents to Passo Pinei and Monte Pana.

Stage 20 , the penultimate stage before the procession around the streets of Rome, promises a decisive battle in the mountains for the final general classification. Two gruelling ascents of Monte Grappa - 18.2 kilometres at 8.1% - will determine who earns the right to wear the pink jersey in Rome and hoist the Endless Trophy .

Day-by-day route of the Giro d’Italia 2024

Saturday 4 May, stage 1: Venaria Reale-Torino, medium mountains, 140 km ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 5 May, stage 2: San Francesco al Campo–Santuario di Oropa (Biella), medium mountains, 161 km ⭐⭐⭐

Monday 6 May, stage 3: Novara-Fossano, hilly, 166 km ⭐⭐

Tuesday 7 May, stage 4: Acqui Terme-Andora, hilly, 190 km ⭐⭐

Wednesday 8 May, stage 5: Genova-Lucca, medium mountains,178 km ⭐⭐⭐

Thursday 9 May, stage 6: Viareggio-Rapolano Terme, medium mountains, 180 km ⭐⭐

Friday 10 May, stage 7: Foligno-Perugia, individual time trial, 40,6 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Saturday 11 May, stage 8: Spoleto-Prati di Tivo, high mountains,152 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 12 May, stage 9: Avezzano-Napoli, medium mountains, 214 km ⭐⭐⭐

Monday 13 May: Rest day

Tuesday 14 May, stage 10: Pompei-Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva), medium mountains, 142 km ⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 15 May, stage 11: Foiano di Val Fortore-Francavilla al Mare, hilly, 207 km ⭐⭐

Thursday 16 May, stage 12: Martinsicuro-Fano, medium mountains, 193 km ⭐⭐⭐

Friday 17 May, stage 13: Riccione-Cento, flat, 179 km ⭐

Saturday 18 May, stage 14: Castiglione delle Stiviere-Desenzano del Garda, individual time trial, 31,2 km ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 19 May, stage 15: Manerba del Garda-Livigno (Mottolino), high mountains, 222 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Monday 20 May: Rest day

Tuesday 21 May, stage 16: Livigno-Santa Cristina Val Gardena (Monte Pana), high mountains, 202 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 22 May, stage 17: Selva di Val Gardena-Passo Brocon, high mountains, 159 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thursday 23 May, stage 18: Fiera di Primiero-Padova, hilly, 171 km ⭐⭐

Friday 24 May, stage 19: Mortegliano-Cima Sappada, medium mountains, 157 km ⭐⭐⭐

Saturday 25 May, stage 20: Alpago-Bassano del Grappa, high mountains, 181 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 26 May, stage 21: Roma-Roma, flat, 122 km ⭐

How to watch the Giro d’Italia 2024

The Giro d'Italia 2024 will be shown live around the world. Here is a list of the official broadcast partners across different territories.

• Albania - Eurosport
• Andorra - Eurosport
• Austria - Eurosport
• Belarus - Eurosport
• Belgium - VRT/RTBF.be/RTL Belgium/VTM Medialaan/Eurosport
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - Eurosport
• Bulgaria- Eurosport
• Croatia - Eurosport
• Cyprus - Eurosport
• Czechia - Eurosport
• Denmark - Eurosport
• Estonia - Eurosport
• Finland - Eurosport
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• Canada - FloSports
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• United States - MAX USA/BeIN Sport

South America

• Argentina - + Claro/DirecTV
• Bolivia - + Claro/DirecTV
• Brazil - + Claro/DirecTV
• Chile - + Claro/DirecTV
• Colombia - + Claro/DirecTV/Caracol TV
• Ecuador - + Claro/DirecTV
• Guyana - DirecTV/Eurosport
• Paraguay - + Claro/DirecTV
• Peru - + Claro/DirecTV
• Suriname - + Claro/DirecTV
• The Caribbean - DirecTV
• Uruguay - + Claro/DirecTV
• Venezuela - + Claro/DirecTV
• Afghanistan - Eurosport
• Armenia - Eurosport
• Azerbaijan - Eurosport
• Bahrain - STARZPLAY
• Bangladesh - Eurosport
• Bhutan - Eurosport
• Cambodia - Eurosport
• People’s Republic of China - Zhibo.tv
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• Iran - STARZPLAY
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• Japan - J Sports
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• Kazakhstan - Eurosport
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• Malaysia - Eurosport
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• Australia - SBS/Eurosport
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• Djibouti - STARZPLAY
• Egypt - STARZPLAY
• Libya - STARZPLAY
• Morocco - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• South Africa - Supersport
• Tunisia - STARZPLAY

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Climb categorization explained

In 1933, the Tour de France introduced the mountain classification. Riders received points when they were first to reach the summit, but at that time, there was only one category. Over the years, additional categories have been introduced, ranging from the most challenging Hors Catégorie ('beyond categorization') down to the 4th category. These categories have been adopted by other prominent cycling races such as the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. However, a significant issue persists: the subjective nature of categorizing climbs.

Unfortunately, the mountain classification of the grand tours is not designed to set a standard for recreational cyclists. For example, the categorization of a climb can change due to its location on the course, or simply because it suits the organizer better (€). Regrettably, there is no exact science behind determining the mountain categories. To establish a standard on climbfinder, we have tried to introduce a logical and consistent formula, which in fact aligns very well with most categories in professional cycling races.

Categorization based on difficulty points

Strava and other GPS services use a simple formula based on the average ascent and length of the climb. We believe this approach is too simplistic, because the (sometimes undulating) course of the climb has a huge influence on how much effort it costs to reach the top of the climb. That's why we spent a lot of time accurately calculating the difficulty level of climbs . In fact, we are so convinced of the accuracy of the difficulty points that we also use them to determine the mountain categories.

The sole subjective aspect of our standard lies in the transitions between the categories. However, in this regard, we conducted extensive research. We analyzed hundreds of climbs and compared them with the classifications they received in the grand tours. Through this process, we arrived at the scale outlined below.

From Super Hors Catégorie down to the 5th category

• Super Hors Catégorie (SHC) . These are the most difficult climbs in Europe. Because the list of Hors Catégorie became too large and we have several real monsters in Europe, we added this extra category. These are the most terrible, challenging, and often absurdly steep climbs! Brace yourself. These are the climbs above 1500 climbing points. A notable example is the Angliru .
• Hors Catégorie (HC) . Ascents on climbfinder only get the famous "HC" classification if the climb scores more than 900 difficulty points. The Mont Ventoux and the Stelvio are proud owners of the "Hors Catégorie" classification. The Hors Catégorie was introduced in the Tour de France as recent as 1979. It's a category that appeals to many cyclists' imaginations.
• 1st category . Climbs of the first category are certainly not to be underestimated. For example, nothing less than the famous Col d'Izoard is a category 1 climb, to the great disappointment of some cycling tourists. Climbs with 600+ difficulty points will be in this category.
• 2nd category . The somewhat shorter climbs often do not exceed a "Category 2" label. The Ballon d’Alsace is a good example of the type of climbs you can expect to find in this category. Climbs must have a minimum of 300 difficulty points to fit in this category.
• 3rd category . In the Alps these are the easy options, but in the lower mountain ranges or highlands these can be the highlights of the day. A climb needs at least 150 difficulty points to fit in this category.
• 4th category . With 75 difficulty points a climb falls into the fourth category. Don't think you can just sprint up these hills, it's still going to hurt.
• 5th category . The fifth category includes all climbs from 25 climbing points onwards. Although these are certainly not very difficult climbs, they can be quite steep walls (albeit short) or climbs that you definitely feel, albeit secretly. In lower hill areas, these are often the toughest climbs. Great for training.
• No category . Everything below 25 climbing points has no category. These are the easiest climbs in Europe. To be listed on climbfinder, a climb must have at least 5 climbing points, or be very special.

Comments (2)

I started road biking shortly before retiring but only seriously post retirement. I am now fitter pro rata than I have been at any age pro rata and believe that cycling and stretching are the key. Add in the fact that I have lots of interests, stay really busy and plan to live to 114 has made life more enjoyable than at any other time. I am 65. as of late 2023 Increased interest in living as long as possible as taken this wine drinking lover of poor food onto a better diet, better hydration, better sleep and less stress. Of course, only working if I want to and being financially comfortable has helped but all of this is within the grasp of most people if they want to take control of their life. Don't expect handouts, do what you can and become more self reliant. most importantly develop the mantra that worry is a wasted emotion..

Thanks for the wonderful explanation. I will now look at all the climbs I've done in the past and see how you treated them!

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Definition of grand tour

Examples of grand tour in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grand tour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Dictionary Entries Near grand tour

grand total

grand touring car

Cite this Entry

“Grand tour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grand%20tour. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

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Pogacar could target historic Grand Tour treble in same year, says Contador

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Giro d’Italia 2024: Tadej Pogacar’s debut, his challengers and key stages

From tadej pogacar’s much-anticipated bow, to the return of the hairpin-fraught stelvio and this year’s nod to the late marco pantani — a guide to the first grand tour of the year.

It’s unusual for a rider who has never ridden a certain race before to be such an overwhelming favourite on their debut appearance. But then Tadej Pogacar is an unusually talented rider. Already well established as a generational talent with two Tour de France titles under his belt, the Slovenian would always be fancied on his first attempt at the Corsa Rosa, but so much appears to be in his favour that it’s hard to look anywhere else for the general classification.

There’s his form: seven victories this season from just ten days of racing, including Strade Bianche, four stages and the overall title at Volta a Catalunya and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. There’s the absence of his rivals: no Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel or reigning champion Primoz

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How to watch the Giro d'Italia live stream 2024

All the information you need in order to tune into the Italian Grand Tour this May

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The grande partenza of the 2024 Giro d'Italia is fast approaching. Teams are gradually announcing their individual squads for this years edition of the Italian Grand Tour and the start list is taking shape . UAE Team Emirates' superstar, Tadej Pogačar , is the bookmakers favourite for overall victory, but plenty of other riders will be hoping to have a say once the race rolls out of Turin this weekend and winds its way around Italy on the way to Rome. 

You can check out the full race route in our in depth, stage by stage guide . 

We've compiled everything you need to know to ensure you can tune into the action this May and never miss a pedal stroke. 

When is the Giro d'Italia? 

The Giro d'Italia gets underway on 4 May and will finish three weeks later on 26 May. Individual stages will be broadcast in full on discovery+ .  

Check your chosen streaming service in your territory for broadcast times of individual stages. 

How to watch the Giro d'Italia for free 

The Giro d'Italia is free to watch in Australia on SBS On Demand .

Streaming services are often geo-restricted, so if you're an Aussie away from home, make sure to use a VPN to watch your free Giro d'Italia live stream from abroad.

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The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

We'll show you how to do that just below with NordVPN, which comes highly recommended via our sister site TechRadar .

Watch a live stream from anywhere with NordVPN

NordVPN lets you use all your usual apps and websites when you're out of the country, including all your favourites cycling channels. Secure encryption offers multiple layers of privacy. It's fast and easy to use.

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How to watch the Giro d'Italia live stream in the UK

Eurosport.co.uk and discovery+ are the homes of cycling in the UK. Subscriptions are £6.99 per month. There's also an annual plan for discovery+ at £59.99, if you're after the full race calendar of live streams.

How to watch the Giro d'Italia live stream in the USA

Bike racing fans in the US will be able to watch the Giro d'Italia on the FloBikes platform. The TV app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, as well as on Android and iOS. Subscriptions cost $150 per year.

Watch Giro d'Italia 2024 live stream on FLOBikes in USA

FloBikes boasts an impressive bill of live racing throughout the season, including the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and more. A monthly subscription will cost you $30 while a yearly account will set you back $150 ($12.50 per month).

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Tom joined Cycling Weekly in early 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine. 

He has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest races and events including the Tour de France and the recent Glasgow World Championships. He has also covered races elsewhere across the world and interviewed some of the sport's top riders. 

When not writing news scoops from the WorldTour, or covering stories from elsewhere in the domestic professional scene, he reports on goings on at bike shops up and down the UK, where he is based when not out on the road at races. He has also appeared on the Radio Cycling podcast. 

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Cycling Calendar 2024

Please click on the links in underneath scheme for more information.

Eurosport is probably the best app for covering cycling tours races you can also watch on demand past races worth paying for I pay years subscription you can watch on tv or on phone and this site is awesome that gives details to stages to view stats while watching

What a calender for 2024.

Does anyone know where to find a comprehensive list of where fans can watch each race? What races are on Flo bikes, or NBC, or whatever.

‘Opportunities Day School Tour’ Grand Finale

MOBILE, Ala. ( WALA ) - The following was provided by event organizers:

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024 Resource Event Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm

Talent Showcase: 1:00pm - 2:00pm Location: Bishop State Community College, Delchamps building Address: 351 N Broad Street, Mobile, AL 36603

Today, we bring you an exciting update on a initiative aimed at shaping the future of our youth. The Opportunities Day School Tour, a flagship program dedicated to inspiring and empowering students across Mobile County, is gearing up for its grand finale! We’re not just talking talent—this event is a hub of knowledge and resources, with over 40 organizations coming together to support our community.

This unique initiative has traversed 11 Mobile County Public Schools this academic year, engaging with over 9000 students and educators, spreading awareness about various educational, career, violence prevention, financial wellness, mental health opportunities and more within our community.

The grand finale promises to be nothing short of spectacular! Imagine all the winners from the School Talent Shows coming together on one stage to compete for the ultimate grand prize. It’s a celebration of talent, creativity, and community spirit! Picture this: mouthwatering delights from local food trucks, a sweet escape with ice cream treats, and an adrenaline-pumping rock climbing wall that’ll have everyone reaching new heights! And that’s not all! We’ve got DJ beats pumping live, setting the stage for an electrifying atmosphere where talent meets groove. Attendees will have access to free health screens—ensuring wellness is at the heart of this celebration. And for those dreaming big about their future, there’s a chance to explore college and career opportunities firsthand. And here’s an exciting offer you can’t miss: if you land a job offer from Whataburger during this event, Common Wealth National Bank will waive the $100 deposit requirement to open a checking account! Plus, get up close and personal with our local heroes—the fire department will be giving tours of their impressive fire trucks! Whether you’re a student, educator, or parent, there’s something for everyone. Discover pathways to success and unlock new possibilities.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 4th, and join us at the Delchamps building, Bishop State Community College, for a day packed with fun, opportunities, and inspiration.

This is more than just a talent showcase—it’s a celebration of potential, community, and the bright futures ahead. Don’t miss out on the Grand Finale of the Opportunities Day School Tour!

Copyright 2024 WALA. All rights reserved.

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