11:45 – Van der Poel: “Two days too difficult”
“The first two days are quite difficult, to be honest. Last year there was also this question, if it was too difficult for me. It really depends on the way of racing. But if I estimate it that way now, it will be too difficult for me. I have not made a big goal on these stages. There is also a first yellow jersey to win at stake. This complicates my mission” explained the world champion before this Tour de France.
11:25 – Bernal for the general
“The Tour means a lot to me. Last year it was incredible to be back, even though I suffered a lot. But it should be different this year, I feel much better, I’m impatient. Before, I was only focused on winning, now I’ve taken a step back, even if I don’t win I know there are more important things in life,” continued the Colombian. “At the start, I really want to give my all for the general classification. If I’m not in the running anymore, then I’ll try to aim for stage wins,” explained the Ineos rider before the start of the first stage of the Tour de France.
11:02 – Evenepoel “I have to stay calm”
“Honestly, I think I’m going to be more careful than I am in the classics. You have to be smart, you have to know that the Tour de France doesn’t last just a week, it’s three long weeks. You have to be careful, you have to save as much as possible. Since it’s my first Tour de France, I have to stay a little calmer, look around me to see how everything is going (…) I expect Tadej to be almost inaccessible. What he showed at the Giro d’Italia was impressive, and that’s without him even having to dig deep into his reserves. He will be the man to beat in the Tour de France. UAE Team Emirates will want to show that it is the best team in the world, it’s a bit like the Real Madrid of cycling,” analyzed the Belgian before the start of this first stage.
10:45 – Difficult to follow up for Pogacar?
“It’s already difficult to win a Grand Tour, difficult to win the Giro, I gave it my all. Of course, in my head, it’s a big challenge, everyone thinks the same thing. I like to take on challenges, nothing is easy in cycling. After the Giro, I reset the counters to zero, we’ll see in three weeks” explained the Slovenian before the start of the Tour de France.
10:25 – Vingegaard hopes for “the best possible result”
Back in competition for the first time after his injury, Jonas Vingegaard is moving forward with uncertainty. “I’m just happy to be here. It’s a victory in itself. I hope for the best possible result in the standings. But honestly, it was a very bad crash. The hardest part was getting back to my level. I had to take a long break and the injuries had to heal before I could train again. You can ride your bike outside, but training is something else. I’ve worked a lot and my form is not bad. I’ve done everything I can to be ready. I have my own goals and then we’ll see. I don’t know what the effect of the two weeks I spent in a hospital bed will be. Of course, without the crash, I would have aimed for the overall victory. But this accident changed everything.”
10:10 – A first step already decisive?
Can the Tour de France be decided in the first stage? No, we are exaggerating because a stage cannot give the winner of the Tour de France, but it could still already give a trend with a very hilly course and many small climbs that could cause a big explanation between the favorites and in particular between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.
10:00 – The big day!
Hello everyone and welcome to follow live and in full the very first stage of the Tour de France 2024 which starts, for once, from abroad in Florence in Italy.