TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 | STAGE 1 | FLORENCE > RIMINI
RIMINI, Italy (June 29, 2024) — On a historic day in Italy it was Romain Bardet who grabbed the Stage 1 victory on the Rimini seafront, securing the Yellow Jersey with a fine performance for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL. The Frenchman was followed across the finish line by his teammate Frank Van den Broek who had collaborated brilliantly with him to set up the win, whilst Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) was third, leading the peloton to the finish 5” behind the front two. It is Bardet’s fourth stage victory in the Grande Boucle and the first Yellow Jersey of a sporting career that will end, as he has announced, after the Giro d’Italia 2025. Bardet and dsm-firmenich will enjoy being leaders of the Tour in the second stage this Sunday, which will consist of 199.2 km between Cesenatico and Bologna.
A historic start in beautiful Florence
The 176 riders on the start list were all present for the first ever Italian Grand Départ with the peloton pedalling along the beautiful streets of Florence, stopping briefly at the Palazzo Vecchio and crossing the iconic Ponte Vecchio on the neutralised route through the Tuscan capital. Once the racing began on this 111th edition of the Tour de France there were numerous early attackers, with the riders sensing that the characteristics of the opening stage could give any breakaway that formed a realistic chance of success on the 206 kms to Rimini.
A breakaway forms
Eventually Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), Clément Champoussin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Frank Van den Broek (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Sandy Dujardin and Matteo Vercher (TotalEnergies) managed to establish a breakaway km 17. Initially absent from the breakaway, Uno-X tried again and again to mount a counterattack until Jonas Abrahamsen managed to make the move across with Ryan Gibbons (Lidl-Trek). That duo joined the head of the race at km 41, in the middle of the ascent of the Col de Valico Tre Faggi (Cat 2, km 49.7). On that climb Vercher would drop and the breakaway would achieve its maximum lead (6’00”, km 46) before EF Education-EasyPost took the reins of the peloton. Izagirre was first at the top of the first climb, with the eight escapees by then having a 5’10” lead over the main group, from which sprinters such as Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan), Fabio Jakobsen (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Fernando Gaviria (Movistar Team) had lost contact.
Good work from Abrahamsen
Abrahamsen was the first man to reach the summit of the Côte des Forche (Cat 3, km 77.8), at the top of which the breakaway’s lead had been reduced to 3’40” due to the momentum of EF Education-EasyPost. Dujardin won the Santa Sofia intermediate sprint (IS, km 86.6) before losing ground on the Côte de Carnaio (Cat 3, km 98.3) just as Champoussin would also do. Izagirre led the front group, reduced to six riders as they topped the climb, with the breakaway by then increasing their advantage to 4’15” over the peloton. The main group now without EF at the front, was gradually losing riders due to the heat, pace and difficulty of the stage.
Romain Bardet, on the attack
UAE Team Emirates took control of the bunch on the Côte de Barbotto (Cat 2, km 135.6), and their work had an impact. On the one hand, they reduced the gap to 2’45” with respect to the breakaway, who crossed the summit led by Abrahamsen (who would thus become leader of the Mountain classification) and lost Izagirre on the climb. On the other hand, favourites for the stage victory such as Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) were struggling, as well as riders targeting the general classification such as Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) and David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ). Both Pedersen and Buitrago managed to return to the group of favourites, now reduced to fifty riders, before the Côte de San Leo (Cat 2, km 157.3), on the slopes of which Visma-Lease a Bike took the reins and Romain Bardet (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) attacked. Supported by his teammate Van den Broek, who temporarily dropped out of the breakaway to help him, Bardet topped the climb 15” behind Madouas and Abrahamsen, who had dropped Mohoric and Gibbons. The dsm-firmenich duo would be left alone in the lead at the top of the Côte de Montemaggio (Cat 3, km 167.1), where they had 1’45” over the peloton and 55” over Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), who had counterattacked.
An incredible finale
The accelerations of Ineos Grenadiers, Lidl-Trek and EF Education-EasyPost (who had reeled Healy back to help) on the Côte de San Marino (Cat 3, km 179.7) barely reduced the advantage of the dsm-firmenich duo to 1’35” at the top of the seventh and last categorised climb of the day. The chase was on, with Van den Broek and Bardet grinding hard over the mainly flat final 25 km. At 5 km from the finish in Rimini the leading duo maintained a 30” advantage, despite the efforts of the teams behind them. Together they managed to win the fight to keep the chasing group at bay and achieve a remarkable victory.
Pogačar’ Celebrates Krys White Jersey Record!
While Frank Van Den Broek has the white jersey on his shoulders tonight after the first stage, the Tour de France and Krys, partner of the white jersey for 11 years, celebrated Tadej Pogačar’s record at the team presentation on Thursday. To mark the occasion, Krys presented a collector’s jersey to the Slovenian champion and his 75 podium finishes in white, including 72 in a row! Take a look back at Pogačar’s most beautiful images in white.
Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X): “I Feel Stronger Every Year”
“The plan this morning was to go in the breakaway, preferably with Odd Christian Eiking. After many attempts, he couldn’t be there and I attempted to make up for it. It was very hard to bridge back to the front, and it made me very tired. Luckily I started to feel better shortly after and it later went pretty well for me. It’s crazy. Two years ago I was a 58 or 60 kg climber, and now I am around 80kg and I climb better now than when I was lighter. It’s a transformation I undertook two years ago, when I first joined Uno-X, with help and guidance from the team staff, and I’m very happy with the result as I feel stronger every year. I’ve gained some power, and that has been key today to sprint for the KOM points. It’s a hard stage tomorrow, but maybe I can go in the breakaway to get some points and hold on to this polka dot jersey so we can have it for a few more days. I’m very happy I can wear a Tour de France jersey.”
Frank Van den Broek (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL): “It’s So Crazy We Made It!”
“In the neutral I was just flabbergasted, but then when the race started it felt just like any other race. I found myself in the breakaway and then you’re only thinking about what’s best and how to go further. It’s only after the finish that you realise what you’ve done. At first I was already feeling my legs and I said to Romain I’ll pace you up this climb. Even with my pace I was a bit surprised. Then he helped me get over the last climb and then the race to the finish was really hard, it really burned. It’s so crazy we made it! I must admit when I lost the first few KOM sprints I was a bit annoyed with myself, but I thought I could keep going and go for the most aggressive prize. We weren’t going in the breakaway for that reason, but I was surprised when Romain made the jump and then we had a totally different plan and it all worked out.”
Romain Bardet: “I Rode as If It Wasn’t the Tour de France”
“In cycling there are still unexpected moments, it’s sublime. I came to this Tour de France with a different state of mind. I went on instinct when I attacked. I saw a lot of riders suffering and I knew I could count on Frank who was in front. I had the intuition that it was time to take the jump. At worst I would lose 20 minutes if it didn’t work, but I’m no longer here to fight for GC. Over the last kilometres it was crazy, there was a headwind, we were going 48 miles an hour… I would never have allowed myself to dream of such a scenario. But I knew Frank is an excellent rider, no other combination could have worked as well. And he deserves this victory as much as I do. The Yellow Jersey was one of my career dreams to wear it for at least one day. I had missed it a bit, but finally it has happened as I took things differently. I can finally show the real me. I rode as if it wasn’t the Tour de France.”
TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 | STAGE 1 | FLORENCE > RIMINI | DAILY STATS
1932 : A HISTORIC 1-2
The last time two riders from the same team went 1st and 2nd in a Tour de France stage dates back to 2022, when Wout van Aert won the time-trial in Rocamadour ahead of Jonas Vingegaard. Excluding ITTs, Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory ahead of Michael Morkov in Carcassonne, in 2021. But if we consider two riders from the same team distancing the rest of the field in the opening stage… Team dsm-firmenich PostNL emulate Jean Aerts and Joseph Demuysere, at the helm of the Belgian team in 1932!
196 : BARDET, FINALLY IN YELLOW!
Participating in the Tour de France for the 11th and last time, Romain Bardet was yet to find an opening for the Maillot Jaune. The Frenchman has started 196 stages in the Tour… And he’s finished 20 of them in the GC top-3. Finally, at 33 years and 232 days, he takes yellow.
3 : BARDET, LIKE ALAPHILIPPE
A Frenchman in yellow after the first stage – Romain Bardet replicates Julian Alaphilippe’s feat from three years ago, when he powered to victory in Landerneau. Alaphilippe lost the jersey to Mathieu van der Poel on day 2. How far will Bardet go?
800 : BARDET’S DROUGHT IS OVER
Today should have marked Romain Bardet’s 800th day without a victory… But the Frenchman found an Italian opening, in the same country where he had claimed his last win to date, the overall standings of the Tour of the Alps 2022. This is his 4th stage win in the Tour, 6 years, 11 months and 16 days after the last one, in Peyragudes (stage 12 of the Tour 2017).
79.8 : A SPEEDY RUN TO VICTORY
With a gap of 1’40’’ atop the final climb of the day (Côte de San Marino, 26.3km to go), Romain Bardet and Frank van den Broek still had a long way to resist the chasers. According to the NTT Data trackers, they hit a maximum speed of 79.8 km/h on the downhill and maintained an average of 53.0 km/h in the final 30 kilometres! Barely enough to maintain a gap of 5’’ on the line…
1 : A NEW LEADER FOR THE YOUTH
Participating in his first Tour de France at 23 years old, Frank van den Broek already leaves a mark as the leader of the best young rider standings. The last rider not named Tadej Pogačar who stepped on the podium to receive the Maillot Blanc Krys was Egan Bernal, on 12 September 2020. Since then, the Slovenian star had accumulated 72 white jerseys in a row (for a total collection of 75 jerseys). But he’s now too old to be part of the best young rider competition… A new era begins!
10 : SEE YOU IN A DECADE?
Romain Bardet’s first podium position in the overall standings dates back to 2014 (after stage 13). As for the last time Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL claimed the Maillot Jaune, it was thanks to Marcel Kittel, in 2014 as well. At the time, the team was named Giant-Shimano. And they already succeeded in stage 1, in Harrogate.
3 : ABRAHAMSEN, NORWAY’S PRIDE
With 13 points, Jonas Abrahamsen is the first Norwegian rider to lead the KOM standings in the history of the Tour. According to the NTT Data trackers, he averaged 23.0 km/h across the 7 categorised climbs of the day. He already went first at Col de Morga last year in stage 1 of the Tour 2023. Abrahamsen is the third Norwegian to lead a standing in the Tour de France after Thor Hushovd and Alexander Kristoff,
99.5 : AN UNFORTUNATE FIRST
Participating in the Tour for the first time in his career, Michele Gazzoli (Astana Qazaqstan) was forced to step off his bike just before the 100-km mark. An early straggler alongside his leader Mark Cavendish, the young Italian (25 years old) is the first debutant to withdraw from the race on the first day of action since Hervé Duclos-Lassalle in 2008. The Frenchman rode a similar distance before crashing out of the race with a broken wrist.
2020-2024 : RIMINI, A FRENCH PROVINCE?
The last two winners in Rimini are French, as Romain Bardet succeeds Arnaud Démare, who sprinted to victory on the seaside during the Giro 2020. 60 years earlier, Louison Bobet won stage 5 of Roma-Napoli-Roma in Rimini.
