Taking a haul of four stage victories and the coveted green sprinter’s jersey at the 2023 Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was targeting a second points classification title in his young career next season. Once the official route was revealed on Wednesday, the Belgian sprinter pondered the parcours with few sprint opportunities and “a very difficult end”.
In particular, Philipsen seemed struck by a challenging third week of the 2024 Tour de France, and what it would take to complete the race. For the first time in the history of the Tour, the traditional spotlight on the final day switched from the Champs Élysées for sprints to a time trial for GC contenders on the Mediterranean coast in Nice. It’s a plot with a twist.
“That is striking. I think the last chance for sprinters will be stage 16. Then the question is whether you continue to Nice, because it will be a very difficult end,” Philipsen told Wielerflits when addressing the media after the route presentation.
Philipsen was among an all-star cast of pro men and women riders in Paris Wednesday for the route presentation of the 2024 Tour de France, along with the reveal for the eight stages of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes. He was joined in the audience by fellow sprinters Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) as well as reigning Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma).
The time spent in the Palais des Congrès for the presentation will be the only occasion Philipsen gets close to the Champs Élysées for 2024 Tour business. Because next year’s Olympic Games take place in and around Paris July 26-August 11, France’s Grand Tour will reroute and conclude in Nice for the first time.
“I think we will have to evaluate where we stand after stage 16. If you no longer have any prospects in the green position, the question is asked whether it makes sense to continue,” he told Wielerflits. “There are also other goals such as the Olympic road race in Paris or other things later in the season.”
The Grand Départ for the Tour will be in Italy, also a first. Across 3,492km of racing through four countries (Italy, Marino, Monaco and France), the route features two time trials, four mountain-top finishes and 27 mountains classified as second, first, or hors categorie. Even the time trial on the final and decisive day is hilly.
Organisers revealed there are only eight flat stages across the 21 days of racing. For riders like Philipsen and Cavendish and their teammates, they will have to fight hard on those days.
“There are some very difficult, short stages with a lot of elevation gain. Even early in the Tour. It was of course expected that there would be many mountains in the course, but they are tough climbs," he observed.
“They already say there are eight flat stages, so that should be the maximum number of opportunities for sprinters. I have not yet been able to view the stages in detail, it is still too early for that."
But after reviewing the route, Philipsen may not miss time away from the Champs Élysées. In 2021 he was left in tears after finishing second to Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) at the line. He came back in 2022 with a victory on Paris’ most famous avenue, his second stage win of that Grand Tour. And in 2023 he was second again, this time to Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe).
With four wins in France last year, the 25-year-old accumulated 19 total wins throughout the year, more than any other rider in the peloton. He has won six flat sprints in a row at the Tour. In the last 17 Tour de France sprint stages, he’s finished in the top three 16 times.
“I would like to be back, but the team makes the selection. I will have to ensure that I am at the same level.”
