Tour de France: it will be “a terrible fight from the first day” explains Christian Prudhomme

Christian Prudhomme se frotte les mains avant le départ du Tour. MiKAEL ANISSET – MiKAEL ANISSET

From Florence to Nice, the 111th edition of the Tour de France 2024 offers a unique start and finish with "an exceptional line-up" capable of offering "a terrible fight from the first day", anticipates its director Christian Prudhomme in an interview with AFP.

The Tour de France has started 25 times from abroad but never from Italy, a neighboring country and historic nation, that seems incredible?

It seems crazy indeed and in a certain way incomprehensible since Italy is a very great cycling country with immense champions. 2024 was a real opportunity for us. We knew that with the Olympic Games in Paris the big departure would not be in France for obvious reasons of availability of law enforcement. And it is the centenary of the first victory of an Italian rider, Ottavio Bottecchia. The stages are traced respecting the history of the Italian champions, which means that they are longer than what we had imagined.

On a sporting level, the 2024 edition offers the best casting since when ?

I don't know, but it's an exceptional set. Having the four aces (Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, Roglic) in four different teams is an essential element of animation. Afterwards, the Tour establishes stars and brings out others. The Florence-Rimini, its 3 700 meters of altitude difference, the crossing of the Apennines… there could be a terrible fight from the first day.

Also read: Tour de France: all the favorites at the start, unprecedented height differences, an arrival in Nice… The Grande Boucle 2024 promises to be exceptional

On the French side, however, a candidate for victory is missing ?

We are at the end of a generation. Thibaut Pinot has left, Romain Bardet has more time behind him than ahead. And it’s not yet quite the emergence of a new one, even if lots of promise is coming with Romain Grégoire and Kévin Vauquelin or Lenny Martinez. Spring gave me real hope, there were very good performances from the French runners at Amstel, La Flèche and Liège. But this was not confirmed on the Dauphiné.

For the final ranking, you dream of an outcome during the timer on the last day ?

Of course we dream about it and everything has been done for it. We cannot replace Paris like that. The Champs Elysées stage remains one of the highest audiences internationally. Not only was there a need for a place that shines, like Nice, but also a stronger sporting aspect than in Paris where there is no longer a fight for the general classification. There we will be in a unique setting, between sea and mountains, with a really very selective time.

The last Tour was marked by incidents with the motorcycles. Measurements have been taken ?

There will be two fewer commissioners' motorcycles and press motorcycles. There will also be more barriers and we will triple the rope. We worked to rejuvenate the population. Today, the second largest age group watching the Tour de France on television is 15-34 year olds. But they are more enthusiastic than people we will say with greater experience. It’s both great and also the price of success.

These barriers take away proximity to the runners ?

Yes, but if we have an accident we will say: what did you do?? On 95% of the 3,498 kilometers of the Tour 2024, there will be no barriers. But in places where it is sportingly important, it will be more protected than in previous years. People who love the Tour need to understand this. Usually, they all understand it first, because they're the good guys. They still need to understand it at 4 p.m. when the runners pass.

Is Covid still a subject?

It’s an illness that is fortunately now very different from that of four years ago. We will make masks available for sick people because when you are close to athletes in great shape, you pay a little attention to them. But there is no protocol.