2024 TDF Stage 1:- Florence - Rimini 206km ***Spoilers***
TDF Stage 1:- Florence - Rimini 206km
29th June
Start Time:- 11-00BST.
The opening stage of the 111th edition of the Tour de France on June 29th will deliver multiple firsts.
It’s rare for the Tour de France to start with more than 3,600 metres of climbing – in fact it’s never happened before! – and it’s also the first time that the race has started in Italy and the first time it's visited the home city of Gino Bartali.
Following a flat run-up of 30 kilometres the route starts to climb false flat to the first uphill test, Colle Tre Faggi, and ascent of 12.5 kilometres with an average gradient of 5.1%. from then on, it's climb follows climb, with the hardest part of the route with four climbs within 50 kilometres, occurring towards the stage finale.
Profile.
Map.
The Climbs:
Col de Valico Tre Faggi (Cat. 2)
Climb
Côte des Forche (Cat. 3)
Côte de Carnaio (Cat. 3)
Côte de Barbotto (Cat. 2)
Climb
Côte de San Leo (Cat. 2)
Climb
Côte de Montemaggio (Cat. 3)
Côte de Saint-Marino (Cat. 3)
Total climbing 3,600m.
Final Kms.
After Serravalle, the road flattens out and heads for the Adriatic coast at Rimini. Via Gabrielle Chiabrera takes the riders to the seaside. There's a left turn onto the seafront road, Lungomore Giuseppe di Vittorio.
![stage-1-profile-finale[1].jpg](https://forum.bikeradar.com/uploads/APLVAV66UT5L/stage-1-profile-finale-5b1-5d.jpg)
The finish line is on Rimini's beach road near its junction with Via Roma.
What to Expect.
Well, one thing's for sure, it won't be the usual nondescript breakaway. Expect a right old dust up for the first 40kms, until the first climb begins to bite. The breakaway should be much stronger than usual and include riders with polka dots on their minds.
The finale could go several ways, but I am inclined to think that, given the current Tour champs form will be unknown and that the main protagonist loves to race, a GC battle on day one, will light up this finale.
Florence
Capital of Tuscany
No previous stage
Population: 382,500
FLORENCE AND CYCLING
Florence is first and foremost known to cycling fans as the home of one of the greatest riders ever produced by Italy, Gino Bartali, winner of two Tours de France (1938 and 1948), as well as three Giri d’Italia, and who, had it not been for the Second World War, would undoubtedly have amassed an even more impressive list of achievements. Righteous Among the Nations for his help to Jews during the war, Gino 'the Pious' is also remembered for his rivalry with Fausto Coppi.
Specialities: Tuscan bread, chianti, olives, olive oil, bistecca alla fiorentina, trippa alla fiorentina, crostini toscani, panzanella (bread salad), prosciutto, schiacciata alla fiorentina, zuccotto (ice-cream bomb).
Bistecca à la Fiorentina
The centrepiece of Florentine cuisine is the bistecca alla fiorentina, a T-bone steak, somewhere between a fillet and a ribeye, weighing between two and eight pounds. Red meat lovers will love the wood-fired bistecca alla fiorentina at Da Burde, a historic trattoria that serves bistecca alla fiorentina di Chianina, a local breed of cattle that produces very tender meat.
Rimini
Capital of the province of Rimini, in Emilia-Romagna.
No previous stage
Population: 150,075
RIMINI AND CYCLING
Rimini is the seaside resort where Marco Pantani (see next stage) died. The winner of the 1998 Tour de France, one of the most spectacular climbers in history, was found lifeless in a hotel room on 14 February 2004. Les Wampas, whose lead singer is a great cycling fan, named one of their songs Rimini in tribute to Pantani. Among the riders born in Rimini is Marco Magnani, who took part in the Giro and the Vuelta in the early 2000s.
Specialities: piadine, piada (bread), egg pasta, passatelli, strozzapreti (priest's stew, pasta), spit-roasted cockerel, mora romagnola (salami), ciambella (cake), piada dei morti (dried fruit brioche), fiocchetti (cheese-stuffed pasta), pagnotta (bread ball).
Piadina Romagnola
This griddled flatbread is typical enjoyed as a sandwich, often of prosciutto, creamy soft cheese, tomatoes and wild arugula. It was once merely a staple of the poor.
Comments
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The Tuscan bread in Florence really makes you realise how important salt is to making bread edible.
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Thanks Blazing! Looking forward to many inspiring threads over the next 3 weeks.
(Also excited to see what @Lanterne_Rogue will come up with this year…)
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37 degrees forecast for Florence, they'll be glad to be riding away from that. 30 degrees on the coast sounds perfect.
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Is this stage as tough as some seem to think? There are quite a few PTP picks for Pog, I nearly went for Pedersen before opting for MVDP. I know there are a lot of climbs but they don't look overly challenging. Certainly not expecting a full bunch sprint but thought there would still be a large group at the end.
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I think the expectation is that UAE will make it hard to see where Vingegaard's fitness really is.
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It's long enough and has enough decent climbs to find someone out. The form that Yates and Almeida are in, they could make it pretty tough for anyone.
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Cheers Blazing, great work as usual, thanks.
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I think it's the standard bumpy-classics sprinters who will be there, so in with a shout. Nobody knows what his legs are like. Nobody knows what MvdP's legs are like either. Mads P probably also in there. Van Aert may be more hampered by keeping Vingegaard safe though - doubt this is a 3km rule finish (could be wrong). There have also been suggestions that Pog might go hard on this to flush out any weaknesses. I think he wanted to wear pink for the whole Giro (missed by a day) so he might also have some side-quest like that in mind here.
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The reward of wearing the first yellow jersey may well effect how deep certain riders will be prepared to go.
Some of the sprinter types who would normally pull the plug on a stage like this, might well hang in there.
Good form will dictate, so it can see riders such as Mads P, Coquard and certainly Bling making the selection…..providing Pogacar doesn’t do a Pogacar.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Doesn't feel like the Tour until your threads start Blazing!
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Thanks to all those thanking me!
I can now plead for patience, as the limited ability of this forum's software has been trying mine. I am finding that I cannot complete drafts, as I keep getting error codes.
Once a thread is posted, I can add or alter whatever I like, but then the 1 hour edit limit kicks in.
Seriously, this feature has to be the most stupid addition to any forum.
So, if you read a thread and think it's a bit wrong or lacking, come back in an hour, as it may be fixed!🤣
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.5 -
I'm missing the first stage due to being dragged to a concert in Glasgow. Would prefer to watch the fight for yellow rather than P!nk tbh 😕. At least I can dip into here for updates!
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She was great in Cardiff, you can record the cycling.
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She'd better be! Haven't seen her for years, 2010 I think, so a lot of newer material to hear live 😁
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I thought you were saying that you prefer the Tour to the Giro.
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Did the ! instead of i not give it away? 😉
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Depends on his shape I guess
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
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I just hope it's not a total Pog domination, injuries and health have destroyed the promise of the probable gc top four arriving at the tdf start in top shape.
Pog has had covid in the last week or so, but Vin/Rog/Rem have lost weeks of training, along with others including WVA.
If Vin really isn't up to stopping Pog, not helped by losing Kuss, hopefully we might see WVA have a good battle with the likes of MVDP and Mads.
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Maybe, just maybe, covid has decided to level the playing field. 😉
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
Looks a bit sweaty in Flo.
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Orla could be a DNF at this rate, only on the prologue and she’s struggling.
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Oh great, the crappy silly bus conceit is back. Got to appeal to that all important toddler market.
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I can’t help but think that Discovery are playing the numbers game, replacing Dan with Dani.
Seeing her standing next to Robbie McEwen, I can’t get my head around her being an expert of similar credentials.
Besides which, Dan had a dual role, in making the less engaging middle section of a race much more interesting.
I wonder who is now going to fill that unenviable job….
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Hirt hurt
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That's a bad start for Hirt
Big Pat aint happy
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Thank god for itv
"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Jan Hirt has already got his teeth into the race.
And we are finally off….
"Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
They were all swamping the lead car before km0 and then when the flag dropped no-one did anything for a while.
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