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Why isn't 2024 Tour de France ending in Paris? How Summer Olympics prompted historic change
By Ehsan Kassim, USA TODAY NETWORK,
12 hours ago
British Mark Cavendish of Astana Qazaqstan celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 5 of the 2024 Tour de France cycling race, from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas, France (177,4 km) on Wednesday 03 July 2024. JASPER JACOBS, BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
For the first time since 1905, the nearly month-long Tour de France will not end in Paris.
The 21-day race will cover 2,173 miles from its start on June 29 from a new location in Florence, Italy, for the first time. The 2024 Tour de France, the 111th edition of the race, will not end near Paris but on the French Riviera. The tour will bypass the French capital altogether.
It will conclude in Nice, France, nearly 580 miles southeast of the capital. The final day's race will start in Monaco and go nearly 21 miles to Nice. To compare, the final stae of the Tour de France in 2023 ran 71 miles from Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to Paris.
Here's what you need to know about why the Tour de France ― which will feature 22 teams of eight riders ― will not end on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, and how the final stage will be different than in previous years:
Why is the 2024 Tour de France not ending in Paris?
Preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are why the Tour de France won't end in the French capital this year. The final stage for the 111th cycling tournament is scheduled for July 21, just five days before the official start of the Paris Games, so the final stage was moved due to security and logistical reasons. The first event day is July 24, as men's soccer begins with Group C pool games between Uzbekistan and Spain at 8 a.m. CT (3 p.m. Paris time) at Parc des Princes in Paris.
The official opening ceremony will start at 1 p.m. and continue until 5:15 p.m. ET at Jardins du Trocadéro and the Seine in Paris. The opening ceremonies will include performances, the anthem for France and a "Parade of Nations," welcoming all participating countries to open the Olympics.
The 2024 Tour de France will conclude on July 21, just five days before the official start of the 2024 Paris Olympics. With the preparations in full swing in France's capital, the tour will finish in Nice, with an individual time trial. It will be the first time since 1989 that the final stage will be a time trial.
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