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

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

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

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

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

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

Mark Cavendish (GBR) – 2007 to present

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

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

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

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

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

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

Andre Darrigade (FRA) – 1952 to 1966

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

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

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

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

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

Mario Cipollini (ITA) – 1993 to 1999

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

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

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

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

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

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

Erik Zabel (GER) – 1995 to 2008

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

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

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

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

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

Freddy Maertens (BEL) – 1972 to 1981

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

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

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

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

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

René Le Grevès (FRA) – 1933 to 1939

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

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

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

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

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

Robbie McEwen (AUS) – 1997 to 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (UZB) – 1990 to 1997

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

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

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

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

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

Charles Pelissier (FRA) – 1922 to 1939

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

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

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

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

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

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Top 10 Sprinters - Tour de France 2023

Pro Cycling Bets

Who's going to take the most number of stages of the sprinters for this year's Tour de France. Are there enough sprint stages that Cavendish will be able to nab one to claim the record over Mercx? As he wants us all to know, and fairly so, that he has the record for the most stage wins at the Tour, it just so happens Mercx got their first. But they're on equal footing he wants us to know 🙃

Suffice to say, according to PCS Cavendish isn't even in the top ten sprinters headed to the Tour, which makes a lot of sense given the abysmal form, lack of sprint train or combination of both he's shown in the early season. The Giro win seems to have cured everyone's mind of that though. Not PCS though, and not us. We're not silly enough to fall prey to recency bias. Said us never. We're human. PCS isn't.

That being said, this ranking has a bias in the fact that PCS will lean to promote riders who have raced more this season. So sprinters like Biniam Girmay who just recently started their comeback (nice 4th @ Brussels Classic Girmay!) after a nasty sprint crash, won't be making this list despite their calibre.

Sprinters should stick around to at least either stage eight or stage twelve depending on how good they are at hill climbing. Stage nine has Puy de Dôme on it, and it's not the toughest climb in the book, but not every sprinter can climb like Pedersen proved remarkably adept at in the Giro. Stage thirteen has Grand Colombier, and if any sprinter wanted to bow out before the classic Tour climb we wouldn't blame them.

After doing all the research for this article we also decided that we should probably also do a top ten best victory poses. Some of these riders can really bust a move on the line. But on with the show! We were told by multiple people to do these backwards now to build up the suspense so let's do just that.

Number 10 - Wout van Aert (28) - Jumbo Visma

Coming in at number ten is good ol' Wout van Aert. Potentially the best all arounder in the peloton today if you count cyclocross as well. But otherwise then Pogačar's got the upper hand on him just like everyone else. Apparently though Pog has done some cyclocross at the start of season, so maybe he'd best Wout van Aert there too? Regardless Wout van Aert's coming at the tour after a strong classics season despite "Woutgate" after gifting a slot to Christophe LaPorte at Gent Wevelgem.

Wout van Aert will likely be targeting the green jersey again, and winning sprints helps in that regard. But if push comes to shove with Vingegaard and he's facing the heat, then WVA will most likely have to place his Jumbo Visma domestique duties above la maillort vert. Not the worst thing, as he could just become a stage hunter at that point and win even more spints.

Number 9 - Bryan Coquard (31) - Cofidis

Cofidis may not have the strongest team, specifically the strongest general classification contender, going to the Tour, but that could prove to be their benefit, allowing them to focus on winning stages with Coquard and Geschke trying to do a repeat of basically winning KOM of the non GC riders.

Coquard has faired rather well this year taking three wins, finishing second twice, and a few top tens. Coquard did the Vuelta last year instead of the Tour, having last completed the nine stages of the sprinters Tour de France, also known as "all the stages the sprinters could do before the hills came".

And we mean, he's French, so that's got to give him a 10% boost to his stats, especially on the first day when the French come out in numbers.

Coquard doesn't necessarily like a lead out, and manages to perform well regardless of whether he gets one or not, managing to slipstream himself through the final bunch.

Number 8 - Jordi Meeus (24) - BORA

Why is BORA bringing two top sprinters to the same tour? Are they going to swap every day who's leading out who? Probably not going to work super well given that being a solid lead out bae like Danny van Poppel isn't the same as being the top sprinter.

We'll see BORA's strategy when the action kicks off, but we're still a little surprised. Through out the entire season BORA has actively tried to ensure the two's (Meeus and Bennett's) program's don't overlap.

The Belgian has performed well though this season, but never quite managed to nag the top slot other than a 1.1 one day race at Circuit de Charleroi Wallonie. Given it's below World Tour and Pro level we're not lending much weight to that. Trying to prove us wrong today at the Brussels Classic 1.Pro he almost snagged 1rst, but lost to a competitor further down the list.

Recently at the end of April he's managed to pick up two third slots at the Tour of Norway (which didn't have the strongest start list however). Earlier in the year he had a couple podium finishes at Volta Algarve, but his two big world tour stage races of Tirreno - Adriatico and Santos Tour Down Under (the latter he DNS to be fair) never performed superbly.

Number 7 - Sam Bennett (32) - BORA

BORA's second hotshot, the Irish sprinter has been performing decently after his little hop back and forth between BORA and Quickstep. This year, Bennet's had one win, the first race he did for the season, a Vuelta San Juan, following it up with a 4th and 3rd directly after, and then a 2nd placed finish on the penultimate stage.

Since then he's started to drag his feet a little - but not by much. Bennett followed up his performance at San Juan with a strong UAE tour, narrowly missing out winning a stage twice. Once again at Paris Nice, he almost secured the first stage and was in the running on the fifth, but never managed to take a win.

Overall though, on the stages where sprinter's could perform, he's almost always ended up on the podium or close there to it.

So we think if BORA can figure out who is riding for who, Bennett could prove to be a hot commodity in those bunch sprints.

Number 6 - Caleb Ewan (28) - Lotto Dstny

Ah, the small yet powerful Caleb! We wonder if he'll be wearing that distinctive black helmet with white dots. Or is it a white helmet with black dots? We can't remember, regardless though it's distinctive and you'll be able to pull Caleb out from the crowd. We bet that Caleb also hopes he can pull himself out from the crowd, specifically the final sprint crowd.

We were concerned with Caleb's performance earlier in the year but he's been coming into supreme form in the later season and could be peaking at just the right time. Maybe it was getting sick from all his kiddos that through him on training plan at the start.

Caleb still started decently with a 2nd at the Tour Down Under and being in contention for a few stages. He also got the short end of the stick, or short end of the bike if we dare say, at the first stage of the UAE Tour where the photo finish was 100% equal with Tim Merlier. We still stand by they should have done a 1km sprint as the UCI rules state for ties.

With decent performances at Tour de Hongrie, and finally a win at Van Merkstejin Fences Classic, followed by a second at Ronde van Limburg we're excited to see if he can translate his recent form to the Tour. At worst he can lead out Cavendish for fun 🙃

Number 5 - Arnaud Démare (31) - Groupama FDJ

Groupama is coming to the Tour with an incredibly promising team with the likes of Pinot, Madouas, Gaudu and Küng. We're really only seeing one domestique of Geniets. But what is he going to do, pull the entire stage? We guess if Küng isn't time trialing to save his contract he'll help out. And if Pinot's not too worried about his pregnant cows and sheep, and not wanting to battle Geschke for King of the Mountain he'll throw in a pull or two for Gaudu.

But we're getting sidetracked. A little bit. Because who's going to lead out Démare? Probably Küng. But we'll see. Should prove to be interesting.

Just as interesting as Démare's recent year, with him slowly building and getting up to speed it looks like, just in time for the Tour. Démare had a weak showing at the tour down in UAE at the start of the year, but has since then been in the running in a few sprints at Pays de la Loire Tour, and had a standout performance at Boucles de lay Mayenne, winning a stage, and being in the top six in all other stage, taking the green jersey to boot.

Demare tends to like to go long in sprints, which may be beneficial for the Tour given the number of quality sprinters headed there. It also may be just the opposite however, allowing the other sprinters to draft off his wheel before punching through for the win at the line.

Today, the day of writing, he managed to secure a win at the Brussel's classic with strong competition and defeated number 7 Jordi Meeus on the line. It was the 98th win of his career. Looking solid for the Tour, especially as a Frenchman.

Number 4 - Fabio Jakobsen (26) - Soudal - Quick Step

Jakobsen, the 26 year old Dutchman from Quick Step has had a strong showing at least once in almost all of the races he's entered this season. Jakobsen achieved a win at his second race of the season in San Juan and the followed that up with a second and fourth later in the stage race.

At Volta Algarve he got a fourth, at Tirreno - Adriatico a win on stage two, and at Tour de Hongri took the win, also on the second stage.

Number 3 - Mads Pedersen (27) - Lidl - Trek

Boy oh boy, has Pedersen been having a season. Not only that, but he's shown he can somewhat climb, surviving until Stage 13 at the Giro this year, the stage they had to modify due to "extreme weather". Really they modified it because the rider's were tired. We're being slightly facetious. There's a lot of gray area that needs to be dealt with respect to the CPA voting process.

And while the Giro didn't have a strong sprint crowd, he did manage to win a stage along with a second, third and two fourth place finishes. Pedersen had a strong showing at each of the spring classics he attended, which cannot be said for everyone else on this list. Pedersen finished 4th at Paris Roubaix, 3rd at RVV, 5th at Dwars door, 5th at Gent Wevelgem, and 6th at Milano San Remo. An impressive palmares already, but to top it off at the Paris Nice stage race took a stage at each spot of the podium respectively (1/2/3).

At his first stage race of the year, Tour du Gard he took a win and second on the first race of his calendar year.

Number 2 - Dylan Groenewegen (29) - Jayco Alula

What can we say about Groenewegen other than this Dutchman is fast when he gets going. Groenewegen has won five Tour de France in his career and we're sure he'd like to take even more as a newly minted 30 year old (his birthday's on the equinox).

Groenewegen took the points jersey, a stage, and a few other top slots at the sprinter's Tour de France, aka the Saudi Tour, aka the echelon Tour, Groenewegen's first stage race of the year.

Groenewegen followed that up with a win at that UAE Tour against strong competition, and almost always being in the running for every other potential sprint stage that followed.

At Tirreno Adriatico he narrowly missed taking stage seven, being just behind the next sprinter on this list. Another strong highlight was finishing fourth at Scheldeprijs. Fourth you say? That's out of the top three. Not even a podium. We wouldn't win anything on our each way bets. Fair enough, but it is colloquially known as the sprinter's World Champs, and fourth isn't too shabby.

Groenewegen most recent performances have looked strong as well, with a 1rst on stage one of Tour de Hongrie, and a win at the Veenendaal classic.

Number 1 - Jasper Philipsen - Alpecin (25) - Deceuninck

The man, the myth, the legend. Not quite. But Philipsen has had an superbly strong season thus far. He may not have completed a whole bunch of races compared to his competitors on this list, but as Matteo Jorgenson said in a recent interview, "being close doesn't matter". And that's true. Especially for our bets. And if you're concerned about your bets then Philipsen is your man.

When it's possible for a sprint, and he's in the running, he has achieved a podium in all but one event, narrowly missing it at Dwars door Vlaanderen and finished fourth.

Otherwise he's had four wins, one being at Scheldeprisj, the World Champs for sprinters. On top of that he's finished 2nd 3 times, with one of those coming at the renowned Paris Roubaix.

And the results have been at high calibre events with high calibre competitors like at Tirreno Adriatico a World Tour stage race.

Oh yah - Mark Cavendish

Yah we'll give a shout out to Cavendish. Mainly to satisfy the English speaking audience who probably only have heard of him and potentially Ewan on this list. Maybe Bennett, but that's more likely to the kerfuffle with Patrick Lefevere in the media the prior years.

At the end of the day though, we hope Cavendish picks up his thirty fifth win and solely takes the record on hit shoulders rather than Mercx. This new era of cycling needs a new champion sprinter in our opinion. Even if he is headed out the door in a few months.

Cavendish has proved remarkably adept at squeaking in to potentially close wins despite the lack of a lead out train. Cees Bol is going, unlike the Giro, and we hope the two of them can finally work their kinks out and that Cav is flying. Or Kwiatkowski can take the reins from G and lead him out on the final day.

Want more analysis of the caveats of professional cycling? Want to learn about cycling race tactics with play by play diagrams? Grab a copy of The Ultimate Guide to Modern Cycling .

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Tour de France 2023 – Robbie McEwen’s sprinter rankings as Mark Cavendish given 1% chance of stage win

Updated 30/06/2023 at 11:30 GMT

Eurosport expert and 12-time Tour de France stage winner Robbie McEwen ranks the top sprinters at the 2023 Tour de France. But anyone hoping for a Mark Cavendish victory on his swansong appearance are about to have their bubble of optimism burst, with McEwen claiming there are a group of fast men more likely to win a stage than the Manx Missile. Still, he’s happy to be proved wrong…

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29/03/2024 at 19:52

• Cavendish exclusive: Tour de France 'is my life' but record is 'irrelevant'
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• Yellow jersey guide and ratings: Can anyone topple Vingegaard and Pogacar?

1. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck)

Jasper Philipsen.

Image credit: Getty Images

2. Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal–Quick-Step)

Fabio Jakobsen.

3. Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco–AlUla)

Dylan Groenewegen beats his compatriot Fabio Jakobsen for the third stage of the Tour de France

4. Caleb Ewan (Lotto–Dstny)

Image credit: Eurosport

5. Mads Pedersen (Trek–Segafredo)

Mads Pedersen wins Stage 6 at the Giro

6. Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan)

Mark Cavendish of Astana Qazaqstan during the team presentation of the 110th Tour de France 2023 at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao / #UCIWT / on June 29, 2023 in Bilbao, Spain

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17/03/2024 at 10:17

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Top 10 Sprinters at 2021 Tour de France

Mathew Mitchell

• Published on June 22, 2021
• in Men's Cycling

Mark Cavendish

Team: Deceuninck-Quick Step 2021 Victories: 5 Tour de France Stage Wins: 30

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Mark Cavendish is back! 2nd only to Merckx in terms of stage wins and 1st when you take out time trials, Cavendish is statistically the best sprinter in the Tour de France ever. His last stage victory came back in 2016 and it’s been a hard road back to form for the British rider. He needs 4 stages to catch Eddy Merckx which feels ambitious, it could be his last chance.

Peter Sagan

Team: Bora-Hansgrohe 2021 Victories: 4 Tour de France Stage Wins: 12

The king of the green jersey was dethroned in 2020 for the first time since a controversial disqualification in 2017. Sagan has won the green jersey 7 times, including 5 straight from 2012 to 2016. Despite reports that he’d lost a yard of pace compared to his rivals, Peter Sagan continues to win races. He took the points jersey at the Giro d’Italia this season and will want to repeat that at the Tour de France.

Team: Lotto Soudal 2021 Victories: 5 Tour de France Stage Wins: 5

Ewan is a tough sprinter to rely on. At times he appears to be the world’s best but then will suddenly go missing in action. He took 2 Giro d’Italia stages earlier in the year before controversially (to some) leaving the race. Caleb Ewan won 2 stages in 2020’s Tour de France but would dearly like to win in Paris again like he did in 2019’s race.

Wout van Aert

Team: Team Jumbo-Visma 2021 Victories: 5 Tour de France Stage Wins: 3

Free Wout! It feels like Van Aert has a great shout to stroll to victory in the green jersey competition. However, he’s been press-ganging into service for Primoz Roglic’s GC ambitions at the Tour de France. The cyclocross world champion took his first Tour de France in 2019, beating the likes of Viviani, Ewan and Sagan in a straight sprint. He got let off the leash to perform a similar job in Stage 5 last season before taking advantage of the absence of sprint specialists to win the lumpy Stage 7. We’ll certainly see brief flashes of what Van Aert can do.

Arnaud Demare

Team: Groupama-FDJ 2021 Victories: 8 Tour de France Stage Wins: 2

Demare is some people’s top tip for the green jersey in this year’s Tour de France. He’s been more successful in the Giro d’Italia previously, with 5 stages in the last two years thereafter eschewing the Tour since 2018. The 2020 Giro d’Italia points jersey winner has been in good form in 2021, taking 8 victories and will take on Sagan in the battle for green. Demare won 3 stages at Boucles de la Mayenne, which also saw him win the GC and points jersey.

Tim Merlier

Team: Alpecin-Fenix 2021 Victories: 6 Tour de France Stage Wins: 0

There’s a bit of a battle for sprint supremacy on the Alpecin-Fenix team. Merlier has been successful with 6 wins this season, although they’re largely in tough Belgian one-day races rather than stage races. He’s got the small matter of Mathieu van der Poel on his team who will want opportunities and also Jasper Philipsen will be knocking on the door too. In an ideal world all 3 would combine into an amazing lead-out train but that feels unlikely.

Sonny Colbrelli

Team: Bahrain-Victorious 2021 Victories: 3 Tour de France Stage Wins: 0

Colbrelli is being seen as a great shout for the green jersey in this year’s Tour de France despite not taking a stage victory in 4 previous editions. His impressive form at the Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine saw Colbrelli take the points jerseys at both races and a stage victory in each race. His consistency is what people have noted though, with 4 more second places. That used to be the preserve of Peter Sagan at his peak at the Tour, where numerous 2nd places would set up a tilt at the green jersey in Paris.

Mads Pedersen

Team: Trek-Segafredo 2021 Victories: 1 Tour de France Stage Wins: 0

The former World Champion is coming into his own as a similar but better version of Tim Merlier. After winning Gent Wevelgem last season he followed that up by winning Kuurne Brussels Kuurne at the start of 2021. That run of form continued with podiums of 2 stages at Paris Nice and then 2nd at the Bredene Koksijde Classic. Pedersen is a better shout on tough days for the sprinters rather than the flat, drill to the line.

Bryan Coquard

Team: B&B Hotels p/b KTM 2021 Victories: 0 Tour de France Stage Wins: 0

Bryan Coquard is a bit of a budget Peter Sagan. He does a great job in the Coupe de France races but has never taken a grand tour stage victory. His best run was in 2016 where he hardly seemed to be out of the top-10 in the first week and looked to be giving Sagan a run for his money. A switch of teams meant he wasn’t seen at the tour de France until 2020. He returned to his old ways with 6 top-10 finishes.

Nacer Bouhanni

Team: Team Arkea Samsic 2021 Victories: 0 Tour de France Stage Wins: 0

It’s somewhat surprising that Nacer Bouhanni has never won a Tour de France stage. He’s taken 3 stages each at the Giro and Vuelta but circumstances have intervened at the Tour. Bouhanni famously missed the 2016 Tour de France after getting into a hotel altercation that needed an operation. His last Tour was in 2017 as Cofidis favoured other riders. Bouhanni also got into trouble in 2021, getting suspended for 2 months after sticking Jake Stewart in the barriers back in March. He’s only just returned to racing and was 5th behind Cavendish and Merlier in the Belgium Tour.

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First Chance For The Sprinters! | Tour De France 2023 Highlights - Stage 3

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Highlights from stage 3 of the Tour de France 2023. The race heads into France with a 187.4km stage between Amorebieta-Etxano and Bayonne. It's the first flat stage of this year's Tour and should see the sprinters fight it out in a hotly-contested finish.

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Tour de France sprinters foiled yet again: 'With finals like this it's not really a bunch sprint'

The fast men have not had much luck in the 2022 edition

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Another Tour de France stage earmarked for the sprinters, another day where the victor did not come from a bunch sprint.

After crossing the Pyrenees during the week, the peloton’s fast men were confident of contesting stage 19’s finish into Cahors, but instead Jumbo-Visma’s Christophe Laporte took the honours , the Frenchman attacking inside the final uphill 500 metres to deny the sprinters.

Regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s expected ceremonial stage in Paris, the 2022 Tour de France will be recorded as the edition with the least number of bunch sprints in it this century with a maximum of four.

Ahead of the final weekend, bunch sprints have only been contested on three occasions, only one of which took place on French soil, last Sunday’s stage in Carcassonne won by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

A deflated Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) finished 3-28 behind, and he told Cycling Weekly at the finish that he was disappointed about the paucity of sprint opportunities in the race this year.

“Frustrating day, I don’t know?” the Dutchman said. “I think so far in this Tour de France we’ve only had two [three - ed] bunch sprints, because with finals like this it’s not really a bunch sprint. At least not for the pure sprinters, but it is what it is. 

"It’s up to the organisation; it’s their choice. But like this year there aren’t many chances for sprinters which would automatically mean that maybe there won’t be as many sprinters in the Tour [in future years], but we will wait for the parcours next year. 

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“If you ask my opinion, of course [he’d say he wants more sprints] because I’m a sprinter. But this Tour there has been a lot of uphill, probably more a Tour for Julian Alaphilippe and you see that we are missing him.”

Lotto-Soudal’s Caleb Ewan was succinct with his verdict of stage 19. “I felt good, a perfect finish for me, so I’m very disappointed. [I’m] confident still [about Paris] but disappointed that it was another s**t sprint.”

Dylan Groenewegen won stage three of the race and his BikeExchange-Jayco team were hoping that he could double up on Friday’s stage.

But they were aware of the uphill finish of the stage, with Matt White, the team’s DS, saying: “We knew it was a uphill kick from the corner. We did a recon on the course, and [fellow DS] Mat Hayman drove the course a couple of weeks before the Tour de France so we had videos and we knew everything.

“Laporte played it tactically very well. We knew it would be a dangerous race to control today, just because we’re so late in the race and the way the race has been run there is a lot of tired boys. 

“You seen the explosion in the final there: one because it was hilly, and two because of the load the guys have had over the last couple of weeks. Also, we knew it was a tactical run-in and when guys are tired, wheels get let go. I don’t know how many guys there were contesting the sprint but there was probably about 20 guys.”

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A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and feature writing across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013.

Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in a number of places, but mostly in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.

He lives in Valencia, Spain.

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10 Tour de France top tips to sprint like a pro

First Published Jul 23, 2023

Going fast is what attracts many people to cycling with the feeling of speed being addictive. Tour de France sprinters are a unique type of rider and they not only possess tremendous speed but are also willing to take some big risks. But, what can you learn from the sprinters at the Tour de France about how to get really fast and how to set up your bike for pure speed?

Pic above: Zac Williams SWpix.com

Sprinters are capable of generating explosive speed over short distances but having the best sprint at the end of a road race is about more than just having the highest peak power. 

Tour de France sprinters must also have the endurance to climb the high mountains and complete every stage if they want to be in with a chance of winning on the Champs-Élysées.  

Your bike setup, positioning and tactics all have a part to play so here are 10 top tips to sprint like a pro and get you the win at that next town sign sprint. 

1. Gears that work properly 

> All the gear? Check out the gearing choices of the pros at the Tour de France

First and foremost, to be able to unleash the best sprint you can you're going to need to trust your drivetrain. A drivetrain that's in good working order should shift seamlessly with silky-smooth pedalling. 

However, this isn't always the case because your chainrings, cassette and chain can all wear which leads to poor shifting and lost efficiency. If you find your chain skipping a gear this could also be because your gears aren't indexed properly. 

You need to be able to trust your drivetrain fully so that when you decide to put the power down, you can 100% go for it. 

Even the pros sometimes have problems. On Stage 7 of this year's Tour de France, Mark Cavendish reported that he had a problem with his gears while sprinting, eventually finishing second to Jasper Philipsen.

2. Choose the right gear for the job

> Should you run a 1x set-up on your road bike?

After ensuring your gears are working properly, you're going to want to choose the right gear for the job. When you're coming into the final few hundred metres of a road race you'll often hear people changing down their gears which is a good indication they could be about to launch something. 

Sometimes it's better to choose a gear sooner rather than later so that you have time to react and can start putting the power down as soon as possible. The gear you choose should have enough resistance in the drivetrain to allow for the burst but you will likely have to shift down the cassette once you get on top of the gear. 

Many recreational riders will have a 50x11 or 52x11 as their largest gear ratio, (it'll depend on the brand of groupset used as well as the individual's preference) but the pros these days normally ride with a 54-tooth outer chainring with the sprinters often going for something even larger.

3. Decide where the wind is coming from 

> Beat the wind on your bike: 7 route planning hacks to increase average speed and make windy rides more enjoyable

Wind conditions can significantly affect sprinting performance, and adapting accordingly is vital. Sprinters at the Tour de France will employ strategies to navigate windy conditions during sprints and are fortunate in that they often have a team around them who they can draft. 

If, like most of us, you don't have a team around you, you'll need to decide where the wind is coming from before you start your sprint. If there's a headwind you should leave your sprint late and if there's a tailwind you can risk going earlier.  

4. Get yourself a Van der Poel 

> Canyon unveils Mathieu van der Poel edition Aeroad CFR

Jasper Philipsen has been powering to stage victories at this year's Tour de France, but this wouldn't have been possible without his lead-out man Mathieu van der Poel. 

Speaking of lead-outs, getting yourself a sprint train is a great way to go faster. Rope in a few friends and set them to the task. They might not be too keen at first, but you can usually bribe them with cake.

Doing some lead-outs with friends is great fun with each person’s turn getting shorter and faster until you finish it off with a glorious dash to a random sign on the edge of town.

5. Deep wheels 

> Are expensive carbon wheels worth it? Testing deep carbon rims vs classic aluminium

Switching to deeper wheels isn't always necessary but Tour de France sprints happen at speeds of over 60km/h so aerodynamics are exponentially more important and the margins of victory are small. 

If you take a look at a photo finish image from a sprint stage, you’re unlikely to see any wheels under 40mm deep in the top 10.

Using deeper wheels can be more aero, making it easier to hold onto speed. Deep wheels can also be far stiffer than shallower-section wheels, and that comes in handy when bikes are getting thrown around in a sprint finish.

6. Get low at the front

The easiest way to make yourself faster and bring up your speed is to get more of yourself out of the wind. The most aero bike on the planet isn't going to help a great deal if your body – which is responsible for the vast majority of drag – is acting like a giant sail to hold you back.

Sprinters often have long and low front-end setups that allow them to get head low when going for the line. Mark Cavendish (who has crashed out of the Tour this year) has a lower peak power than some of his sprint rivals, but he is able to tuck himself down very low to reduce resistance.

Be careful with going low. You might be far faster for 100m, but throwing your back out just to reach the drops won't do you any good. If you are moving your position, take things slowly with incremental changes.

7. Tighten up your shoes 

> Check out the best road cycling shoes 2023 

Many riders have rituals and something you see many sprinters doing is turning the dials on their shoes a few clicks before a big sprint. 

This isn't necessarily the most comfortable for a full day in the saddle, but a more secure shoe is favoured at higher power outputs.

8. Grippy bar tape

> Check out the best bar tapes for cycling 2023 

Grippy bar tape provides a secure and firm hold on the handlebars, improving the control and handling of the bike which is essential for Tour de France sprinters when they're manoeuvring through non-existent gaps at high speeds. 

A stable grip on the handlebars also facilitates efficient power transfer and so grippy bar tape allows you to exert force without worrying about your hands slipping. 

9. Specific training

> Can you get fit by cramming all of your riding into the weekend?

You can also do efforts on and off the bike to increase your peak power. On the bike, work can consist of a mix of high-speed sprints with a fast cadence and standing starts where you power a big gear up from almost stationary to top speed. Throw in a few sprints for town signs and you've got yourself a basic training session.

Off the bike, you can head to the gym to pump some iron. You can walk past all the big boys doing bicep curls and head straight for the squat rack and leg press machines.

Seeing as most of us are rather useless at lifting weights, you'll want to work on technique first to avoid injury before building the weight slowly.

10. Momentum is your friend 

A sprint can come down to millimetres so it might seem crazy to hear that leaving a gap between you and the rider in front could be exactly what you need to win a sprint. 

Whilst there's a time and a place for sitting tight on the wheel in front to hide from the wind, there are also times when it's good to leave a gap, often referred to as 'rushing the gap' or 'a slingshot'. 

A gap between you and the person in front gives you the opportunity to launch your sprint while still in their draft and by the time you need to come out of the wind to go past them, you will have reached a far greater speed and likely be moving too fast to be caught. 

Which tips will you be using to help you win your next town sign sprint? Let us know in the comments section below... 

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Without doubt, the best way to make my bike go faster in a sprint is to get someone else to ride it.

This also applies to climbing and, indeed, any other type of cycling or terrain.

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How Does a Tour de France Sprint Work?​

​Your guide to the organized chaos that is a Tour de France sprint finish

(For more cycling tips and secrets explained, subscribe to Bicycling magazine today!)

Catching the Break

We have a whole separate piece on the breakaway , but we’ll recap shortly here: primary responsibility for holding a steady gap to a breakaway lies with the race leader’s team. But protocol, sportsmanship, whatever you want to call it, holds that on days that are likely sprint finishes, sprinters’ teams also contribute a rider each to the chase. They may contribute more than one as the race goes on, particularly if the break is proving more unruly than expected and harder to catch.

The riders who perform this thankless task are as essential as they are invisible –sturdy rouleurs like Lotto-Soudal’s Adam Hansen, who can put out dependably high power for hours on end.

RELATED:  How to Watch the Tour de France

The 2017 Tour is the first in history to have all stages broadcast start to finish; typically, broadcasts would show only the final two or so hours, meaning that the yeoman’s work of holding a steady gap takes place entirely outside the TV audience’s view. When you see riders from teams like Lotto-Soudal, Quick Step and Katusha finishing far down the standings in the “grupetto” even on flat stages , remember: they’re not out of shape or sick; they just did a lot of work early in the race that you didn’t see.

As the race gets closer to the finish, the pace creeps up. An ideal catch comes with roughly 10-20 km to go. Once the catch is made, the sprinters’ teams will keep the pace very high, to discourage counterattacks from developing. At this point, the race will be traveling at about 50 kilometers an hour.

Catching a Train

With about 10km to go, you'll see the team “trains” start to form. These are four-to-six rider pacelines that move to the front of the peloton and lift the pace even higher. There are three goals: discourage breakaways by holding a pace so fast that solo riders can’t get clear; keep their team’s designated sprinter protected up front, where there’s less risk of crashes; and keep that sprinter in good position for the final showdown.

RELATED: Peter Sagan Disqualified from Tour de France After Crash with Mark Cavendish

Early on in a train, the sprinter’s teammates will rotate through a paceline, trading pulls, but from 10km down to about 1km to go is a chaotic time in the race. One team will hit the front hard with five riders, and things will briefly organize behind them. Then another team’s train will come forward and overhaul the first. Or the first train will somehow disintegrate as one or more riders discovers that they don’t actually have the legs that day to produce the supra-threshold efforts they need to.

Power files, which you’ll sometimes see posted to training sites like Strava or TrainingPeaks or SRM, can be fascinating ways to understand this crucial point in the race. In 2016, SRM analyzed Stage 1 power for Christophe LaPorte, the leadout man for Cofidis who became the team’s sprinter when Nacer Bouhanni didn’t start; LaPorte’s mean power for the last three kilometers was 499 watts, with an average speed of 68 kph. In the last 2km, it jumps to a massive 607 watts— and keep in mind that as a leadout rider those values are largely before the final, frenzied 30-second bunch sprint.

RELATED: Every Stage of the 2017 Tour de France Analyzed  

Catch the Right Wheel

As these trains duel, crashes are a constant risk as riders jostle and bump for position. Remember that one of the roles of a train is to keep a sprinter in protected position, especially in the final two kilometers, when the train leads out the sprint. A leadout works like a single-pull paceline, where each rider in line does a max-effort pull and then swerves off and fades back into the pack— kind of like segments coming off of a launching rocket when their fuel is spent. At the end of the line is the sprinter, who will sit relatively protected from the wind until the final 200 meters, when he opens his own sprint. (Again, protection from the wind is relative here, as you can see from LaPorte’s power numbers the last few minutes of the race.)

RELATED: The 2017 Tour de France's Green Jersey Competition Is Wide Open

Leadout trains can seem like fine-tuned machines, but there’s a lot that can go wrong. A sprinter can get bumped off the wheel of his teammate and lose contact with his train. He can get squeezed and have to brake, and lose precious position in the pack (sprinters want to be in the top 20 or so riders entering the final kilometer). Or the train itself may lose momentum if even one rider is tired and can’t sustain quite the same pace. And of course, there’s also usually a fight to get on the back wheel of whichever sprinter is thought to have the best form or chance that day.

Trains can form and fall apart in the matter of seconds, even as the race shifts and morphs all around like a murmuration of starlings. Complicating things is that not all sprinters have leadout trains. You’ll see BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet , for example, mixing it up in some sprint finishes, but his team is focused on protecting overall contender Richie Porte , not delivering him to the front.

RELATED: Stage 5 Daily Dish: Why Was BMC on the Front?

When the television coverage switches to an overhead shot, particularly right after the finish when they show a slow-motion replay, watch for the green jersey as he looks for the right wheels to follow and tries not to get boxed in between two slower riders, or between a rider and the barriers. Watch also for the way that these riders fight to defend a position, or take it from another rider. Live and at full speed, it’s easy to miss; it’s often easier to see during the replay. But the little nudges with the head, dropping an elbow over another rider’s elbow to assert position, or shouldering past another rider are, as much as raw power, the stuff of which great sprinting is made. Sprinters' bike-handling skills are literally marvelous.

Catch a Win

Into the last 500 meters, typically the trains have been reduced to maybe one teammate, in the throes of a final, desperate, hypoxic lunge. This is the leadout rider. The leadout is a decent sprinter (like LaPorte, or Dimension Data’s peerless Mark Renshaw), but their value lies in producing an acceleration that is almost as high as their teammate can muster. At the last possible moment, the sprinter slingshots out of the draft and goes around the leadout for the win. That’s the theory, anyway. If everything in your leadout train goes perfectly to plan, you might win 30 percent of the time (that’s according to Rolf Aldag, a former leadout man who’s now a director at Dimension). That’s what riders like Quick Step’s Marcel Kittel look for; Kittel in particular benefits from a textbook leadout; his team has one of the best and when it’s clicking, he’s tough to beat. (So is Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel.)

RELATED: Marcel Kittel Wins 2017 Tour de France Stage 7 in Photo Finish

But leadout riders aren’t robots, and all sprints are different. Sometimes the train fizzles too far from the line, leaving a sprinter exposed to the wind. Or the sprinter mis-times his or her jump, going to early and flaming out, or going too late running out of real estate before the finish line comes. That’s when things get messy. Stages that finish on slight climbs , or into headwinds, are notorious for messy sprints. At that moment, it’s every sprinter for himself, and that’s where riders like Sagan and Cavendish excel.

The winning margins in sprints are sometimes so small that photo-finish cameras must be used to determine a winner. Stages have been won and lost by less than the width of a tire, which is why in the final few meters, you’ll see the riders throw their bikes forward toward the finish line.

Sprint stages overall aren’t always the most exciting to watch; sometimes the action can seem static, the tactics inscrutable. But there’s little in sports that surpasses the thrill of those last few frenzied kilometers: the catch, the leadouts and the final dash to the line.

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Sprint Trivia

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Tour de France 2022 sprinters: Analysing the form of the fast-men so far

A closer look at the form of the key sprinters at the 2022 Tour de France

Words: Stephen Puddicombe

There's still a long way to go in the Tour de France 2022, but there could be quite a wait until we see the next full-on bunch finish if the sprint teams can't get it together on stage four. Until week two in fact.

Stages two and three in Denmark gave us two sprint showdowns, with two Dutch winners; Fabio Jakobsen and Dylan Groenewegen. Both looked back to their best, while others languished in chaotic finishes or simply didn't have the strength to match them.

Here we'll analyse the form of the sprinters of the Tour so far, and who looks best set to take the victory the next time the peloton reaches a sprint finish.

Fabio Jakobsen

It’s been a tale of two final corners for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl in the sprints so far — the first on stage two, when Yves Lampaert and Michael Mørkøv led the peloton to help deliver Fabio Jakobsen to victory; and the second the following day, when the team once again made it to the decisive bend at the front with Florian Sénéchal and Mørkøv, only for Jakobsen to lose their wheel and fall out of contention.

Fabio Jakobsen celebrates victory on stage two of the 2022 Tour de France (Getty Images)

Despite looking so strong to get into these front positions, the famed Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl lead-out hasn’t been firing on all cylinders come the final metres of the sprints by their own very high standards. Usually so aware and attentive, Mørkøv confessed to not realising that Jakobsen wasn’t on his wheel when he proceeded to lead out the sprint on stage three, and even when Jakobsen won the day before he had to come from a few wheels behind to do so.

>>> Tour de France 2022 route: everything you need to know

The way the Dutchman stormed past the riders ahead of him to take his first ever Tour stage win that day regardless suggests he’s in flying form, and you sense that if Quick-Step can perfect the lead-out, then he’ll be very difficult to beat in the future sprints. 

Dylan Groenewegen

When Dylan Groenewegen abandoned the Critérium du Dauphiné last month, having been unceremoniously dropped on all three of the stages he might have hoped to sprint for victory on, the prospects of taking a stage at the Tour de France looked remote. But having struggled so much there, Groenewegen suddenly looked like his old self on stage three, where he produced a lethal acceleration to take his first WorldTour victory since his ban in 2020. 

Dylan Groenewegen sprints to victory on stage three of the 2022 Tour de France  (James Startt)

The flat parcours in Denmark certainly helped his chances, and he’ll have a harder time during the hillier potential sprint stages to come. But BikeExchange-Jayco’s decision to prioritise leading him out for the sprints rather than target the green jersey with Michael Matthews has been justified, and Groenewegen can at last be counted among the world’s elite pure sprinters once again. 

Wout van Aert

Though the rather fanciful notion that all-rounder extraordinaire Wout van Aert could in theory win every stage of the Tour de France has become impossible this year, he is currently on track to finish second-place in every stage. 

Wout van Aert in yellow after stage two of the 2022 Tour de France  (James Startt)

This string of runner-up finishes might be frustrating the Belgian, who dearly wants a stage win to his name, but it does mean he’s well on his way to achieving his target of winning the green jersey. His ability to always be in the mix and position himself every sprint despite the unpredictable rough and tumble of a bunch finish is reminiscent of Peter Sagan during his run of seven victories in that classification, and his grip on the jersey — as well as his chances of a stage win —should be strengthened by the parcours of the more selective sprint stages to come. 

Peter Sagan

Due to the emergence of new stars and his own underwhelming form, Peter Sagan entered this Tour de France with perhaps the least amount of fanfare of any of his nine appearances. But it hasn’t taken him long to be back among the headlines, particularly when he directed an accusatory finger wag towards Wout van Aert after the stage three sprint, followed by his Jose Mourinho-esque ‘I cannot comment” post-race interview.  

Peter Sagan at the start of stage two of the 2022 Tour de France (James Startt)

His form has looked good too, sprinting for sixth in Nyborg and fourth in Sønderborg in the manner in which he used to hoover up points in the points classification. The real test for him will come in the hillier terrain, considering that he was routinely dropped at the recent Tour de Suisse on the kind of climbs he used to relish. If he can, then he’ll be a contender to regain his points classification crown, and a mouth-watering contest between him as the old master against new pretender Van Aert could be on the cards.  

Jasper Philipsen  

Having been selected ahead of Tim Merlier, who won stages in both of his Grand Tour appearances last year, Jasper Philipsen is under pressure to perform for Alpecin-Deceuninck. So far he hasn’t made much of an impression, finishing fifth in Nyborg and third in Sønderborg, but the amount of ground he made up sprinting from far back in the latter suggests the 24-year-old has strong legs. 

He hasn’t been contesting the intermediate sprints, indicating that stage wins are his sole ambition this Tour. If he can position himself better in the future sprints — perhaps with the assistance of the one and only Mathieu van der Poel, whose match was burnt a little early on stage three in a drag race against Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl's lead-out a few kilometres from the finish — that feat is certainly attainable. 

Mads Pedersen

More than anything, Mads Pedersen would have dearly loved to have either taken a stage or wore the yellow jersey while still on his home Danish roads. He seriously threatened to do so on stage two when he opened up the sprint and remained at the front until the very last metres, when Van Aert and then Jakobsen edged him out of victory.

Mads Pedersen finishes third on stage two of the 2022 Tour de France (Getty Images)

But while his primary ambition for this year’s race has been left unfulfilled, his ride that day proves he can mix it up with the very best sprinters in a pure bunch sprint. He’ll still be on the hunt for stage wins, and opportunities await not just in the classics specialist-friendly stages, but also the flat sprinter stages. 

Ewan must have felt he was due a break after his string of misfortune recently, but whichever Gods he has displeased are clearly not yet appeased. On stage two he suffered yet another ill-timed mechanical during the sprint, and was then denied a smooth run to the line the following day when he was boxed into the barrier by Peter Sagan.

Caleb Ewan at the 2022 Tour de France (Getty Images)

Still, this constitutes a better start than either of his last two Grand Tours, in which by this point he had already suffered a bad crash. In truth we still don’t know what kind of form he’s in, but the fact he’s been chasing green jersey points at the intermediate sprints suggests he believes himself to be in good nick, and intends to make it all the way to Paris.  

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Preview: Tour de France. World's best climbers and sprinters go head to head in a seasonal climax

From the 1st to the 24th of July the peloton will be in the roads of France, Denmark and Switzerland for the 109th edition of the Tour de France . The most iconic, popular and one of the most important races for most of the riders and teams, who will be fighting for meaningful wins over the course of three weeks.

Over the course of the three weeks there will be several classifications that the riders will be fighting for. The General Classification will see the race's best stage-racers go head to head on every single stage as they attempt to take time on each other - specially in the mountains, as will the Youth Classification contenders. In the Points Classification, the sprinters will go head to head in the bunch sprints, aswell as the intermediate sprints spread throughout the 19 road stages. As for the King of the Mountain Classification, it will be decided in the race's highest mountains, toughest Alpine and Pyrenean passes between those who go over them first.

You can check the profile and details of every stage here , the updated startlist with all the names expected to be in the race here , and the prize money that will be distributed between all teams here .

General Classification battle

The preliminary startlist will see general classification contenders as follows: Ben O'Connor, Rigoberto Urán, Damiano Caruso, Jack Haig, Jakob Fuglsang, Michael Woods, Giulio Ciccone, Louis Meintjes, Daniel Martínez, Adam Yates, Geraint Thomas, Aleksandr Vlasov, Alexey Lutsenko, Primoz Roglic , Jonas Vingegaard , Tadej Pogacar , David Gaudu, Guillaume Martin, Enric Mas and Nairo Quintana.

Important Stages

The fifth stage is a highly antecipated day. A short stage with only 153 kilometers on the menu, however 19.4 of those will take place over cobbled roads. 11 sectors to be exact, all of which in the second half of the stage. It will be an important day for the overall classification, as the tension will rise to an all-time high and crucial losses can be had if something goes wrong.

Stage seven will have the riders race into the Vosges. As is traditional the Planche des Belles Filles (7Km; 8.7%) will be the first real summit finish of the race. It will be the first opportunity for the climbers to make differences in their terrain, and will be a good gauge to measure who will be capable of fighting for the win and podium in the end.

Stage 11 will see the first big high-mountain stage. The menu isn’t complicated, with the Lacets de Montvernier (3.4Km; 8.2%), Col du Telegraphe (11.9Km; 7.1%) and Col du Galibier (17.7Km; 6.9%) taking the riders through high altitude. It will be a brutal day, as the riders will descend into Briançon and climb the Col du Granon (11.3Km; 9.2%) for the highest stage finish in the race.

Stage 12 will be the final in the Alps, as a hattrick of ascents will mark the day. The riders will early on climb the Col du Galibier (23Km; 5.1%) via the opposite direction, followed by the Col de la Croix the Fer (29Km; 5.2%), and the return of the Alpe d’Huez (13.8Km; 7.9%) for the stage finish.

Stage 17 will have a pan-flat first half, and a very hard second half. A very short stage with only 129 kilometers on the menu, however featuring the Col d’Aspin (12Km; 6.5%), the Hourquette d’Ancizan (8.2Km; 5%) and the Col de Val Louron-Azet (10.7Km; 7.7%) before the final climb. That will be into Peyragudes (8Km; 7.2%), where more gaps will be established, with the finale in the brutal ramps of the local airfield.

The final mountain day comes right after. The formula is exactly the same as the day before, with a flat first half, short distances and a combination of similar climbs in the second half with a summit finish. Here however they will be longer, with the Col de Aubisque (16.4Km; 7.1%) opening things up for the day, the Col de Spandelles (10.3Km; 8.3%) dealing further damage and then the summit finish at Hautacam (13.6Km; 7.8%) being the last ascent where the climbers can do real differences.

The final time-trial of the race will come on it’s penultimate day. The 40.7-kilometer individual challenge will be ridden between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour, a rolling time-trial which is far from ideal for the specialists, with a hilly finale. Rocamadour is no stranger to high-level pro races, and the final hilltop is a familiar sight, albeit with added importance on this day.

Cycling UpToDate prediction:

**** Tadej Pogacar

*** Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard

** Daniel Martínez, Aleksandr Vlasov, Enric Mas

* Jack Haig, Geraint Thomas, Jakob Fuglsang, Adam Yates

Points Classification battle

As for the sprinters who will be hunting stages and the green jersey: Magnus Cort Nielsen, Mads Pedersen, Jasper Philipsen, Alexander Kristoff, Caleb Ewan, Wout van Aert , Fabio Jakobsen , Bryan Coquard, Dylan Groenewegen, Michael Matthews and Peter Sagan.

The two first bunch sprints will come in Denmark, after the initial time-trial. The cities of Nyborg and Sønderborg will host the finales, although tension will be sky-high and the second stage is particularly vulnerable to crosswinds.

In the fourth day of racing the peloton returns to familiar French roads. This will be a day for the sprintes, however it includes quite a few hilltops throughout the day that may spark some surprises in northwestern France.

Stage 13 will have the peloton travel from the Alps into the Massif Central. A day for the sprinters, likely, however a lot can happen and besides the possibility of a breakaway succeeding, the several rolling hills will provide platforms for attacks to surge.

The final day of the second week will see the riders travel south, from Rodez into Carcassonne. It is another day designed for the sprinters however with plenty obstacles that may see a surprise pop out.

Stage 19 will be a transition day, as the riders head north for a flat stage. It is a day on paper for the sprinters, however this late into the race it will always be more complicated to chase down breakaways.

And as traditional, the final day will feature soft distances and the classic final circuit inside of Paris, where the riders will finish the race off within the Champs-Élysées.

CyclingUpToDate prediction:

**** Wout van Aert

*** Fabio Jakobsen, Mads Pedersen

** Jasper Philipsen, Michael Matthews, Peter Sagan

* Caleb Ewan, Alexander Kristoff, Bryan Coquard, Dylan Groenewegen

Tour de France 2022 Stage Analysis | Profiles Tour de France 2022

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Tour de France sprinters ready to take over after 'hardest start in 20 years'

Renshaw and Mørkøv analyse Tour's first sprint in Bayonne after two hilly stages in the Basque Country

Following hot on the heels of the toughest start to the Tour de France in recent memory with two hilly challenges in the Basque Country, the race crosses the border back into France on stage 3 with a day for the sprinters.

The 193.5km from Amorebieta-Etxano to Bayonne – in the French Basque Country – is far flatter than the preceding two days in the saddle with few real difficulties lying in the way of the fast men before a technical run-in and slightly uphill finishing line.

Two decades ago when the Tour de France last visited Bayonne, a souped-up Tyler Hamilton raced home two minutes up on the Erik Zabel-led peloton. A repeat of that long solo effort seems very unlikely on Monday, though, with the Tour peloton packed with eager sprinters – Jasper Philipsen, Fabio Jakobsen, Caleb Ewan, Mark Cavendish, Biniam Girmay, Dylan Groenewegen, Mads Pedersen among them.

"That's what we're looking forward to for me and Fabio. This weekend is not really our race," Soudal-QuickStep lead-out man extraordinaire Michael Mørkøv told Cyclingnews ahead of stage 2.

2023 Tour de France route Tour de France 2023 - Comprehensive team-by-team guide Tour de France stage 3 route to Bayonne modified to avoid 'road furniture'

"Of course, the start takes the freshness away from everybody which could make the sprints maybe a little bit less nervous than if we had to sprint on the very first day for the stage and the yellow jersey. But of course, everybody here is in top shape so I don't think anybody will be fatigued on Monday."

In the Dane, the Belgian team possesses the best lead-out in the peloton, though Alpecin-Deceuninck's duo of Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen lie in wait as the other favourites for glory in Bayonne.

There'll be plenty of eyes on Cavendish, too, with the Manxman setting out in search of a record-breaking 35th Tour stage victory . This July he has the help of old HTC teammate Mark Renshaw, the Australian back amongst it as a sprint advisor for Astana Qazaqstan.

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"It brings another kind of dimension, not just for the sprint stages. It really takes a bit of pressure off to visualise and look through before the stages," Cavendish said in Bilbao before Cyclingnews sought out Renshaw for insight on the renewed partnership and the upcoming days on Tour.

Renshaw said that he had already been out to recon the early sprint days, spending time overlaying the route on Google Earth, recording video of the roads, and making notes.

"I think tomorrow is going to be difficult because we have a series of climbs at around 25km to go," Renshaw said of stage 3. "They're not climbs where sprinters will get dropped, but you start in the back of the bunch which isn't ideal. The run-in is exceptionally fast with double roads and brand-new tarmac and into a technical finish."

The final 5km of the stage has five roundabouts lying in wait for the peloton, with a hairpin bend 2km out and a curve into the rising final 200 metres - all of which are likely to feature highly in Renshaw's notebook.

Of course, the rest of the teams with sprint ambitions will have done similar studying, even if not every squad can count on the expertise of a former top lead-out man and sprinter.

All the sprinters in the race, from 38-year-old Cavendish at his final Tour de France to race debutants such as Jordi Meeus and Sam Welsford, will have had to battle through the tough two opening stages.

The bottom of the general classification is already littered with sprinters – Jakobsen is 152nd, Welsford 160th, Alexander Kristoff 162nd, Phil Bauhaus 168th, and Mark Cavendish 171st. It has been a Grand Départ which might leave an effect on some more than others, Renshaw said.

"It's the hardest start I've seen and it's now 20 years I've been following the Tour and 10 years riding it," he said. "I think it's a big advantage for Cav as one of the oldest sprinters and one of the most experienced. OK, you put Welsford and Cav side by side – Welsford's young, he hasn't got the experience of how to ride in Grand Tours, but he's got all the extra power from being youthful.

"We saw in the Giro that he got better day by day and he was better than at the start. So for Cav, I think having a hard start is an advantage."

Cavendish has already featured in two sprints this Tour, placing fourth and sixth from the peloton at the intermediate sprints in the first two stages as Pedersen and Philipsen led the way. 

It's "little wins" like picking up points without expending too much effort which will give Cavendish a boost, Renshaw said, while also singling out Soudal-QuickStep ("I think really they hold the key") and Caleb Ewan ("We saw him bopping around the front of the bunch on stage 1") as ones to watch.

But there's no certain way to evaluate the sprinters – not even in the intermediates – before they actually get down to business on Monday afternoon and then, a day later, at the twisting finale on the Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro.

"The two finishes on Monday and Tuesday are quite technical so it's going to be an interesting sprint," Mørkøv said. "It's hard to tell about the form, you know? Who is quickest on the finish line you haven't really been able to see on the climbs yet."

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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly, Rouleur, and CyclingTips.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France and the spring Classics, and has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees The Leadout newsletter and How to Watch guides throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and the Volta a Portugal.

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Tour de France Preview: We see these sprinters in the mass sprint

Filed Under: cycling news , road cycling , Tour de France Tagged With: News , Sprinter , Tour de France

June 27, 2023 by Michael Behringer Leave a Comment

Cycling: The Tour de France 2023 is a tour for climbers, not for time trialists and sprinters. Nevertheless, the fastest men in the world have gathered in the Basque Country to take part in the Grand Depart. We take a look at the best sprinters in this year's Tour of France.

A duel for the yellow jersey

The pure sprinters

200 kilometers. flat stage. mass sprint. All too often we see this scenario at the Tour de France 2023 not get to see. There are probably only up to six chances for the pure sprinters. Especially on Mark Cavendish (Astana) then the eyes will be directed. The Brit is trying to win his 35th stage and become the sole record holder. But his chances are not good. Especially with Fabio Jacobsen (Soudal – Quick Step) and Jasper Phillipsen (Alpecin – Deceuninck) he has two opponents who have shown in the past two years that they really are the fastest men in the world. Having a big name too Caleb ewan (Lotto – Dstny) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco – AlUla) yet. Recently, however, things have not been going so well for the two Australians. Outside chances of a big surprise coup make themselves in a mass sprint Bryan coquard (Cofidis), Jordy Meeus (Bora – hansgrohe), Sam Welfsford (DSM – Firmenich) and the German Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious).

The hill-proof sprinters

In the past of Tour de France the green jersey was often awarded to the best sprinter in the peloton. However, this changed a few years ago when the scoring system was changed. In the meantime, the man for the green jersey has to be able to get over the hills quite well in order to be able to walk in breakaway groups on difficult stages. Made for the green jersey wout van aert (Jumbo - Visma). The Belgian doesn't seem to be focusing on that, however, as his team is looking to win the Tour de France again with captain Jonas Vingegaard. Its biggest competitor might Mads pedersen (Trek – Segafredo). The Dane was particularly successful at the Vuelta a Espana last year. Now he wants to win the points jersey at the Tour de France as well. He can handle hilly terrain as well as Wout van Aert but has a clear disadvantage in the high mountains. In return, he will get more support from his team should he actually have a chance of winning the green jersey. youngsters Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Circus – Wanty) and Oldie alexander kristoff (Uno-X) also hope to have a say. In a flat mass sprint, however, they are likely to be inferior to their opponents - especially a Philipsen and a Jakobsen.

About Michael Behringer

Cycling with all its tactics, stage analyses, placements and forecasts are Michael Behringer's great passion. In 1996 he tracked his first Tour de France. Since then he has observed almost every race. His passion for cycling has been with him for over two decades. There is no end in sight.

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Tour de France

How hectic are tour de france sprints jordi meeus hits spectator, bumps shoulders at 40 mph, and still doesn’t crash, belgian sprinter survives gauntlet in masterclass of how riders navigate the white-knuckle final sprints..

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MOULINS, France — How hectic is a Tour de France sprint?

Just watch the replay of Belgian brawler Jordi Meeus of Bora Hansgrohe in Wednesday’s high-speed finale won by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

First, he smacked a spectator’s arm who was leaning over the barriers to take a photo deep inside the red kite. Then he’s body-slammed by Danish dragoon Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Segafredo) in the jostle for position.

Incredibly, Meeus stays upright, and still manages to cross the line 11th.

“I hit the spectator with my right arm and I almost went down,” Meeus said. “It was not the best last kilometer.”

Also read : Sepp Kuss relishing GC showdown in Alps

That’s putting it mildly for the Belgian making his Tour debut in a controversial team selection that left proven Tour-winner Sam Bennett on the sidelines.

Meeus, 25, is in that second line of sprinters in the bunch sprint hierarchy, and that means he’s not seeing a top leadout and he must try to surf the wheels in the final kilometer to fight space to open up his motors.

On Wednesday, he was squeezed up against the barriers when he smacked a fan reaching out with a smart phone to take a photo.

Tour de France officials have been telegraphing to fans not to lean into the race course for photos or to take selfies in order to enhance rider and public safety.

This fan obviously did not receive the memo.

“I hit [the fan] with my right arm, and my handlebar almost went out of my hands,”  Meeus said. “It was pretty dangerous.”

Meeus recovered quickly and, as sprinters do, fearlessly remounted his charge.

Then he ran into the hulking presence of Pedersen, the brawny winner of stage 8 this week in the Tour. Pedersen won that battle, and Meeus was knocked off-balance again.

“I tried to get in the mix again, and then Pedersen hit me underneath my arm, and I almost went down again,” Meeus said.

Coup de gueule légitime de @JackyDurand contre les téléphones des spectateurs (mais grace à @jordimeeus , il y en a déja un en moins) #lesRP #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/M6cCadLpHJ — Martin l’Ardoisier 🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@lardoisier) July 12, 2023

In a testament to his bike-handling skills, Meeus stayed upright and still managed to stab the bike across the line for 11th.

So far in this Tour, Meeus has twice punched into the top-10 in the white-knuckle battles for the mass gallop finales at the Tour.

Also read : Power numbers highest in modern cycling

Meeus, who isn’t seeing much support in the sprints due to the team support thrown at GC contender Jai Hindley sitting third overall, vows to try again.

“So far I haven’t had the feeling I can make my own sprint,” Meeus said. “It’s been hectic so far in fighting for position. I still believe there is a better result coming, so let’s hope we can do it in the next sprint.”

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Cycling, Paris-Roubaix 2024: Preview, full schedule and how to watch live action

Known as "The Hell of the North" or "A Sunday in Hell", the Paris-Roubaix is arguably the hardest one-day race on the road cycling calendar. This year it will take place on 6 April for the women and 7 April for the men.

The third Monument of the season concludes the 'cobbled classics' of this spring, and will mark the 119th edtion of the men's race and the fourth for the women.

Reigning men's champion Mathieu van der Poel is considered the outright favourite following his stunning solo victory in Sunday's Tour of Flanders .

Last year, Canadian Alison Jackson stunned the big names with a spectacular win from a breakaway in the women's race.

Find everything you need to know about the Paris-Roubaix 2024 below, including the riders to look out for and how to watch live.

Tour of Flanders 2024: Mathieu van der Poel converts Koppenberg attack into third triumph

• Mathieu van der Poel exclusive on switching between cycling disciplines: “It used to be easier”
• Paris-Roubaix winner Alison Jackson: How I swapped a bison farm for professional cycling and dancing videos

Route for Paris-Roubaix 2024

The men's peloton will cycle 259.7km , including 55.7km of cobblestone roads . The organisers have also added 3.2km of pavés as compared to last year.

Compiègne will host the start of the race and, as always, it will finish in the iconic velodrome in Roubaix.

The three five-star sectors of pavé are at the Trouée d'Arenberg, Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l'Arbre. They are often the most decisive in the race.

The riders will face 29 cobbled sectors in 2024.

* the stars show the diffuclty of the cobbled sectors, rated by the organisers. Five-star pavés are the most difficult. In the brackets are the distance to the finish line and the length of the sector.

29. (⭐⭐⭐) Troisvilles - Inchy (km 163.7 - 2.2km long) 28. (⭐⭐⭐) Viesly - Quiévy (km 157.2 - 1.8km long) 27. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Quiévy - Saint-Python (km 154.6 - 3,7km long) 26. (⭐⭐⭐) Viesly - Briastre (km 148.4 - 3km long) 25. (⭐⭐⭐) Vertain - Saint-Martin-sur-Écaillon (km 137.1 - 2.3km long) 24. (⭐⭐⭐) Capelle - Ruesnes (km 130.4 - 1.7km long) 23. (⭐⭐) Artres - Quérénaing (km 121.4 - 1.3km long) 22. (⭐⭐⭐) Quérénaing - Maing (km 119.6 - 2.5km long) 21. (⭐⭐⭐) Maing - Monchaux-sur-Ecaillon (km 116.5 - 1.6km long) 20. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Haveluy - Wallers (km 103.5 - 2.5km long) 19. (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) Trouée d'Arenberg (km 95.3 - 2.3km long) 18. (⭐⭐⭐) Wallers - Hélesmes (km 89.2 - 1.6km long) 17. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Hornaing - Wandignies (km 82.5 - 3.7km long) 16. (⭐⭐⭐) Warlaing - Brillon (km 75 - 2.4km long) 15. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Tilloy - Sars-et-Rosières (km 71.5 - 2.4km long) 14. (⭐⭐⭐) Beuvry-la-Forêt - Orchies (km 65.2 - 1.4km long) 13. (⭐⭐⭐) Orchies (km 60.1 - 1.7km long) 12. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Auchy-lez-Orchies - Bersée (km 54 - 2.7km long) 11. (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) Mons-en-Pévèle (km 48.6 - 3km long) 10. (⭐⭐) Mérignies - Avelin (km 42.6 - 0.7km long) 9. (⭐⭐⭐) Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin (km 39.2 - 1.4km long) 8. (⭐)Templeuve - L'Epinette (km 33.8 - 0.2km long) 8. (⭐⭐) Templeuve - Moulin-de-Vertain (km 33.3 - 0.5km long) 7. (⭐⭐⭐) Cysoing - Bourghelles (km 26.8 - 1.3km long) 6. (⭐⭐⭐) Bourghelles - Wannehain (km 24.3 - 1.1km long) 5. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Camphin-en-Pévèle (km 19.9 - 1.8km long) 4. (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) Carrefour de l'Arbre (km 17.1 - 2.1km long) 3. (⭐⭐) Gruson (km 14.8 - 1.1km long) 2. (⭐⭐) Willems - Hem (km 8.2 - 1.4km long) 1. (⭐) Roubaix - Espace Charles Crupelandt (km 1.4 - 0.3km long)

The women's route is 148.5km long and features 29.2km of pavé.

Just like the men's race, the finish will be in the velodrome in Roubaix. However, the women will begin in Denain.

After two laps around Denain, the women's peloton will merge with the men's route.

There are 17 cobbled sectors in the 2024 Paris-Roubaix Femmes .

17. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Hornaing - Wandignies (km 82.5 - 3.7km long) 16. (⭐⭐⭐) Warlaing - Brillon (km 75 - 2.4km long) 15. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Tilloy - Sars-et-Rosières (km 71.5 - 2.4km long) 14. (⭐⭐⭐) Beuvry-la-Forêt - Orchies (km 65.2 - 1.4km long) 13. (⭐⭐⭐) Orchies (km 60.1 - 1.7km long) 12. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Auchy-lez-Orchies - Bersée (km 54 - 2.7km long) 11. (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) Mons-en-Pévèle (km 48.6 - 3km long) 10. (⭐⭐) Mérignies - Avelin (km 42.6 - 0.7km long) 9. (⭐⭐⭐) Pont-Thibault to Ennevelin (km 39.2 - 1.4km long) 8. (⭐)Templeuve - L'Epinette (km 33.8 - 0.2km long) 8. (⭐⭐) Templeuve - Moulin-de-Vertain (km 33.3 - 0.5km long) 7. (⭐⭐⭐) Cysoing - Bourghelles (km 26.8 - 1.3km long) 6. (⭐⭐⭐) Bourghelles - Wannehain (km 24.3 - 1.1km long) 5. (⭐⭐⭐⭐) Camphin-en-Pévèle (km 19.9 - 1.8km long) 4. (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) Carrefour de l'Arbre (km 17.1 - 2.1km long) 3. (⭐⭐) Gruson (km 14.8 - 1.1km long) 2. (⭐⭐) Willems - Hem (km 8.2 - 1.4km long) 1. (⭐) Roubaix - Espace Charles Crupelandt (km 1.4 - 0.3km long)

Riders to watch at Paris-Roubaix 2024

Men's race - 2024 riders to watch.

• Mathieu van der Poel (NED/Alpecin Deceuninck): Can anyone beat the defending champion in his current shape? Fresh off his third Tour of Flanders title, there is no doubt that the Dutch superstar is the man to beat at the Paris-Roubaix 2024. If van der Poel manages to win "The Hell of the North" for the second time in his career, he will be in joint 10th place for most cycling Monument wins in history with six victories.
• Jasper Philipsen (BEL/Alpecin Deceuninck): Van der Poel's Belgian teammate is one of the fastest sprinters on the planet. He proved that by winning the points classification at the Tour de France and more recently, the 'sprinter's classic' Milano-Sanremo last month. Philipsen was the runner-up in 2023 and knows how to ride the cobblestones in Northern France.
• Mads Pedersen (DEN/Lidl-Trek): The Dane beat van der Poel at the Gent-Wevelgem in a two-man sprint finish and by that showed that the big favourite is beatable. Pedersen was one of the victims of a mass crash during the Dwars door Vlaanderen last week, but the 2019 road race world champion seems to have recovered, as he tried to anticipate van der Poel in the Tour of Flanders with an early attack. Unfortunately for the Lidl-Trek rider, he ran out of juice and finished the race in 22nd place.
• Nils Politt (GER/UAE Team Emirates): The UAE Team Emirates rode a solid Tour of Flanders and used their numbers to get Politt on the podium - and three riders in the top five. In 2019, the German finished second behind Philippe Gilbert. He will be eager to improve that result.

Women's race - 2024 riders to watch

• Alison Jackson (CAN/EF Education-Cannondale): It was a big suprise when the Canadian upset the stars of the women's peloton last year and claimed the biggest victory of her career. The reigning champion has struggled to find her form from last spring, however, having a tenth place as her best result this season. Jackson will be an outsider for this year's race.
• Lotte Kopecky (BEL/Team SD Worx-Protime): The road race world champion has started the year brilliantly by winning the UAE Tour overall, Strade Bianche Donne and Danilith Nokere Koerse. In Sunday's Tour of Flanders, the Belgian was suffering on the cobbled climbs and missed out on the podium spots. Nevertheless, Kopecky has previously taken a second place in Paris-Roubaix and is one of top contenders.
• Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA/Lidl-Trek): The 2022 winner of Paris-Roubaix was back on the top step of the podium in the 2024 Tour of Flanders. Consistency is what characterises the 32-year-old Italian cyclist who always features in the final of the big one-day races.
• Marianne Vos (NED/Team Visma|Lease a Bike): The 36-year-old cycling veteran added a 250th professional win to her palmares as she clinched the Dwars door Vlaanderen last week. Paris-Roubaix is still missing on her impressive list of victories though and the two-time Olympic champion can cement herself as one of the greatest of all time if she wins the prestigious cobbled classic.

2024 Paris-Roubaix: Race schedules

All times are local Central European Summer Time.

Saturday, 6 April

• 13:45 - Start women's race (Denain)
• 17:33 - Estimated women's race finish with an average speed of 39km/h (Roubaix)

Sunday, 7 April

• 11:25 - Start men's race (Compiègne)
• 17:19 - Estimated men's race finish with an average speed of 44km/h (Roubaix)

How to watch the 2024 Paris-Roubaix

Below you will find a list of regional broadcasters (TV/online):

• Australia - SBS
• Belgium - RTBF/VRT
• Canada - FloBikes
• Colombia - Caracol/RCN
• Denmark - TV2
• Europe - Eurosport
• France - France TV/Eurosport
• Italy - Rai Sport
• Japan - J Sports
• Latin America and Caribbean - ESPN/ DirecTV
• Luxemburg - RTL
• Middle East & North Africa - Abu Dhabi Sports
• Netherlands - NOS
• Norway - TV2
• People’s Republic of China - Zhibo TV
• Slovakia - RTVS
• South East Asia - Eurosport Asia
• Spain - Teledeporte/EITB (Basque Country)
• Sub-Saharan Africa - Supersport
• Switzerland - SRG-SSR
• United States - NBC Sports

Related content

2024 Tour of Flanders: Preview, schedule, how to watch men's and women's cycling classic races live

Gent-Wevelgem 2024: Mads Pedersen beats Mathieu van der Poel in two-man sprint finish; Lorena Wiebes takes women's title

Milan-San Remo 2024: Jasper Philipsen wins in frenetic sprint to the finish

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Jonas Vingegaard’s Tour de France defence in doubt after Basque crash

• 2022 and 2023 winner fractures collarbone and scapula
• Twelve riders crash on fourth stage of Basque tour

The Tour de France champion, Jonas Vingegaard, was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone after a serious crash on stage four of the Itzulia Basque Country.

Vingegaard also suffered several broken ribs from the high-speed accident that also included Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic among a group of 12 affected riders. “It was a nasty crash, but fortunately he is stable and conscious. He remains in hospital as a precaution. Thank you for all your messages,” Vingegaard’s team Visma-Lease a Bike said in a statement.

Six riders went to hospital after the incident, including the Australian Jay Vine, who was diagnosed with a fractured cervical vertebra and two fractures in his thoracic spine. “Fortunately, there were no neurological problems and there are no other serious injuries or skull injuries,” Vine’s UAE Team Emirates said in a statement.

Evenepoel’s team Soudal-QuickStep revealed the Belgian must undergo surgery on a fractured collarbone and fractured scapula. Roglic was the least affected of the big-name trio involved and he headed for the team car having received medical attention. The incident took place when the peloton was descending around a tight right-hand bend with less than 40km of the stage to go, one riding sliding out of the road and on to the bank, sparking a chain reaction as more followed.

The race was then neutralised until the finish, with only the six riders who had been at the front being allowed to sprint for the finish to try to win the stage, victory eventually going to the underwhelmed South African Louis Meintjes, who admitted it was a hollow triumph.

“It’s a sad day. I wish all the guys who crashed all the best and wish them a fast recovery,” Mattias Skjelmose, who took the overall race lead from Roglic, said at the finish. “My mind is with the guys who crashed, and right now I am not thinking about the leader’s jersey.”

Vingegaard won the Tour de France in 2022 and 2023 but with this year’s event starting on 29 June, doubt now hangs over his ability to defend his crown.

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Vingegaard breaks collarbone and several ribs in crash at race in Spain. Evenepoel also injured

Jonas Hansen Vingegaard - Team Visma - Lease A Bike, the winner of the race, celebrates on the podium with the Trident Trophy after the 59th Tirreno - Adriatico 2024, Stage from San Benedetto del Tronto to San Benedetto del Tronto, Sunday, March 10, 2024 in San Benedetto del Tronto, Tuscany, Italy. (FGianmattia D’Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

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MADRID (AP) — Two-time defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard broke his collarbone and several ribs Thursday in a crash at the Tour of Basque Country that also caught up Olympic gold medalist Primoz Roglič and Remco Evenepoel, who also sustained a broken collarbone.

Evenepoel, one of the favorites for the road race at the Paris Games, also has a broken right shoulder blade and was scheduled return to Belgium on Friday for surgery on his collarbone, his team said.

Vingegaard was hardly moving as he was put in an ambulance wearing an oxygen mask and neck brace after the crash occurred with less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) left in the fourth stage.

“Examinations at the hospital have revealed that he has a broken collarbone and several broken ribs. He remains in hospital as a precaution,” Team Visma said of the 27-year-old Danish rider, who won the race in Spain a year ago.

The accident happened as riders were making a right-hand turn, and one rider’s front tire appeared to slip out and send other riders off the road. There were some large rocks in the area, though it wasn’t clear if any of the riders hit them.

Video and images of the crash showed riders strewn alongside the road, including in a concrete drainage ditch.

Vingegaard won both races he entered this season at Tirreno-Adriatico and the Gran Camino in Spain. He is considered the heavy favorite to triumph again at the Tour, which ends with a time trial in Nice this year because of the Paris Olympics.

“Over the radio we heard Jonas was involved in a big crash,” Visma sports director Addy Engels told Eurosport. “We immediately saw that it didn’t look good when we arrived to him. Fortunately, he was conscious. Jonas is now being examined at the hospital. We are waiting for any updates now.”

Evenepoel, who won stages at the Giro d’Italia and Spanish Vuelta last year, hit the pavement and landed in a wooded area during Thursday’s crash, though he appeared to be walking away while clutching his chest.

Evenepoel’s team, Soudal Quick-Step, later confirmed that the Belgian “suffered a fracture to his right collarbone and his right scapula.” The team said he will undergo surgery “and further examination” at the hospital in Belgium.

Roglič was leading the overall race despite a heavy fall on Wednesday. He was one of the riders that ended up in the drainage ditch, and he was later spotted walking to a Bora-Hansgrohe team car and driving away with a team staff.

The injuries to Roglič came one day after his teammate, Lennard Kämna, was hit by an oncoming vehicle and sustained serious injuries while on a training ride in Tenerife. Kämna was expected to spend several days in the intensive care unit.

Other riders taken to the hospital Thursday included Jay Vine of UAE Team Emirates and Steff Cras of TotalEnergies, which reported its rider was conscious and “transferred to hospital to carry out additional examinations.” EF Education-EasyPost said two of its riders, Alexander Cepeda and Sean Quinn were involved, and Quinn was forced to abandon the race and his “medical evaluation was ongoing.” Others involved in the crash included Quinten Hermans and Natnael Tesfatsion.

The race was neutralized until the finish line, and the restart had to be delayed until doctors could rejoin the race to accompany the remaining riders. Six riders who had been in a breakaway stopped to wait in the next town, and they were allowed to sprint for the stage win but neither their times nor any bonuses would count for the general classification.

Louis Meintjes of Intermarché Wanty wound up winning the stage. Mattias Skjelmose took the overall race lead.

“It’s a sad day. I wish all the guys who crashed all the best and wish them a fast recovery,” Skjelmose said at the finish. “My mind is with the guys who crashed, and right now I am not thinking about the leader’s jersey.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Tour de France in doubt for Jonas Vingegaard and Jay Vine after horrific crash during the Itzulia Basque Country race in Spain

Sport Tour de France in doubt for Jonas Vingegaard and Jay Vine after horrific crash during the Itzulia Basque Country race in Spain

Jonas Vingegaard has been taken to hospital along with leading Australian rider Jay Vine after some of the world's best cyclists suffered injuries in a mass crash at high speed in the Itzulia Basque Country race in Spain. 

The reigning double Tour de France champion Vingegaard was reported to have suffered a broken collarbone and several broken ribs but was "conscious" after the alarming crash that threatens his hopes of a famous treble in July.

Vine, last year's Tour Down Under winner, also ended up crashing heavily in a concrete ditch and was taken away by ambulance.

The 28-year-old was later diagnosed with a fractured cervical vertebra and two fractures in his thoracic spine, with no other major injuries or head trauma. 

It was a disastrous day for another modern-day great too, with Remco Evenepoel, the 2022 world champion, managing to walk away from the crash despite suffering what his Soudal-Quick Step later confirmed was a fracture to his right collarbone and to his right shoulder blade.

He will need surgery on Friday in Belgium.

Giro d'Italia champ Primoz Roglic, who had been the overnight leader, also abandoned the race after giving a thumbs-up to cameras from the team car to show he was OK.

In all, 12 riders near the front of the peloton were involved in the crash, which happened with about 35 kilometres left of the fourth stage between Etxarri Aranatz and Legutio, in northern Spain.

The leaders were making a sweeping right-hand turn on a slight but swift descent, with some sliding off, sending others off the road into the ditch.

Denmark's Vingegaard, who has been in spectacular form and was favourite for the 2024 Tour de France, had to be carried to the ambulance in a neck brace and needed oxygen after treatment at roadside by doctors.

The race was then neutralised until the finish, with only the six riders who had been at the front being allowed to sprint for the finish to try to win the stage, with victory eventually going to the underwhelmed South African Louis Meintjes, who admitted it was a hollow triumph.

"It's a sad day. I wish all the guys who crashed all the best and wish them a fast recovery," Mattias Skjelmose, who took the overall race lead from Roglic, said at the finish.

"My mind is with the guys who crashed, and right now I am not thinking about the leader's jersey."

The crash, which featured three of the world's most outstanding riders in Vingegaard, Evenepoel and Roglic, was also a huge blow for 25-year-old Vine, who has graduated from riding a turbo trainer in his living room to being a peloton star.

He had begun the week-long race on Monday with an exceptional time trial that had left him second behind only Roglic at that stage and revealed afterwards that the Itzulia had been only a late addition to his schedule.

Earlier on Thursday, Roglic's teammate at BORA-Hansgrohe, Lennard Kamna, was reported to be in a "stable condition" in intensive care after he had collided with a car during a training ride in Tenerife.

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Vingegaard has collapsed lung after crash in Basque Country race. Tour de France defense is in doubt

BARCELONA, Spain — Two-time defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard remained hospitalized in Spain on Friday, one day after he broke his collarbone and several ribs in a bad crash with other top riders during a chaotic Tour of the Basque Country.

The Danish rider’s Visma-Lease A Bike team said further tests revealed that Vingegaard also sustained a collapsed lung and a pulmonary contusion during the crash in Thursday’s fourth stage. The team said cycling’s leading rider was “stable and had a good night” but remains in a hospital in the northern Spanish city of Vitoria.

The accident came less than three months before the start of the Tour de France on June 29, when Vingegaard was scheduled to again face off against his leading rival, Tadej Pogačar. The highly anticipated rematch of former champions is now in doubt.

There was more carnage at the weeklong Tour of the Basque Country on Friday, when Mikel Landa and Soudal Quick-Step teammate Gil Gelders crashed in the fifth stage. Landa, the runner-up in the race in Spain a year ago, was put into a neck brace and taken away on a stretcher.

“(Landa) was taken to the local hospital where X-rays revealed that he has suffered a fracture to his clavicle. He will now undergo further investigation to determine the best path for his recovery,” Soudal Quick-Step said later Friday.

Romain Gregoire of Groupama-FDJ won Friday’s stage in a reduced sprint. Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek remained in the overall lead heading into the final stage Saturday, which features a hard climb that could shake up the general classification.

Vingegaard was hardly moving Thursday when he was put into an ambulance wearing an oxygen mask and neck brace after the harrowing crash with less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) remaining in the stage. The pileup also took out Primoz Roglič and Remco Evenepoel, along with several other riders, many of whom needed treatment in hospitals.

Evenepoel broke a collarbone and his right shoulder blade and was set to undergo surgery when he returns to Belgium on Friday, Soudal Quick-Step said. Evenepoel said in a post on social media that “obviously my plans for the short future will change but I hope and think that my long-term goals will not change.”

The 24-year-old Evenepoel, a former road race world champion and the reigning time trial champ, is scheduled to make his Tour debut this summer before he participates in both of those events at the Paris Olympics .

Roglic, a three-time Spanish Vuelta winner, emerged with just scratches, according to his BORA-Hansgrohe team, but the reigning Olympic time-trial champion nevertheless had to abandon the race he was leading.

The accident happened Thursday as riders were making what appeared to be a conventional right-hand, downhill turn. One rider’s front tire appeared to slip out and send other cyclists off the road. There were some large rocks and trees in the area, though it wasn’t clear if any of the riders hit them, along with a concrete drainage ditch on the edge of the curve.

Race director Julián Eraso said the accident was a surprise since the organizers considered the curve to be “easy” to handle.

“You never know where an accident can occur,” Eraso told Spanish radio Cadena SER. “This year the roads were good, wide, easy roads. That curve to the right was easy … (and) there was an indication a few meters before to let riders prepare for it.”

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports