Taking a haul of four stage victories and the coveted green sprinter’s jersey at the 2023 Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was targeting a second points classification title in his young career next season. Once the official route was revealed on Wednesday, the Belgian sprinter pondered the parcours with few sprint opportunities and “a very difficult end”.
In particular, Philipsen seemed struck by a challenging third week of the 2024 Tour de France, and what it would take to complete the race. For the first time in the history of the Tour, the traditional spotlight on the final day switched from the Champs Élysées for sprints to a time trial for GC contenders on the Mediterranean coast in Nice. It’s a plot with a twist.
“That is striking. I think the last chance for sprinters will be stage 16. Then the question is whether you continue to Nice, because it will be a very difficult end,” Philipsen told Wielerflits when addressing the media after the route presentation.
Philipsen was among an all-star cast of pro men and women riders in Paris Wednesday for the route presentation of the 2024 Tour de France, along with the reveal for the eight stages of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes. He was joined in the audience by fellow sprinters Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) as well as reigning Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
The time spent in the Palais des Congrès for the presentation will be the only occasion Philipsen gets close to the Champs Élysées for 2024 Tour business. Because next year’s Olympic Games take place in and around Paris July 26-August 11, France’s Grand Tour will reroute and conclude in Nice for the first time.
“I think we will have to evaluate where we stand after stage 16. If you no longer have any prospects in the green position, the question is asked whether it makes sense to continue,” he told Wielerflits. “There are also other goals such as the Olympic road race in Paris or other things later in the season.”
The Grand Départ for the Tour will be in Italy, also a first. Across 3,492km of racing through four countries (Italy, Marino, Monaco and France), the route features two time trials, four mountain-top finishes and 27 mountains classified as second, first, or hors categorie. Even the time trial on the final and decisive day is hilly.
Organisers revealed there are only eight flat stages across the 21 days of racing. For riders like Philipsen and…
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