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It’s a strong group, too. Mohorič, Ion Izagirre and Valentin Madouas are all present.
47 seconds for this 7-man group – this certainly seems like the day’s break.
The pace has slowed in the peloton – this might be the break of the day.
Wout van Aert has his hand up at the back of the peloton. He’s taking things easy for now, but could be a contender for the stage later depending on how well recovered he is from his injury.
190KM TO GO
It seems not – a flurry of counter-attacks from the peloton has seen everything come back together again.
García Pierna now has seven riders with him at the front, and a handful of seconds on the peloton. Could this be the break?
Raúl García Pierna has managed to escape and is out in front alone, with a small group behind him chasing.
Everything is back together again in the peloton.
Jan Hirt is at the back of the peloton, and already suffering. What an unfortunate start to the Tour for him.
DSM is the best-represented team in the current leading group, with two riders.
They’re brought back, and a new group of five try their luck, with a Groupama-FDJ rider involved again.
A new group now trying to clear, featuring Paul Lapeira, now very conspicuous in his tricolore jersey as newly crowned French national champion.
That move has been brought back.
A group of about ten now has the biggest gap we’ve seen so far, but even that is only a few seconds.
Even fortmer podium finisher Romain Bardet is getting involved in the attacks! This is far from the usual suspects of wildcard teams and small names trying to get into the break.
Stefan Küng is also being lively at the front. Groupama-FDJ seem eager to get into the break today, and have their strongest men utilised.
After a pause of a few moments, the attacks begin, led by Groupama-FDJ’s Valentin Madouas.
205KM TO GO
A terrible start to the Tour for Jan Hirt, even before the unofficial start. The Czech rider crashed on his way back to the team bus after signing on, breaking three of his teeth. Soudal-QuickStep team will need him to recover, as he’s set to be a key domestique in the mountains for Remco Evenepoel.
Now just 4km until the official start. Sometimes earlier Grand Tour stages can be characterised by how little riders want to get into the break, but the amount of climbing on the menu today, and the prospect of everything from a Polka-dot jersey and fame on such a big occasion, should mean there’s action once the flag drops soon.
Still 10km left of the neutralised zone. The Tour de France is making the most of this unique Grand Départ.
Although there are no climbs ranked higher than category two today, there are a lot of them — seven in total, amounting to 3,600m elevation gain in total. It’s been described as one of the hardest starts to a Tour de France, and one that even many puncheurs will find too hard.
Mark Cavendish is in good spirits, waving to the crowd as the peloton sets off from the unofficial start. He’s here riding the fifteenth Tour of his career, and is, as has been much discussed, chasing the record-breaking 35th win.
The riders have just set off from the neutralised zone – the Tour is to begin soon! Not just yet, though, as they will spend longer than usual in the zone than usual as they savour the sights of Florence.
Follow our Instagram for on-the-ground updates in Florence and Rimini on our stories:
Make sure to check out CN’s mega Grand Départ tech gallery, as shot and put together by our associate editor Josh Croxton, who is on the ground in Italy for the opening 3 stages:
Huge reception for World Champion Mathieu van der Poel as he brings the rainbow bands to the Tour de France.
Just 30 minutes until the départ fictif now in Florence. Reminder that it is absolute scorcher today in Tuscany so temperature regulation will be incredibly important.
Here’s Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) arriving at the start of stage 1 on his 16th and final Tour de France.
Make sure to catch up with this great read on the importance of the Italian Grand Départ, which honours the hometowns and training roads of Italian greats Gino Bartali, Marco Pantani and Fausto Coppi:
Wonderful reception for fan-favourite Mark Cavendish on stage in Florence, a place dear to his heart. He’s here in search of stage win 35.
Reminder that although it is a punchy day, Mathieu van der Poel doesn’t see it was an option for himself of Jasper Philipsen:
Big crowds welcome the first team on stage, TotalEnergies.
Teams have arrived in Florence and are gearing up for sign-on and the team presentation. Here’s Visma-Lease a Bike and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard setting off from their team hotel this morning.
To get things started, make sure to read our preview of stage 1, written by one of CN’s team on the ground at the Grand Départ, Dani Ostanek:
It’s back, finally! The biggest bike race in the world is about to start and we’re getting the build-up started an hour and a half before the riders set off from the neutralised start in beautiful Florence.
Bonjour and welcome to Cyclingnews live coverage of stage 1 of the 111th 2024 Tour de France!
