Stage 1: Florence to Rimini – 203.6 km
Date: Saturday June 29, 2024
Streaming: 🇺🇸 Peacock/🇨🇦 FloBikes/🇬🇧 Discovery+/ITV/🇪🇺 Eurosport/🇦🇺 SBS
Estimated finish time: 🇺🇸🇨🇦 11:49 am EDT/🇬🇧 4:49 pm BST/🇪🇺 5:49 pm CEST/🇦🇺 1:49 am AEST
Stage type: Hilly
Summary: A Tour start in Bella Italia! The profile has the look of a breakaway day, but will the peloton allow the escapees much breathing room on the very first day of the race? This stage could come down to either a big name with some punch getting clear on the final climb – or to a big name with some punch winning from a small group.
Fantasy favorites: Just as he is going to be for about half of the stages of this Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar is bookies’ favorite for stage 1, and deservedly so given the punchy climbs at the tail end of the day. That said, this is a very tough day to predict. Even UAE could have a hard time controlling things on this profile, and it’s also possible that they decide to wait at least a little bit before letting Pogačar loose at this race. In short, Pogačar is easily the likeliest winner of stage 1, but he will be a heavier favorite on other days soon enough. Alternative potential winners include Primož Roglič, who could either try to attack or win from a small group, as well as Alberto Bettiol, Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Mathieu van der Poel, and Magnus Cort.
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