2024 Tour de France

Tour de France 2024 Stage 19 Preview: Race Reaches Highest Point

Tour de France 2024 Stage 19 Preview: Race Reaches Highest Point

The Tour de France 2024 is back in the mountains and will reach its highest point in Stage 19. The GC battle has turned into a three-rider race. Learn more.

Jul 18, 2024 by Matt Cannizzaro
Tour de France 2024 Stage 19 Preview

As promised, the Tour de France 2024 is back in the mountains for two challenging stages, before a likely one-time event-finishing time trial helps determine this year's overall champion.

Stage 19 is one of the shorter stages in the TDF 2024, but this 144.6-kilometer ultra-mountain ride from Embrun to Isola 2000 will be one where the very best climbers will get to show off their skills. It also could be where the eventual winner of General Classification proves himself.

Two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar has been in the yellow jersey since Stage 4, and he's on the cusp of becoming the first cyclist since 1998 to win the Giro d'Italia and TDF in the same year.   

With three stages left, including a time trial in Stage 21, Pogacar leads two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard by 3 minutes, 11 seconds, while first-time participant Remco Evenepoel is third, 5 minutes, 9 seconds behind the leader.

With almost eight minutes between third and fourth place, it's really a three-rider race at this point, even if it's a longshot for Vingegaard and Evenepoel. 

Vingegaard is looking to win for the third consecutive year, while Evenepoel, who will take home the white jersey for the best young rider, is trying to make an epic comeback and win in his TDF debut.

How To Watch The Tour de France 2024 Stage 19

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 19 Tour de France 2024

As the Tour de France 2024 winds toward it's temporary finishing location of Nice (due to the Olympic Games occupying Paris), Stage 19 should belong to the climbers, as the 144.6-kilometer ride from Embrun to Isola 2000 includes 4,500 meters of climbing.

Altitude certainly will be a factor, especially with riders already worn down from nearly three weeks of racing across Italy and France.

Stage 19 features two Hors Category climbs (Col de Vars and Cime de la Bonette) and will conclude with a Category 1 climb (Isola 2000).

As a reminder, in cycling, the easiest climbs are Category 4, and HC comes after Category 1. HC climbs are so tough they're beyond classification - they're longer, and they're steep.

Col de Vars is 18.9 kilometers and has an average gradient of 5.7%. It does reach 10% at one point.

The biggest challenge of the day will be the 23-kilometer climb to the summit of La Bonette, which will average 6.9% gradient and reach nearly 2,800 meters of elevation, the highest of the Tour de France 2024.

The road around the peak of La Bonette, a scenic loop, is the highest paved road in France and highest through road in Europe. Whether its a tourist or a cyclist up there taking it all in, the views will be breathtaking - figuratively and very literally for the riders.

This year will mark the fifth time La Bonette has appeared on the Tour de France (1962, 1964, 1993, 2008).

The final climb of the day will be a 16.1-kilometer trek that will average just over 7% gradient. 

Some riders are familiar with the area, as it often is used for training at altitude, but nothing compares to the pressure of the moment. There will be inspiring performances, and there likely will be heartbreak, too.

Bonus seconds again will be offered to the first three riders across the line Friday - 10, 6 and 4 seconds, respectively.

144.6 Kilometers To Miles: How Long Is Stage 19 Of The Tour de France 2024?

Stage 19 of the Tour de France is 144.6 kilometers, or just under 90 miles long. 

Tour de France 2024 Stage 19 Profile 

Here is what the elevation looks like for Stage 19:

Who Won Stage 19 Of The Tour de France in 2023?

Slovenia's Matej Mohoric won Stage 19 of the 2023 Tour de France.

The stage, a 173-kilometer medium mountain journey from Moirans-en-Montagne to Poligny ended in a photo finish with Stage 18 winner Kasper Asgreen and was decided by 0.004 seconds. 

Asgreen's win the day before was the first of his Tour de France career. 

Mohoric clearly is fond of the number 19, as his second career win at the TDF came in Stage 19 in 2021. He broke through for the first time in Stage 7 of the 2021 edition. 

TDF Results: Here's Who Has Won Each Stage So Far In 2024

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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