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Cavendish 'back on track' ahead of Tour de France record bid, says Eisel

16/05/2024 at 18:09

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Tour de France 2023 route: Every stage of the 110th edition in detail

This year's race has kicked off in Bilbao, in Spain's Basque Country. It looks like it'll be a Tour for the climbers, with the Puy de Dôme returning and 56,400 metres of climbing in all

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The 2023 men's Tour de France began in Bilbao, Spain on Saturday, July 1, with a route that looks set to be one for the climbers. It features four summit finishes, including a return for the iconic Puy de Dôme climb for the first time since 1988.

There is just one time trial across the three-week event, a short uphill race against the clock from Passy to Combloux over 22km. There are also returns for other epic climbs like the Col de la Loze and the Grand Colombier, with 56,400 metres of climbing on the Tour de France 2023 route.

The race started on foreign soil for the second year in a row, with a Grand Départ in the Spanish Basque Country , the setting for the race's 120th anniversary. There were two hilly stages in Spain, before the peloton crossed the border into France for a stage finish in Bayonne on day three. 

After visiting Pau for the 74th time on stage five, the race's first real mountain test came on stage six, leaving Tarbes and cresting the Col d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet before a summit finish in Cauterets. 

On stage seven, the Tour’s second most visited city, Bordeaux, will welcome its first stage finish since 2010, when Mark Cavendish claimed his 14th of a record 34 stage wins. Leaving nearby Libourne the next day, stage eight will head east on a 201km slog to Limoges. 

Before the first rest day, the riders will wind up to the summit of the Puy de Dôme, a dormant lava dome which hasn’t featured in the Tour for 35 years. They’ll then enjoy a well-earned day off in Clermont-Ferrand before continuing their passage through the Massif Central. 

France’s national holiday, 14 July, will be celebrated next year with a summit finish on the Grand Colombier, the site of Tadej Pogačar ’s second stage win back in 2020. From there, the mountains keep coming. The riders will climb over the Col de Joux Plaine to Morzine on stage 14, before another mountaintop test in Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc the next day. 

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The sole individual time trial of the Tour de Franc route comes on stage 16, when a hilly 22km dash from Passy to Combloux will give the GC contenders a chance to force time gaps. The following day will bring the stage with the highest elevation gain, counting 5000m of climbing en route to the Courchevel altiport, via the Cormet de Roselend and the monstrous Col de la Loze. 

On stages 18 and 19, the sprinters are expected to come to the fore, with flat finishes in Bourg-en-Bresse and Poligny. 

The penultimate stage will play out in the country’s most easterly region, ascending the Petit Ballon, Col du Platzerwasel and finishing in Le Markstein, as the Tour de France Femmes did last year. 

The riders will then undertake a 500km transfer to the outskirts of Paris for the curtain-closing stage. The final day will start at France’s national velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, the track cycling venue for the 2024 Olympics, and will conclude with the customary laps of the capital’s Champs-Elysées. 

The 2023 Tour de France will begin on 1 July, with the winner crowned in Paris on 23 July. 

2023 Tour de France stage table

Jonas Vingegaard raced in the Basque Country this year

Tour de France route week summary

Tour de france week one.

The race began in Bilbao, starting in the Basque Country for the first time since 1992, when the Tour started in San Sebastian. The first two stages are packed full of climbs, with ten classified hills in over the opening couple of days, meaning there will be a fierce battle for the polka-dot jersey. Watch out for Basque fans going crazy on the roadside.

Stage three saw the race cross into France, which it will not leave for the rest of the 18 days. As expected we saw a sprint finish in Bayonne, even after four categorised climbs en-route. Nothing is easy this year.

The fourth day was another sprint, on a motor racing circuit in Nogaro, as the race moved, ominously, towards the Pyrenees. The Hors Categorie Col de Soudet on stage five was the first proper mountain of the race, and was followed by the Col de Marie Blanque, which has tough gradients. A GC day early on, although they are all GC days, really.

Stage five was a mountain top finish in Cauterets-Cambasque, but its gradients didn't catch too many out; it is the Col d'Aspin and Col du Tourmalet that will put people through it.

The seventh day of the race was a chance for the riders to relax their legs as the race headed northwest to an almost nailed-on sprint finish, before another opportunity for the the remaining fast men presented itself on stage eight - after two category four climbs towards the end, and an uphill finish.

The long first week of the race - which will have felt longer because last year had a bonus rest day - ended with the mythical Puy de Dôme.

Tour de France week two

Magnus Cort in the breakaway on stage 10 of the Tour de France 2022

The second week begins with a lumpy road stage around Clermont-Ferrand, starting from a volcano-themed theme park. This will surely be a day for the break. The next day could also be one if the sprint teams fail to get their act together, with two early categorised climbs potential ambush points.

Back into the medium mountains on stage 12, with a finish in the wine making heartland of the Beaujolais, Belleville. Another day for the break, probably, but none of the five categorised climbs are easy.

The following day, stage 13, is France's national holiday, 14 Juillet. The Grand Colombier at the end of the day is the big attraction, with its slopes expected to cause shifts on the GC. Stage 14 is yet another mountain stage as the Tour really gets serious, with the Col de la Ramaz followed by the Col de Joux Plane. The latter, 11.6km at 8.5%, will be a real test for a reduced peloton, before a downhill finish into Morzine.

The final day of week two, stage 15, is yet another day in the Alps before a rest day in Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc. There is nothing as fearsome as the previous days, but 4527m of climbing should still be feared.

Tour de France week three

Tadej Pogačar in the final time trial at the 2022 Tour de France

The third and final week begins with the race's only time trial, 22km long and with a lot of uphill. It is not a mountain event, but it is certainly not one for the pure rouleurs .

Stage 17 looks like the race's Queen Stage, with the final climb up to the Col de la Loze looking incredibly tough on paper, and in real life. That follows the Col de Saisies, the Cormet de Roselend and the Côte de Longefoy, adding up to 5,100m of climbing. The race might be decided on this day.

After that, there is a nice day for the sprinters on stage 18, with a flat finish in Bourg-en-Bresse surely one for the fast men. The next day, stage 19 could be a breakaway day or a sprint finish, depending on how desperate teams are feeling, or how powerful the remaining leadout trains are.

The final mountainous day comes on the penultimate stage, with the men following the Femmes lead and finishing in Le Markstein. However, there's no Grand Ballon, just the Petit Ballon, and so unless something chaotic happens, there should not be great time switches on this stage.

Then, at last, there is the usual finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, after the race heads out of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, which has a long-term deal to host the start of Paris-Nice too. ASO country.

Remember, this will be the last time Paris hosts the Tour de France until 2025. So, be prepared.

Tour de France 2023: The stages

Stage one: Bilbao to Bilbao (182km)

The opening stage is very lumpy

There was no easing into the Tour de France for the peloton this year, with a tough, punchy day in the Basque Country. Adam Yates took the first yellow jersey of the 2023 Tour de France after a scintillating stage in the Basque Country that saw the overall battle for the Tour take shape at the earliest opportunity.

The Briton emerged clear over the top of the final climb of the stage, the short and steep Côte de Pike, with his twin brother Simon a few seconds behind him. The pair worked well together to stay clear of the chasing bunch of GC contenders before Adam rode his brother off his wheel inside the final few hundred metres to claim victory.

Stage two: Vitoria-Gasteiz to Saint Sebastian (208.9km)

Still in the Basque Country, there is a Klasikoa theme to stage two

This was the longest stage of the Tour, surprisingly.  Five more categorised climbs meant  it was unlikely to be a sprint stage, including the Jaizkibel, famous from the Clasica San Sebastian, tackled on its eastern side 20km from the finish. This second stage from Vitoria Gasteiz to San Sebastian on the Basque coast followed many of the roads of the San Sebastian Classic, held here every summer.

An early break was soon established in the first 50km and established a three-minute advantage. However, the break was reeled in and a group, including the yellow jersey Adam Yates, pressed towards the finish with Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) clearly hoping it would finish in a sprint. 

Victor Lafay (Cofidis) had other ideas however, and with all and sundry already having attacked Van Aert, Lafay finally made it stick with a kilometre to go, holding off the reduced bunch all the way to the line.

Stage three: Amorebiata-Etxano to Bayonne (187.4km)

Still some hills, but this should be a sprint stage

The third stage took the riders from Amorebieta-Etxano in the Basque Country and back into France, finishing at Bayonne in what was always tipped to be a bunch sprint.  Ultimately, despite a very strong showing in the leadout by Fabio Jakobsen's Soudal-Quick Step team, it was Jasper Philipsen who triumphed , having benefited from a deluxe leadout by team-mate Mathieu Van Der Poel.

Mark Cavendish, who is hunting for a record 35th stage win in what will be his final Tour de France, was sixth.

Stage four: Dax to Nogaro (181.8km)

A nailed on bunch sprint, surely. Surely!

Now this one was always going to be a sprint finish, right? It finished on a motor racing circuit in Nogaro, meaning teams have a long old time to sort their leadout trains.  After a sleepy day out all hell broke lose on the finishing circuit with a series of high speed crashes. Jasper Philipsen was one of the few sprinters to still have a lead-out man at his disposal and when that lead-out man is of the quality of Mathieu van der Poel he was always going to be very difficult to beat. So it proved with Australian Caleb Ewan chasing him down hard but unable to come around him.  Philipsen's win handed him the green jersey too .

Stage five: Pau to Laruns (162.7km)

The first proper mountain, and the first sorting out, as early as stage five

The first Hors Categorie climb of the race came on stage five, the Col de Soudet, which is 15.2km at 7.2%, before the Col de Marie-Blanque and its steep gradients. It certainly ignited the GC battle!  

A break that at one point contained 37 riders was never allowed more than a few minutes, but that proved unwise for Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar behind. Ultimately, with the break already splintering on the final big climb – the Col de Marie-Blanque – Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), riding his first Tour de France, attacked. 

With Hindley time trialling the largely downhill 18km to the finish, Vingegaard attempted to chase him down – and put time into Pogačar as he did so.

Picking up strays from the early break on the way, Vingegaard got to within 34 seconds of Hindley, but it wasn't enough to stop the Australian from taking the stage win, and the yellow jersey .

Stage six: Tarbes to Cauterets-Cambasque (144.9km)

While in the Pyrenees, why not tackle a few more mountains?

A day of aggressive racing in the Pyrenees towards the first summit finish saw Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) take the yellow jersey but Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates) win the stage .

Having had his team set a blistering pace on the Col du Tourmalet, Vingegaard attacked with 4km until the summit. Only Pogačar could follow him as yellow jersey holder Jai Hindley dropped back to the peloton

Having joined up with super domestique Wout van Aert over the top, the group of favourites were towed up the first half of the final climb before Vingegaard attacked. Once again Pogačar followed and with two kilometers to go the Slovenian counter-attacked.

He clawed back nearly half a minute by the line, making the race for yellow a three horse race between those two and Hindley in the process. 

Stage seven: Mont-de-Marsan to Bordeaux (169.9km)

Bordeaux is always a sprint finish

Renowned as a sprint finish town, Bordeaux didn't disappoint the hopeful fastmen –except perhaps for Mark Cavendish, who had to concede victory to hat-trick man Jasper Philipsen, despite a very strong charge for the line from the Manxman .

With Cavendish hunting that elusive 35th record stage win, and having won here last time the Tour came visiting in 2010, many eyes were on the Astana Qazaqstan rider, with on-form Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who has won twice already, starting as favourite.

The day began with Arkéa-Samsic's Simon Gugliemi forging what turned out to be a solo break that lasted 130 kilometres. He was joined by Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) and Nans Peters (Ag2r-Citroën) halfway through the stage, the trio forming a purposeful triumvirate of home riders.

However, with the sprinters and their teams on the hunt and few places to hide on what was a hot day crammed with long, straight roads, the break served only as a placeholder for the day's main action in Bordeaux.

A technical finish with roundabouts aplenty, first Jumbo-Visma (in the service of GC leader Jonas Vingegaard) and then Alpecin-Deceuninck took the race by the scruff of the neck in the final. Philipsen enjoyed a marquee leadout from team-mate Mathieu Van Der Poel, but when Cavendish turned on the afterburners at around 150m and leapt forward, the whole cycling world held its breath.

That 35th stage win had to wait for another day though, with Philipsen sweeping past in what was yet another command performance from the Belgian.

Stage eight: Libourne to Limoges (200.7km)

Three categorised climbs in the final 70km could catch people out

Mads Pedersen powered to victory up a punchy finish on stage eight of the  Tour de France , managing to hold off green jersey  Jasper Philipsen  in the process.

Pedersen, the Lidl-Trek rider, now has two Tour stage wins to his name, in a finish which mixed pure sprinters and punchier riders. Alpecin-Deceuninck's Philipsen was third, with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in third. To prove how mixed the top ten was, however, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) finished behind the likes of Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis).

On a day which could have been one for the breakaway, the race was controlled expertly by Jumbo, Trek and Alpecin for their options, and so the escapees were never allowed much time. Sadly, stage eight turned out to Mark Cavendish's last - the Astana-Qazaqstan rider crashed heavily and was forced to abandon .

Stage nine: Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat to Puy de Dôme (184km)

The Puy de Dôme is back, and is vicious

In a north American showdown it was Canada that came out on top as  Michael Woods  beat American rival  Matteo Jorgenson  to the win atop the legendary Puy de Dôme.

Jorgenson had gone solo form a breakaway with 40km left to race. However, on the slopes of the Puy de Dôme where the gradient remains over 105 for more than four kilometres, Woods closed the gap and came around Jorgenson with just 600m left to go.

In the final kilometre, of what had been a blisteringly hot day with temperatures north of 30 degree Celsius, Tadej Pogačar managed to drop Jonas Vingegaard but the Jumbo-Visma captain dug deep to minimise his losses and came across the line eight seconds down.

Stage 10: Vulcania to Issoire (162.7km)

Five categorised climbs over this Volcanic stage

The breakaway had its day in Issoire, as Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) won beneath the scorching sun in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. 

After a frantic start, the mood finally settled and a 14-rider move went clear. Krists Neilands (Israel Premier Tech) launched a solo bid with around 30km remaining, but was caught in the closing moments by a chasing group led by Bilbao. The Spaniard then policed attacks in the finale, before sprinting to his team's first victory at this year's race. 

"For Gino," Bilbao said afterwards, dedicating his win to his late teammate, Gino Mäder .  

Stage 11: Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins (179.8km)

The flat finalé hints at a sprint, but it could be a break day

After a difficult previous day that was hot and hilly, the bunch allowed the break to go very quickly, with Andrey Amador, Matis Louvel and Daniel Oss quickly gaining three minutes. They were kept on a tight leash though, with the sprinters' teams eyeing a bunch finish. And this they delivered, with Jasper Philipsen winning a fourth stage after a tricky finale.

Stage 12: Roanne to Belleville-en-Beaujolais (168.8km)

Hills return, with some steep, punchy ones towards the end

Just like stage ten, Thursday's stage 12 was a fast and frenetic affair on the road to Belleville-en-Beaujolais. A strong group of puncheur type riders eventually got up the road after the breakaway took more than 80 kilometres to form. Ion Izagirre (Cofidis) came out on top at the finish, soloing to the line after a big attack on the final climb of the day. 

Stage 13: Châtillon-Sur-Chalaronne to Grand Colombier (138km)

Welcome to the Alps, here's an hors categorie climb

Michał Kwiatkowski took an impressive solo victory on the summit finish of the Grand Colombier. The Polish rider caught and passed the remnants of the day's breakaway which included Great Britain's James Shaw to grab his second-ever Tour stage win. Behind the Ineos rider, Tadej Pogačar attacked and took eight seconds back on Jonas Vingegaard in the fight for the yellow jersey. 

Stage 14: Annemasse to Morzine Les Portes du Soleil (151.8km)

Five categorised climbs, four of which are one and above. Ouch.

Carlos Rodríguez announced himself on his Tour de France debut on stage 14 with a career-defining victory in Morzine. While all eyes were on Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, the Spaniard broke free on the descent of the Col de Joux Plane and descended as if on rails to the finish. 

Stage 15: Les Gets Les Portes du Soleil to Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc (179km)

Back to a summit finish, there is no escape at this Tour

The breakaway had its day at the summit of Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. After dedicating his career to domestique duties, the victory went to Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious), who launched a late attack on the steepest slopes and held off Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) to the line.

Stage 16: Passy to Combloux ITT (22.4km)

A time trial! But not a flat one

Stage 16 brought the fewest time trial kilometres at the Tour de France in 90 years. On the uphill test to Combloux, Jonas Vingegaard proved the strongest , and by quite a way, too. The Dane's winning margin of 1-38 over Tadej Pogačar left him in the driving seat to taking his second Tour title.

Stage 17: Saint-Gervais-Mont-Blanc to Courchevel (165.7km)

Back to  the proper mountains, and there will be no let up on the final Wednesday

The Queen stage brought a career-defining victory for Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R Citroën), but all eyes were on the GC battle, and the demise of Tadej Pogačar. The UAE Team Emirates rider cracked on the slopes of the Col de la Loze, losing almost six minutes to Jonas Vingegaard, and slipping to 7-35 in the overall standings.

Stage 18: Moûtiers to Bourg-en-Bresse (184.9km)

Two category four climbs on the road to a chicken-themed sprint

Denmark's Kasper Asgreen put in one of the best performances of the race to grab his first-ever Tour victory . The Soudal Quick-Step rider was part of a four man breakaway that managed to hold on all the way to the line by just a handful of seconds ahead of the peloton.

Stage 19: Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny (172.8km)

Another sprint, maybe, or a heartbreaking chase which fails to bring the breakaway back

Matej Mohorič of Bahrain Victorious took an emotional victory in Poligny after a chaotic day of racing. The Slovenian rider launched an attack with Kasper Asgreen and Ben O'Connor on the final climb of the hilly stage before beating his breakaway compatriots in a three-up sprint for the line. It was Mohorič's third-ever Tour victory.

Stage 20: Belfort to Le Markstein Fellering (133.5km)

One last chance. Six categorised climbs, will it shake up the GC?

The race might be very near Germany at this point, but Belfort remained French after the Franco-Prussian War, unlike the territory the penultimate stage travels into. 

This is the last chance saloon for all teams and riders who aren’t sprinters, especially those with GC ambitions. However, it is not quite the task of the previous Alpine days, with the six categorised climbs not the most testing. Still, there will be a lot of people trying to make things happen.

Stage 21: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris (115.1km)

The classic Parisian sprint. Lovely.

This will be the last time the Tour heads to Paris until at least 2025, so make the most of those shots of the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées. The classic procession will happen for the first 55km until the race hits the Champs for the first time 60km in. From that point on, anything goes, although that anything will probably be a bunch sprint.

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Adam is Cycling Weekly ’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.

• Tom Thewlis

AI-enabled leaderboard checks just one of a suite of coming updates to the training app

By Adam Becket Published 16 May 24

Giro stage victory in Fano sees former two time road world champion become 108th man to win stages in all three Grand Tours

By Tom Thewlis Published 16 May 24

'We know these guys are mentally really tough' Tim Heemskerk says 27-year-old is making rapid progress in his return to fitness after broken collarbone, fractured ribs and punctured lung

The world champion will not race again until the Tour begins in Florence at the end of June

By Adam Becket Published 15 May 24

Pogačar says he is already thinking about his next goal in July, now that he has a significant Giro d’Italia lead and overall victory in Rome is likely

By Tom Thewlis Published 13 May 24

Team CEO Ralph Denk says further big money signings, similarly to Primož Roglič, are unlikely as Red Bull money gives German team wings

By Tom Thewlis Published 3 May 24

Visma-Lease a Bike rider rues his misfortune in team documentary after Spring campaign wiped out by crash

By Tom Thewlis Published 2 May 24

Lennard Kämna to fly home to Germany to begin rehabilitation after incident in Tenerife last month

By Tom Thewlis Published 1 May 24

Visma-Lease a Bike rider broke his collarbone, sternum and several ribs in a high speed crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen

By Tom Thewlis Published 24 April 24

Danish rider underwent surgery to repair broken collarbone; too early to know whether Tour de France return will be possible

By Tom Thewlis Published 16 April 24

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‘Tour de France: Unchained’ Season 2 Confirms June 2024 Netflix Return

07/07/2023 – Tour de France 2023 – Mont-de-Marsan / Bordeaux (169,9 km) – PHILIPSEN Jasper (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK) – Vainqueur de l’étape 7

Netflix’s sports documentary series on the world-famous Tour de France is back for a second season, with eight new episodes set to land on Netflix globally on June 11th, 2024. The series will go behind the scenes of the 110th edition of the cycling race, which Jonas Vingegaard ultimately won for the third year in a row. 

Before the release of season 1 on June 8th, 2023, it was announced that Tour de France: Unchained had already received a second season order . Cycling Weekly was the first to report that the documentary series would cover the 2023 race, which occurred between July 1st and 23rd, 2023.

Per Netflix, the new season will consist of another eight episodes, with the streamer providing the following tidbits about the new season:

“This new season goes behind the scenes of the 21 stages of Tour de France 2023: amid the scandals, low blows and thirst for glory; amid the dramatic falls and historic breakaways; amid the withdrawals and desire to win: the series dives back into the fierce battle of the riders for the yellow jersey!”

The new season will continue in its first season footsteps, with interviews with everyone in various teams, picking the riders’ brains and the people behind the teams.

Unlike most of the other sports documentaries that have flooded onto Netflix recently, Tour de France: Unchained is in a co-distribution deal with France Télévisions, which will carry it in France.

Box to Box Films is the production company behind Netflix’s co-distribution release. It has pioneered the sports docuseries over the past few years, starting out with Formula 1: Drive to Survive , which is currently in production with its seventh season . They’re also behind Six Nations: Full Contact , which has been given a second season order, plus Break Point , which has concluded after 1 season, and Full Swing , currently awaiting a season 3 renewal.

For more on Netflix’s upcoming sports documentary lineup , keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.

Now, we’ll leave you with some newly released pictures of the second season of Tour de France: Unchained .

Tour de France 2023 – Etape 8 – Libourne / Limoges (200,7 km) – VINGEGAARD Jonas (JUMBO-VISMA)

Image by Alex Broadway for Netflix

Tour de France 2023 – Etape 16 – Passy / Combloux (22,4 km CLM) – POGACAR Tadej (UAE TEAM EMIRATES)

Tour de France 2023 – Etape 20 – Belfort / Le Markstein Fellering (133,5 km) – POGACAR Tadej (UAE TEAM EMIRATES) – Vainqueur de l’étape

Picture via Netflix

19/07/2023 – Tour de France 2023 – Etape 17 – Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc / Courchevel (165,7 km) – GALL Felix, O’CONNOR Ben (AG2R CITROEN TEAM)

Will you be checking out Tour de France: Unchained season 2? Let us know in the comments, and keep checking back for more on what’s coming to Netflix in June 2024 .

Founder of What's on Netflix, Kasey has been tracking the comings and goings of the Netflix library for over a decade. Covering everything from new movies, series and games from around the world, Kasey is in charge of covering breaking news, covering all the new additions now available on Netflix and what's coming next.

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Results and Highlights from the 2024 Giro d’Italia

Check out stage-by-stage recaps and overall standings of the Italian Grand Tour.

Check out stage-by-stage recaps of the action below.

Stage 14: Castiglione delle Stiviere to Desenzano del Garda (Individual Time Trial), 31.2 km

Ganna gets his itt stage victory.

Stage Winner : Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Eight days after he roasted on the hot seat for much of the day only for the maglia rosa to steal the spotlight at the last minute, Filippo Ganna was able to exact some revenge and get his time trial stage victory at the 2024 Giro d’Italia.

With just 150 meters of elevation gain, the stage certainly played into the hands of Ganna, the time trial specialist from INEOS. It was tailor made for a big performance. It was on the final climb of the Stage 7 time trial where Ganna lost crucial seconds to Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and finished second on the stage. There would be no stage victory stealing from Pog this time.

Ganna, in the Italian champion’s jersey, put down a time of 35:02 to set a strong early standard. Of course, with Pogačar, there are no guarantees. The race leader put down a solid performance—29 seconds off Ganna and enough for second on the stage, furthering his lead in the general classification.

Pogačar entered the stage with a 2:40 over second position Daniel Martinez (BORA-hansgrohe) and 2:56 over third position Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers). After the Stage 14 TT, Pogačar extended his lead to 3:41 over Thomas, who slipped into second place in the GC with a strong ride, and 3:56 over Martinez.

• Stage 12: Martinsicuro to Fano, 193 km

Julian Alaphilippe Takes Stunning Victory in Signature Style

Stage Winner : Julian Alaphillippe (Soudal-Quickstep) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

May 16, 2024— Stage 12 turned out to be a lightning-fast stage over a hilly course with 2,200 meters of elevation, leading to some animated racing from the breakaway, chase groups, and even the peloton, where GC riders sat hoping for the race to calm down. But for 193 km, it never really did.

The victory was taken with aggression and style by two-time World Champion Julian Alaphillippe (Soudal-Quickstep). Alaphilippe was part of a huge breakaway battle that started in the Marche region, and at an average of 47 kilometers per hour, it turned out to be one of the top ten fastest stages in Giro history. Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) finished in second, and Quinten Hermans (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was third after the chase-group sprint in Fano.

This is the Soudal-Quickstep rider’s first win since last year’s Critérium du Dauphiné and his first at a Grand Tour since 2021. The win also completes his Grand Tour stage-win set and adds to his six Tour de France stage victories and one La Vuelta a España win.

Alaphilippe launched the first of many attacks about 138 km from the finish before meeting his breakaway companion Mirco Maestri (Polti-Kometa). Their effort would hold off the chasers until Alaphilippe attacked the last ascent 11.5 km from the finish.

“I didn’t plan it. I was expecting a big group to be in the breakaway. First, I have to thank my teammates who perfectly controlled the first 60 km. I was focused on being on the front,” said the Frenchman in the post-race interview.

Alaphilippe believed he could win the stage, but made sure to continue working and hold off the chasers. “Until the last kilometer, I had to keep pushing full gas because I hear Narvaez was close behind me,” he said. “It was my dream to win a stage of the Giro.”

While Maestri would have certainly liked to finish behind a champ like Alaphilippe, the chase caught up to him on the last climb, and he went on to finish in 9th place. “He also deserved to win today. He was amazing. We collaborated super well,” said Alaphilippe.

This is how the stage went down. At 140 km to go, Alaphilippe, along with Andrea Piccolo, sparked a decisive move on an uncategorized climb, prompting a group of former stage winners to join in the action. As the breakaway materialized, Alaphilippe initiated another acceleration, reducing the group’s size to just him and Maestri, leaving the peloton behind.

Although the breakaway initially held a substantial advantage, cooperation within the group was scarce, allowing the chasing peloton to gain ground. As the race approached the final climb, Alaphilippe made his move, leaving Maestri behind in pursuit of the stage win.

Jan Hirt (Soudal-QuickStep), who sits in 11th place in the GC, tried to get in the early break, but team Bahrain Victorious, who has rider Antonio Tiberi sitting in 5th in the GC, made sure Hirt wouldn’t get very far.

While Alaphilippe dominated the finale, Narváez showcased his strength by securing second place. Behind them, the GC contenders remained cautious; race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) stayed safe in the peloton alongside Dani Martínez (Bora-hansgrohe), and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers). Bora-hansgrohe did attempt to position Martínez for a potential attack, but it never materialized. With the flat stages ahead and a crucial time trial looming, the focus has shifted to preserving energy and maintaining position in the overall standings.

• Stage 11: Foiano di Val Fortore to Francavilla al Mare, 207 km

Jonathan Milan Beats Tim Merlier and Kaden Groves in Messy Sprint Finish

Stage Winner : Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

May 15, 2024—After a bit of whistle-wetting with Stage 10’s summit finish, the sprinters again took the spotlight for Wednesday’s Stage 11.

The 207-kilometer stage that started in Foiano di Valfortore kicked off with a few bumps in the road before the parcours sloped gently downward toward the sea, with the day’s final hundred kilometers offering more or less a flat run into Francavilla al Mare.

A small breakaway built a two-minute-and-forty-second lead heading into the day’s only classified climb, the category three Pietracatella, which pitched up at the stage’s fortieth kilometer. But they were slowly reeled in along the flat Adriatic coastline and fully caught one-hundred-and-thirty kilometers late, with just over thirty-five kilometers to go.

Despite a fruitless late attack from EF Education-EasyPost’s Andrea Piccolo, the peloton stayed together at a blistering pace of well over sixty kilometers per hour (occasionally over seventy).

With 4 kilometers to go to the finish, the course bent a hard ninety degrees, a brief wrench thrown into an otherwise straightforward day. And other than a bit of slowing, the peloton came through the turn unscathed.

Movistar’s Fernando Gaviria launched first with just a few hundred meters to go, but by the time the final meters ticked down, the race came down to Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier and current and reigning maglia ciclamino Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek. It marks Milan’s second win in this year’s Giro.

“Our team put me in a really good position,” Merlier said immediately following the stage.“Perfect job from the guys. It’s just a shame that I couldn’t win for them.”

One developing non-racing story to keep an eye on is just how many riders have abandoned due to an illness that is spreading through the peloton. Twenty-one riders have thus far dropped out of the Giro d’Italia, several due to crash-related injuries. However, an inordinate amount of riders have packed it in, citing fevers and viral symptoms.

Just one day after winning Stage 9, Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij abandoned with illness during Monday’s rest day. The following day, his team leader, Cian Uijtdebroeks, suffered the same fate. Visma’s main leadout man, Christophe Laporte, crashed out on Stage 4, leaving last year’s world beaters with just four riders left and two weeks still to race.

Stage 10: Pompei to Cusano Mutri, 142 km

Stage 9: avezzano to naples, 214 km, stage 8: spoleto to prati de tivo, 152 km, stage 7: foligno - perugia (individual time trial), 40.6 km, stage 6: torre del lago puccini - rapolano terme, 180 km, stage 5: genova - lucca, 178 km, stage 4: acqui terme - andora, 190 km, stage 3: novara - fossano, 166 km, stage 2: san francesco al campo - santuario di oropa, 161 km, stage 1: venaria reale - torino, 140 km, paret-peintre claims his first professional win.

Stage Winner : Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Fresh off a rest day, it was all out from the flag drop on today’s stage. With 142 km to cover, it was a relatively short stage. Riders had a long warmup before the climbing started. This stage featured a summit finish on a new climb, the Category 1 Bocca della Selva, with a deceiving 4.6-percent average gradient. Jan Tratnik (Visma-Lease a Bike) led for more than 25 km, but it was Valentin Paret-Peintre (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) who finally caught him and took his first professional win.

Despite pleasant temperatures, riders had to contend with wet roads and rain. Staying upright required all the bike handling skills and smart choices on turns and descents. Riders also had to maneuver around a dog on the course—likely a stray.

The first sprint came at 52 km in Arpaia. Alessandro De Marchi (Jayco-AlUla) took first, Simon Clarke (Israel-Premier Tech) took second, and Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck) crossed the line in third.

At 73 km, the lead group and the chase group were still fairly chaotic. Alessandro De Marchi and Simon Clarke remained the lead duo, followed by many attacks. Eventually, we saw a breakaway group of 27 riders.

The 6.1 km category 2 climb at Camposauro saw Simon Geschke (Cofidis) take first, Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè) second, and Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) third.

Eventually, Simon Clarke was dropped by the breakaway and caught by the peloton. With 28 km to go, Tratnik took a solo lead. Tratnik took the bonus sprint points at Cusano Mutri with 20 km to go. He remained out front into the final climb of the stage.

The Bocca della Selva climb started with just under 18 km to go. Riders climbed 976 meters (3,202 feet) with a maximum gradient of 10 percent. A plateau broke up the climb a little over halfway through.

With less than 3 km to go, Tratnik was finally caught by Paret-Peintre, followed by Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL).

Following in his brother (and teammate) Aurélien’s footsteps, and just ahead of his idol, Bardet, Paret-Peintre took his first professional win. Previously, his best Giro stage result was 31st place. This was the 15th win for Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale. It’s like they gained superpowers by abandoning the brown bibs.

In his post-race interview, Paret-Peintre said that he decided to go for it in the final kilometers because it was the toughest section, and he felt like he had it in his legs. “I can’t describe what I feel now. It’s just amazing,” said Paret-Peintre. “I was there to go for a good result and why not win? Now, I have a Giro stage win for my first pro win. It’s amazing.

“I saw that the last 4 km was the hardest, so I said, ‘ok, if I want to attack, it’s in the last 4km, so I was waiting waiting waiting for all the last climb, then when I see the last 3 km, I attacked.”

Tratnik took third at the summit, after a strong and successful ride. There were lots of changes in the top ten, with a huge scramble for seconds with the chase group. But no change in the pink jersey going into Stage 11. Is it possible that Tadej Pogačar is finally riding a bit conservatively?

Olav Kooij Takes First-Ever Grand Tour Stage Win

Stage Winner: Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

The longest stage so far is arguably one of the easier stages despite covering 214 km. Compared to the gravel stage, a short, hard time trial, and the brutal summit finish in yesterday’s stage, Avezzano to Naples may have a lot of distance, but it was relatively flat and fast. While a valiant effort from Polti Kometa’s Andrea Pietrobon and Mirco Maestri kept the two riders away for most of the race, Julian Alaphilippe and Jhonathan Narváez both made impressive attacks in the final kilometers. But it came down to a sprint finish that was played perfectly by Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij.

The long, flat start meant plenty of attacks from early on, with Soudal-QuickStep, EF Pro Cycling and Bahrain Victorious as some of the early teams to head to the front. But the first early attack that stuck came from Polti Kometa’s Andrea Pietrobon and Mirco Maestri—they grew a gap of over two minutes, but the peloton behind seemed unbothered. As always, kudos to the Giro Twitter feed for gems like this:

The two led for much of the race, maintaining a nearly two-minute gap at 65 km to go—a no man’s land with the intact peloton behind and charging hard. The Alpecin-Deceuninck team led the peloton behind Pietrobon and Maestri as the two teammates continued to sweep up sprint points.

A crash at 57 km to go saw three Ineos Grenadiers, including Geraint Thomas—currently third in the general classification—go down. But with his teammates, Thomas was unconcerned and was back on and riding back to the peloton quickly.

Meanwhile, the peloton began to pull the Polti Kometa riders back, dropping the gap to 1:20 with 53 km to go. UAE Team Emirates and EF Education-EasyPost took control of the front of the peloton as the three Ineos Grenadiers, including Thomas, made their way back into it.

At 27 km to go, Julian Alaphillipe launched an attack with the two leaders just 10 seconds ahead. He swiftly chased them down with teammate Nicola Conci as they closed on the top of the punchy climb. Alaphilippe raced past the Polti Kometa riders, continuing his attack up the road. Kevin Vermaerke (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Lewis Askey (Groupma FDJ) were able to launch themselves from the peloton and attach themselves to the now-six-man strong lead group.

Behind them, attacks came fast and furious from the peloton as the clock ticked down on Stage 9, and riders tried to bridge up to the lead group. Arkea-B&B Hotels’ Ewen Costiou made his way across the now-lowered gap, and the peloton struggled to get organized to chase with Lidl-Trek on the front.

Costiou and Alaphillipe attacked, spearing themselves from the lead group, opening a 15-second gap to the five riders behind them. The peloton continued to reel in the leaders, tightening the gap between them and the now-chase group to only four to 10 seconds.

While Costiou and Alaphillipe made a valiant effort, on the final climb with 10 km to go, Costiou couldn't hold the pace, and Alaphillipe was forced to continue his attack solo, reestablishing a 10-second lead on the peloton as he raced out of the saddle and towards the finish.

But he couldn't quite make it. He was absorbed by the peloton at just over 7 kilometers to go, as Ineos Grenadiers’ Jhonatan Narváez made an attack, opening a five-second gap as the peloton splintered on the climb.

Stage 1 winner Narváez hit the final descent at 3 km to go, enjoying the use of the entire road on the downhill. He held an 8-second gap as the peloton started to organize for the final sprint.

With 1400 meters to go, Narváez had a 12-second gap as the small peloton, including Pogačar, tried to prepare for the sprint. But Narváez was unable to hold on to his gap as the teams massed behind him, swallowing him up with under a hundred meters to go.

Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij ultimately took the sprint win ahead of Lidl-Trek's Jonathan Milan and Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates), who was led out by race leader Pogačar. (“If I can help… it’s better for me to be in front and help my friend,” he said in the post-race interview, adding, “I’m really looking forward to the rest day tomorrow.”)

Pogačar Sprints to Victory and Maintains Overall Lead

Stage Winner: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

We know he can win races with dramatic breakaways, but it turns out Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) also can perfectly play out a sprint. In today’s race, he just narrowly outsprinted Daniel Martínez (Bora-hansgrohe) and Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) for the win at the top of the steep final ascent to the finish.

In case you were wondering, Pogačar has continued to opt for the full pink kit after the sartorial debacle earlier this week .

Today marked the first major mountain stage of the Giro, with some of the classic climbs we love to see. Right from the start, it was clear that riders were going to be attempting breakaways before, during, and after every climb. Mountain stages at the Giro are often where we see unlikely stage winners thanks to a breakaway that comes as a surprise and actually sticks.

By 20 km into the race, a large group had formed at the front, but only 20 seconds separated them from the full might of the peloton. The group ebbed and flowed, and was cut down to 14 riders by just under 100 km to go. Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Romain Bardet (dsm–firmenich PostNL) and Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) were a few of the riders making moves in the lead group, and their lead stretched to over 2 minutes ahead of the peloton at 61 km to go.

But when a team like UAE Team Emirates is chasing the breakaway to preserve Pogačar’s overall lead, does it stand much of a chance?

“We thought the breakaway had a good chance, to be honest,” said Thomas in a post-race interview . “Obviously, UAE set a good tempo on the climb, and I guess because it was still quite close, I don’t know if they decided to go for the stage in the beginning, but they certainly decided to go for it in the end.”

As the group hit 15 km to go, heading towards the final climb into Prati di Tivo, the gap had dropped to just over 30 seconds. While several riders made valiant efforts to hold off the peloton, Pogačar sped into the finish with a group of seven riders and ultimately took the sprint.

However, the GC remained relatively unchanged, since seven of the top finishers on the stage were in the top eight in the GC, which is now led by Pogačar by 2:40 over Martinez and Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers).

“I wasn’t expecting this today,” Pogačar said in the post-race press conference, making him pretty much the only person in the world who wasn’t expecting it.

Pogačar Strengthens Grip on Pink Jersey

165 riders rolled down the little pink ramp this morning, each one minute apart, for the first time trial of this year’s Giro.

Vicious crosswinds pushed riders across the road at points, their giant disc wheels acting as windsails, slowing down even some of the most skilled time triallists around.

And there is arguably no rider more skilled on a TT bike than INEOS Grenadiers’ Filippo Ganna, one of the world’s fastest men in the race against the clock.

“Top Ganna” is what the commentators called him, saying that everyone else looked like a passenger plane next to the fighter jet that is Ganna.

However, the 40.6-kilometer stage included a mighty pitch in the final stretch, gaining over two hundred meters over the last four kilometers, whose multi-digit grades benefitted some of the punchier riders in the bunch. After all, today’s time trail ran from Foligno to Perugia, across the undulating hills of Umbria.

By the time Geraint Thomas—who started the day in second place in the GC standings—rolled down the ramp, his INEOS Grenadiers teammates held all three positions on the podium (Ganna, Thymen Arensmen, Magnus Sheffield). By the time he crossed the line, those results held.

But there was only one rider left in the starting tent behind Thomas: current pink jersey, race favorite, and generational talent across a variety of disciplines, Tadej Pogačar.

Going back to his stunning time trial on the penultimate stage of the 2020 Tour de France, where he snatched the yellow jersey from Primož Roglič, Pogačar has displayed that he, too, is one of the world’s great time triallists.

And today, that skill on a TT bike threw a wrench directly into the works of INEOS’s 1-2-3 day, as Pogačar made up over a minute on the stage’s final six kilometers. Pogačar finished seventeen seconds ahead of Ganna, giving the UAE Team Emirates superstar the stage win.

A bunch of INEOS riders who couldn’t quite nip Pogačar. Seems to be one of the themes emerging from this year’s Giro.

Pogačar’s ride put nearly two additional minutes into his nearest rivals in the GC standings, increasing his overall lead from 46 seconds to 2:36.

Meanwhile, BORA-hansgrohe’s Dani Martinez, who entered the day in third place overall, bested Geraint Thomas by thirteen seconds on the stage, putting him ten seconds ahead of Thomas in the GC standings.

“There was a lot of preparations for this, a lot of ups and downs,” Pogačar said. “I’m super happy that today I felt good. I paced myself until the climb and then the climb, full gas.”

Geraint Thomas, meanwhile, wore a subtle look of disappointment after the race.

“I tried to ride within myself, and when it was time to go, I just lacked it a little bit. It is what it is. It’s just one of those days.”

Thomas ended his post-race interview abruptly when the interview reminded him that his teammates did an excellent job on the day, without actually asking a question

“Thanks,” he said sternly, taking a sip of his drink.

Underdog Victory: Pelayo Sánchez Triumphs in Giro’s Gravel Stage

Stage Winner: Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

May 9, 2024—Looking at the profile of Stage 6, you might think that the day would have been relatively mellow. One-hundred-eighty kilometers, minimal elevation, a pair of category-four climbs. However, thanks to a trio of gravel sectors—the strade bianche of Tuscany—today’s stage was anything but.

What many thought might be a launching pad for Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who won March’s Strade Bianche with a stunning eighty-kilometer solo break, ended up seeing a series of breakaways, none of which stuck.

Until one did. And, for the second day in a row, the break stayed away.

The trio of Movistar’s Pelayo Sánchez , Soudal Quick-Step’s Julian Alaphilippe, and Jayco AlUla’s Luke Plapp had a lead that stretched out to as much as two and a half minutes as the race entered its third and final gravel sector. But INEOS Grenadiers set a blistering pace behind, quickly whittling the three-man breakaway’s lead to less than thirty seconds with just a few kilometers to go.

But the gap stayed at around twenty seconds as the Plapp, Alaphilippe, and Sánchez passed under the 1 km to go banner. Alaphilippe launched early, and Sanchez responded. Though Plapp was hanging on their wheels, it was clear that this was a two-man race to the finish.

In his post-race interview, Sánchez was asked if he knew what he had just accomplished. “No,” Sánchez replied. “This is amazing. I don’t have words. Crazy, crazy day for me. I thought today that I could be in the breakaway, but I could never imagine winning here.”

Sánchez also admitted that, even though he spent the last several dozen kilometers working with Plapp and Alaphilippe, he tried several times to put time into his mates in the breakaway. “I tried to drop [Plapp and Alaphilippe], but it was impossible for me,” he said. “So, I tried at the end with the sprint. Luckily, I was the fastest.”

Plapp, who spent much of the day in the virtual pink jersey, said after the race, “That was an insane day. The race was out of control, the whole race. It was ridiculous for the first eighty kilometers.”

“The three of us worked reasonably well to the finish,” Plapp added. “We played games a bit. I was half-eyes looking for time and half-eyes looking for the stage, so I ended up riding a bit harder.”

Asked if he was thinking about the pink jersey during his breakaway, Plapp said, “No, no, no. I know (UAE Team Emirates) were never going to let it go. You could see from the gaps they were keeping, they weren’t willing to let the jersey go.”

A Win for the Breakaway as the Peloton Couldn’t Get It Together

Stage Winner: Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

May 8, 2024—Another flat-ish day, another sprint finish. That was supposed to be the script for Wednesday’s fifth stage of the Giro d’Italia. But if there’s a theme emerging from the early stages of this year’s Giro, it’s to expect the unexpected.

Because in a move that seems ever more rare, the day’s breakaway stuck, the charging group of sprinters behind unable to catch up.

At the end of the 178-kilometer stage, Benjamin Thomas captured Cofidis’s first win this season. Behind him were EF Education-EasyPost’s Michael Valgren, Andrea Pietrobon of Polti Kometa, and Groupama-FDJ’s Enzo Paleni. The group spent about half of the day with a lead of around one minute over the peloton.

Eight seconds behind Paleni, Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan—the current maglia ciclamino— led the rest of the peloton across the line.

With 5 kilometers to the finish, the four-man breakaway had a solid forty-second lead, and it seemed as though the peloton couldn’t organize themselves enough to reel them back in. Ineos Grenadiers had the most notable attack, but pulled off after the 3-kilometer mark, ostensibly working to protect their lead man Geraint Thomas’s time.

From there, nothing much materialized, and the breakaway was allowed to duke it out themselves for the win.

“I said maybe today’s my day,” said the French Thomas, who captured both his first WorldTour and Grand Tour victories with the win. “Everything is perfect today. I knew the final because I trained there sometimes. I knew the Montemagno in the final, and it helped me, knowing the cobbles and the corners. It's a nice thing to win in Italy. It means a lot to me.”

Thomas, who is a seasoned track racer, likened the four-man break to a “long, long team pursuit.”

Valgren added that the topography of the parcours aided the breakaway’s chances.

“It was actually only with three or four ks to go (that we thought we could win) because you always think the peloton will take 10-seconds-per-kilometer more or less,” Valgren said after the race. “We kept working well together and there was in our favor kind of downhill. Chapeau to the other guys for working well together. We didn't start to play the games, so it was nice.”

The one thing that was expected was that nothing much changed in the GC battle. UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogačar remains forty-six seconds clear of Geraint Thomas and forty-seven seconds ahead of BORA-hansgrohe’s lead man, Dani Martinez.

Jonathan Milan Wins Sprint Finish

Stage Winner: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

May 7, 2024—For the second straight day, the Giro d’Italia ended with a flat sprint that was almost nabbed with a daring and unexpected last-minute attack.

The 190-kilometer route from Acqui Terme to Andora started with a gradual ride into the day’s only categorized climb, the category 3 Colle del Melogno, where the KOM points were taken by Intermarché-Wanty’s Lilian Calmejane. After that, it was an almost wholly downsloping back half of the stage, ending with a straight, flat shot into the seaside town of Andora.

If the peloton felt a bit jumpy heading into Andora, it no doubt had to do with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Geraint Thomas’s (INEOS Grenadiers) almost successful late break in yesterday’s sprint stage.

And then, just like yesterday, a solo attack was launched with plenty of racing left. Today, it was Ineos-Grenadiers’ Filippo Ganna, one of the fastest solo bike racers that’s ever lived, who attacked at the foot of the day’s final pitch, the Capo Mele, with 4 km to go. However, the long-distance attack was once again in vain, as he was caught and swallowed up with just a few hundred meters to go.

Moments later, another Italian, Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan, launched a furious and commanding 300-meter sprint that would net him his second Giro stage win, exactly one year to the day from his first.

Meanwhile, Dani Martínez, who entered the day in third place in the GC standings, suffered a late-stage mechanical. Lucky for the BORA-hansgrohe racer, it was within the final 3 kilometers, meaning he was awarded the same time as the bunch ahead and lost no extra time to Pogačar and Thomas.

In sad news, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) slid out on a slick descent with about 62 kilometers left, crashing out of the race with an injury. It was a brutal reminder of the Eritrean’s luck, who, moments after becoming the first Black African rider to win a Grand Tour stage in 2022’s Giro, suffered a freak injury when the cork from his celebratory champagne bottle shot him in the eye, causing him to abandon the race with a hemorrhage in his eye.

“We saw Ganna going full gas in the last climb, and we just had to catch him,” said Milan of his Italian track teammate. “Today, the guys did such an amazing job. This experience was special because my parents were here today. I’m really happy about it,” Milan, who won last year’s maglia ciclamino, added.

After the race, second-place finisher Kaden Groves said the day’s blisteringly high speeds made the stage “quite scary at times.” And when asked about how his Alpecin-Deceuninck team was shaping up over the Giro’s first week, Groves said, “We’re getting there.”

Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier Takes Sprint Victory Amidst GC Favorites’ Late Attack

Stage Winner: Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) Race Leader: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

May 6, 2024 – The sprinters had their first chance to shine, as the race’s third stage from Novara to Fassano featured just 750 meters of elevation over 166 kilometers.

However, it wasn’t without a bit of drama, as the race’s biggest GC favorites launched a thrilling attack over the last four kilometers, throwing a wrench into what was expected to be a straightforward day. After an early move from EF-Education EasyPost’s Mikkel Honore, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) followed, forming a small, three-man breakaway that, for a moment, looked as though it might stay away from the group.

Honoré was swallowed up by the group with about 1 kilometer to go, and given the day’s high pace and series of breakaways, there was some thought that Pogačar and Thomas’s attack might just stick. However, the two GC men were caught with about 400 meters to go, setting up the bunch sprint everyone expected the day to end with.

Soudal Quick-Step’s Tim Merlier nipped a group at the line that included Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan and Intermarche Wanty’s Biniam Girmay, who rounded out the day’s podium, along with Arkea’s Jenthe Biermans and dsm-Firmeninch PostNL’s Tobias Lund Andersen.

After a masterful recovery from a late crash to win Sunday’s second stage, Pogačar started the day in the maglia rosa , forty-five seconds clear of Dani Martínez of BORA-hansgrohe and Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers. By the time stage 3 was over, those standings remained exactly the same.

“It wasn’t the plan,” Thomas said of the two-man attack over the closing kilometers. “We just wanted to stay out of trouble.”

He added that, over the final few hundred meters, it took everything he had to keep contact with Pogačar. “I was just trying to hold his wheel,” Thomas said, admitting that the attack was never part of the day’s plan.

“It was the hardest victory so far,” stage winner Merlier said of the unexpected chase he and his group of sprinters found themselves in as Thomas and Pogačar rode away. Merlier said he hesitated, causing him to miss out on his leadout man, and eventually forcing him to attack directly into the wind without any support.

Tadej Pogačar Wins Stage 2 and Takes the Maglia Rosa

May 5, 2024 - Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates wins Stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia 2024 and takes the Maglia Rosa. Twenty-seven seconds behind, Dani Martínez (Bora-hansgrohe) takes second, and Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) is third.

It was a masterful performance by UAE Team Emirates once Pogačar made it back to the front of the peloton after a small crash due to a front flat tire. The Slovenian leads Thomas and Martinez by 45" in the General Classification.

In the post-race interview, Pogačar was asked if he panicked after crashing in the lead-up to the last climb. “Not really. I was quite calm. I hit a hole in the city and had a super fast flat tire. There was a bit of confusion. I wanted to stop before the corner, but the DS said, ‘No, no, after the corner.’ I was feeling good. The team was super good today. And then we set the pace that we like and it was perfect,” said the race leader.

“I didn’t know the climb well. Everybody was maybe doing this climb for the first time, and it was hard to guess where to do the [hard] pacing, but I think we did a really good job today. And it was super good the last pull of Rafał Majka in the hard part so that I could attack,” Pogačar added.

“I just wanted a stage win today and some gap. Test the legs a little bit. And the [goal] was to take the pink jersey. Now I can relax a little bit in the next few days with the team and we stay safe in the sprints.”

Watch the final kilometer of Stage 2 on the Giro d’Italia’s YouTube Channel

Geraint Thomas of INEOS Grenadiers found himself meeting his limit in today’s stage. “It was so hard to follow, but I knew if I tried to keep going I would completely blow up. I felt bad for sitting on Ben [O’Connor], but I was on the limit for a while there,” said Thomas in the post-race interview.

Regarding Pogačar’s crash, Thomas said, “Honestly, I didn’t know until I was on the climb, and someone said Tadej was back. The plan was to go to the front, not to attack, but to stay safe on the front.”

Narváez Upstages Pogačar to Secure Stage 1 Victory and Maglia Rosa

Stage Winner: Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) Race Leader: Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers)

May 4, 2024 - The opening stage of the Giro d’Italia produced plenty of fireworks and a surprise winner on the line. Team UAE Emirates set it up perfectly for Tadej Pogačar on the opening stage. After some long-lasting breakaways were caught, Pogačar broke free in the last four kilometers with Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) and Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe). The Slovenian just couldn’t gap those two rivals, and it set it up for a sprint finish. In a bit of a surprise, it was Narváez, the 27-year-old Ecuadorian national champion, outsprinting Schachmann (second on the stage) and Pogačar (third). Narváez earns the first Maglia Rosa of the 2024 Tour of Italy.

Though he didn’t win the stage, Pogačar will head into Stage 2 with an advantage over many of his top GC rivals. Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) was 10 seconds behind Pogačar on the stage and, after factoring in time bonuses, 14 seconds behind Pogačar in the GC standings.

Watch Stage 1 Highlights on the Giro d’Italia’s YouTube Channel

“It was a great feeling. We knew it was going to be a stage for me, and I worked a lot on it,” Narváez said in the post-race interview. “Following the best guy in the world on the climb was really hard, so it’s a special victory today. It’s still hurting me now. It was really hard—really, really hard. But in the end, I made it.”

“I think [Pogačar] went too long in the sprint, 200 meters after a really hard stage, and I did a short sprint, and in the end, I took the victory. For me, it’s amazing. There aren’t many opportunities in a Grand Tour to get the maglia rosa on the first day because you have a bunch sprint, a TT, or a different stage. Today was a good opportunity. I worked really, really hard for it,” added Narváez.

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} 2024 Giro d'Italia

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Van der Poel will skip mountain bike event at Paris Olympics to focus on road race

FILE - Netherland’s Mathieu van der Poel holds his bike up at the finish line after taking first place in the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on March 31, 2024. World champion Mathieu van der Poel will focus on the Olympic road race at the Paris Games this summer after the Tour de France, skipping mountain biking. The versatile Dutch racer said on Wednesday that combining the Tour and the Olympic road race is “the most logical” choice. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

FILE - Dutch cyclist Mathieu Van der Poel competes during the 14th stage of the Giro D’Italia cycling race from Santena to Turin, Italy, Saturday, May 21, 2022. World champion Mathieu van der Poel will focus on the Olympic road race at the Paris Games this summer after the Tour de France, skipping mountain biking. The versatile Dutch racer said on Wednesday that combining the Tour and the Olympic road race is “the most logical” choice. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP, File)

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BRUSSELS (AP) — World champion Mathieu van der Poel will focus on the Olympic road race at the Paris Games this summer, after competing in the Tour de France, and skip mountain biking.

The versatile Dutch racer said Wednesday that combining the Tour and the road race is “the most logical” choice.

“It ensures that I have a little more time and thus can prepare longer and better,” he said in a statement released by his Alpecin-Deceuninck team.

Van der Poel has won titles in many disciplines and thought at one point about competing in the cross-country mountain bike event at the Olympics. But he faced what he called a “difficult puzzle to put together” with the route of the road race suiting his skills.

“Just the road race? Only mountain biking? Or both?” he said. “Whether or not in combination with the Tour de France, which I personally consider the best possible preparation for the Games.”

Van der Poel finally made his decision.

“Let’s say I chose the most logical thing,” he said. “So, in consultation with the team, I opted for a slightly longer rest period, after which I can build up to the Tour de France and the Olympic road race without time pressure.”

The 29-year-old rider, who has been in impressive form this year with victories at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix classics, said he will work in support of teammate Jasper Philipsen “in his hunt for stage wins and a possible green jersey” of Tour de France’s best sprinter.

“And the goal is to win a stage myself this year,” he said. “Last year I got sick when there were a few stages where I had chances. Hopefully I will be spared from that in this edition.”

Van der Poel added that wearing the world champion’s rainbow jersey this season played a role in his decision to race at the Tour.

“It’s a special year,” he said. “As world champion I like to ride in that jersey as much as possible. So I also prefer not to miss the Tour de France. And that proved to be a good preparation last year, then towards the World Championships.”

He also hinted that he could compete in mountain biking at future Olympics. Van der Poel crashed out of the mountain bike race at the Tokyo Olympics.

“Who knows what’s still possible in 2028 in Los Angeles? That’s still a long time away, but I’ll be in a different phase of my career then,” he said. “Maybe then I can put everything on that mountain biking. This year the combination is just too difficult.”

Van der Poel, who is currently training in Spain, will not compete before the June 29-July 21 Tour de France. The men’s Olympic road race is a challenging 273-kilometer (170-mile) trek set to take place on Aug. 3.

Follow AP coverage of the Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Do you remember when the president best known for biking in Delaware was Trump not Biden?

Joe Biden is probably better known as the presidential bike guy. The Commander in Chief is frequently photographed riding, and once falling off, his bike in Rehoboth Beach.

But did you know former President Donald Trump also was known, albeit briefly, for biking in Delaware?

While Trump hasn't been photographed on or taking a tumble from two wheels in the First State, he did sponsor a cycling race here that was supposed to become America's answer to the Tour de France.

Thirty-four years ago this month, Wilmington was the "host city" for the Tour de Trump, a 1,107-mile, 10-day cycling event in six states named for and sponsored by Trump.

The May 3 to 13, 1990, race with 13 stages brought fleeting hoopla to the city. It featured two-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond, the then-greatest cyclist in the world, five Olympic gold medalists and national media coverage.

Trump in 1989 began the lucrative cycling event with a $250,000 purse as a marketing tool and a substitute for the defunct Coors International Bicycle Classic. The inaugural race, considered a success, kicked off in Albany, New York.

The following year, Trump wanted Delaware to participate in an expanded race to help entice visitors to the three Atlantic City, New Jersey, casinos he once ran. Trump organizers said Delaware was, demographically and logistically, a perfect spot.

The late Wilmington city councilman Ted Blunt told The News Journal in 1990 that he also played a part in enticing Trump to Delaware for the second annual event.

Blunt played basketball at Winston-Salem College in New Carolina and had a friendship with NBC commentator Billy Packer, who played guard for Wake Forest University. While attending an event together at the University of Delaware, Packer, an inaugural Tour de Trump organizer, told Blunt that Delaware could be a good place for part of the cycling event because of its scenic routes.

Blunt agreed and helped set up meetings with state, Wilmington, and New Castle County officials.

On Feb. 13, 1990, around 11:15 a.m. Trump's helicopter, named "Ivana," a nod to his estranged first wife whom he would divorce 10 months later, landed in Brandywine Park at 18th and Washington streets, near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Trump hopped out of the helicopter and into a waiting limousine. He took a tour of the race course with Wilmington commerce director J. Brian Murphy, who told The News Journal in 1990 that Trump was "a very down-to-earth guy" and seemed most interested in talking about a Mike Tyson boxing match.

Trump was driven to the Hotel du Pont, where he announced that Delaware would be where the Tour de Trump would begin.

"Do I know how to draw a crowd or what?” Trump said to an organizer after viewing the Hotel du Pont's jam-packed Gold Ballroom and a slew of TV cameras and journalists, according to a 2016 story in Politico.

Being rich is nothing new in Delaware, home to the enormously wealthy du Pont family. But being rich and famous and flaunting your fortune in Delaware is something to see.

Trump's appearance was considered the hottest ticket in town. The crowd that day included then-Gov. Mike Castle, Wilmington Mayor Dan Frawley, and then-Congressman Tom Carper — all made speeches — along with other Delaware politicians, movers and shakers, and heavy hitters.

Who wasn't in attendance? Delaware's Democratic Sen. Joe Biden.

Three decades later, Biden would become locked in a tight race for the presidency against Trump in 2020 and again in 2024. (Republican Sen. Bill Roth, who died in 2003, also skipped the Trump media circus.)

"With last year's Tour de Trump, everyone kept saying, 'What is it, where is it and what's it going to be?' " Trump said as he hyped the crowd.

"And it turned out to be a tremendous success. This year, every city on the East Coast was fighting to be the host city. And not only is Wilmington a city (on the Tour), but the starting city.

"It's amazing what's happened in Wilmington," Trump said, adding, "It's a great honor to be here."

Trump mentioned "a five-year commitment" to the city, about the length of his marriage to model  Marla Maples .

The commitment to Delaware would only last two days.

Trump kept a tight-lipped smile in place at the Hotel du Pont and mugged for photographers when Castle gave him a promotional Tour de Trump T-shirt, according to News Journal archives.

Trump, never known as a vegetable lover, picked at a salad he was served but left well before a luncheon was underway.

His entire visit lasted 90 minutes.

On the way out, Trump ignored most media questions about his rocky personal life (he was having an affair with future wife Maples) and only reacted when a photographer asked, "When are you going to rename your helicopter?"

The future 45th president of the United States turned to the photographer and burst out laughing before departing.

On a cloudy, drizzly Thursday, May 3, the "prologue" time trials for the 1990 Tour de Trump started and finished in Rodney Square. It drew anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 spectators, depending on who was asked that day.

The 3.1-mile route loop traveled along King Street and included a cobblestone climb up Monkey Hill in Brandywine Park. Some spectators admitted they came to Monkey Hill just to see some possible crashes on the slippery rocks. (Only one cyclist rose to the challenge.)

Despite the gloomy skies, the atmosphere was carnival-like with open tents and cafe tables on Market Street, people hawking T-shirts and refreshments, and a huge screen that broadcast the race and DuPont Co. commercials.

The 28-year-old LeMond, Sports Illustrated's "1989 Sportsman of the Year," was the biggest draw and was considered a favorite to take home the cycling crown.

Trump, however, was a no-show.

About a week earlier, news broke that Trump was considering selling or refinancing every asset he had. A Forbes magazine article said that due to a soft real estate market and problems at the Atlantic City casinos, there was speculation that he was having cash problems. Trump vehemently denied it.

Trump also didn't show up for the first of 13 stages of the Tour de Trump that officially began on Friday morning, May 4, 1990, in Wilmington. Professional cyclist Raúl Alcalá, 26, of Monterrey, Mexico, wore the leader's neon pink jersey.

The pack left Wilmington, traveled down Route 52, and eventually biked through downtown Newark.

Fans, some hoisting Bloody Marys with celery stalks, watched as the 133 cyclists whizzed down Newark's Main Street. They sprinted past Klondike Kate's and the Deer Park Tavern "like a swarm of angry bees," News Journal sports columnist Jack Chevalier wrote.

Several hundred fans stood in the parking lot of the Newark Country Club as the cyclists breezed through the town and rode to Cecil County, Maryland.

Cyclists eventually made their way 98 miles to Baltimore. Other stops in the 10-day race included Fredericksburg, Richmond, Charlottesville and Winchester, Virginia; Harrisburg, the Lehigh Valley, and Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; New York City, Catskill and Albany, New York.

Trump pulled another disappearing act and was not around when the 1990 race concluded in Boston.

He didn't appear to give the $50,000 check to winner Alcalá, who finished what he started in Wilmington. Now retired, Alcalá is considered the most successful Mexican cyclist.

LeMond, who in April 1987 nearly died after being accidentally shot by his brother-in-law while turkey hunting and later had an emergency appendectomy, had a disappointing run and ended up placing 78th. He would say he was fighting an upset stomach early on and blamed his poor performance on a lack of training due to a busy schedule.

The excitement of the race was short-lived and the future President's involvement was over after May 1990.

Trump ended his sponsorship when he was mired in debt from his casinos, payments to soon-to-be ex-wife Ivana, and operating expenses from luxury assets such as a helicopter, yacht and airplane. The race was estimated to have cost him about $2 million yearly or $4.7 million today.

Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino of Atlantic City spokesman Dave Coskey said in November 1990 that the race gave "great exposure to the Trump name, but it didn't bring any new business to the casino." Interestingly enough, although the 1989 race ended in Atlantic City, the 1990 event didn't go anywhere near the resort.

Trump would return to Delaware several times during his presidency when he traveled to Dover Air Force Base to pay respect to the dignified transfer of the remains of service members killed in Afghanistan.

The Wilmington-based DuPont Co. took over sponsorship of the bike race in 1991 and renamed it the Tour DuPont.

The 11-stage, 1,100-mile race ran for five years. LeMond won the Tour DuPont in 1992, the last major win of his career. 

In 1993, a young rising cycling star named Lance Armstrong finished second. He would capture the crown in 1995 and again in 1996.

DuPont ended its involvement after the 1996 cycling event. Just four months earlier, du Pont family heir John E. du Pont, whose father had owned the historical Bellevue Hall mansion in Bellevue State Park that was sold to the state, murdered Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz at his Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, estate.

Although it had only a brief moment in the spotlight, the Tour de Trump helped raise the sport’s profile in the United States the president of USA Cycling said in a 2016 story in Politico.

The city still hosts a cycling event.

The Wilmington Grand Prix , considered one of the premier criterium-style bike races in the U.S., returns for its 16th edition from May 17-19. It is an early-season stop on USA Cycling’s (USAC) National Racing Calendar, which is made up of the top bike races in America, according to its website. It's free and open to the public.

It includes professional racing through Wilmington’s Brandywine Park, as well as men’s and women’s professional and amateur racing.

Last year’s Gran Fondo, a mass participation of cyclists, attracted participants from 18 states, including Texas, Colorado and Florida, and five countries, including Australia, Great Britain, Mexico and Canada.

Still, some aspects of the Tour de Trump live on.

Delaware history: Do you remember Kahunaville, the 'biggest, baddest nightclub in the Mid-Atlantic region'?

Did you know? Greek monument at Tatnall was once a 1920s Wilmington gas station

The time trial taking place on Friday, May 17 is held at Monkey Hill. It was inspired by the Tour DuPont and, before that, the Tour de Trump.

"Do you remember?" is an occasional News Journal/Delaware Online feature that looks at the history behind long-gone Delaware buildings, objects, businesses, and places.  

If you want to read more stories from Patricia Talorico, visit    delawareonline.com/staff/2646617001/patricia-talorico You can find her on  Instagram , X  and  Facebook . Email   [email protected] . Sign up for her   Delaware Eats newsletter.

• Giro d'Italia stage 15 Live - GC battle on the Mortirolo and savage Livigno finish

Julian Alaphilippe could be set for Tour de France start following Giro d'Italia success

Frenchman reportedly on Soudal-QuickStep's 12-rider longlist for July, with Remco Evenepoel in favour of his selection

The Giro d'Italia might still be underway, but stage 12 winner Julian Alaphilippe and his Soudal-QuickStep are already planning for the next Grand Tour of the season and a possible return to the Tour de France.

The Frenchman had been scheduled to rest following his Giro debut this month ahead of a hopeful participation at his home Olympic Games in Paris. However, he has reportedly been selected as part of Soudal-QuickStep 's 12-rider longlist for the Tour.

French newspaper L'Equipe has broken the news of the move, claiming that the team's Tour de France GC hopeful Remco Evenepoel has led the push for Alaphilippe's inclusion in the July squad.

The team's sporting management is also in favour of the 31-year-old's inclusion, with his experience – six starts, six stage wins, and a fifth place overall in 2019 – a major factor in the move.

Alaphilippe has endured a tough run of seasons by his standards since his last World Championships title back in 2021, taking just two wins at WorldTour level before coming to the Giro this spring and completing the Grand Tour stage win trilogy from the break in Fano.

He started his season with sixth overall at the Tour Down Under and went on to take a top 10 at Milan-San Remo carrying what turned out to be a fractured fibula.

At the Giro he looks revitalised and racing once again at a top level, having taken second place behind Pelayo Sánchez in the break on stage 6 before soloing home on the hilly stage 12 , again from the breakaway.

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Alaphilippe's struggles have seen him come in for criticism from Soudal-QuickStep CEO Patrick Lefevere, often in public. The veteran Belgian team manager said this week that the relationship between the pair is not what many think.

"My relationship with Julian is not what many want to make of it," Lefevere said in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws . "That little guy has been riding with me since he was 17. I have believed in him all these years.

"I experienced very nice things with him. Things have slowed down in recent years, yes. It's certainly not my fault. I'm not saying there's much he can do about it either. It is what it is."

Lefevere said that he was in favour of Alaphilippe making his Giro debut this year, noting that "the course suits him" as well as the "wilder" style of racing compared to the Tour. He did, however, stand by his criticism of his rider's spring campaign.

"I have repeated enough times that I was not satisfied. It wasn't personal," he said. "It wasn't enough for what he can do and what he is paid for. Maybe I didn't say it the right way. I just don't have any other style.

"In the spring it didn't work again. Julian became demoralised. He was ridden off the wheel, much too early for his actions. It then turned out that he had suffered a fracture in the fibula during a fall in the Strade Bianche. He still finished ninth in Milan-San Remo."

Alaphilippe's contract is up for extension this year, with Cofidis among the teams interested in signing him for 2025 and beyond. Lefevere said that he had already sent a lower contract proposal, one that was denied by Alaphilippe's camp.

"I proposed lowering his contract last year. Not that I would humiliate him; I wouldn't hit him with a hammer," he said. "My proposal was to pay him less wages in 2024 but also to include 2025. That proved that I still had confidence. That was denied and that's where it ended for me.

"But look, Julian is now proving me wrong. I like that. And I don't feel too good about admitting it – not that I'm 100% wrong – because we are talking about money. It's not my style to extend a rider's contract for less money. But again, I can't say he has raced well in the last two years."

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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 and Rouleur.

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

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix

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Taylor Swift's European Eras Tour leg kicked off in Paris with a new setlist. See which songs are in and out.

May 9, 2024 / 8:24 PM EDT / CBS/AFP

Taylor Swift fever struck Paris on Thursday as the highest-grossing tour in history finally arrived in Europe, with fans treated to the first-ever performance of songs from her latest album.

The Eras Tour began its European leg with four dates at the La Defense Arena in Paris.

"I wish I could have toured Europe more. This is a dream crowd," the 34-year-old megastar told the ecstatic audience.

There were deafening shrieks as images of typewriter sheets indicated that songs off the new album "The Tortured Poets Department" were starting late in the show.

Emerging in a lyrics-covered dress, she ran through several of the darker new tracks starting with "But Daddy I Love Him" and "Fortnight", a particularly furious rendition of "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" and an elaborate "I Can Do it with a Broken Heart," with a golden-era Hollywood dance routine.

Other "The Tortured Poets Department" songs performed included "So High School," "Down Bad" and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," according to ETonline .

"You were the first crowd to see songs from 'The Tortured Poets Department'," she said, before adding: "Or, as I like to call it, 'Female Rage: the Musical.'"

That was a dream come true for many in the audience.

"I've been so excited for so long, I can't believe it's actually happening," said 11-year-old Emma, who had flown in with her mother from New York.

Adding songs from "The Tortured Poets Department" wasn't the only change to the show and its 45-song setlist.

Perhaps the biggest change, according to ETonline, is the "Folklore" and "Evermore" setlists were combined, cutting four songs across the two albums: "'Tis the Damn Season," "Tolerate It," "The 1" and "The Last Great American Dynasty."

"On the Eras Tour, we have now reunited the sisters, combined them into one chapter," Swift said, according to video posted to social media. "You can call it "Folklore, Evermore" or you can call it the Sister Albums! You can call it whatever you want as long as you promise to sing 'Champagne Problems' with me."  

"The Archer" was removed from the "Lovers" portion of the show and "Long Live" was cut from the "Speak Now" era setlist, according to ETonline.

One of the secret songs was, fittingly, the "Midnights" bonus track "Paris."  

Parts of the show were also rearranged to make room for the newest era. The "Red" era was moved from the fifth to the third slot, according to ETonline, and the newest album was introduced following the "1989" set.

The venue said a fifth of the crowd were from the United States — many attracted by Europe's rules against charging huge mark-ups on resale tickets that can save Americans thousands of dollars compared with shows at home.

Georg'Ann Daly decided to celebrate her 23rd birthday with the Paris show. It meant flying from Nashville to Chicago to London and catching the Eurostar to Paris.

"I've always been obsessed with Taylor Swift," she told AFP.

A handful of superfans camped out from Tuesday in Paris to ensure they got a prime spot.

"I didn't plan to, but I came to check it out and I saw the first tents and I panicked a little," said Chris, 30.

Noah, 20, is seeing all four Paris concerts — he used 22 email addresses to get through the lottery system and secure the tickets.

After wrapping up her run in Paris, Swift will head for dates in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria.

The Eras Tour has worked its way across North and South America and Asia since starting in March 2023.

By the end of the year, it had already become the first to sell more than $1 billion in tickets and is on track to more than double that by the time it concludes in Vancouver this December.

Swift's popularity shows no sign of dimming — the new album sold 1.4 million copies on its first day and broke every streaming record , reaching a billion streams on Spotify within five days.

Swift's tell-all dissections of her love stories have been the fuel powering her global domination, and fans have been poring over "The Tortured Poets Department" for cryptic clues about ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, her short-but-dramatic fling with Matty Healy (lead singer of The 1975), and her current partner, American football star Travis Kelce.

"Taylor talks about toxic relationships, impossible love, politics, mental health, and so much more," said Chris as she waited by her tent for the big moment. "I think we can all find a song that resonates with our experiences." 

• Taylor Swift
• European Union

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