jonas rutsch tour de france 2022

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Jasper Philipsen and Jonas Vingegaard crowned in Paris

Jasper Philipsen took the title of most successful sprinter of the 109th Tour de France as he became the only one of them to score for the second time. The Belgian outclassed former Champs-Élysées winners Dylan Groenewegen and Alexander Kristoff to emulate his childhood hero Tom Boonen who also won his second Tour de France stage in Paris at the age of 24 in 2004. Wout van Aert didn’t contest the last sprint to celebrate Jonas Vingegaard ’s first overall victory.

1 LAST KOM POINT FOR SIMON GESCHKE

135 riders started stage 21 at 16.46 at Paris La Défense Arena. 3 non-starters: Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Michael Woods and Guillaume Boivin (Israel-Premier Tech). Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), the super combative of the 109th Tour de France, symbolically attacked from the gun one last time but it was for a laugh along with Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. As per tradition, the peloton rode slowly for the first fifty kilometres or so. Polka dot jersey wearer Simon Geschke was allowed by the rest of the riders to symbolically take the last KOM point up for grab at côte du Pavé des Gardes. Also as per tradition, Jumbo-Visma, the team of the Maillot Jaune, entered Paris in the lead of the peloton.

BREAKAWAY GROUPS ON THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) and Stan De Wulf (AG2R-Citroën) attacked with 45km to go. They were joined in several waves by Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadier), Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar), Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mikkel Honoré (Quick Step). It was all together again with 33km to go. The next leading group involved Schachmann again. The German was accompanied by Jonas Rutsch and Owain Doull (EF Education-EasyPost), Antoine Duchesne and Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ). The quintet got a 25’’ lead with 25km to go as their maximum advantage. It went down to 15’’ with 15km remaining. Schachmann and Rutsch were the last to surrender and it was all together again with 6.8km left.

ONE LAST ATTACK BY TADEJ POGACAR White jersey holder Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked but Filippo Ganna reacted for Ineos Grenadier and the peloton was strung out in the run in to the last 3-km. Alpecin-Deceuninck seized the reins of the peloton. BikeExchange-Jayco took over at the red flame. Dylan Groenewegen launched from far out and Jasper Philipsen had the situation under control. He sped up on the right hand side to take his second stage win at the age of 24, eighteen years after Tom Boonen, the last Belgian green jersey winner before Wout van Aert, did so on the Champs-Elysées. Both hail from Mol and Philipsen has often been touted as the next Boonen. Last year’s Champs-Elysées winner Wout van Aert remained quietly at the back of the pack, along with Jonas Vingegaard who took home his first Tour de France trophy.

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Vingegaard crowned Tour de France champion while Philipsen wins stage 21

Pogacar attacks on final lap of Champs-Élysées but spoils go Alpecin-Deceuninck sprinter

In one of the few stages of this year's Tour de France with no real surprises, the final day of racing culminated with Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) winning the overall classification while Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) netted a second bunch sprint victory.

The largely-ceremonial final stage exploded into life with the multiple laps of the Champs-Élysées before an utterly-predictable mass dash for the line became inevitable in the closing kilometres.

Philipsen's win was taken ahead of Dylan Groenewegen (BikeExchange-Jayco) in second and Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) in third. Second in the overall was 2021 champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), with 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) in third.

The only sprinter to enjoy repeat victories in the Tour this year, Philipsen's second win of the 2022 race was preceded by Groenewegen's sustained drive up the left-hand side of the slightly rising finishing straight in France's most famous avenue.

However, it only briefly looked as if the Dutchman's mission to claim his second bunch sprint win on the Champs-Élysées might have a chance of success.

Groenewegen was seemingly helpless to prevent Philipsen from first shadowing and then easily overhauling him with a perfectly timed and ferociously steady acceleration in the centre of the Champs, while Kristoff, another former winner at this finish, claimed a distant third.

How it unfolded

Given the way that his attacks and racing have provided so much character to the 2022 Tour de France, it felt almost inevitable that even on the traditionally-sleepy first segment of the final stage, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) should provide a last reminder of his love of stirring things up with an early dash off the front.

Equally predictably,  Pogačar stormed after the Belgian, quickly followed by Vingegaard, only for Van Aert to sit up with an enormous grin on his face. This was no prelude to a repeat of overall winner Bernard Hinault and Joop Zoetemelk's duel on the Champs Élysées of 1979, then, just Van Aert's jokey start to a good-humoured early segment of the stage.

In what effectively became a two-wheeled photo shoot on the 115-kilometre stage taking the riders in from the Paris business district of La Defense to the usual finish on the Champs-Élysées, team after team took their turn on the front of the slowly pedalling bunch for the cameras. 

One of the most striking images came when Jumbo-Visma displayed the numbers of their missing teammates, Primož Roglič, Steven Kruijswijk and Nathan Van Hooydonck. Whilst clinking the champagne glasses, they also celebrated being the first team in 25 years to take both green and yellow, as well as the King of the Mountains title courtesy of Vingegaard. 

Others to come to the front as the peloton ambled along at the slowest average speed by far of this year's race included Philippe Gilbert (Lotto Soudal), celebrating his final Tour de France in his last year as a pro.

Three riders, regrettably, did not get to take part in the fun despite completing all the previous three weeks hard labour: Michael Woods and Guillaume Boivin from Israel-Premier Tech quit the race before stage 21 with COVID-19 and stomach issues, respectively, and Gorka Izagirre (Movistar) also was a DNS.

The racing began in earnest on the city centre circuit, tackled eight times before the final sprint along the Champs-Élysées. First up the road was Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-EasyPost). Break after break quickly emerged and almost equally quickly collapsed, with (Dani Martínez (Ineos Grenadiers) joining forces Stefan Bisseger (EF Education-EasyPost), Matteo Jorgensen (Movistar) and Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious) in one of the most dangerous combines, that swelled to almost a dozen riders at one point before imploding.

With some 30 kilometres to go, yet another interesting move briefly formed as Groupama-FDJ duo Antoine Duchesne and Olivier Le Gac joined Owen Doull and Jonas Rutsch (both EF Education-EasyPost) and Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), eking out a 22-second lead.

The five finally created a move that stuck, even if the hot pursuit by Lotto Soudal and Team DSM hardly augured well for their chances. And with a margin of 12 seconds at 10 kilometres to go, there was hardly much room for optimism.

In the final 7 kilometres, Schachmann and Rutsch were reeled in, just as the bell sounded for the last lap, but a brief acceleration by Pogačar, followed by Filippo Ganna and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) on the opposite side of the road, provided another reminder of the Slovenian's attacking spirit throughout this Tour and hinted at his plans for 2023..

At this point though, Trek-Segafredo, Bahrain Victorious and QuickStep-AlphaVinyl massed again at the front and squashed the last minute breakaway efforts. Then it was up to BikeExchange-Jayco to claim the final front spots in the last kilometre only for Philipsen to steal the show from the Australian squad. 

Jumbo-Visma, meanwhile, collectively eased back to cross the line as a team and celebrate the last few metres of the race in style, even at the cost of losing a few seconds on GC that they and their leader Vingegaard could amply afford.

The ferocious final bunch sprint completed one of the most memorable Tours of recent years, with Vingegaard celebrating his first overall victory, Pogačar determined to fight back in the Julys to come, and Van Aert providing a stunning display of versatility throughout the three weeks. Roll on 2023!

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Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews , he has also written for The Independent ,  The Guardian ,  ProCycling , The Express and Reuters .

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2022 Tour de France

109th edition: july 1-24, 2022.

2021 Tour | 2023 Tour | List of stages | Teams presentation photos | Start list | Route details | 2022 route description | Tour de France database Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Transfer | Stage 4 | Stage 5 | Stage 6 | Stage 7 | Stage 8 | Stage 9 | Rest Day 1 | Stage 10 | Stage 11 | Stage 12 | Stage 13 | Stage 14 | Stage 15 | Rest Day 2 | Stage 16 | Stage 17 | Stage 18 | Stage 19 | Stage 20 | Stage 21

Map of the 2022 Tour de France. 21 stages totalling 3,343.8 kilometers. It started in Denmark July 1.

Sunday, July 24: The 21st & final stage, La Défense Arena - Paris/Champs Elysées, 115.6 km

Stage 21 map and profile | Stage 21 photos

Jasper Philipsen wins stage 21. ASO photo

Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the finish city of Paris at 1:40 PM, local time: 30C (86F), sunny, with the wind from the south at 13 km/hr (8 mph). No rain is forecast.

• Km 43.3: Côte du Pavé des Gardes, 1.3 km @ 6.5%. Cat. 4

The race: Three riders who made through the previous 20 stages were unable to start today's race: Michael Woods (Covid-19) and Guillaume Boivin (unwell, but negative for Covid-19), both riding for Israel-Premier Tech and Gorka Izagirre (Movistar). No reason is given for Izagirre's withdrawl. That left a starting peloton of 135 riders.

The stage started at 4:46 PM. Starting at the La Défense Arena, this is the Tour's first indoor experience.

Jumbo-Visma had never won the Tour de France in 38 consecutive participations, starting in 1984 with Jan Raas’ Kwantum-Hallen squad. The team was known as Rabobank for a long time.

Here's the race organizer's stage 21 summary:

Jasper Philipsen took the title of most successful sprinter of the 109th Tour de France as he became the only one of them to score for the second time. The Belgian outclassed former Champs-Élysées winners Dylan Groenewegen and Alexander Kristoff to emulate his childhood hero Tom Boonen who also won his second Tour de France stage in Paris at the age of 24 in 2004. Wout van Aert didn’t contest the last sprint to celebrate Jonas Vingegaard’s first overall victory.

135 riders started stage 21 at 16:46 at Paris La Défense Arena. 3 non-starters: Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Michael Woods and Guillaume Boivin (Israel-Premier Tech).

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), the super combative of the 109th Tour de France, symbolically attacked from the gun one last time but it was for a laugh along with Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. As per tradition, the peloton rode slowly for the first fifty kilometres or so. Polka dot jersey wearer Simon Geschke was allowed by the rest of the riders to symbolically take the last KOM point up for grab at Côte du Pavé des Gardes. Also as per tradition, Jumbo-Visma, the team of the Maillot Jaune, entered Paris in the lead of the peloton.

Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-EasyPost) and Stan De Wulf (AG2R-Citroën) attacked with 45km to go. They were joined in several waves by Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), Dani Martinez (Ineos Grenadier), Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar), Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Mikkel Honoré (Quick Step).

It was all together again with 33km to go. The next leading group involved Schachmann again. The German was accompanied by Jonas Rutsch and Owain Doull (EF Education-EasyPost), Antoine Duchesne and Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ). The quintet got a 25’’ lead with 25km to go as their maximum advantage. It went down to 15’’ with 15km remaining. Schachmann and Rutsch were the last to surrender and it was all together again with 6.8km left.

The Tour has reached Paris. Photo: ASO/Charly Lopez

White jersey holder Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked but Filippo Ganna reacted for Ineos Grenadiers and the peloton was strung out in the run in to the last 3-km. Alpecin-Deceuninck seized the reins of the peloton. BikeExchange-Jayco took over at the red flame.

Dylan Groenewegen launched from far out and Jasper Philipsen had the situation under control. He sped up on the right hand side to take his second stage win at the age of 24, eighteen years after Tom Boonen, the last Belgian green jersey winner before Wout van Aert, did so on the Champs-Elysées. Both hail from Mol and Philipsen has often been touted as the next Boonen.

Last year’s Champs-Elysées winner Wout van Aert remained quietly at the back of the pack, along with Jonas Vingegaard who took home his first Tour de France trophy.

Afternote: In August the UCI ruled that GC sixth-place Nairo Quintana was disqualified from the Tour for taking the drug Tramadol. The riders who finished after him were all bumped up one place. For example, Romain Bardet is now the sixth-place finisher of the 2022 Tour de France.

Complete results:

Stage 21 photos

115.6 kilometers raced at an average speed of 38.850 km/hr

• GC winner: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)
• Mountains classification winner: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)
• Points classification winner: Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
• Best young rider: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
• Teams classification winner: INEOS Grenadiers

3,343.8 kilometers raced at an average speed of 42.031 km/hr

Teams Classification:

Stage 21 map & profile

Stage 21 map

The Tour posted two profiles of this stage. Here's the original.

And here's the second with more detail.

Stage 21 photos by Fotoreporter Sirotti:

After a leisurely ride into Paris, it's time to race.

Jonas Vingegaard made it to Paris in Yellow

Jasper Philipsen wins the big one.

Team Jumbo-Visma owned this Tour: GC, Points & KOM and a few stage wins.

Jonas Vingegaard celebrates.

Wout van Aert and family, all in green.

Stage winner Jasper Philipsen

INEOS Grenadiers wn the teams classification

Tadej Pogacar won the young rider classification.

Points classification winner Wout van Aert.

Jonas Vingegaard also win the mountains classification.

2022 Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard.

The final GC podium, from left: Tadej Pogacar (2nd), Jonas Vingegaard (1st) & Geraint Thomas (3rd)

Saturday, July 23: Stage 20, Lacapelle Marival - Rocamadour 40.7 kilometer individual time trial

Complete stage 20 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Stage winner Wout van Aert. ASO photo

• GC leader: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)
• Mountains classification leader: Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)
• Points classification leader: Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
• Teams classification leader: INEOS Grenadiers

Friday, July 22: Stage 19: Castelnau Magnoac - Cahors, 188.3 km

Complete stage 19 results, stage story, photos map & profile

Christophe Laporte takes stage 19. Charly Lopez/ASO photo

Thursday, July 21: Stage 18, Lourdes - Hautacam, 143.2 km

Complete stage 18 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Jonas Vingegaard wins at Hautacam in yellow. Bravo!. ASO photo.

Wednesday, July 20: Stage 17, Saint Gaudens - Peyragudes, 129.7 km

Complete stage 17 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

After a hard duel to the summit finish line with Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar wins the stage. ASO photo

• Mountains classification leader: Simon Geschke (Cofidis)

Tuesday, July 19: Stage 16, Caracassonne - Foix, 178.5 km

Stage 16 complete results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Hugo Houle wins in Foix. Israel-Premier Tech photo

• GC leader: Jonas Vingegaard (Jmbo-Visma)

Monday, July 18: Rest Day Two: Carcassone

The walled city of Carcassonne.

Sunday, July 17: Stage 15, Rodez - Carcassonne, 202.5 km

Complete stage 15 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Jasper Philipsen (center) just beats Wout van Aert (green kit) for the stage win. Photo: ASO

Saturday, July 16: Stage 14, Saint Etienne - Mende, 192.5 km

Complete stage 14 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Michael Matthews enjoys his superb stage win. ASO photo

• GC leader: Jonas Vingegard (Jumbo-Visma)

Friday, July 15: Stage 13, Le Bourg d'Oisons - Saint Etienne, 192.6 km

Complete stage 13 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Mads Pedersen wins stage 13. Photo: ASO

Thursday, July 14: Stage 12: Briançon - Alpe d'Huez, 165.1 km

Stage 12 complete results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Tom Pidcock wins alone atop Alpe d'Huez. INEOS photo

Wednesday, July 13: Stage 11: Albertville - Col du Granon Serre Chevalier, 151.7 km

Complete stage 11 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Jonas Vingegaard wins the stage and becomes the news GC leader. Jumbo-Visma photo

Tuesday, July 12: Stage 10, Morzine Les Portes du Soleil - Megève, 148.1 km

Complete stage 10 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Magnus Cort wins stage 10. Photo: ASO/Pauline Ballet

• GC leader: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)

Monday, July 11: Rest Day 1: Morzine Les Portes du Soleil

Sunday, July 10: Stage 9: Aigle - Châtel les Portes du Soleil (Pré-la-Joux), 192.9 km

Stage 9 complete results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Bob Jungels wins stage nine. Photo: ASO

Saturday, July 9: Stage 8, Dole - Lausanne, 186.3 km

Complete stage 8 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Wout van Aert gets his second stage win this Tour. ASO photo

• Mountains classification leader: Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost)

Friday, July 8: Stage 7, Tomblaine - La Super Planche des Belles Filles, 176.3 km

Complete stage 7 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Tadej Pogacar wins stage seven with Jonas Vingegaard just with him.

Thursday, July 7: Stage 6, Binche - Longwy, 219.9 km

Stage 6 complete results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Tadej Pogacar wins the stage and become the new GC leader. ASO photo

Wednesday, July 6: Stage 5, Lille Métropole - Arenberg Porte du Hinaut, 157 km

Complete stage 5 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

After a hard day at the office, Simon Clarke (right) is just barely the winner of stage five. Sirotti photo

• GC leader: Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
• Team classification leader: INEOS Grenadiers

Tuesday, July 5: Stage 4, Dunkerque - Calais, 171.5 km

Complete stage 4 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

What a rider! In yellow, alone and winning the stage, Wout van Aert has ridden a simply superb race. Chapeau! Photo: ASO/Pauline Ballet

• Team classification leader: Jumbo-Visma

Monday, July 4: Transfer: The Tour moves from Denmark to Dunkerque, France

Sunday, July 3: Stage 3, Vejle - Sonderborg, 182 km

Stage 3 complete results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Dylan Groenewegen wins stage three. Photo: Getty Images

• Best yong rider: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)

Saturday, July 2: Stage 2, Roskilde - Nyborg, 202.2 km

Complete stage 2 results, stage story, photos, map & profile

Fabio Jakobsen takes stage two. Photo: Getty Images

Friday, July 1: Stage 1, Copenhagen 13.2 km individual time trial

Complete stage 1 results, stage story, photos, map, profile & start list

Yves Lampaert going faster than anyone else at the Tour de France. ASO photo.

• GC leader: Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl)
• Points classification leader: Yves Lampaert (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl)
• Team classification leader: Team Jumbo-Visma

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List of stages, June 23, 2022:

Official start list with back numbers, 6/30/2022:

Some details about the 2022 Tour de France route:

MAP Four countries: Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland and of course France will appear on the Tour map in 2022, the highest number since 2017. Denmark will become the 10th country to host the Grand Départ, and the most northerly in the Tour’s history. In France, the race will visit 8 regions and 29 departments.

STAGES There will be 21 stages:

• 6 flat stages
• 7 hilly stages
• 6 mountain stages with 5 summit finishes (La super Planche des Belles Filles, Col du Granon, Alpe d’Huez, Peyragudes, Hautacam)
• 2 individual time trial stages
• 2 rest days
• 1 transfer day

The 2022 Tour will start on 1st July, on a Friday and not on a Saturday as usual. This is to allow for the transfer to France following the three Grand Départ stages in Denmark.

WELCOME... to the 9 new stage town or sites that will  be hosting the Tour for the first time:

• Copenhagen (start and finish of stage 1)
• Roskilde (start of stage 2)
• Nyborg (finish of stage 2)
• Vejle (start of stage 3)
• Sønderborg (finish of stage 3)
• Aigle (start of stage 9)
• Castelnau-Magnoac (start of stage 19)
• Lacapelle-Marival (start of stage 20)
• Rocamadour (finish of stage 20)

MOUNTAINS The Vosges, Alps, Massif Central and Pyrenees are the four mountain massifs that will feature in this 109th edition, appearing in that order. There’s one climb, the Col de Spandelles (1,378m) in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées.

COBBLES They’ll be making their return after a four-year absence. Stage five Lille Métropole > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut will feature 19.4km of cobbles, split across 11 sectors, ranging in length from 1.3 to 2.8km.

TIME TRIALS 53km is the combined distance of the two individual time trials in the 2022 Tour: 13km on the opening stage in the centre of the Danish capital, and 40km on the penultimate stage between Lacapelle-Marival and Rocamadour.

TIME BONUSES The first, second and third riders  across the line on each stage willreceive a time bonus of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, respectively.

PRIZE MONEY A total of 2.3 million euros will be awarded to the teams and riders, including €500,000 to the final winner of the overall individual  classification.

Here's the the organizer's explanation of the 2022 Tour route, released October 14, 2021:

2022 ROUTE: ONE FOR THE ATTACKERS

The route of the 109th Tour de France, scheduled for the 1st to the 24th July 2022, has been unveiled in its traditional venue in Paris. The Palais des Congrès again opened its doors to thousands, including the reigning champion, Tadej Pogačar, the joint record holder for most stage wins, Mark Cavendish, and two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe. 

The big hitters of the next Tour discovered a route filled with opportunities to go on the attack on every terrain following the Grand Départ in Copenhagen. The mountains will then set the stage for a series of showdowns to decide who gets to take the yellow jersey home, including the Super Planche des Belles Filles in the Vosges department, the col du Granon and Alpe d'Huez to wrap up the Alpine chapter of the Race, before Peyragudes and the Hautacam in the Pyrenees, where the climbers will have the chance to set the race alight. 

In a historic first, riders from the women's peloton attended the ceremony to witness the birth of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The race director, Marion Rousse, announced that the inaugural edition of the race will start on 24th July, heading east before finishing on the Super Planche des Belles Filles on 31st July.

As the world of cycling looks forward to the 2022 Tour de France, the powerful scenes from the previous edition are still fresh in the mind. In the first week, viewers were treated to a no-holds-barred contest from riders who have made their mark on cycling’s current era thanks to their aggressive racing style. Riders such as Julian Alaphilippe, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert set the tone and inspire the rest of the peloton to follow their example with their victorious escapades. There will be plenty of opportunities for them and the rest to go on the attack throughout the Tour, starting with the Danish stages, where the masters of echelons will be right in their element in the 18 km crossing of the Baltic Sea, coming after a time trial for power riders in Copenhagen, the world capital of cycling, and before the sprint stage that will cap the Scandinavian adventure in Sønderborg.

The peloton will return to French soil in the Nord department. Next up, an exhausting ride to Calais, a serving of Roubaix cobblestones, a launch pad for punchers in Longwy and the first clash between the crown pretenders at La Planche des Belles Filles, this time in its "Super" version. Unless the weather turns the race into a war of attrition, the 2022 Tour offers mountain goats a prestigious path to the overall title.

The Alps will start with a summit finish on the col du Granon, 2,413 metres above sea level, on the same road that Bernard Hinault wore the yellow jersey for the last time in his career back in 1986, followed by a carbon copy of the stage from Briançon to the Alpe d'Huez, won by the Frenchman after crossing the finish line hand in hand with Greg LeMond. On the way to the Pyrenees, the Saint-Étienne and Carcassone stages have "sprint finish" written all over them, unlike the one to Mende.

At this point, the bell will call the leaders back into their mountain rings. Tadej Pogačar could soar on the ascent to Peyragudes after the Col d'Aspin and the Hourquette d'Ancizan have softened up the legs of the contenders. Regardless of whether he is in yellow by this point, the reigning champion will have to tame his rivals on the road to Hautacam, which will offer no respite with the climbs up the Aubisque and the Col de Spandelles, making its debut in the race. The final time trial will also enter uncharted waters with its finish on the Rocamadour promontory. It will be time to see where everyone stands… 24 hours later, it’ll be time to celebrate the winner on the Champs-Élysées. A new adventure will then begin with the women in the spotlight.

© McGann Publishing

Tour de France: Jonas Rutsch berichtet über das Radrennen

Rutsch bei der Tour de France : „Wir haben den Laden aufgemischt“

Das Tagebuch von Jonas Rutsch von der Tour de France wird an dieser Stelle regelmäßig aktualisiert. Aufgezeichnet werden seine Berichte von Alex Westhoff und Michael Eder.

Die Chance, auf den Champs Élysées bei der Abschlussetappe aus einer Ausreißergruppe heraus ein Ergebnis zu fahren oder sogar zu gewinnen, ist sehr gering. Auf der anderen Seite ist es aber auch die einzige Chance, die sich meinem Team oder einem Fahrer wie mir geboten hat. Im Massensprint sind wir nicht so stark, wir haben keinen Sprinter, das heißt, wir hätten im Finale keine Chance gehabt. Dann muss man eben einen Weg finden, den Sprint zu umgehen. Und dafür habe ich alles in die Pfanne geschmissen, was ich habe. Ich habe die Gruppe initiiert und dann auch starke Mitstreiter gefunden, die auch absolut alles gegeben haben.

Der „last man standing“ an meiner Seite war Max Schachmann. Zusammen haben wir den Laden noch mal aufgemischt und es denen hinten so schwer gemacht wie möglich. Es war brutal hart. Darauf muss man sich vorher mental einstellen, wenn man so was vorhat. Man muss sich drauf vorbereiten, dass es noch einmal eine Stunde oder anderthalb richtig wehtun wird. Dann fährst du die ganze Zeit am Limit. Es war quasi unser zweites Zeitfahren zum Tour-Abschluss.

Das Feld hat uns erst eingeholt, kurz nachdem die Glocke für die letzte Runde geklingelt hat. Wir haben danach noch öfter gesagt bekommen, dass es hinten ganz schön geklemmt hat. Da war nicht mehr viel. Die sind hinten an der Spitze mit sechs Mann gefahren, und vorne waren wir am Anfang fünf, dann vier, dann drei und dann eben nur noch zwei. Ich glaube, einen Sprinter wie Dylan Groenewegen, der gewinnen wollte, haben wir neutralisiert. Der musste sein ganzes Team aufopfern, um uns zurückzuholen. Dann war am Ende des Tages keiner mehr übrig, um für ihn den Sprint zu forcieren.

Die Power für die Ausreißaktion kam bei mir aus dem Mentalen. Jeder Rennfahrer war vor dem Finale drei Wochen Rad gefahren. Keiner war mehr ultraheiß drauf, noch mal alles aus sich raus zu holen. Wenn man sich aber darauf einstellt, dass man noch mal alles aus sich rauskratzt, dann hilft das ungemein.

Die Stimmung auf den Champs-Élysées und die Zuschauermassen, das ist natürlich eine ganz besondere Szenerie, auch die Emotionen, die da mitschwingen, aber in der Zeit, die du vorne bist, ist es einfach nur hart. Da kriegst du nicht viel von der Außenwelt mit. Hört sich blöd an, aber der schöne Teil hat dann eigentlich erst angefangen, nachdem wir eingeholt worden waren. Dann war der Fluchtversuch beendet und ich bin ganz entspannt die letzte Runde gefahren und konnte sie genießen, konnte alles aufsaugen, was da los war. Ich habe eine Cola aus dem Auto gekriegt und habe sie mir schmecken lassen. Noch ein Schulterklopfer, und dann sind wir ins Ziel gekommen.

Im Rückblick ist es natürlich auch schön, dass man weiß, da haben Millionen von Leuten zugeschaut. Eine größere Bühne als Paris kriegst du nicht. Und ich war ja bestimmt auch nicht der einzige, der sich in einer Fluchtgruppe präsentieren wollte. Wenn du das schaffst, hast du schon mal was gewonnen. Und es gab ja während der ganzen Tour leider keinen deutschen Etappensieg. Zweimal knapp vorbei. Es war deshalb auch noch mal wichtig, dass wir den deutschen Radsport ein bisschen präsentieren konnten. Ich denke, Max und ich haben das ganz gut hingekriegt, weil wir ja die letzten zwei Überlebenden in der Fluchtgruppe waren.

Wenn ich mein Fazit von dieser Tour ziehen soll, dann muss ich sagen, es war unglaublich hart. Es war die schnellste Tour, die jemals gefahren wurde. Ich bin stolz darauf, dass ich bis Paris gekommen bin und am Sonntag noch mal so fahren konnte, wie ich gefahren bin. Persönlich war es eine schwierige Tour für mich. Weil ich in der ersten Woche gestürzt bin und damit ein bisschen zu kämpfen hatte.

Ich war auch nicht zu hundert Prozent gesund, körperlich ziemlich angeknockt. Die erste Woche war deshalb sehr schwierig für mich, einfach weil ich nicht auf dem Level war, auf dem ich gehofft hatte zu sein. Ich habe mich dann aber gefangen und gegen Ende wurde es immer ein Stück besser, da sind die Beine ein bisschen aufgegangen. Diese drei Wochen haben mich wieder ein Stück weiter gebracht, haben mich stärker gemacht. Jetzt habe ich meine zweite Tour in der Tasche und noch einen vollen Rennkalender vor mir. Ich denke, dass ich noch einiges feiern kann in diesem Jahr. Ich hoffe es.

Quick-Step ist hinterher gefahren wie die Teufel. Dann hatten wir letztlich unten am Anstieg nur 30 Sekunden. Das war nicht, was ich mir vorgestellt hatte. Ich hatte gedacht, wir fahren mit einem Polster von zwei Minuten in den Anstieg, dann machst du für die beiden deine Arbeit und dann wirst du irgendwann zurückfallen und dann sammelt sich hinten eine Gruppe und du fährst weiter mit den anderen Leuten, die ihre Arbeit erledigt haben.

Aber so gab es dann eine große Explosion in der Gruppe. Irgendwann bin ich von der Gruppe mit dem Gelben Trikot eingeholt worden, mit den ganzen Favoriten fürs Gesamtklassement. Ich habe mich kurz drangehängt, konnte aber auch nicht lange mitfahren, vielleicht drei Kilometer, weil ich mich richtig ins Laktat geschossen hatte davor.

Dann musste ich erst mal eine Gruppe finden, mit der ich die Etappe zu Ende fahren konnte. Die habe ich gefunden, dann war’s auch besser, aber dieser erste Berg, der hat richtig weh getan. Ich habe keine Ahnung, wie die Berge hießen, die dann noch kamen, ich wollte einfach nur noch ins Ziel. Auch die Abfahrten waren sehr schwierig, Straßen teilweise mit losen Steinen auf dem Asphalt. Man hat das ja auch gesehen beim Sturz von Pogacar.

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Es ist die Frage, ob so etwas notwendig ist. Oder ob man da vielleicht woanders hinfahren könnte. Denn wenn man so am Anschlag oben auf einem Berg ankommt und dann muss man irgendwelche Viehtriebe runterfahren, ist das natürlich schwierig. Auf jeden Fall musste ich mich auf der Abfahrt voll konzentrieren, konnte aber irgendwann wieder einen Rhythmus finden.

Am schlimmsten war der zweite Berg, der war grausam und unrhythmisch. Ultrasteil, dann mal wieder flach, dann wieder ultrasteil. Ich war echt froh, als ich im Ziel war, aber dann ging es noch weiter. Wir mussten noch den Berg runter fahren zu den Bussen, mit einer Trillerpfeife im Mund. Das ist wirklich gefährlich mit den ganzen Fans, die auf dem Rad anreisen und dann mit einem da runterfahren, manche sind total übermotiviert. Das ist nicht so ohne. Da kann auch noch ein Sturz passieren nach dem Rennen.

Und dann ist man zurück im Hotel. Die letzte Unterkunft ist schön gewesen. Es gibt vom Veranstalter eine Art Punktesystem. Die Hotels werden mit Punkten bewertet, und am Ende sollen alle Teams auf den gleichen Standard kommen. Natürlich hast du auch mal ein Hotel, wo wenig Platz ist und ziemlich warm. Aber da sinken auch die Ansprüche gegen Ende der Tour, weil du dann schon froh bist, wenn du ein Bett hast und deinen Kopf irgendwo ablegen kannst. Das Schlafen wird immer schwieriger hinten raus in der dritten Tour-Woche, weil der Körper einfach weiter arbeitet, irgendwann ist es die Summe der Belastung, die einen auch nachts auf Trab hält.

Man kann sagen, das Schlimmste haben wir jetzt hinter uns. Es war wirklich brutal dieses Jahr. Normalerweise ist es bei mir so, dass die Beine hinten raus besser werden. Das war auch so bis Donnerstag. Ich war auf der ersten Etappe ja gleich gestürzt, und rückblickend hat mich das ziemlich viel gekostet. Weil gerade in einem solchen Etappenrennen steckst du einen Sturz nicht so einfach weg, weil der Körper dann eine Baustelle mehr hat, die er bearbeiten muss, wo er doch genug damit zu tun hätte, sich zu erholen vom Radrennen an sich.

Das hat mich meine erste Woche ein bisschen gekostet. Danach ging es peu à peu besser. Aber ich bin jetzt definitiv froh, dass wir Paris immer näher kommen. Dann sieht man endlich seine Familie, seine Freundin, vielleicht auch ein paar andere bekannte Gesichter wieder, dann fällt einfach sehr viel Druck von einem ab.

Essen ist auch ein großes Thema. Ich kann mittlerweile diese ganze Kohlenhydratkost nicht mehr sehen. Sie hängt mir zum Hals raus. Ich bin froh, wenn ich bald wieder mal eine Pizza essen kann und vielleicht mal auch einen Wein trinken, oder ein Bier, nicht immer nur Iso-Getränke, um die Leistung hoch zu halten. Das ist alles so pappsüß, boah. Nudeln und Reis, jeden Tag dasselbe. Morgens Haferschleim. Irgendwann reicht es.

Dazu gibt es ja strenge Regeln, welche die Übergabe und Entsorgung der Flaschen regeln. Man bekommt schnell Punktabzüge in der Rangliste des Radsport-Weltverbandes – und für viele Teams geht es um jeden Punkt im Abstiegskampf. Das gipfelt darin, dass jeder Fahrer den ganzen Tag damit beschäftigt ist, das an Flüssigkeit in sich hineinzuschütten, was er kriegen kann. Und sich Eis zu besorgen und in den Nacken zu schmeißen, um es irgendwie ins Ziel zu schaffen.

Als Helfer bin ich nur dran, von hinten durchs Feld nach vorne zu fahren und dann wieder zurück, um Verpflegung ranzuschaffen. Das Höchste der Gefühle ist es, wenn die Rennkommissare dann noch eine Barrage aufmachen, dass also die Teamfahrzeuge hinter abgehängten Fahrern zurückbleiben müssen. Dann dürfen wir vom neutralen Materialwagen oder Motorrad Wasser annehmen. Diese Idee, das kann man sich gewiss gut vorstellen bei 40 Grad Celsius, hast du dann aber nicht alleine. Man legt sich fast auf die Schnauze, weil alle um die heiß begehrten Flaschen kämpfen. Was hinzukommt: Wasser hilft ab einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt nicht mehr, denn dann brauchst du isotonische Getränke. Sonst gehst du komplett in die Knie.

Die vielen Stürze am Sonntag sind in meinen Augen maßgeblich dadurch entstanden, dass viele Profis wie benommen fahren, nicht mehr wissen, wo oben und unten ist. Es liegt nicht daran, dass wir nicht Fahrrad fahren können, sondern weil der Körper an seine Grenzen stößt. Da sind Leute quasi kollabiert und vom Rad gefallen. Leute sind gestürzt, weil sie im Feld über Flaschen gefahren sind, die in der Hektik herunterfielen. So schnell kann man gar nicht gucken und reagieren.

Für solche extremen Tage sind die Strukturen, die wir im Radsport haben, nicht ausreichend. Da sind solche Szenen, die wir erlebt haben, programmiert. Und daran gilt es sehr schnell etwas zu ändern. Da sollten sich Tour-Veranstalter und Weltverband etwas einfallen lassen. Wäre es nicht möglich gewesen, die Etappe am Sonntag nach Carcassonne etwas zu verkürzen? Ich habe es ja an mir selbst gemerkt: Irgendwann war mir schwummrig, dann kriegst du gar nicht mehr alles mit. Nur, bei Tempo 50 im Feld oder Tempo 90 in den Abfahrt musst du bei der Sache sein. Das ist elementare Basis von allem in unserem Sport.

Dazu hat das Coronavirus ja das ganze Peloton erreicht, auch wir hatten den ersten positiv getesteten Fahrer im Team, der ausscheiden musste. Viele Fahrer sind nicht gesund, weil der Körper in der dritten Woche am Limit und empfänglicher für Infekte ist. Das wird klar, wenn man sich umhört und auch sieht, wie viel gehustet wird.

Am Sonntag stand im Ziel sofort der nächst verpflichtende Coronatest an. Du kommst an und willst eigentlich nur trinken, trinken, trinken. Aber dann steht schon der Betreuer da und hält dir eine Maske hin und ein Arzt schiebt dir ein Stäbchen in die Nase, während die Presse schon auf Statements wartet. Nun geht es in die dritte Tour-Woche – ich bin gespannt. Vielleicht noch ein Wort zum Sport: Ich persönlich fühle eine ansteigende Form und hoffe, dass noch etwas geht für mich bei dieser Tour.

Ich habe es mit initiiert, dass zwei unserer Jungs in die Ausreißergruppe des Tages gekommen sind. Am Schlussanstieg nach Megève habe ich dann das Tempo kontrolliert rausgenommen und bin ruhig ins Ziel gefahren. Unter anderem mit John Degenkolb, mit dem ich in Rhein-Main ja auch regelmäßig zusammen trainiere. Da galt es die Beine etwas zu schonen für die schweren folgenden Alpenetappen. Als wir dann über Funk gehört haben, dass unser Teamkollege Magnus Cort Nielsen die Etappe gewonnen hat, war die Freude riesig. Da ist auch einiges von mir abgefallen. Das Team hat nun weniger Druck, die Atmosphäre ändert sich. Jetzt ist der Etappensieg da, und wir können nun offensiv Radrennen fahren, so wie es der Style des Teams ist. Und was auch mir entgegenkommt und mir möglicherweise nun Chancen eröffnet.

Die Tour ist ja gerade erst in ihrer zweiten Woche, und wir werden sehen, was noch alles passiert. Meine Beine sind jedenfalls wieder da – und das ist ja die maßgebliche Voraussetzung. Und dann kommt vielleicht Tag X, an dem ich mich mal in der Spitzengruppe befinde. Vorher stand bei uns bei EF Education-Easypost – wie bei vielen Teams – ein Etappensieg über allem. Nun ist das wichtigste Soll erfüllt für die Sponsoren, die ja reichlich Geld geben, damit ein Team in der ersten Radsportliga fahren kann.

Es war zuvor eine fast durchgehend schwierige Saison für die gesamte Mannschaft. Viele Fahrer haben sich zu ungünstigen Zeitpunkten mit Corona infiziert – es war einfach der Wurm drin, auch bei mir persönlich. Der Etappensieg bei der Tour ist da ein richtiger Befreiungsschlag.

Der Start in Morzine am Dienstag hatte für uns einen Schreckmoment bereitgehalten. Ein Streckenposten wies unserem pinkfarbenen Teambus den Weg – und zack, da war der Bus festgefahren und blockierte die Straße. Er war vorne aufgesetzt, und wir kamen nicht mehr vor oder zurück, weil die Räder durchgedreht haben. Mit eilig herbeigeschafftem schwerem Gerät wurde der Bus dann bewegt. Da war ganz schön Chaos.

An diesem Donnerstag führt uns die Strecke nach einer heftigen Bergetappe ins Ziel hinauf nach Alpe d’Huez. Ich freue mich nicht auf die Plackerei, aber ich freue mich, das in meiner Karriere mal miterleben zu dürfen. Bisher habe ich ja nur im Fernsehen mitbekommen, was da am Berg abgeht, welche Massen an Fans da die Straße verengen. Ich hoffe, man bekommt im Rauch der ganzen Bengalos noch ausreichend Luft. Eine überragende Stimmung dürfte garantiert sein, zumal am französischen Nationalfeiertag.

Das fängt schon bei sonst ziemlich gewöhnlichen Dingen an: Mal eine Führung im Wind zu fahren oder bei der Verpflegung der Teamkollegen zu unterstützen beispielsweise. Im vergangenen Jahr, bei meiner Tour-Premiere, bin ich ausgangs der ersten Rennwoche besonders gut unterwegs gewesen. Aber wenn man sich im Peloton umschaut, dann leiden viele andere auch schon enorm. Wenn man beispielsweise den seit Jahren supererfolgreichen Mathieu van der Poel sieht, der bei einigen bisherigen Etappen als Mitfavorit galt und noch quasi gar nicht in Erscheinung getreten ist. Einen meiner Teamkollegen, den Portugiesen Ruben Guerreiro, hat es auch erwischt. Kein Covid, aber der war komplett angeschossen, fühlte sich schlapp, hatte Muskelschmerzen überall – bei ihm ging nichts mehr. Er ist am Sonntag nicht mehr zur Etappe angetreten, die uns nach einem Bogen durch die Schweiz ja die ersten richtigen Alpen-Anstiege mit Ziel in Châtel les Portes du Soleil bescherte.

Es ist einfach sehr, sehr mühsam gerade und ich bin heilfroh, dass an diesem Montag Ruhetag ist. Den kann ich gut gebrauchen, um mal durchzuschnaufen. Ich werde in Ruhe in mich hineinhören, um hoffentlich den Dingen auf die Spur zu kommen, die mich gerade bremsen. Und dann geht es hoffentlich wieder aufwärts! Im Moment geht es für mich darum, die Etappen einigermaßen schadlos rumzukriegen.

Das ist natürlich auch mental nicht leicht zu verkraften. Weil die Tour mein Saisonhöhepunkt ist und vieles darauf ausgerichtet war. Und vor allem, weil nichts darauf hindeutete, dass es so kommen könnte. Und mir auch kein Fehler bewusst ist, den ich vielleicht gemacht habe. Vielmehr war die Vorbereitung prima gelaufen. Dreieinhalb Wochen Höhentrainingslager hatten angeschlagen, und sowohl bei der Tour de Suisse und auch bei den deutschen Meisterschaften im Sauerland bin ich schnell Fahrrad gefahren. Ich fühlte mich sehr bereit für die Tour.

Bei den drei Auftaktetappen in Dänemark war auch alles okay. Aber seitdem wir in Frankreich angekommen sind, habe ich zu kämpfen. Am Sonntagabend stand der für alle Fahrer und Betreuer aller Teams verpflichtende Corona-Test an. Wir tun alles dafür, dass wir uns nicht infizieren. Aber ausschließen kann bei der Tour sowieso nichts. Da spüre ich gerade nur zu gut am eigenen Körper.

Gleich auf dem zweiten von elf Pflasterstein-Sektoren fahre ich mir das Vorderrad platt. Ich bin dann noch bis zum Ende dieses Pavé gerumpelt bis zu einem unserer Betreuer, der dort neue Laufräder bereithielt. Der Reifenwechsel hat natürlich seine Zeit gedauert, die man bei solch einer Etappe schlicht nicht hat. Ich setze also nach, mit allem, was ich habe – und kurz vor dem dritten Sektor macht sich meine (elektrische) Schaltung selbständig. Die hat angefangen, durch die Gänge zu springen. Vielleicht ist mir einer dagegen gefahren, ohne dass ich es mitbekommen habe. Dann war für mich jedenfalls endgültig Schicht im Schacht.

Bei solch einer Etappe geht es weit hinten mitunter noch chaotischer zu. Weil die Teamfahrzeuge vor uns so viel Staub aufgewirbelt haben, habe ich teilweise überhaupt nichts mehr gesehen. Da fragst du Dich: Kommt da eine Kurve oder kommt da keine? Ich war froh, dass einige Kilometer lang vor mir der mehrmalige Eschborn-Frankfurt-Sieger Alexander Kristoff rumpilotiert ist. Dessen Team hat so neongelbe Stellen am Trikot, die durch den Staub durchschimmerten, wenn man nahe genug dran war.

Bei der Tour kann man vor einer Etappe noch so viele Pläne schmieden. Wenn die Konstellation es nicht zulässt, die Beine nicht mehr können oder Pech hinzukommt, lösen die sich ganz schnell in Luft auf. Als ob sich bei vielen Fahrern die von den ersten, eher ruhigen Tour-Tagen gesparte Energie voll entladen hätte, ist von Beginn an Vollgas gefahren worden.

Die Idee, uns vor dem Geschehen zu platzieren, ist zunächst sehr gut aufgegangen. Wir wollten sogar mit drei Mann in die Ausreißergruppe gehen, ich sollte einer davon sein. Ich habe es auch versucht, es aber leider nicht geschafft. Ich hatte einfach die Beine nicht. An anderen Tagen kannst du es mehrmals mit dem Brecheisen versuchen, in die Gruppe zu kommen. Das ist meist meine Taktik, weil ich gut darin bin, einfach loszufahren und die Gruppen selbst zu initiieren. Das ging an diesem Tag nicht.

Ich bin dann einmal einer Attacke eines anderen Fahrers gefolgt, habe aber schnell gemerkt, dass es mit mir vorne an der Spitze keine Zukunft haben wird. Manchmal ist es ja so, dass man zu Anfang einer Etappe ein bisschen schwere Beine hat und der Körper erst dann ins Rennen reinkommt. Während ich darauf vergeblich wartete, kamen dann die Defekte dazu. Was natürlich schade war, denn für diese Etappe hatte ich mir richtig etwas vorgenommen.

Die Zeit, irgendetwas hinterherzutrauern, hat man bei der Tour eh nicht. Zumal nach solch einer zehrenden Raserei auf Kopfsteinpflaster. Das hatte hier natürlich wenig mit einem normalen Paris­–Roubaix im Frühjahr zu tun. Schließlich gibt es danach keine Pause, sondern wir müssen noch mehr als zwei Wochen weiter Fahrrad fahren. Meinen Handgelenken, Armen, Schultern und Nacken geht es nach der Rüttelpartie jedenfalls gut. Die Folgen des Sturzes am ersten Tour-Tag sind auch auskuriert. Ich bin da von Natur aus körperlich mit guten Werkzeugen gesegnet. Und die werde ich bei dieser Tour noch häufig brauchen.

Die beiden Etappen am Wochenende sind zwar nervös und auch mal stressig gefahren worden, aber nicht so hart, dass ich nicht auch mal einen Blick auf das stimmungsvolle Drumherum werfen konnte. Aber der Reihe nach: Los ging es ja am Freitag mit dem 13,2 Kilometer langen Einzelzeitfahren in Kopenhagen. Ich habe trotz Regen voller Lust und Energie losgelegt mit dem Ziel, weit vorne reinzufahren. Leider sind mir in einer Kurve beide Räder weggerutscht, und es hat mich voll hingehauen. Ich hatte mir vorher schon gedacht, dass es dort rutschig ist, zumal auch ein Teamkollege zuvor genau dort abgeflogen ist. Aber dass es dort so enorm glitschig war, hatte ich noch nicht einmal bei der Einfahrt in die Kurve gedacht. Aber dann war es dort leider etwas zu viel Risiko, das ich genommen habe.

Leider hat es mir bei dem Sturz das Kettenblatt in die Hacke gehauen, was eine ziemliche Wunde verursacht hat. Und wenn man mit Tempo 40 auf dem Boden aufschlägt, dann verzieht es dir sowieso erst mal alles. Ich saß aber schnell wieder im Sattel. Wenn man überlegt, dass der Sturz sicher 30 Sekunden gekostet hat und ich am Ende nur 25 Sekunden hinter den Top 10 lag, wäre richtig was möglich gewesen beim Prolog. Schade drum. Aber das ist die Tour – da muss man jeden Tag sofort abhaken, weil es immer weitergeht.

Den Cut an der Wade und auch den ganzen Körper habe ich am Samstag noch ordentlich gespürt. Das war nicht so angenehm. Zumal ich mich im Etappenfinale noch komplett auspowern musste. Unser Kapitän Rigoberto Uran war kurz nach der Auffahrt auf die lange Brücke über den Großen Belt gestürzt. Wir haben sofort fast alle Mann nach hinten beordert, um ihn wieder ans Feld heranzufahren. Das war der pure Kampf! Da habe ich alles reingeschmissen, was ich hatte.

Zunächst haben wir auf der Brücke nicht mal die Rücklichter der Autokolonne sehen können. Und ich dachte zwischenzeitlich, dass wir den Anschluss nicht mehr schaffen. Aber letztlich haben wir es doch noch hinbekommen – mit einer ziemlich großen Gruppe von zunächst abgehängten Fahrern, die wir im Windschatten mitgezogen haben. Da hatten wir das Glück, das uns am Sonntag nicht mehr hold war. Da hat „Rigo“ dann 40 Sekunden auf die anderen Klassementfahrer verloren. Die Gesamtwertung mit ihm haben wir aber längst noch nicht abgeschrieben.

Die Tour zu fahren war immer mein Traumziel, da kommt auch bei meiner zweiten Teilnahme keinerlei Routine auf. Ich merke zwar, dass ich das alles, was vor einer Tour auf einen einströmt, schon mal hatte. Ich schaue auch nicht mehr mit großen Augen durch die Gegend. Aber dennoch lässt es mich natürlich nicht kalt. Diese ganzen Emotionen, die damit verbunden sind und die im Hinterkopf arbeiten, versuche ich aber klein zu halten.

Denn von diesem Freitag an geht es darum, schnell Fahrrad zu fahren. Drei Wochen lang schnell Fahrrad zu fahren. Und alle Emotionen, die man jetzt investiert, bedeuten auch einen Energieverlust. Und den sollte man vor 3354 knüppelharten Kilometern Rennstrecke, verteilt auf 21 Etappen in Dänemark und Frankreich, tunlichst gering halten. Es macht auf jeden Fall Sinn, sich vorzustellen, dass die Tour ein Rennen wie jedes andere ist. Auch wenn man auf Schritt und Tritt daran erinnert wird, dass es nicht so ist.

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Für mich war es in den vergangenen Wochen beruhigend zu wissen: Wenn ich gesund bleibe, fahre ich zur Tour. In Sachen persönliche Ziele für die kommenden drei Wochen möchte ich mich noch bedeckt halten und erst mal schauen, wie ich reinkomme und wie es rollt. Es wird, so viel ist sicher, eine sehr hektische erste Woche werden. Weil die Tour eben die Tour ist und dort Rad gefahren wird wie bei der Tour üblich: Jeder will sich von seiner besten und stärksten Seite präsentieren. Das erhöht die Wahrscheinlichkeit von (Massen-)Stürzen, unabhängig davon, ob die Straßen schmal sind, wir auf Pflastersteinen fahren oder der Wind bläst.

Als Team EF Education-EasyPost wollen wir vor allem auf Etappensiege fahren. Aber natürlich wollen wir auch unseren Mann fürs Klassement, Rigoberto Urán, bestmöglich beschützen. Dafür haben wir ein schlagkräftiges Team am Start. An den Süden, an Alpe d’Huez und Galibier und so weiter, denke ich noch kein Stück. Ich habe erst mal einen Job hier im Norden zu erfüllen.

Meine Form ist jedenfalls gut, die Beine fühlen sich prima an. Bei der deutschen Meisterschaft voriges Wochenende im Sauerland kam ich auch schon gut in Fahrt. Rang vier bei dem bergigen Zeitfahren war voll in Ordnung. Und auch beim Straßenrennen lief es gut, da konnte ich meinen Motor noch mal aufheulen lassen. Das war voll in Ordnung, obwohl ich wie erwartet der Übermacht vom Team Bora-hansgrohe allein nicht trotzen konnte.

Zuvor war ich in der Schweiz bei der Tour de Suisse unterwegs. Einen guten Hinweis auf meine gute Verfassung hat die zweite Etappe gegeben, bei der ich in der Spitzengruppe lange um den Sieg mitgefahren bin. Erst am letzten Berg konnte ich einer Attacke nicht mehr folgen – dann bin ich kurz vor dem Ziel noch vom Feld eingeholt worden. Die ganze Rundfahrt war ein sehr gelungener Test.

Nur hat bei der Tour de Suisse das Corona-Thema wieder voll eingeschlagen im Peloton, und ganze Teams sind abgereist. Als ich eines Morgens im Teamhotel zum Frühstück runtergegangen bin, saß ich mit dem Kollegen Neilson Powless allein am Tisch. Der Rest hatte sich coronabedingt verabschiedet. Am Ende ist es aber trotzdem gelungen, seinen vierten Platz im Klassement zu verteidigen. Was für mich natürlich sehr viel Arbeit bedeutet, da ich fünf Fahrer ersetzen musste.

Vor dem PCR-Test am vergangenen Montag, den man absolvieren musste, um bei der Tour dabei sein zu können, hatte ich ehrlich gesagt ein bisschen Bammel. Da hingen viele, viele Arbeitsstunden auf dem Rad dran. Ich war dreieinhalb Wochen am Stück, also echt lange, im Höhentrainingslager. Dreieinhalb Wochen täglich viel Rad fahren und dann bestmöglich ausruhen – und dann wieder von vorne.

In Andorra kenne ich die Bergstraßen nunmehr so gut wie im heimischen Odenwald. Ich habe dort auch gut Gewicht verloren, ohne dabei an Power einzubüßen. Im Vergleich zu meiner letztjährigen Tour de France gehe mit aktuell 80 etwa drei Kilogramm leichter ins Rennen, was mir in den Bergen zugutekommen wird. Ich hoffe mal, dass mein Spitzname „Bergziege“ dann Programm sein wird.

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Tour de France Stage 21 LIVE - Can Van Aert make it four in a row in Paris for Jumbo-Visma ahead of Vingegaard coronation?

• Overall standings

Updated 24/07/2022 at 18:00 GMT

• - POGACAR ATTACKS ON FINAL LAP AFTER THOMAS ACCELERATION!
• - BREAKAWAY CAUGHT AS THE BELL SOUNDS OUT FOR FINAL LAP
• - FIVE CLEAR WITH SMALL GAP: TRATNIK, BISSEGER, BURGAUDEAU, DEWULF, MARTINEZ
• - ATTACKS COME THICK AND FAST ON THE CHAMPS ELYSEES AT START OF FIRST LAP
• - VAN AERT ATTACKS AT KILOMETRE ZERO - POGACAR AND VINGEGAARD FOLLOW

It’s time for the Tour de France

We’re bringing eight riders from eight different nationalities to the world’s greatest bike race

June 29, 2022

It’s time for the Tour de France.

As French families head for the beaches of the Côte d’Azur and to campsites high in the Pyrénées and Alps, they will follow the news of their country’s summer spectacle, gathering around TV sets in sweltering bars and reading day-old newspapers or Insta-updates under their sun umbrellas. Americans will rise at dawn to watch the final kilometres of each stage, while Australians wait late into the night to see who will wear the yellow jersey. People from all over the world will camp by the side of French roads and party together long after the peloton has passed. The Tour de France now belongs to you, too. It is the vital side story to your summer holidays.

We’re excited to announce the riders for us that will star in one of summer’s classic traditions: Rigoberto Uran, Neilson Powless, Magnus Cort-Nielsen, Jonas Rutsch, Stefan Bissegger, Ruben Guerreiro, and Owain Doull will race Le Tour for EF Education-EasyPost.

For our riders, the Tour de France will be anything but a vacation. For 21 days, on a 3,328-kilometre race course, they will sweat to dizzying heights up France’s highest cols and throw themselves into mad sprints for the finish line, pushing their bodies to the limits of human endurance, as they try to win stages and pull on cycling’s greatest prize: the maillot jaune.

They are eight riders from eight different nationalities. Ever since they were little kids, they have dreamed of racing onto the Champs Elysées in Paris. We asked them about their ambitions for this year’s race and what Le Tour means to them.

Magnus Cort

"To win stages at the Tour is on a different level to anything else you can do in cycling. It means a lot just to be selected and going, especially this year when the Tour is starting in Denmark. It is probably the only race where you really count how many times you have been there and have finished. It’s not my first time going, but as a small kid, like most other Danes, I just followed the Tour on the TV during the summer holidays. I didn’t know anything about cycling, but watched the Tour every summer. It is pretty crazy to think back to that eight-year-old, myself, sitting there looking at all the bike riders, and now I am actually the one inside the television, riding the Tour de France in my home country."

Rigoberto Urán

"The best riders are here. The teams come prepared with everything, the new material, the new bikes. Everybody is focused on the Tour de France. You see the new developments. All the world is watching. The level is super high. Every stage is hard. The riders, the masseurs, the mechanics — everyone is focused and nervous for 21 days. Every second is important. It is nice. It is very different, starting in Denmark and not in France is something different, but especially here it is nice because there are many fans in Denmark. We take it day by day. It is one month. You need to stay first lucky and then healthy. You make a strategy, but must take it day by day. The most important thing is to sleep well."

Neilson Powless

"When I think about the Tour de France, I just think of the highest level of competition and just a race filled with athletes who have dedicated their lives to becoming as fit as possible and showing that along the countryside in France for the world to see. It is a pretty massive sporting event that crosses a pretty large area of space in France. It reaches a lot of people, which is really cool. The influence that it has is pretty massive, over the whole globe, which is pretty unique, and not a lot of people get to compete in an event like that, which is pretty exciting."

Alberto Bettiol

"Tour de France for me is the biggest race of the year. It is a big goal for the season. The Tour is the race where all of the teams put in the most effort. The best riders in the world are at the Tour de France, so it is a big show, so I really want to win a stage in this Tour de France. That is why I worked so hard, even if I had some trouble during the season with COVID and so on, but I am confident now after the Tour de Suisse. The team is really ambitious for the GC with the stage racers, and we will try to win a couple of stages. I worked hard for this event. I know it, because I have done it already three times, but I am really looking forward to the race."

Jonas Rutsch

"I have great memories from last year. It is the biggest bike race in the world, the one I am always looking forward to. I always hope that I will be selected, and I managed to get selected. I am just really excited to see what comes next. I love the whole history of the race, how well prepared the riders are every year, and the whole atmosphere."

Stefan Bissegger

"It feels amazing to be here after all the bad things I had in the last few weeks with COVID and having to leave the Tour de Suisse. It feels amazing to be here and be ready to race. The Tour de France is the biggest race of them all, so it is always nice to be a part of. I remember watching a mountain stage on TV and then later we went with the family to Alpe d’Huez. I’m definitely looking forward to it."

Ruben Guerreiro

"The Tour de France is the race that made me a rider. I was young and watching the Tour de France and imagined, dreamed to one day ride the Tour. It is my favorite race. I think it is the race that motivated me to be a professional rider. My ambition is now bigger. With this team I have the opportunity to ride and arrive here in the best condition and now I hope to win something. It is a big achievement, a big honor to make my dream come true. Last year was my first one. This year is my second one. Last year, I didn’t win anything, but I was there, and this year I want to win something."

Owain Doull

It’s a childhood dream. This is my first Tour, so I don’t know what to expect. Watching the Tour is my earliest memory of cycling. I think it probably means the same to every person who starts the Tour, whether it is their first or their tenth. It is the biggest race in cycling and I can’t wait to be a part of it. Even before I got into cycling, ITV used to show the Tour and I would always watch the highlights package in the evening. There is no other bike race where you know the theme tune. I remember watching that and every day they would do a round-up of how the British riders were getting on and it was in smaller numbers then. I can’t wait to get stuck into it.

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There is now a Colombian TV show about Rigoberto Urán’s life. It is about more than Olympic medals and grand tour podiums, fashion shoots, and appearances in the celebrity pages of newspapers.

Rigoberto’s dad was killed by a paramilitary group three months after he introduced Rigo to cycling. Rigo was 14. All of a sudden, he had to work to support his mom and his sister. He took over his dad’s job, selling lottery tickets to support his family, while going to school and trying to race. He still won a lot.

At 16, it was too much. Rigo told his cycling team that he would either have to turn pro or quit and go back to selling lottery tickets. Technically, he was too young to become a professional. To get around that fact, the team offered his mother the contract. Three years later, Rigo traveled to Europe for the first time to race for a small Italian team.

He has never looked back. An Olympic silver medal and podium finishes at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France are highlights from his illustrious career. Rigo is still a contender. In 2022, he won stage 17 of the Vuelta , completing his trifecta of stage wins in each of the grand tours, and was a force in the autumn classics.

Rigo continues to inspire his teammates and a whole generation of cyclists with his laid-back, fun-loving approach to the sport.

When Stefan Bissegger was ten, he signed up for a bike race in his home village in Switzerland. He just didn’t know that he needed a racing bike. The organizer, an old pro, called him and said he could borrow one. He is still Stefan’s coach.

Stefan had fun at the race. Soon he was dreaming of winning classics like Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. He was good at time-trials and long solos and wanted to become the kind of racer who could ride away from all of his rivals on the Oude Kwaremont.

After a stellar few years in the juniors, Stefan came to our team in 2020. He had a breakthrough season in 2021, with time-trial victories at Paris-Nice and the Benelux Tour and an outstanding solo stage win at his home race: the Tour de Suisse. To cap it all off, he participated in his first Olympics on the track with the Swiss team-pursuit squad.

In 2022, Stefan won the European time trial championships, the TT at the UAE Tour, and a rainbow jersey in the mixed relay at the world championships.

He had a difficult start to last season, breaking his wrist right before his favorite race of the year: Paris-Roubaix. He worked his way back into form however and won the Swiss national time-trial title.

If Stefan wasn’t a racer, he would be a bike mechanic. He likes tinkering with the set-up of his SuperSlice and testing his position until it is as aero as possible.

When Neilson Powless started racing X-Terra triathlons with his sister back home in Northern California, he just wanted to spend time outside and rip around the trails near his house. His first love was mountain-biking. It was his best discipline in those off-road triathlons, and when he got to high-school, there were all sorts of chances for him to compete in California’s mountain-bike league. Soon, he was travelling with the US national team, racing junior world cups and championships against the world’s most talented mountain-bikers. Race in and race out, Neilson proved he was one of them.

Then he decided he wanted to have a go on the road.

Neilson has progressed steadily since he turned pro in 2018, thanks to his hard-work and diligent approach to training. In 2020, Neilson Powless became the first tribally recognized Native North American to race the Tour de France. The next year, our rising American star won Spain’s greatest one-day race, the Clásica San Sebastián, and finished fifth at the world championships in Belgium. Neilson was stellar in 2022. After a strong campaign in the Ardennes, he finished fourth on GC at the Tour de Suisse and lit up the Tour de France. He finished the year off with a victory at the Japan Cup .

The 2023 season was his best yet. Neilson won his first race of the year: the Grand Prix Cycliste de Marseille. He then won the overall at Étoile de Bèsseges and stormed the Flemish classics, finishing third at Dwars door Vlaanderen and fifth at De Ronde in his debut campaign on the cobbles. At the Tour, he captured hearts with a stellar run in the King of the Mountains jersey.

Neilson lives in Nice, France with his wife and baby girl during the racing season. He enjoys exploring their new city and relaxing on the beach after hard rides through the Alps.

If he can find time in his schedule, Neilson would like to get back to his roots, and do some off-road alternative racing in 2024.

Owain is one of just two Welsh speakers in the peloton and became the first Welsh-speaking athlete to win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

While he loves to explore new places on long rides, his favorite place to ride is in the Peak District — preferably on a sunny day. For Owain, setting goals and giving his all in their pursuit is deeply satisfying. In the moment that a race kicks it up a notch, he finds motivation in reminding himself that the outcome will be worth the effort. Owain, the runner-up in the 2019 edition of Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne, loves racing the Classics and Grand Tours. When Owain is not on his bike, you’ll find him overseeing 5 Rings, his coffee company named for the Olympic rings.

Alberto Bettiol has always been a winner. He started racing around the hills of Tuscany when he was five and won his second-ever race in his hometown of Castelfiorentino. He has been bringing home bouquets of flowers ever since.

His coaches and supporters always believed in his talent. Alberto was a strong junior and U23 rider, who signed his first professional contract with our team in 2014. But Alberto wanted to become a champion. He had grown up watching the classics and the Giro d’Italia with his father, a former footballer, and dreamed of winning the sport’s greatest races.

In 2019, he won his first Monument. Alberto’s victory in the Tour of Flanders that year changed his life. It gave him the confidence that he could beat the best riders in the world. He backed it up with an impressive string of results, including a stunning solo stage victory at the 2021 Giro d’Italia.

In 2022, Alberto earned podium places on stages of the Tour de France, Tour de Suisse, and Deutschland Tour.

He now splits his time between Lugano, Switzerland and Castelfiorentino. He enjoys all of the opportunities to travel that cycling now provides him, but is always happy to return to the Tuscan hills where he got started.

Alberto started 2023 with a prologue win at the Tour Down Under, but had a tough spring set back by injury and illness and had to miss his favorite classics. He made his return with a strong ride at the Giro d’Italia. He has great ambitions for the Tour de France.

Jonas Rutsch loves the Classics and is always excited when he gets to race up the Muur-Kapelmuur. The lanky German won the U23 Gent-Wevelgem and finished 11th at the 2021 Paris-Roubaix. He is a very versatile rider, who is always ready to work for his teammates.

In 2022, he even impressed in the mountains at the Tour de Suisse.

This is already Jonas’s fifth season racing with the team. He says that racing in the WorldTour had been his goal since he was a little boy, when cycling’s historic races captured his imagination. He has now finished two Tours de France and even proposed to girlfriend on the Champs-Élysées after the 2022 Tour.

In addition to racing, Jonas also finished his exams at the German police academy. While he follows a training schedule, his favorite days are when he just gets to ride his bike. Whenever he has the chance, he goes mountain biking.

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Tour de France 2022: Jonas Rutsch macht Freundin Heiratsantrag nach der letzten Etappe auf den Champs Élysées

Update 25/07/2022 um 20:53 GMT+2 Uhr

Für Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-Easy Post) wird die 109. Tour de France immer in besonderer Erinnerung bleiben. Nicht nur aus sportlicher, sondern vor allem aus privater Sicht. Denn der Wiesbadener machte seiner Freundin nach der Abschlussetappe auf den Champs Élysées, wo er sich noch einmal als Ausreißer gezeigt hatte, einen Heiratsantrag. Natürlich hat sie "ja" gesagt.

Jonas Rutsch (r.) macht seiner Freundin in Paris einen Heiratsantrag - Screenshot: LeTour

Fotocredit: Twitter

Drei Dinge, die auffielen: Der stärkste Fahrer war nicht Vingegaard

Update 26/07/2022 um 14:26 Uhr

• Direkt zu radsport-news.com

Highlights: Vos bändigt den Wind und düpiert die Konkurrenz

Überlegener als Ullrich: Pogacar dominiert Sonderwertung

Update 25/07/2022 um 09:06 Uhr

Bora-Boss Denk kündigt an: "Ziehen Schlüsse aus dieser Tour"

Update 24/07/2022 um 22:40 Uhr

Solo-Coup in Flandern: Visma jubelt trotz Van-Aert-Schock

Update 27/03/2024 um 19:26 Uhr

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Tour de France

Tour de france stage 12: the breakaway riders versus the sprinters, gc riders to try to stay out of trouble as long-distance breaks seek to evade recapture..

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Stage 12 — Thursday, July 11 Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot Distance: 204km (127 miles) Profile: Undulating stage

Stage 12: GC riders to try to stay out of trouble as long-distance breaks seek to evade recapture

Gradually downhill from Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot, the undulating opener of stage 12 looks designed to enable aggressive, ambitious riders to steal a march on the bunch. 204km in length, several uncategorized hills are packed in early on.

These are followed by the Côte d’Autorie (2.7km at 5.9 percent) and the Côte de Rocamadour (2 kilometers at 5.8 percent), both coming within the first 85km.

From this point on things look more straightforward for the sprinters’ teams with just the category 4 Côte de Montcléra left to scale. However Christian Prudhomme points out that the break held off the bunch on two similar stages to the same finish town in the past.

The view of Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme: “The aesthetic landscapes of the Cantal and Lot regions won’t distract the baroudeurs (breakaway specialists – ed) from the knowledge that there’s something for them to play for. The terrain here is all hills, with the climb to Rocamadour standing out – it’ll be tackled in the opposite direction to the route taken by the 2022 Tour time trial,” he said.

“The second part of the stage is more suited to the sprinters’ teams that are set on chasing the break down. However, on two previous and similar stages into Villeneuve-sur-Lot, the breakaway managed to hold off its pursuers.”

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109th Tour de France 2022 - Stage 21

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DP World Tour's Volvo China Open 2024: Schedule, venue, top players and more

As the 2024 ISPS Handa Championship comes to an end, the DP World Tour moves to China for the 2024 Volvo China Open.

The 2024 Volvo China Open will be played at Hidden Grace Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, from May 2 to 5. The Golf Club was known earlier as Genzon Golf Club and has hosted the tournament five times, in the years 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023.

This year, the purse has significantly jumped from $1.5 million (in 2023) to $2.25 million. With the Asian Swing in its last phase, the competition will get intense.

China solely sanctioned the Volvo China Open in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn't sanctioned by the European Tour in 2020 and 2021. The event will be returning to the European Tour for the first time since 2019.

Sarit Suwannarut of Thailand won the 2023 Volvo China Open by 6 strokes after getting the better of Chen Guxin and Kho Taichi.

The 2024 Volvo China Open schedule

The 2024 Volvo China Open is a 72-hole format tournament. It will start with the first round on Thursday, May 2, and run through the weekend to conclude with the final round on Sunday, May 5.

Here is the schedule for the 2024 Chevron Championship:

• Date: May 2, 2024
• Day: Thursday
• Date: May 3, 2024
• Day: Friday
• Date: May 4, 2024
• Day: Saturday
• Date: May 5, 2024
• Day: Sunday

2024 Volvo China Open venue

This year, the Hidden Grace Golf Club formerly known as Genzon Golf Club will be hosting the Volvo China Open. The tournament was held here in 2014 and from 2019 to 2023 (except for 2022 as the tournament wasn't held due to COVID-19).

The other venues where the competition has been held previously are-

• Beijing International Golf Club (Beijing) - 3 times (1995, 1996, and 1997)
• Shanghai Sun Island International Club (Shanghai) - 1 time (1998)
• Shanghai Silport Golf Club (Shanghai) - 7 times (1999 to 2004, 2007)
• Shenzhen Golf Club (Shenzhen) - 1 time (2005)
• Beijing Honghua International Golf Club (Beijing) - 1 time (2006)
• Beijing CBD International Golf Club (Beijing) - 2 times (2008, 2009)
• Suzhou Jinji Lake International Golf Club (Jiangsu) - 1 time (2010)
• Luxehills International Country Club (Sichuan) - 1 time (2011)
• Binhai Lake Golf Club (Tianjin) - 2 times (2012, 2013)
• Hidden Grace Golf Club (formerly Genzon Golf Club) (Shenzhen) - 5 times (2014, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023)
• Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club (Shanghai) - 1 time (2015)
• Topwin Golf and Country Club (Beijing) - 3 times (2016, 2017 and 2018)

2024 Volvo China Open top players

The DP World Tour event Volvo China Open will feature some of the top players in the golf world. The highest-ranked player playing in the tournament is Jordan Smith (93rd in OWGR). Smith last won the tournament in October 2022 at Portugal Masters by 3 strokes over Gavin Green.

He would face competition from Sebastian Soderberg who is in great form. The Swedish golfer was runner-up in the last two DP World Tour events in India and Japan. Two-time champion Alexander Levy will also be in the field. He won the tournament in 2014 and 2017. Past Champions Li Haotong and Wu Ashun will be the home favorites this year too.

Other notable competitors in the field at the Volvo China Open will be Jesper Svensson and Matteo Manassero, Tom McKibbin and Yannik Paul .

Here's a complete field of players playing this week at the 2024 Volvo China Open:

• Sarit Suwannarut (Thailand)
• Jesper Svensson (Sweden)
• Darius van Driel (Netherlands)
• Dylan Frittelli (South Africa)
• Daniel Hillier (New Zealand)
• Tom McKibbin (Northern Ireland)
• Pablo Larrazábal (Spain)
• Ockie Strydom (South Africa)
• Jordan Smith (England)
• Yannik Paul (Germany)
• Adrian Otaegui (Spain)
• Guido Migliozzi (Italy)
• Maximilian Kieffer (Germany)
• Richie Ramsay (Scotland)
• Haotong Li (China)
• Adri Arnaus (Spain)
• Ashun Wu (China)
• Matteo Manassero (Italy)
• Matthew Baldwin (England)
• Antoine Rozner (France)
• Dan Bradbury (England)
• Jeunghun Wang (South Korea)
• Cheng Jin (China)
• Xiang Fang (China)
• Lianwei Zhang (China)
• Tuxuan Wu (China)
• Jicheng Fan (China)
• Bingwen Ma (China)
• Grant Jackson (England)
• Lloyd Jefferson Go (Philippines)
• Yang Tong (China)
• Yanhan Zhou (China)
• Linqiang Li (China)
• Kieran Muir (New Zealand)
• Wo-cheng Ye (China)
• Xuewen Luo (China)
• Enhua Liu (China)
• Nan-nan Shen (China)
• Zhengkai Bai (China)
• Bowen Xiao (China)
• Chengyao Ma (China)
• Zihan She (China)
• Nicolas Paez (USA)
• Woojin Jung (South Korea)
• Guxin Chen (China)
• Huilin Zhang (China)
• Chuan-lin Jian (China)
• Yilong Chen (China)
• Zijie Huang (China)
• Lawrence Ting (Taiwan)
• Yinong Yang (China)
• Di Wu (China)
• K.P. Lin (Taiwan)
• Jinshen Zhang (China)
• Gordan Brixi (Czech Republic)
• Shiyu Fan (China)
• Senshou Cao (China)
• Han Xue (China)
• Jianfeng Ye (China)
• Shun Yat Hak (Hong Kong)
• Xingyu Zhao (China)
• Zi-Hong Zhang (China)
• Haizhao Tang (China)
• Daxing Jin (China)
• Changlei Zhang (China)
• Zihao Jin (China)
• Chenyou Nan (China)
• Hongfu Wu (China)
• Gang Quan (China)
• Zeqian Fang (China)
• Jin Zhang (China)
• Wenyi Huang (China)
• Yongqi Qiu (China)
• Xiaolang Zhang (China)
• Yi-Tseng Huang (Taiwan)
• Tse-Yu Chang (Taiwan)
• George Worrall (Australia)
• Minghao Shao (China)
• Sebastian Söderberg (Sweden)
• Joost Luiten (Netherlands)
• Romain Langasque (France)
• Zander Lombard (South Africa)
• Grant Forrest (Scotland)
• Julien Guerrier (France)
• Matthew Southgate (England)
• Jeff Winther (Denmark)
• Julien Brun (France)
• Connor Syme (Scotland)
• Jens Dantorp (Sweden)
• Nacho Elvira (Spain)
• Marcus Helligkilde (Denmark)
• Calum Hill (Scotland)
• Hurly Long (Germany)
• Marcus Armitage (England)
• Matthew Jordan (England)
• Shubhankar Sharma (India)
• Jason Scrivener (Australia)
• Louis De Jager (South Africa)
• Aaron Cockerill (Canada)
• Niklas Norgaard (Denmark)
• Masahiro Kawamura (Japan)
• Scott Jamieson (Scotland)
• Santiago Tarrio (Spain)
• Alejandro del Rey (Spain)
• Adrien Saddier (France)
• Gavin Green (Malaysia)
• David Law (Scotland)
• Fabrizio Zanotti (Paraguay)
• Andy Sullivan (England)
• Marcus Kinhult (Sweden)
• Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spain)
• Clément Sordet (France)
• Edoardo Molinari (Italy)
• James Morrison (England)
• Johannes Veerman (USA)
• Angel Hidalgo (Spain)
• Lukas Nemecz (Austria)
• Gunner Wiebe (USA)
• Chase Hanna (USA)
• Paul Waring (England)
• Mike Lorenzo-Vera (France)
• Jeong Weon Ko (France)
• Ross Fisher (England)
• Andrew Johnston (England)
• Søren Kjeldsen (Denmark)
• Bernd Wiesberger (Austria)
• Matthias Schwab (Austria)
• Satoshi Kodaira (Japan)
• Jonas Blixt (Sweden)
• Alexander Levy (Sweden)
• Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium)
• Marco Penge (England)
• Casey Jarvis (South Africa)
• Manuel Elvira (Spain)
• Ugo Coussaud (France)
• Lorenzo Scalise (Italy)
• Andrea Pavan (Italy)
• Ricardo Gouveia (Portugal)
• Tom Vaillant (France)
• Frederic Lacroix (France)
• Francesco Laporta (Italy)
• Will Enefer (England)
• Ivan Cantero (Spain)
• Joel Girrbach (Switzerland)
• Sam Bairstow (England)
• Brandon Stone (South Africa)
• Om Prakash Chouhan (India)
• Renato Paratore (Italy)
• Jacques Kruyswijk (South Africa)
• Freddy Schott (Germany)
• Filippo Celli (Italy)
• Matthis Besard (Belgium)
• Sebastian Friedrichsen (Denmark)

Giro d'Italia 2024: Preview, full schedule and how to watch live

The Giro d’Italia 2024 is about to kick off the Grand Tour season in men’s road cycling .

On Saturday 4 May, Venaria Reale will host the opening stage of the 107 th edition of the Corsa Rosa that will see its conclusion three weeks later in Rome on Sunday 26 May.

All eyes will be on the Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar , who aims to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to achieve the Giro-Tour double.

Reigning champion and Olympic time trial gold medallist, Primoz Roglic , will not be defending his crown, as he has got his eyes set on the Tour de France.

The 2024 edition of the Italian Grand Tour features gruelling mountain stages in the Alps, gravel roads in Tuscany and more than 70 kilometres of time trial. The winner will lift the prestigious Trofeo Senza Fine (Endless Trophy) and wear the coveted Maglia Rosa in the Italian capital.

This year's race will cover a total of 3400.8 kilometres , making it the shortest edition in 45 years.

Find everything you need to know about the Giro d’Italia 2024 below, including the riders to look out for and how to watch the event live.

• Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2024: Tadej Pogacar powers to second victory
• Jambaljamts Sainbayar: From braving Ulaanbaatar's freezing roads to making history for Mongolian cycling

Who are the riders to watch at the Giro d’Italia 2024?

Pink jersey (general classification).

There is one overwhelming favourite for the Giro d’Italia 2024, and that is Tadej Pogacar .

Fresh off his second Liège–Bastogne–Liège title in impressive fashion, the two-time Tour de France winner is arriving to Italy in top shape.

Pogacar started his season by conquering the gravel roads of Strade Bianche , riding 81 kilometres solo to claim victory in Siena.

At Volta a Catalunya , the Slovenian swept four out of seven stages, securing the overall victory and sending a clear message to his rivals at the Giro about who the man to beat is.

Geraint Thomas suffered heartbreak at last year’s Giro d’italia, narrowly missing out on the overall victory by just 14 seconds.

The 2018 Tour de France champion was leading the race going into the penultimate stage, only to relinquish the pink jersey to Primoz Roglic after the Slovenian's formidable performance in the individual time trial.

The INEOS Grenadiers leader has some unfinished business with the Corsa Rosa and will try to pose a challenge to Pogacar.

Among the outsiders is Australia's Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R), who finished fourth in the 2021 Tour de France.

This year, the 28-year-old has consistently finished within the top five in week-long stage races. At the Giro d'Italia warm-up race, the Tour of the Alps, he was the runner-up behind the former Maglia Rosa wearer Juan Pedro Lopez , who also will be lining up at the start line in Venaria Reale.

French veteran Romain Bardet recently said that he is at his best level in years and is convinced he can challenge for the podium.

A second place at the Liège–Bastogne–Liège behind Pogacar was a boost of morale for the 33-year-old, who has not been on a Grand Tour podium since 2018, when he finished third at the Tour de France.

Daniel Martínez will lead the BORA - hansgrohe team. The Colombian climber is no longer in the shadow of INEOS stars Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal , following his move to the German team ahead of this season.

In 2021, Martínez was a strong domestique for compatriot Bernal and helped him secure the overall victory. He also achieved his best overall result in a Grand Tour by finishing in the top five that year. With the absence of teammate Roglic, it is up to Martínez to secure a top result.

“The Killer Bees” Team Visma|Lease a Bike made history in 2023, becoming the first team to claim all three Grand Tours in a single year. Although a repetition of the historic achievement looks difficult, the Dutch team have put their faith in 21-year-old prodigy Cian Uijtdebroeks .

The Belgian has been under the wings of reigning Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard at the O Gran Camiño and Tirreno-Adriatico. Now he faces the ultimate test as Grand Tour captain.

Cyclamen jersey (points classification)

This year’s course is more sprinter-friendly than usual, featuring eight expected mass sprint finishes. Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek will aim to defend the maglia ciclamino (mauve jersey for the points classification) that he secured last year.

However, he will face a fierce competition for the mauve jersey as several of the world's top sprinters will travel to Italy.

Soudal Quick-Step will fully support Remco Evenepoel at the Tour de France, giving Tim Merlier the opportunity to pursue success at the Giro.

The Belgian has been one of the fastest sprinters during the first part of the season, winning three stages at the UAE Tour, the Nokere Koerse, and the sprinters’ classic Scheldeprijs.

Another challenge will come from Australian Kaden Groves . In 2023, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider added stage wins at both the Giro and the Vuelta a España, where he also left with the green jersey.

Biniam Girmay will be back on Italian soil, where he outsprinted Mathieu van der Poel in the Giro two years ago to take his first Grand Tour stage victory. The Eritrean looks to be close to his form from 2022.

Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij will finally get his Grand Tour debut. The 22-year-old beat Mads Pedersen twice to claim two stage wins at the Paris-Nice in March and is one of the most promising sprinters in the peloton.

Five-time Vuelta a España stage winner Fabio Jakobsen is set to race his first Giro and can complete the set of Grand Tour wins, having already secured a stage victory at the Tour de France in 2022.

Will Filippo Ganna sprint for stage wins again? The Italian time trial specialist was fighting in the bunch sprints at last year’s Vuelta a España and showed a new side of his talent.

Despite not having shone in the last couple of years, Caleb Ewan and Fernando Gaviria are both multiple Grand Tour stage winners and they have the power to be competitive in the bunch sprints.

Blue jersey (mountains classification)

Unlike in the Tour de France, the winner of the mountains classification in the Giro d’Italia is usually not the same as the winner of the general classification.

Thibaut Pinot , who has since retired, clinched the blue jersey in the previous edition while finishing fifth overall.

However, the breakaway riders often view for the mountains classification.

A potential contender is Simon Geschke of Cofidis. The German rider was close to seal the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France in 2022, but ultimately Jonas Vingegaard ended up with both the yellow and polka dot jersey.

Other names to watch are Britain's Simon Carr , who just won a stage and the mountains classification at the Tour of the Alps, and Dutchman Koen Bouwman , who is aiming for his second blue jersey after claiming it in 2022.

Key stages of the Giro d’Italia 2024

Five stages are singled out by cycling experts as the most decisive for the Giro d'Italia 2024.

The first one arrives already on stage two , which is the earliest summit finish in 35 years. It is a true climbing test, which takes the peloton to Santuario di Oropa (6.2% over 11.8km) and will give an early indication of who will be the main general classification contenders.

A 40.6-kilometre time trial awaits the peloton on stage seven . The course is technical and the uphill finish should shake up the top ten. Some will see it as an oppornunity to gain time, while others will try to limit their losses.

Stage 15 is the queen stage of the 2024 Giro d’Italia. Containing 5,200 metres of elevation gain over 220 kilometres, it is a brutal day in the mountains. Hopefully, snowfall will not affect this blockbuster Alpine stage.

The riders get a rest day following the queen stage, but already on stage 16 , climbing legs will be tested again. It includes the Passo dello Stelvio , the Cima Coppi of this year’s race. At an elevation of 2,757 metres it is the second highest pass in the Alps.

The lack of oxygen at high altitude will make the peloton suffer. With over 100 kilometres remaining from the summit of Stelvio, the favourites who might fall behind still have the chance to catch up before the final ascents to Passo Pinei and Monte Pana.

Stage 20 , the penultimate stage before the procession around the streets of Rome, promises a decisive battle in the mountains for the final general classification. Two gruelling ascents of Monte Grappa - 18.2 kilometres at 8.1% - will determine who earns the right to wear the pink jersey in Rome and hoist the Endless Trophy .

Day-by-day route of the Giro d’Italia 2024

Saturday 4 May, stage 1: Venaria Reale-Torino, medium mountains, 140 km ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 5 May, stage 2: San Francesco al Campo–Santuario di Oropa (Biella), medium mountains, 161 km ⭐⭐⭐

Monday 6 May, stage 3: Novara-Fossano, hilly, 166 km ⭐⭐

Tuesday 7 May, stage 4: Acqui Terme-Andora, hilly, 190 km ⭐⭐

Wednesday 8 May, stage 5: Genova-Lucca, medium mountains,178 km ⭐⭐⭐

Thursday 9 May, stage 6: Viareggio-Rapolano Terme, medium mountains, 180 km ⭐⭐

Friday 10 May, stage 7: Foligno-Perugia, individual time trial, 40,6 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Saturday 11 May, stage 8: Spoleto-Prati di Tivo, high mountains,152 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 12 May, stage 9: Avezzano-Napoli, medium mountains, 214 km ⭐⭐⭐

Monday 13 May: Rest day

Tuesday 14 May, stage 10: Pompei-Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva), medium mountains, 142 km ⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 15 May, stage 11: Foiano di Val Fortore-Francavilla al Mare, hilly, 207 km ⭐⭐

Thursday 16 May, stage 12: Martinsicuro-Fano, medium mountains, 193 km ⭐⭐⭐

Friday 17 May, stage 13: Riccione-Cento, flat, 179 km ⭐

Saturday 18 May, stage 14: Castiglione delle Stiviere-Desenzano del Garda, individual time trial, 31,2 km ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 19 May, stage 15: Manerba del Garda-Livigno (Mottolino), high mountains, 222 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Monday 20 May: Rest day

Tuesday 21 May, stage 16: Livigno-Santa Cristina Val Gardena (Monte Pana), high mountains, 202 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 22 May, stage 17: Selva di Val Gardena-Passo Brocon, high mountains, 159 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thursday 23 May, stage 18: Fiera di Primiero-Padova, hilly, 171 km ⭐⭐

Friday 24 May, stage 19: Mortegliano-Cima Sappada, medium mountains, 157 km ⭐⭐⭐

Saturday 25 May, stage 20: Alpago-Bassano del Grappa, high mountains, 181 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 26 May, stage 21: Roma-Roma, flat, 122 km ⭐

How to watch the Giro d’Italia 2024

The Giro d'Italia 2024 will be shown live around the world. Here is a list of the official broadcast partners across different territories.

• Albania - Eurosport
• Andorra - Eurosport
• Austria - Eurosport
• Belarus - Eurosport
• Belgium - VRT/RTBF.be/RTL Belgium/VTM Medialaan/Eurosport
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - Eurosport
• Bulgaria- Eurosport
• Croatia - Eurosport
• Cyprus - Eurosport
• Czechia - Eurosport
• Denmark - Eurosport
• Estonia - Eurosport
• Finland - Eurosport
• France - La Chaine L’Equipe
• Georgia - Eurosport
• Germany - Eurosport
• Greece - Eurosport
• Hungary - Eurosport
• Iceland - Eurosport
• Ireland - Eurosport
• Israel - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• Italy - Rai/Eurosport
• Latvia - Eurosport
• Liechtenstein - Eurosport
• Lithuania - Eurosport
• Luxembourg - Eurosport
• Malta - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• Moldova - Eurosport
• Montenegro - Eurosport
• Netherlands - NOS/Eurosport
• North Macedonia - Eurosport
• Norway - Eurosport
• Poland - Eurosport
• Portugal - Eurosport
• Principality of Monaco - Eurosport
• Romania - Eurosport
• San Marino - Rai/Eurosport
• Serbia - Eurosport
• Slovakia - Eurosport
• Slovenia - Planet TV/Eurosport
• Spain - EITB/Eurosport
• Sweden - Eurosport
• Switzerland - SRG SSR/Eurosport
• Ukarine - Eurosport
• United Kingdom - Eurosport
• Vatican City - Rai/Eurosport
• Wales - S4C

North and Central America

• Canada - FloSports
• Dominican Republic - Eurosport
• United States - MAX USA/BeIN Sport

South America

• Argentina - + Claro/DirecTV
• Bolivia - + Claro/DirecTV
• Brazil - + Claro/DirecTV
• Chile - + Claro/DirecTV
• Colombia - + Claro/DirecTV/Caracol TV
• Ecuador - + Claro/DirecTV
• Guyana - DirecTV/Eurosport
• Paraguay - + Claro/DirecTV
• Peru - + Claro/DirecTV
• Suriname - + Claro/DirecTV
• The Caribbean - DirecTV
• Uruguay - + Claro/DirecTV
• Venezuela - + Claro/DirecTV
• Afghanistan - Eurosport
• Armenia - Eurosport
• Azerbaijan - Eurosport
• Bahrain - STARZPLAY
• Bangladesh - Eurosport
• Bhutan - Eurosport
• Cambodia - Eurosport
• People’s Republic of China - Zhibo.tv
• India - Eurosport
• Indonesia - Eurosport
• Iran - STARZPLAY
• Iraq - STARZPLAY
• Japan - J Sports
• Jordan - STARZPLAY
• Kazakhstan - Eurosport
• Kuwait - STARZPLAY
• Kyrgyzstan - Eurosport
• Lebanon - STARZPLAY
• Malaysia - Eurosport
• Maldives - Eurosport
• Mongolia - Eurosport
• Myanmar - Eurosport
• Nepal - Eurosport
• Oman - STARZPLAY
• Pakistan - Eurosport
• Philippines - Eurosport
• Qatar - STARZPLAY
• Russia - Eurosport
• Saudi Arabia - STARZPLAY
• Singapore - Eurosport
• Republic of Korea - Eurosport
• Sri Lanka - Eurosport
• Syria - STARZPLAY
• Chinese Taipei - Eurosport
• Türkiye - Eurosport
• United Arab Emirates - STARZPLAY
• Yemen - STARZPLAY
• Australia - SBS/Eurosport
• Papua New Guinea - Eurosport
• Algeria - STARZPLAY
• Djibouti - STARZPLAY
• Egypt - STARZPLAY
• Libya - STARZPLAY
• Morocco - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• South Africa - Supersport
• Tunisia - STARZPLAY

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Jonas Vingegaard seals 2022 Tour de France triumph in Paris – as it happened

Jasper Philipsen sprinted to victory in Paris as Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma clinched his triumph in the overall race

• 24 Jul 2022 Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck) wins Tour de France Stage 21!
• 24 Jul 2022 Preamble

Jeremy Whittle reports from Paris:

C’est la vie, c’est la guerre, c’est le Tour. That is it for another year. Thank you for reading, thanks for emailing and tweeting, and see you soon for more. I will be back tomorrow for stage two of the Tour de France Femmes. We will have a report for stage 21 of the men’s race coming up soon. Au revoir.

Tadej Pogacar, the beaten champion, has a chat with Eurosport and is asked how it felt to ride into Paris in second, rather than first position on GC: “I was still really happy to be here. I was really proud with my other teammates. We were riding strong. Yeah, it was not bad at all, I was enjoying it a lot today.”

On the brewing Vingegaard rivalry: “I think we [the fans] are going to have a really great next couple of years in front of the television ... me, I will for sure enjoy these years on the bike, because I love the challenge.”

Will he celebrate tonight? asks Bernie Eisel for Eurosport. “I guess so. We will see what we have prepared ... For sure we’re going to have a nice day, a nice night. Tomorrow I’m already on stage two of the Tour de Femmes, to support my fiancee. Tomorrow I cheer on, then I need to go home and set up some telecoms stuff. Busy life.”

And there you have it. Tadej Pogacar, the two-times Tour de France champion, has to get home and sort out his broadband connection. Then he can start thinking about next year, maybe watch some Tour highlights on YouTube ...

On the podium.

Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) has a chat, and is asked about his stage 13 win: “It was definitely one of the last options for me in this Tour. I planned to go all in for the first week, but I was a little bit sick before, so to have this stage win is absolutely amazing ...

“Cycling is the new national sport in Denmark. It’s absolutely crazy ... of course with the start in Copenhagen it was really special for all of us. And to see all these people on the road, we didn’t expect that, not that many people. Of course with Jonas in the yellow jersey it makes cycling grow even more, and now we see half the Danish people here [in Paris], so that’s pretty amazing.”

Vingegaard, the champion , speaks while holding his young daughter: “It’s just incredible. I mean, now I’ve finally won the Tour. Now nothing can go wrong anymore and I’m sitting with my daughter, and it’s just incredible.

“It’s the biggest cycling race of the year, and it’s the biggest one you can win, and now I’ve done it, and no one can take this away from me.

“I always had the feeling that at least I could fight for the win. But I think yeah, in the end, when I really started believing was after Hautacam. I mean, I always believed in it, but then I was really thinking: something has to go almost wrong before I don’t win, that was after Hautacam .”

He is asked about seeing all the Danish fans in Paris: “That was really incredible for me. So many Danes here, so many Danes arrived to see me ride in the yellow jersey. I appreciate it so much and I have to say thank you to every Dane who’s here and that has been cheering for me for three weeks now, it means everything to me.”

How will he celebrate his victory? “Tuesday I have to go to Holland ... Wednesday in Copenhagen, Thursday in the town I live in, and Friday I’ll be on the couch for one week.

“Of course I’m super happy about my victory now. Of course now I want to celebrate, relax, but then I also want more [Tour de France victories], yes.”

“Where’s my make-up,” asks south London’s Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious) when he appears for a chat on Eurosport.

“I’ve loved it. I loved it last year, but to be that percentage or so stronger, and be able do stuff in the races, it’s been so much fun ... You get so wrapped up in it. It’s only when you look at your phone afterwards that you’re like: ‘Oh yeah, actually, this is the Tour de France’.”

Adam Blythe tells him how brilliant his performances have been. “You’re trying to get me a bit emotional again ... it’s great, I’ve loved every minute of it. Even the mountains: it’s suffering, but it’s beautiful suffering. It’s been great – I’m happy.”

Peter Sagan speaks! He is asked about the final sprint on Eurosport. “Pretty messy ... On the last turn my chain dropped ... I started my sprint but Jakobsen was in the front. His chain dropped out ... I came over, I gained some positions, but in the end it was not enough.”

There you go: Jaksobsen dropped his chain, says Sagan, which explains why he was nowhere in the end.

How was his Tour? “For me it was quite easy. A lot of years I was dealing with media every day, podium, I did it with green jersey ... interview stuff, people around the hotel ... just quite good. The average speed was high, every day full gas.”

And what about his performance? “It could be better, it could be worse, that’s life. No victory but I’m here, I finished. It’s quite special [in Paris].

“Wout van Aert is like some kind of new level. If you see his results in Tour de France , it’s very impressive. Sprint, time trial, climb ... I don’t know why he doesn’t go for yellow jersey ... it looks like easy, he can go [for yellow].”

The outgoing champion, Tadej Pogacar, speaks about his late attack on the final lap in Paris: “It was kind of funny. Thomas and Ganna on the right side, me on the left. Fuck, it was funny, because I said to Pippo [Ganna] two kilometres before, I said to him: “We go for an attack?” And we were sprinting against each other. And i think I was just dead by the Triomphe, on the roundabout, finished.”

Philippe Gilbert, after riding his final Tour stage, speaks to Eurosport: “Happy to be in Paris. It was a tough tour, really difficult, and I’m happy to have made it.”

What made it difficult? Wout van Aert? “Yeah. Pretty much him. No, the speed was crazy, out of control. We went with a plan every day, and it ended up with the opposite. Some days we thought it would be controllable, with a nice [breakaway] group like it used to be, but it would end up with a crazy strong group to chase, and finishing with almost 50 [km/h] average. It was dry every day, so it means fast. A lot of tailwind, so it was really fast, fast.

“It’s nice when you can decide yourself, when you stop. That’s my decision and I’m happy to take it. I enjoyed also today. It was nice, yeah.”

Bradley Wiggins remembers rooming with Gilbert 20 years ago when they rode for Française des Jeux. “I never imagined you’d go on to have the career you had. You’ve won everything there is to win in the sport.”

“The same for me about you,” Gilbert replies. “We achieved our goals, I won the one-day races and you won the stage races.

“My career is not over,” the legendary strong man Gilbert concludes. “I want to rest now, and finish on a good note, I hope to win one more race this year.”

Simon Geschke has a chat with Eurosport: “It was a really fun time in the mountains jersey ... if I’d lost it after two days, I’d have been like: ‘That was fun’. But the longer you keep it, the longer you start believing that you can take it all the way to Paris. I thought I had a realistic chance, actually, but on the last mountain stage I made a few mistakes here and there probably. In the third week the energy levels reached their limits and that was it.”

“Too bad, but that’s part of the sport. The head wanted it more than the legs, but at least I got to wear it to Paris. Kind of a strange feeling, but still nice for the pictures, I guess. It’s a privilege to wear a jersey in the Tour de France . For sure I enjoyed it today also although I was only second in the mountains classification ... it’s sort of a little achievement, as well.”

Surely you have to question why Groenewegen sprinted so early? It looked like a bit of panic. All he was likely to do was lead out Philipsen, or Ewan, or Sagan, or AN Other. As it happened, Philipsen was in the perfect position to benefit, right on Groenewegen’s wheel. And it was an utterly dominant win by Philipsen in the end. No doubt Mark Cavendish is sitting at home and thinking he could have won that. It was a bad day for both Quick-Step and Jakobsen, who didn’t feature at all.

Today’s stage winner Philipsen speaks: “I cannot believe [it], it’s a childhood dream coming true, this will take a while to realise. I’m just super-proud of the team, that we finished the Tour like this, it’s the cherry on the cake.

“I think it [the final kilometre] went ideal for me. I was in a great position. I think Dylan was forced to launch early and I could really stay in his wheel and do my final sprint when I wanted ... I’m super happy and proud that I could win in this Champs-Elysees, the dream of any sprinter.

“It couldn’t be better. We had some disappointments earlier this Tour, things that went not the way we wanted. But to finish off in style like this, to win stage 15 and then again on 21, on the most beautiful stage for a sprinter, it’s just unbelievable.”

Top 10 on stage 21:

1) Philipsen 2hr 58min 32sec 2) Groenewegen 3) Kristoff 4) Stuyven 5) Sagan 6) Lecroq 7) Van Poppel 8) Ewan 9) Hofstetter 10) Wright

Kristoff (who finished third) sums up the final sprint: “Unfortunately there was a big movement maybe 300m to go, everybody had to stop pedalling a bit, and we lost a bit of momentum, otherwise I think we could have been closer to Jasper ... anyway I’m happy with third place. Caleb was maybe a bit angry with me, but I felt I was fair, I made a straight line. I got the wheel of Groenwegen and Caleb was a bit boxed in because of that, but that’s not my fault.”

On the final straight, Luka Mezgec took up the leadout for BikeExchange on the left-hand side, trying to set up Groenewegen. Ewan looked pretty much in perfect position but was ultimately boxed in and didn’t even bother to sprint. Groenewegen was second, Kristoff third, Stuyven fourth and Sagan fifth!

Philipsen got on Groenewegen’s wheel - the BikeExchange–Jayco rider went early - and Philipsen timed it perfectly, completely dominating his rival in the final metres after springing out from behind Groenewegen and heading for the clear road on the right. Ewan looked unhappy to be boxed in by Kristoff. A really bad Tour de France for the Australian and for Lotto Soudal.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck) wins Tour de France Stage 21!

Wow! Philipsen’s second stage win of the race is sealed in Paris! Back down the road, Jumbo-Visma ride across the finish line in formation. Jonas Vingegaard safely negotiates the final stage and wins his first Tour de France .

1km to go: Thomas (Cofidis) attacks!

2.5km to go: Ewan is well placed for Lotto Soudal and has teammates around him. Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck) is right up there. Jakobsen is going to have a say, too ...

3.5km to go: Politt leads for a while then pops and drops back. Simmons is there for Trek-Segafredo and Pedersen ... The peloton speeds towards the famous tunnel for one final time.

5km to go: Around the Arc for the final time. Ineos are on the front with Ganna. Trek-Segafredo are massed near the front. Politt is up there for Bora. BikeExchange working for Groenewegen. It’s all happening.

6.3km to go: Thomas and Ganna attack on the left for Ineos! Pogacar attacks off the front on the other side of the road! Pogacar isn’t letting his Tour de France crown go without at least reminding us all that he still exists!

7.5km to go: The riders round the right-hand bend which leads up to the start-finish line for the penultimate time. The Arc de Triomphe is visible in the distance. As the bell sounds for the final lap, Schachmann and Rutsch are overwhelmed by the charging peloton. The crowd roars! We are all back together!

8.5km to go : And then there were two. Schachmann and Rutsch are up front together, the two Groupama-FDJ riders having fallen out of it.

9km to go: HUGE ride by Schachmann of Bora-Hansgrohe, on the front again and stamping on the pedals as hard as he can. He has clearly ridden himself into some very good form at this Tour.

11km to go: Schachmann does another turn, then flicks his elbow to ask Jonas Rutsch to have a go. The turns at the front are becoming shorter and shorter as the fatigue really sets in. Are the sprinters’ teams just holding off a touch? No – the gap is now six seconds.

12km to go: Cracking ride by the four up front, this is. They are holding the peloton at around 10sec as they round the Arc de Triomphe. Mind you, the four is now down to three: Le Gac’s tank is empty and he drops back to the bunch.

15km to go: The break’s advantage drops to under 10 seconds. They will be getting swallowed up before too long. Looking grim-faced, Schachmann puts in another desperate dig to try and keep away. These guys are basically sprinting now to try and keep their advantage ... and it does creep back up to 11sec to mark the effort they are putting in.

18km to go: Doull has been dropped by the escape group so they are down to four. The gap is holding at 15sec. Le Gac and Duchesne, the Groupama-FDJ teammates, take it up at the tête de la course .

19km to go: The likes of Lotto Soudal are working desperately to set up a sprint. Their sports directors will be yelling down the team radios and no mistake. But will they simply be setting up the likes of Wout van Aert to win in Paris again? If as expected it’s a big bunch sprint, surely Jakobsen or Ewan will have the raw speed to win it ...?

How about Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux), a man who has won in Paris before, and who tends to excel when everyone else is knackered?

20km to go: Here we go. Into the final 20km of a truly epic Tour de France . The advantage for this five-man break is 15sec.

The riders in the break are Schachmann, Duchesne, Rutsch, Le Gac and Doull.

21km to go: #LargelyCeremonial

You get a different perception of the Largely Ceremonial and Processional Paris stage when you’re actually there. It’s unbelievable how fast the riders go on the circuit, and it’s exhilarating to see. Plus, Paris is the greatest city in the world. — Edward Pickering (@EdwardPickering) July 24, 2022

22km to go: Boasson Hagen has a mechanical and grabs a replacement bike. That’ll be another lung-bursting effort to get back into the peloton, let alone do anything to try and lead out his teammate Peter Sagan.

• Tour de France

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