Tour de France 2024 Stage 15 Preview: Toughest Stage Of The Year?
Tour de France 2024 Stage 15 Preview: Toughest Stage Of The Year?
It's possible Stage 15 of the TDF 2024 might be the year's toughest stage. It's also a major holiday in France. It also leads into a rest day. Learn more.
Riders in the Tour de France 2024 endured a mountain challenge Saturday in Stage 14 that included three tough climbs and a summit finish.
Stage 15 on Sunday, if anything, is worse, but it also could be the year's deciding stage.
The 197.7-kilometer ride from Loudenvielle includes 45 kilometers of climbing and almost as much descending, culminating at the magnificent Plateau de Beille, where riders, teams and fans could get a clearer picture about who will take home the yellow jersey after Stage 21.
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With some clever teamwork from UAE Team Emirates, two-time TDF winner Tadej Pogacar was able to win Stage 14 and increase his overall lead in this year's race. Two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard came in second at 39 seconds, while Remco Evenepoel was third at 1 minute, 10 seconds.
In the new General Classification standings, Pogacar leads by 1 minute, 57 seconds over Vingegaard, and Evenepoel dropped to third at 2 minutes, 22 seconds.
FloBikes coverage of Stage 15 will begin Sunday at 5:45 a.m. Eastern and is expected to conclude around 12:15 p.m. EDT.
Afterward, the second rest day of the 2024 TDF. The action will resume with Stage 16 on Tuesday.
Here’s what to know about Stage 15 of the Tour de France:
How To Watch The Tour de France 2024 Stage 15
In Canada, the Tour de France is streaming live on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
In the United States, the NBC family of networks and the streaming service Peacock are broadcasting the race.
FloBikes and the FloSports app are home to race highlights, stage breakdowns and more breaking news.
Stage 15 Tour de France 2024
Stage 15 of the Tour de France 2024 could be the toughest stage of this year's race. Oh, and it's Bastille Day in France - the country's national day - so the French riders might be extra motivated to perform on such an important day.
The 197.7-kilometer journey from Loudenvielle to Plateau de Beille, the second opportunity for the riders to tackle the Pyrenees mountains, includes four Category 1 climbs and a Hors Category climb. With nearly 5,000 meters of climbing, it's the most climbing competitors will do in the 2024 race.
The climbing actually begins pretty early, so legs will need to be strong. The whole course is pretty relentless, but a 60-kilometer section of flatter ground will be a good time for a breather, before the final ascent puts the riders to the ultimate test.
The final ascent to Plateau de Beille (first seen in the 1998 TDF) will be nearly 16 kilometers of climbing with an average gradient of 7.9% and sections over 10%.
If you can gain time in Stage 15, it'll really help push into the final week of the race, and Monday's rest day will be well-earned. At the same time, Stage 15 also could see some riders completely crack.
Is this truly the toughest day of the Tour de France 2024?
The last time a stage of the race finished with the Plateau de Beille was 2015, a 195-kilometer run that started in Lannemezan (Stage 12) and was won by Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez in a solo climb for the third TDF stage win of his career. He won Stage 3 in 2015, while his first came in 2010.
Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski won the Bastille Day stage in 2023 (Stage 13). Warren Barguil is the last Frenchman to provide a win on the national holiday back in 2017. Who will win this year?
Bonus seconds will be offered to the first three riders across the line Sunday - 10, 6 and 4 seconds, respectively.
197.7 Kilometers To Miles: How Long Is Stage 15 Of The Tour de France 2024?
Stage 15 of the Tour de France is 197.7 kilometers, or just under 123 miles long.
Tour de France 2024 Stage 15 Profile
Here is what the elevation looks like for Stage 15:
Who Won Stage 15 Of The Tour de France in 2023?
Wout Poels of the Netherlands won Stage 15 of the 2023 Tour de France.
It was his first, and only, stage win in the Tour de France, a feat he achieved with a strategic attack and strong climbing. The 179-kilometer route went from Les Gets to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains for a summit finish.
The stage was as controversial as it was special, as nearly two dozen riders were involved in a crash/pileup toward the start of the day. Sepp Kuss was hit by the hand of a fan, swerved, crashed and created a domino effect.
TDF Results: Here's Who Has Won Each Stage So Far In 2024
- TDF Stage 1 Results
- TDF Stage 2 Results
- TDF Stage 3 Results
- TDF Stage 4 Results
- TDF Stage 5 Results
- TDF Stage 6 Results
- TDF Stage 7 Results
- TDF Stage 8 Results
- TDF Stage 9 Results
- TDF Stage 10 Results
- TDF Stage 11 Results
- TDF Stage 12 Results
- TDF Stage 13 Results
- TDF Stage 14 Results
Tour de France 2024 Route Map
Here is the map for this year's Tour de France:
Here are a few more things to know about the Tour de France:
How To Watch Tour de France 2024 In The United States
A live broadcast of the 2024 Tour de France will be available on Peacock for those watching from the United States.
Peacock is the exclusive home of the event in the United States through 2029, with start-to-finish coverage of every stage, though select stages also will air on NBC.
How To Watch Tour de France 2024 In Canada
FloBikes will provide a live broadcast for Canadian audiences.
Viewers in Canada will be able to watch all 21 stages of the Tour de France 2024 live on FloBikes and the FloSports app.
FloBikes also will provide updates, highlights and behind-the-scenes coverage throughout the entire event for all Flo subscribers.
On What Channel Is The Tour de France 2024?
The Tour de France will be on the NBC network and will stream daily in the United States on Peacock. The entire race will be broadcast on NBC's channels and USA Network.
Tour de France Teams For 2024
There will be 22 teams and up to 176 competitors in this year’s Tour de France:
Teams
- Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
- Alpecin - Deceuninck
- Arkéa - B&B Hotels
- Astana Qazaqstan Team
- Bahrain - Victorious
- BORA - hansgrohe
- Cofidis
- EF Education - EasyPost
- Groupama - FDJ
- INEOS Grenadiers
- Intermarché - Wanty
- Team Visma | Lease a Bike
- Lidl - Trek
- Movistar Team
- Soudal Quick-Step
- Team dsm-firmenich PostNL
- Team Jayco AlUla
- UAE Team Emirates
- Israel - Premier Tech
- Lotto Dstny
- Uno-X Mobility
- TotalEnergies
When Does The Tour de France 2024 Start?
The Tour de France is a 21-stage event.
The 2024 edition will begin in Florence, Italy, on June 29 and conclude in Nice, France, on July 21.
Every day, the cyclists start together to complete the stage of a race. Every stage varies in distance and physical demand.
What Is The Schedule For The Tour de France 2024?
Here is the complete schedule for the 2024 Tour de France.
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