Staff Reporter.
The Tour de France will start in Italy for the first time in 2024 and the opening three stages will be held there, race organisers said on Wednesday.
Italy gets the honour of hosting the Grand Depart 100 years after Ottavio Bottecchia became the first Italian to win cycling’s most prestigious event.
? Andiamo!
?? 100 years after Ottavio Bottecchia became the first Italian to win the Tour de France, the #TDF2024 Grand Départ will take place in Italy!
?? 100 ans après la première victoire italienne dans le Tour de France, le #TDF2024 connaitra son Grand Départ en Italie ! pic.twitter.com/RBbiZSyMFg
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) December 21, 2022
The Tour will start on 29 June, with the opening stage from Florence to Rimini on the Adriatic coast. The second stage will be from Cesenatico to Bologna and the third will start in Piacenza and end in Turin.
The final stage of the Tour, traditionally held on the Champs Elysees in Paris, will be moved to the southern city of Nice in 2024 when the French capital is hosting the Olympic Games.
The Tour is due to end on 21 July, five days before the start of the Olympics.