Cyclists in the 2013 Tour de France, Corsica, France
© Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP via Getty Images
Tour de France 2024 begins - Saddle up for Le Tour!
It's time to get pedaling. The Tour de France, the world's most famous bike race, is starting today. Beginning in Florence, Italy, the 2024 Tour will cover 2,170 miles and will be a little different from previous years. The final finish line has always been in Paris; however, this year the French capital will be busy getting ready for the Olympic Games so the race will end in Nice, on France's Mediterranean coast.
The route changes every year but always follows the same format: 21 day-long stages held over 23 or 24 days to give the riders a few rest days. The race covers a range of terrains, and there are always mountain stages in the Alps and the Pyrenees. The Tour de France has passed through every French region, including the French island of Corsica for the 100th edition in 2013. In today's image, riders take on the third stage of the 2013 Tour, between Ajaccio and Calvi on Corsica.