rules tour de france fantasy

Tour de France Fantasy by Tissot

How to Not Finish Last in Tour de France Fantasy

Rule your mini-league, or at least avoid ignominious defeat, with these strategies.

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Ah, fantasy Tour de France —that glorious moment when you can finally show the world your inner genius as a savvy general manager, wheeling and dealing your roster to a championship. Or become a cautionary tale like Lee Sanderlin, who had to spend 24 hours in a Waffle House after finishing last in his fantasy football league.

Don’t be Lee. Sure, he was able to carve nine hours off his sentence by scarfing a bunch of waffles, but it’s far better to just…not finish last.

There are several fantasy games around the Tour, all with different rules, and some of them get a little arcane. We’re focusing on two: the official fantasy Tour from the organizers , and VeloGames’s long-running fantasy competition, simply called VeloGames 2023 for trademark reasons.

How Tour de France Fantasy Works

Both leagues require you pick a certain mix of riders for a balanced team; you can’t go all sprinters, for example.

VeloGames is the simpler of the two: you have a 100-point budget to pick nine riders (which, after the UCI reduced official team sizes to eight, is one more than the teams in the actual race get). Each rider scores points based on his ride on each stage, including finish placing, time in the breakaway (if he joined one), any King of the Mountain (KOM) and intermediate sprint points scored, and overall standings in each of the various jersey competitions.

You also earn points when a teammate of your chosen rider does well. That all sounds complicated, but it’s pretty basic: You pick nine riders you think will find success individually or through their teams, and you’re set with them the whole Tour. There’s no substitutions, even if a rider drops out. If you want to set your team and not check standings daily, this is your league.

The official game from the Tour seems similar on its face: You have a budget (120 stars, which is the currency) to pick eight riders. There are similar points scales for stage finish, KOM, and sprint points, and position in various jersey competitions . You can score points in the combativity classification, but only for the rider awarded each day’s prize; there are no breakaway or teammate points.

The big differences from Velo to the official Tour de France fantasy game:

• You can swap riders midrace, for 50 credits.
• You can designate one rider each stage as your Stage Winner Bonus—all points that rider scores that day are doubled.

That requires you to change your designation each stage. If you want to tinker with your lineup like you do with weekly picks for fantasy football, the ASO game is your huckleberry.

(If you really want to nerd out, ProCyclingStats ’s game has more intricate rules and an arbitrage-like theme to it, where you buy and sell riders as they appreciate or depreciate in value. It’s cool, but complex.)

Broad Advice for Tour de France Fantasy Games

Don’t skimp on your gc guy.

The way both games are designed, the favorites for the overall will cost the most points. That’s because it’s difficult, albeit not impossible, to win your mini-league without picking the overall race winner .

We can’t tell you who that’s going to be, but what we can say is this is the one place where you should spend whatever points you think will get you the best possible choice, a.k.a. the rider you really think is going to win. Don’t try to get cute and budget points picking who you think will finish in second and third place. The math of the games is not kind.

Go reliable and versatile on sprinters

This is one place where consistent finishes can outpoint a winner over time. The cumulative point totals with a guy who’s regularly hitting top-five finishes is higher than someone who wins once or twice and is out of the top 10 on other stages.

Good picks here include Wout van Aert, Jasper Philipsen, Mads Pedersen, Biniam Girmay, and Fabio Jakobsen, Julian Alaphilippe, all of whom are contenders for the green jersey and are capable in both field sprints and trickier finishes with small hills.

Don’t get locked in on rider classifications

Because the games are predicated on balanced rosters, each assigns riders to distinct categories: all-arounder/ general classification , climber, sprinter, etc. But that may not match up with their own goals, or your view of how the race will unfold. Julian Alaphilippe may also listed as a contender (because he’s French), but his fifth-place overall at the 2019 Tour notwithstanding, he’s actually a stage hunter : a climber who can sprint.

As you pick, keep your goals and predictions in mind—if you think a climber’s going to win the overall and he’s not listed in the All Arounder group, pick him anyway, and use an All Arounder pick for different purposes.

Check your lineup against confirmed rosters the night before

With COVID still looming, it’s entirely possible someone will positive-test right out of a start spot. Make sure the guys you’re racing are actually in the race. It’s not official, but the most accurate roster list is on ProCyclingStats .

VeloGames Strategies

Use a “barbell” strategy to boost points around your gc contener.

This strategy leverages VeloGames’s teammate points awards. Option 1: pick a low-cost teammate who won’t score his own points, but could be a goldmine of points based on his team leaders. This is a good strategy to fill out a roster if you don’t have a lot of points left after picking GC riders and sprinters. A good option here would be someone like UAE-Emirates Vegard Staeke Langen, a guy doing the thankless grunt work for high-profile team leaders.

Option 2: Pick a versatile, higher-pointed teammate who can also get his own results. A good option here would be Jumbo’s van Aert, a threat in TTs and sprints. Your best bets are teams able to win multiple stages of different types, like Jumbo and UAE Team Emirates, but only if they fit your GC strategy.

Hedge your sprint pick

Fully a third of this year’s stages are, on paper, likely sprint finishes. And breakaway success on flatter stages of the Tour has been abysmal the past decade. The teams are simply too good at timing the catch. So sprinters are going to play a big role this year. Flat stages favor pure sprinters like Caleb Ewan and Mark Cavendish . But more versatile types, like van Aert, merit a look because they can score points in a variety of scenarios.

The best strategy may be to hedge: pick one higher-cost sprinter of one type, and a lower-point sprinter of another as your wild-card selection. Just remember riders who drop out will still keep all points scored to that stage, but are not eligible for teammate points after that.

Roll the dice on breakaways

Breaks are a fool’s game to try to predict, with few exceptions (hello wild card teams). Your best bet this Tour is to go one of two ways with affordable options: with time-trial style guys who will give it a go on transitional stages (neither flat nor mountainous) and also have a shot in the the TT itself, or climber types who will have their shot in the uphill finishes.

In either case, pick from teams that are at the race to focus on stage wins. TT-style riders who are promising selections are Kasper Asgreen and Victor Campenaerts. Climber-break specialists include Simon Yates and Alexey Lutsenko. Riders like Asgreen, Yates, or Lutsenko are also compelling because their teams have multiple stage-win options, meaning you’ll be better positioned for teammate points.

ASO Tour Fantasy Strategies

Maximize your stage winner bonus with the right roster.

The ASO bonus function is a significant potential point booster. So your team should be tilted toward likely stage winners for various situations. Once you’ve got your GC riders selected, go with versatile breakaway threats, like Alaphilippe. And don’t forget to change your designated rider for different types of stages!

Focus on KOMs

Through a quirk, you get awarded the same points total in fantasy for the two highest categories of climb (HC and Category 1) even though it doesn’t do this in the actual race. And there are 12 Category 1 climbs this year, more than any other category. Many of them will be crossed first by breakaways. So pick a climber you think might target both breaks/stage wins and the KOM competition. A few likely options are Giulio Ciccone, Romain Bardet, and Thibaut Pinot.

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Tour de France fantasy guide and tips: How to score and the best riders to select

Here are our top tips for success across the three-week grand tour, article bookmarked.

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The Tour de France is back with a star-studded peloton set to do battle across three weeks of racing — and avid cycling aficionados and total newbies to the sport can join in the fun by signing up for the official fantasy game of the Tour.

Ever more popular year-on-year, the Tour provides its own platform in partnership with Tissot, awarding points based on riders’ performances in each stage and overall throughout the race.

With such variety from stage to stage across the route, figuring out the best combination in an eight-strong selection can be tricky — here are our top tips for success for prospective directeur sportifs.

Before the start of Stage 1 in Florence on Saturday 29 June, those wishing to enter the official fantasy game must sign up and select a team of eight riders. Each entrant is allocated a budget of 120 “stars”, with cyclists assigned a value based on their likely output at the Tour. Tadej Pogacar , for example, is the most expensive rider at 25 stars.

The peloton is split into four categories — Leaders, Sprinters, All-rounders and Climbers — with a maximum of three of each type permitted to be selected. Similarly, only three riders can be chosen from a single team. A limited number of changes can be made to your team during the race, so use these wisely.

Points scoring

Points are awarded both based on stage performances and in the overall classifications. Picking stage winners is most valuable, but riders who rank highly in the chase for the yellow, green, white and polka dots jerseys also boost your points tally.

Before each stage, a Stage Winner Bonus can also be designated. This doubles the points of the rider chosen on that particular stage and should be updated based on each day’s parcours.

There is little surprise that Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates, 25 stars) is the most selected player in the game. Even at a price higher than any other rider, the Slovenian shapes as a prolific points scorer as both a ravenous stage hunter and likely general classification favourite having already torn the Giro d’Italia to pieces this year.

Heading the sprinting field, meanwhile, is Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck, 23 stars) . After winning four stages in France last year, the Belgian will arrive full of confidence even with a host of contenders sure to be nipping at his heels. There could be as many as eight sprint stages across the three weeks, though there will be no traditional final-day dash up the Champs-Elysees due to preparations for Paris 2024.

Another man who may be in the mix out of the bunch is Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike, 19 stars) — no other rider is conceivably competitive on such a wide variety of terrains as the Belgian, and with questions surrounding his team leader, Van Aart might have the freedom to go hunting for both stages and green jersey points.

What about the defending champion?

No-one will be writing off Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike, 22 stars) as the Dane targets a third consecutive yellow jersey, but there are doubts about the defending champion’s form and fitness entering the Tour. Vingegaard has not raced since suffering serious injuries at the Tour of the Basque Country in April. The noises coming out of team camp are more pessimistic than you might expect, and taking a cautious approach with Vingegaard is probably wise for fantasy directeur sportifs until he has shown that he has the legs to mix it with Pogacar.

Other GC candidates

Similar concerns swirl around Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step, 20 stars), who was short of his best at the Criterium du Dauphine after recovering from injury. Vingegaard’s former teammate Primoz Roglic (Bora-hansgrohe, 21 stars) went better at the traditional Tour tune-up, taking overall victory on his return from a lay-off, though lacked the end-of-stage sharpness that tends to characterise the Slovenian’s racing.

At a lower price point, big things will be expected of Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers, 18 stars) as he leads a team also containing Geraint Thomas (18 stars) and Egan Bernal (17 stars). Looking for a value option? Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech, 16 stars) might be your man after an unexpected podium finish at the Dauphine.

The sprinters

It’s an intriguing selection of sprinters at the Tour this year. Beyond Philipsen, perennial contenders like Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich PostNL, 17 stars) and Sam Bennett (Declathlon AG2R La Mondiale, 16 stars) are viable options, while young guns Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike, 19 stars) and Arnaud de Lie (Lotto DSTNY, 18 stars) are priced highly with each tipped for an impressive debut.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek, 18 stars) is usually a good option for fantasy players given the Dane’s ability to get through the tougher stuff and survive climbs - like Van Aert, he has the ability to contest plenty of stage finishes in an intriguing route to Nice.

And what about Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan, 15 stars)? The Manx Missile will bid farewell to the Tour (again) after postponing his retirement in search of a record-breaking 35th stage win. He may lack the sheer speed of younger, more in-form rivals but nous and a nose for the line count for a lot in heat of a sprint finish. Cavendish has a loaded sprint train to help him out, too.

Value picks

It can be hard to forecast which riders will enjoy a standout Tour, but there are plenty of possible picks that might provide real value at a cheaper cost. It feels like a breakthrough victory is coming for Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious, 11 stars) after a series of near misses, while Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost, 13 stars) is one to watch in the hills. Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL, 12 stars) may have a limited role on Tour debut but there is a lot to like about the young Scot, too.

Tiny French climber Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ, 11 stars) should like the steeper slopes in the Alps and Pyrenees if not dedicated to supporting team leader David Gaudu (16 stars). Another home hope might be Bryan Coquard (Cofidis, 12 stars) — the Frenchman will have his work cut out forcing a long-awaited victory at the race given the quality of his sprint rivals, but Coquard seems to have found another gear this season.

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Tour de France 2024 - Don't miss out on these Fantasy Game tips!

Monday 17 June 2024 • Blog

The Tour de France starts on Saturday, June 29th in Florence, which means it's about time to submit your Fantasy Game entries! Whether you're a experienced cycling fan or new to the world of cycling Fantasy Games, assembling your team can be quite a challenge. Fortunately, we have tips and tricks to choose the best riders and increase your chances to beat colleagues, friends and family.

In this blog post, we share practical advice for selecting the right riders for your cycling Fantasy Game. We provide an overview of the key riders and teams to watch, based on their recent performances and shape. With these tips for your cycling pool or fantasy game, you'll be ready to put together a winning team and fully enjoy the Tour de France 2024. So read on and discover how to step up your game for the Tour de France 2024! We discuss the first 11 teams, the next 11 teams will follow soon.

Tour de France 2024 - Fantasy Game tips

All Tour-content summarized: TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 - PREDICTION GC TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 - ROUTE TOUR DE FRANCE 2024 - DNFS IN GRANDTOURS  

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Alpecin - Deceuninck

Jasper Philipsen - The top favorite for the green jersey and the man to beat in the bunchsprints. Philipsen won four (!) stages last year and took home the points jersey. With Van der Poel as his final leadout, he has a royal lead-out at his disposal as displayed in this year’s Milan - San Remo. He recently showed great form with 2nd, 1st, 3rd, and 2nd places in the Baloise Belgium Tour. A true must-have for your fantasy game.

Mathieu van der Poel - Van der Poel starts in Florence with only seven race days so far in 2024. Not due to injuries, but ony because of his major goal this season: Olympic Gold Medal in Paris. That race is on Saturday, August 3rd, almost two weeks (13 days) after the finish of the Tour de France in Nice. Last year, Van der Poel used the Tour to prepare (successfully) for the World Championships in Glasgow, exactly 14 days after the finish at the Champs-Elysees. He led out sprints for Philipsen but only achieved one top-20 result himself. This edition, he will manage his energy very consciously again. We do expect a bit more involvement from Van der Poel, if only it will be to honor the rainbow jersey. Perhaps even at the opening stage…

Arkea - B&B Hotels

Arnaud Demare - Démare without an FDJ jersey is something we need to get used to. He lost the battle with his Frenche colleague David Gaudu and had to find for another team. The Frenchman found shelter at Arkea but without any honourable results. Similar to Gaudu, by the way.

Kévin Vauquelin - Talented 23-year-old GC rider with a good punch and a strong time trial. This season, he was 2nd in Etoile de Besseges, 10th in GC of Tirreno, 8th in GC of Itzulia Basque Country, and 2nd in La Fleche Wallonne. However, his Tour de Suisse performance was poor with a 42nd place in the final GC. Additionally, he has never shown it in a three-week Grand Tour, as he had to abandon the Vuelta early last year. That makes him a bit of a gamble.

Astana - Qazaqstan Team

Mark Cavendish - Cav, Cav, Cav! Last year, his attempt for a 35th stage win in the Tour de France ended with a broken collarbone. Everyone thought it was (once again) over for the now 39-year-old sprinter. But Cavendish thought otherwise. He called his trusty lead-out Michael Morkov and will be at the start in Florence, aiming for that one gap that will bring him eternal glory: most stage wins in the Tour de France. He deserves a spot on your team. Already won in Colombia and Hungary, so if all goes well…

Alexey Lutsenko - Few riders are as inconsistent as the 31-year-old Kazakh. This year, he blazed through the streets in Abruzzo, but did not achieve any other good result. He was called up last minute for the Giro, rode decently, but abandoned in stage 9 due to illness. In the Tour de Suisse, he was not near the front wwith a 65th place. In the final CC of the 2021 Tour, he finished 7th and 9th in 2022. Do you dare to select him?

BORA - hansgrohe

Primoz Roglic - The 34-year-old Slovenian was the biggest transfer of the past cycling season: from the successful Jumbo-Visma team to BORA - hansgrohe. All in to win the Tour de France. He already has the Giro ('23) and the Vuelta ('20, '21, '22) on his palmares, but the Tour de France is a painful open wound. Think back to the 2020 Tour, where he lost the yellow jersey in the individual time trial to Planche de Belles Filles. As always, Roglic is impressive in preparation, with the Dauphiné win as his biggest achievement. However, he lost time in the final stage, nearly a minute to riders like Carlos Rodriguez, Matteo Jorgenson, and Derek Gee. And the Tour stratlist will be even stronger, with Pogacar and possibly Vingegaard. He will undoubtedly ride at the front and score points for your team, but the chances at overall victory are small. Another reason for concern: Roglic crashes a lot. Staying upright is most important in cycling.

Jai Hindley - With Jai Hindley, Roglic has the 2022 Giro winner and the no. 7 of the 2023 Tour de France as a luxury domestique. The 28-year-old Australian started the year well with 5th place in GC of Valencia, 3rd in Tirreno-Adriatico, and 12th in Itzulia Basque Country. After that, less impressive was his 28th in Romandie and 20th in the Dauphiné. However, Hindley will be ready in France after a altitude training camp. But all to assist Roglic.

Aleksandr Vlasov - The 28-year-old Russian is not known as an ideal teammate. He likes to ride for his own chance and seems to neglect team-oders every now and then. However, Roglic clearly ranks above him in the hierarchy, although Vlasov will want to maintain a good GC position for his team. With Roglic’ crash-rate, you never know if he gets a shot at team-leadership. Vlasov is extremely steady this season: 3rd in GC of Valencia, 5th in Paris-Nice, 4th in Catalonia, 2nd in Romandie, and 6th in the Dauphiné. It might be worth considering him for you Fantasy Game team-selection.

Bryan Coquard - Consistency is his middle-name. Coquard has 29 top-10 results in Tour de France stages, without a stage-win. Most of all active pros. His consistency was evident last year when he sprinted to six top 20 results during the Tour. Coquard will survive some of the harder stages and is still amongt he fastsest men in this field of participant. He already won 2 WorldTour races this year in Tour de Suisse and Tour Down Under.

Guillaume Martin - Another rider who is extremely consistent, in the GC. Martin often loses time but fights back through succesful breakaways. Martin's consistency in Grand Tours is almost unreal: 12th (Tour '19), 11th (Tour '20), 14th (Vuelta '20), 8th (Tour '21), 9th (Vuelta '21), 14th ('22), DNF (Tour '22), and 10th (Tour '23). This year, the 31-year-old Frenchman is again hovering around 10th to 20th place in the GCs he contests. Not very exciting, but a safe bet.

Axel Zingle - This 25-year-old Frenchman is a true one-day racer. A good climber with a strong sprint. Last year, he rode his first Grand Tour (Tour de France '23), but his results were not very impressive. Don't expect him in the sprints (due to Coquard participating as well). But if he races that opening stage like a one-day race... he will be among the best.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team

Felix Gall - One of last year's revelations. The Austrian climber emerged as a leader after O'Connor's disappointing performance and finished 8th in the final GC with a stage win in the books. But now is the year to confirm his qualitie. 9th in GC of Paris-Nice, 10th in Switzerland. A lot is expected of him in the Tour, especially by his French team management, who are not known for their sympathy and understanding towards dissappointing performances. Last year, he was a perfect pick, but the game-organizers will not make it easy to include him in your fantasy team.

Dorian Godon - This 28-year-old Frenchman is working at his palmares. He is a good climber and has a strong sprint. He collected several good results this season and won two stages in Tour de Romandie. If you're looking for a stage-hunter in your team, Godon is your man.

Victor Lafay - Last year’s big surprise in the opening weekend with a 6th and 1st place. Wout van Aert is still having nightmares thinking about his brutal attack in the final kilometer of stage 2. No big results afterwards for Lafay, he moved from Cofidis to AG2R but hasn't raced for them in 2024 due to knee problems. It’s very uncertain if Lafay will even start the Tour de France.

Sam Bennett - The 33-year-old is starting to peform at a high level again at AG2R. Several top-3 results, four stage wins and the overall victory in the Tour of Dunkirk boosted the Irishman’s confidence. He seems to have secured his selection for the Tour de France. When Bennett is in great shape, you'd better have him on your team.

Team dsm - firmenich PostNL

Fabio Jakobsen - Fabio is searching, desperately looking for some form. In the Giro d'Italia, he was dropped on every small climb. He didn't even contest a bunchsprint. Jakobsen reconsidered his approach, lost some weight, raced again in the Baloise Belgium Tour, but then (again) hit the ground. Will the former stage-winner get it together someday? He seems to be literally outpaced by modern sprinters, who all climb better and have more left at the finish.

Romain Bardet - He caused a rollercoaster of emotions for many in this year's Giro d'Italia. Was he attempting to fight for the GC or not? He didn’t seem to want it, but his team did. It resulted in an anonymous 9th place. In the Tour, Bardet will do what he's supposed to do at this stage of his career: hunt for stage wins.

Warren Barguil - Maybe you'll consider him based on his stage-win from the breakaway, but don’t expect many big results from the 32-year-old climber.

EF Education - EasyPost

Richard Carapaz - For some weeks, Carapaz remains the reigning Olympic Champion. He won’t be able to defend that title in Paris, as Ecuador’s spot goes to Narvaez. This might be indicative of the rider Carapaz is. When things go well, he is a star-quality rider, but often things go wrong. He hits the deck regularly, like in stage 1 of the Tour de France '23 and once again in the Tour de Suisse of last week. He required several stitches. Carapaz is currently training at altitude in Andorra. The team wants results from the expensive Colombian, as shown in the new season of the Netflix Unchained documentary. Competing for the podium seems unlikely, so let's cheer for him in the breakaways. The polka dot jersey would suit him very well.

Neilson Powless - Another rider who will like the mountains classification. The 27-year-old American’s spring season was ruined due to a knee injury, despite bold statements at the start ("I feel the gap with Van Aert and Van der Poel is closing"). Powless showed to be in good shape in the Dauphiné until he crashed in the mega-pileup involving Evenepoel, Roglic, and Van Baarle. He had to withdraw the next day. His current condition is very uncertain.

Marijn van den Berg - For Marijn van den Berg, the main question is whether he is allowed to compete in the flat sprints. He defines himself as the “Matthews type,” more of a puncher than a sprinter. Still, he seems to be the only sprinter in the Tour de Fracne team of EF and therefore he might collect several top-results. Watch out for Van den Berg in stage 1.

Ben Healy - Another rider who likes to go on the offensive. His spring season was quite disappointing, but he took his first win of the season in the Tour of Slovenia. Just in time for this cult-rider.

Alberto Bettiol - The 30-year-old Italian is having a great season with many podiums and three victories so far (Milan-Turin, stage + overall Boucles de la Mayenne). Bettiol also started strong in the Tour de Suisse until he crashed in stage 4. Severely bruised, he left the race. The Tour start in Italy will give him extra motivation, but is he hindered by his injuries?

Groupama - FDJ

David Gaudu - Gaudu finished 11th, 4th, and 9th in the final GC of the last three Tour de France edition. He always rode the Dauphiné beforehand, finishing 9th, 17th, and 30th. This year the French GC-hope was nowhere to be seen and finished 15th in the GC of Dauphiné. Will it be a decent GC result in the Tour de France once again?

Valentin Madouas - Madouas finished 10th in the final GC of the 2022 Tour de Fracne, but will sacrifice himself for Gaudu this years. He’s not been riding very strongly this year.

Stefan Küng - The two time trials should suit him well. In the other stages, this Swiss powerhouse will mainly be a domestique.

Romain Grégoire - A highly talented 21-year-old French stage racer. But a Grand Tour might be too much. At least for now. He’ll be looking out for Gaudu, and perhaps there’s a stage win from a breakaway.

INEOS Grenadiers

Carlos Rodriguez - The well-informed had him on their radar for some time, so his 5th place in the 2023 Tour wasn’t a big surprise. He had a slow start this year (31st in Gran Camino, 28th in GC of Paris-Nice), but has since found his form: 2nd in Itzulia Basque Country, 1st in Romandie, and 4th in the Dauphiné. Especially his stage win in the final stage was impressive. In short, there are few reasons to keep this young Spaniard out of your Fantasy team.

Tom Pidcock - Mr Vlasov of INEOS. Goes his own way and often neglects team orders. He stated: “I decide how my Tour looks, no one else.” Great. But what about his results? Last year, he finished 13th in the Tour, and Pidcock showed form with 6th place in Tour de Suisse. When Pidcock sets his mind on something, it usually turns out well. And he’s set his sights on a good GC in the Tour de France. Do you dare?

Egan Bernal - And then there’s Egan Bernal. The 2019 Tour de France winner is back at a high level. This year, he finished 5th in GC of Colombia, 3rd in Gran Camino, 7th in Paris-Nice, 3rd in Catalonia, 10th in Romandie, and 4th in Switzerland. Can the 27-year-old Colombian make that final step towards the podium again? That seems difficult, but a top 5 finish in GC might be possible.

Geraint Thomas - The old fox secured another podium finish in this year’s Giro. He’s going to the Tour to help his teammates. And perhaps to maintain a good team atmosphere...

Laurens de Plus - An ideal helper who showed his top form with a 5th place in the Dauphiné. A good De Plus will undoubtedly prevent some anarchy in the team.

Israel - Premier Tech

Pascal Ackermann - Strangely enough, the 30-year-old Ackermann has never participated in the Tour de France. This time he will. Don’t expect miracles from “Ackie,” but a few podium places in the bunchsprints are possible. His price tag will largely determine if he’s interesting to select in your fantasy team.

Derek Gee - The 26-year-old Canadian discovered himself entirely in the 2023 Giro as a pure attacker. But suddenly there was this year’s Dauphiné. Gee punched to a win in stage 3, finished 6th in the time trial, and held on to the GC-riders in the mountain stages. He surprisingly finished 3rd in the overall GC, astonishing everyone, including himself. Whether Gee will ride for a good GC result in the Tour is uncertain, but he deserves a spot in your team.

Dylan Teuns - Teuns will undoubtedly choose his stage in this Tour. If only to please his new girlfriend Elke.

Stephen Williams - With his punches this year on Mount Lofty and the Mur de Huy, the 28-year-old Brit showed his class. Additionally, he achieved several notable top-results. He has a strong finish, if all goes according to plan, he’ll grab his stage win.

Intermarche - Wanty

Biniam Girmay - What to do with Bini? The tricky thing with Intermarché is that they have multiple fast men on the team, and it’s not yet fully decided who will sprint when. On paper, Girmay is the most complete sprinter who could take on the majority of sprints. However, his price tag reflects his qualities, and combined with his erratic performances in previous grand tours, it might be a bit too big of a gamble to select Bini in your team.

Gerben Thijssen - A more appealing alternative could be the Belgian Thijssen. He is likely to be dropped at least once more than Girmay but is also cheaper in several fantasy games. After a few fine victories in the early spring, it’s now time for Thijssen to establish his name in the second tier of sprinters. His results in the Baloise Belgium Tour were not very promising, but Thijssen should be capable of achieving a few good results.

Louis Meintjes - If you are looking for a cheap final rider in your team, Meintjes is your man! One of the most invisible riders who has still managed to secure several top-10s in the final GC of a grand tour. The issue is that Meintjes is a real follower, and you shouldn’t expect much from him in the sprint. We believe you have several more attractive riders in this price bracket.

Hugo Page - This young Frenchman showed in the 2023 Vuelta that he is able to finish strong in a bunchsprint. However, with Thijssen and Girmay at the start, it seems Page won’t be riding for his own chances in the bunchsprints. Although he is a good hills-reider and may seek a nice breakaway during the GrandTour, Page is not an obvious choice for this Tour de France.

Jayco AlUla 

Dylan Groenewegen - It’s been almost 2 years since Groenewegen last won a Tour stage. Will he take home another lion plush toy this year? In terms of pure speed, the Dutchman is among the best, but in recent years it has become clear that he struggles more on hilly terrain. He is still quite expensive in many fantasy games and never really competes for the green jersey, which makes him less of a must-have for your team. However, Groenewegen can make the difference; if he is well-launched, only few can overtake him.

Simon Yates - In his final year at Team Jayco, Simon Yates has been totally invisible since the end of April. After a good start Down Under and a fine victory in the AlUla Tour, he faced some physical issues and hasn’t raced since the Tour de Romandie. Yet, Simon Yates might be at his best at the righ time. Yates is an ex-Vuelta - and multiple stage winner in all grand tours. He finished 4th in last year’s Tour de France, and if he's out of GC contention, there are always stage wins and/or the mountain jersey to chase. If he’s physically fine, he’s always a guarantee for some points. Keep an eye on his interviews, but with an attractive price tag, he’s definitely a nice addition to your team. Michael Matthews - Bling is having a good year, with an early win in Spain and several impressive performances in spring classics. He seems to skip the bunchsprints (which are for Groenewegen), but he will often still be there in a small peloton, making him very dangerous. Two years ago, he won a nice stage from a breakaway and will undoubtedly be looking for the right breakaway groups this year as well. He will definitely get his chances, and he might even eye the first stage. You might have a unique rider with Matthews in your team.  

Lotto Dstny 

Arnaud de Lie - The Walloon Bull disappointed in the Flemish spring and thus ended up on the ‘blacklist’ of many fantasy-game players. The question is whether this is entirely justified and if this turns out to be a good choice because of his injury, De Lie started winning again as before and, as Lotto’s absolute leader, will certainly get enough opportunites in the sprints. It should be noted that De Lie seems to thrive better in slightly selective one-day races and that it still doesn’t always work out in the big bunchsprints. He often deals with bad luck, and his positioning still needs work; will he silence the critics in this Tour?  

Maxim van Gils - This young Belgian is having a great year with fine wins in Eschborn-Frankfurt and Aargau and impressive reults in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, la Fléche Wallonne, Strade Bianche, and Milano-San Remo. In the hills and mountains, he doesn’t have to work for anyone, so he can freely roam in all stages that are a bit too tough for De Lie. Van Gils is brimming with confidence and is one of the names to watch as a ‘dark horse’ for the first yellow jersey. Not overly expensive, making him an excellent pick as an attacker in your fantasy-game filled with GC-contenders and sprinters.

Lidl - Trek

Mads Pedersen - Mighty Mads Pedersen has been a sure bet for a ton of points in your fantasy games in recent years. Pedersen is a strong sprinter who handles hills well, will compete for the green jersey, and can also get points in the first time trial and transition stages. For many, this Dane seems like a ‘must-have.’ However, he'll be an expensive addition, especially since Pedersen normally doesn’t match Philipsen in terms of pure speed. We doubt if two cheaper sprinters will accumulate as many points as Pedersen, but it’s worth considering.

Giulio Ciccone - The winner of the mountain GC in the 2023 Tour de France seems like an easy ‘click’ for your selection. The Italian was in good form in the Dauphiné and can score points in multiple ways: by finishing high in tough stages with his quick sprint, by placing high in the mountain classification, and by slipping into the right breakaways. Ciccone is very attractively priced and, with Geoghegan Hart out, doesn’t have a leader to ride for. He did have a bout of flu, but if he’s back in form at the Italian championships, we’re willing to take the ‘gamble’!

Movistar Team

Enric Mas - The sole leader at Movistar is again Enric Mas. Although this Spaniard usually scores significantly more points in the Vuelta, it might be a good idea to select him in your team given his lower price-tage. With top-10 finishes in Switzerland, Romandie, and Catalonia, he has shown that you should always keep him in mind. He’s not among the absolute top favorites, but his preparation has been better compared to previous years, and he has shown in the past that he can also score good results in the Tour de France.

Alex Aranburu - When you’re looking for a good final rider in your team at a decent price, we certainly recommend Alex Aranburu. This Spaniard handles hills well and also is a quick finisher, allowing him to get good results in sprints from a thinned-out peloton. He recently won the queen stage in the Baloise Belgium Tour, became Spanish champion and has all freedom to find his way in flat and hilly stages. If he also wants to try in bunchsprints, this Basque rider is definitely worth considering.

Soudal - Quick Step

Remco Evenepoel - To Evenepoel or not to Evenepoel? Rightfully one of the biggest pre-Tour questions. He fractured his collarbone and shoulder blade in a massive crash in the Basque Country, disrupting both his spring campaign and his Tour de France preparation. He made his return in the Critérium Dauphiné but could only convince in the time trial. His performance in the mountains was still disappointing, and the question is how much better he gets in 3 weeks. Evenepoel’s points ceiling, who is also eligible for the young rider’s jersey, is incredibly high. In the 2023 Vuelta, he showed that he was indispensable for your team even without racing for the GC. Many team managers probably won’t dare to select him, which makes selecting Evenepoel very appealing in our view. But: do you dare, and more importantly, can you fit him in among all the other big names?

Mikel Landa - The always attacking Spaniard was recruited by PatLef last year to help his protégé Evenepoel in the mountains. The chemistry between Landa and Evenepoel seems to be there, and in the Dauphiné, Landa showed he is willing to take good care of the Belgian talent. If it doesn’t work out with Evenepoel in the Tour, Landa could possibly aim for a top-10 finish or a nice stage win himself. He finished as the first human behind Pogacar in Catalonia, so it’s too early to write him off for individual success. Still, selecting him for your team this year might be a bit too risky given the uncertainty about his role and Evenepoel’s form.

Bahrain Victorious 

Pello Bilbao - This year, Bilbao is focusing on the Tour de France again, just like last year. He finished 6th last year and has been in the top-10 of GC ranks of several grand tours in recent years. His highlight last year was in Issoire, where he added an emotional stage win to his palmares. This year, Bilbao is riding solidly and showed good shape with a 2nd place in the Tour of Slovenia. An interesting second-tier rider worth considering, especially since he has a good sprint.  

Phil Bauhaus - Sprinter representing Bahrain Victorious. The tall German surprised last year by sprinting to the podium in three tages. This year, he’s a bit more expensive and thus a bit less interesting to selected ompared to previous grand tours. Bauhaus often stalls when the road goes up, causing him to miss a flat bunchsprint every now and then. He probably won’t be chosen by many, making him a potential differentiating rider in your fantasy team.  

Santiago Buitrago - A very interesting rider to consider for your team. The Colombian is getting better and better in GCs, doesn’t shy away from attacking, is always interested in a few mountain-jersey points, and still competes for the young rider’s classification. This makes Buitrago’s points ceiling very high for his assigned price. In our opinion, he’s close to a ‘must-have,’ with his past inconsistency being a minor counterargument.

Matej Mohoric - With Mohoric at the start, you know shit hits the van. The Slovenian is an entertainer on the bike and, like in previous years, will certainly pick his stages. He easily became Slovenian time trial champion, showing that he has digested his gravel adventure very well and is ready for some spectacle in France. He won’t be extremely high-priced and is thus a fun addition to your team. The tricky part: which stages will be marked on his calender?

Wout Poels - After his beautiful stage win last year, an honorable mention for this friendly Dutchman is the least we can do. He will mainly act as a domestique in France, making him not the most interesting breakaway-rider for your team. However, he has achieved nice results in various grand tours in the past even from a domestique role, often making Dutch cycling fans cheer. A choice for more emotional players, while more rational players might leave him at home.

TotalEnergies 

Steff Cras - A nice surprise in the Tour de Frande and Vuelta a Espana of 2023 was Steff Cras. The young Belgian rode prominently at the front in the first Tour stages through Basque Country, but a hard crash unfortunately forced him to abandon. He came back and rode a very solid Vuelta, crowned with an impressive 11th in GC. He fell hard again this year in the Basque Country, but with two top-10 results in the Tour of Slovenia, he showed he’s on the right track. If he can sharpen his shape a bit more, this free rider in French service is a good and inexpensive option for the final spots in your team.

Visma | Lease a bike

Jonas Vingegaard - volgt

Wout van Aert - volgt

Sepp Kuss - volgt

Matteo Jorgenson - volgt

Christophe Laporte - volgt

UAE Team Emirates 

Tadej Pogacar - volgt

Juan Ayuso - volgt

Adam Yates - volgt

Joao Almeida - volgt

Uno-X Mobility

Alexander Kristoff - This Norwegian Viking is now 36 years old, and the wear and tear don’t seem to be showing yet this year. Kristoff has already won 4 races and also grabbed some nice top-results. He is the undisputed number 1 in the Uno-X sprint train, making him someone who will earn a decent amount of points. The question is whether these are enough to justify a selection in your team. Kristoff is quite pricey, and his results in the bunchprints have been somewhat lacking in recent years. Considering that, there might be more fun choices to make.

Tobias Halland Johannessen - One of the revelations of the 2023 Tour de France. The young Johannessen attacked well and managed to grab four top-10s from breakaways. He started this year strong in some Spanish and French one-day races, then broke his collarbone, and his performance (except for a 6th place in the Walloon Arrow) was disappointing. In the Tour of Slovenia, he showed more promise again, making him interesting once more. What works in his favor: he has complete freedom within the team, competes for the young rider’s jersey, and might even eye the mountain jersey. A fun, spontaneous rider with the potential to become a gem.  

Magnus Cort - When talking about attractive, spontaneous riders, Magnus Cort must be mentioned. The Dane is the odd one out in Uno-X’s Norwegian squad, but he seems to have integrated well into the Scandinavian ensemble. He packed his bags for Italy and showed with an impressive stage win in the Dauphiné that his sprinting legs are in good shape. The downside for fantasy-game players is that Cort won’t participate in the bunchsprints and it’s often hard to determine when to select him. There are a few typical transition stages this year where Cort won’t miss the breakaway, and he can handle gravel sections well. Plenty of opportunities, but also plenty of pre-stage selection stress: are you up for it?

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July is upon us, and that means the Tour de France is nearly here. It also means Fantasy Tour de France games are here, and if there’s one thing that makes watching sports even more fun, it’s watching them while you root for guys who compete on a fake team you put together.

I’m here to help you put together the best fake team you can.

You’re probably wondering why you should listen to a real-life cycling journalist when it comes to matters of fantasy sports. You may be surprised to know that before I was covering bike races, I was watching them from afar as a connoisseur of fantasy cycling. On my palmares, you’ll find a global top 10 overall finish in the Velogames Tour de France (RIP), and a few victories in other fantasy cycling competitions.

I haven’t secured a real maillot jaune, but I did win a long-sleeve jersey once as a prize for fantasy cycling. I’m like a fantasy Bauke Mollema—no blasting off the front like Chris Froome, but I’m always there or thereabouts. Lately, I’m starting to focus more on helping others.

In this case, that’s you. Here’s your guide to rocking the 2019 Tour de France Fantasy game.

The way the Fantasy Tour de France game works should be relatively familiar to anyone who has played Velogames. If you have, you can skip this section (and you can also shed a tear for the Velogames Tour de France, which was shut down by the ASO when it launched its own fantasy game) and just read the official rules for the full rundown of all the important scoring stuff and the transfer process .

For those who aren’t versed in Velogames, the idea is to select a roster of riders who score fantasy points for you over the course of the race by getting real-life results, like winning stages or wearing jerseys. You have a budget, and riders are assigned a cost, so you must be judicious in how to spend your assets.

In the Fantasy Tour de France game, you have eight roster slots, and your budget comes in the form of “stars.” You have 120 stars. Riders like Geraint Thomas and Peter Sagan cost more stars to put in your team than, say, domestiques on Pro Continental teams.

Crucially, you have the ability to transfer riders in and out during the race a limited number of times. Each transfer costs 50 “credits,” and you start with 400 credits. However, you are apparently able to rack up a few more credits by getting your friends to play — which is pretty lame if you ask me. The way I see it, you shouldn’t need real friends to succeed in this fantasy world.

Riders on your team score points over the ensuing stages based on a scoring rubric. For instance, a stage win is 200 points, a day in yellow is 50. Each day, you appoint a road captain, who scores double points for his stage results that day. On the final stage of the race, the classification-based points earned by any rider are multiplied by five to reward them for their final positions in those rankings.

That’s most of what you need to know, although I would highly recommend reading the rules for the full breakdown of scoring plus some nuances and fine print.

Core Strategy

This is probably what you’re really here for so let’s get to it.

Success in fantasy cycling is all about identifying value — spending less of your budget to earn more points. Familiarizing yourself with the scoring system is a critical starting point.

This particular game awards perhaps fewer points than you’d expect to yellow jersey contenders when it comes to the final standings. With that in mind, you may want to prioritize stage-hunters – sprinters and puncheurs alike – more than you otherwise might. The ability to select a road captain, doubling your stage points, boosts stage winners even more.

That said, you can expect certain familiar faces to do well in the various classifications, so relying on points from the consistent contenders for the various jerseys might be a bit more lower-risk than trying to pick individual stage winners.

My advice? Embrace the balance. The highest scorers will be riders who consistently finish highly on stages,  and also routinely get ahead in a jersey battle. That includes the green and mountains jerseys—they’re worth a fair few points, more than you might expect. If a rider seems like the kind of guy who could win the whacky combination classification at the Vuelta a España, he’s a good choice.

Alejandro Valverde has won the Vuelta combination jersey three times. Keep him in mind.

Once you have a grasp of the points structure, it’s all about picking the riders you think will give you the best return on investment. If you’re not great at predicting stage winners, check the bookmakers’ odds. The bookies’ favorite won’t always win, but looking at the top few names favored for a specific result is a darn good way to confirm you’re on the right track. Out-of-the-blue winners are very, very rare, except on breakaway days.

Using your transfers efficiently is the other key aspect of lineup management. Remember, you have the ability to shuffle your lineup a limited number of times.

Five Big Tips

1. Study the stages well in advance . It helps to know how many sprinters’ stages await before you decide on how many sprinters you want. Ditto for puncheurs, rouleurs, etc. This is a pretty climber-friendly Tour, so keep that in mind. TT-only guys won’t win you many points. As usual, however, the climbing stages mostly come later, so keep that in mind too.

2. Plan your transfers . This is a big one, particularly if you’re used to fantasy cycling games that don’t have transfers. Maybe save a few transfers to account for injuries, but plan to swap riders in ahead of extended stretches of stages with similar profiles. In other words, feel free to start with sprinters and puncheurs in your lineup for the first block of stages. If you followed that last tip, you’ll know that there are plenty of stagehunter-friendly days in the early goings. You can load up on climbers in the middle of the second week when the race hits the mountains.

3. Beware overpriced veterans . I’d love to end up eating my words here because he came so close to that 2016 Giro d’Italia win, but Steven Kruijswijk sure looks expensive considering he costs almost as much at 18 as Peter Sagan at 20. Kruijswijk is a consistent top 10 type but not much of a stage winner; Sagan, for two points more, is a fantasy cycling machine. Even if Kruijswijk wins the Tour, you will have picked him up by then.

4.  Acquaint yourself with the plans of riders’ real-life teams . Simon Yates is a proven Grand Tour rider, but he’s ostensibly a domestique at this race for his brother Adam Yates according to Mitchelton-Scott. Could those plans change? Sure. Will I gamble 19 stars on him when I could spend them elsewhere? No way. Plus, you can always transfer him in later.

5. Find the hidden gems . Low-cost, high-return athletes are the bedrock of a fantasy sports team. Up-and-comers often fit the bill. Kasper Asgreen, making his Tour debut, comes to mind. You’ll need a few, because you won’t have the budget for a team full of  yellow jersey contenders—which is the way it works in real life too. Unless you’re Ineos.

Naming Names

I won’t weigh on all 170-something Tour starters, but I’ll give you at least a handful of other names that stand out to me as good values like Asgreen , or less attractive options like Kruijswijk .

I’ve mentioned Sagan and Valverde , but it’s worth reiterating how valuable I think they’ll be despite their relatively high costs. A typical Sagan performance should put him on par with the winner of the Tour de France in the points department, and the guy is pretty darn consistent, so 20 stars seems like a decent price to pay. Valverde is a bigger risk because of Movistar’s whacky leadership situation, but the potential reward is great—he could very well end up in the GC battle, as well as constantly finishing highly on stages.

Michael Matthews (18 stars) is cheaper than plenty of other big names, and his versatility should translate to plenty of points. Plus, he should be riding with a smile on his face, having secured a two-year extension with Sunweb this week.

Fabio Aru  is a special case. He only costs 10 stars. As he works his way back to form following surgery, he’s a great candidate for a mid-race transfer. If he looks healthy and fit, bring him aboard for the mountains.

As for riders I’m avoiding,  Mikel Landa  comes to mind. Coming off the Giro, I don’t expect Landa to be terribly fresh, so I’d rather spend those 19 stars on, say, Elia Viviani , who seems very likely to shine in the first few stages. I can always bring in Landa later if he proves me wrong.

Thibaut Pinot  looks very expensive at 20 stars. For the same amount, you can get the guy hunting a record green jersey. Pinot’s inconsistency is not what I want for that cost

Michal Kwiatkowski is another rider I’m not in love with for this specific game. He’s one of cycling’s most versatile riders and can therefore be a fantasy monster under the right circumstances, but for the Tour, he’s a super-domestique that costs a whopping 16 stars. If Bernal, Thomas, and Wout Poels crash out, pick him up. Otherwise, pass.

Hopefully that’s enough to get you started on the road to strong Tour de France Fantasy lineup. I could maybe spend more time telling you which riders I like and which I don’t but I would rather put together my own team.

Fantasy cycling is a great way to keep yourself invested in every single stage of the race. Even if none of your favorite guys are going to do anything on a given day, someone of your fantasy roster might, and that makes it more compelling to watch whether they score points for you or not. The real goal here is to have some fun, so hopefully you’re able to do that even if your picks don’t all turn out.

Of course, it’s even more fun to win, so be sure to get your friends to join you in your league, and then crush them with your fake team.

Who are you picking, and why?

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Tour de France Fantasy by Tissot: Étape by Tour de France League

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You'll be ranked among all the participants in the league.  

Invite your friends! The game is designed to be shared with your friends, colleagues, and family, so challenge them to beat you!

What Can You Win?

Our top tips:, read next our blog.

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Join us for Fantasy Tour de France!

Time to buckle up for the big one: The Tour de France starts tomorrow, and you can play along with road.cc Fantasy Cycling.

If you haven't played our Fantasy Cycling game before then it's simple: pick a team of riders you think will do well, and if they do, you get points. And if you get enough points, then you win.* You can either play against the whole of the road.cc Fantasy Cycling community or you can create a mini league for your friends/family/work colleagues/cycling club/etc. There are bragging rights to be secured!

Start playing Fantasy Cycling today!

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There are actually three different competitions for the Tour de France. The standard game gives you a limited number of transfers (45) over the 21 stages, just over two per stage, so if your riders get injured, or fall ill, or are just crap , you can swap them out. Here's my team for stage 1:

You get to pick the best riders for each stage depending on the type of stage it is. Stage 1 with its classics-y parcours is a hard one to call. Too early for the big guns to get involved? one for the puncheurs ? I've gone for a mix.

With the Purist competition you get one go at picking your team, just like the directeurs sportif do: once the race starts, that's it. So make it count! As well as the normal purist competition there's one just featuring the French riders for a bit of extra fun.

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Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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Tour de France fantasy guide and tips: How to score and the best riders to select

The Tour de France is back with a star-studded peloton set to do battle across three weeks of racing — and avid cycling aficionados and total newbies to the sport can join in the fun by signing up for the official fantasy game of the Tour.

Ever more popular year-on-year, the Tour provides its own platform in partnership with Tissot, awarding points based on riders’ performances in each stage and overall throughout the race.

With such variety from stage to stage across the route, figuring out the best combination in an eight-strong selection can be tricky — here are our top tips for success for prospective directeur sportifs.

Before the start of Stage 1 in Florence on Saturday 29 June, those wishing to enter the official fantasy game must sign up and select a team of eight riders. Each entrant is allocated a budget of 120 “stars”, with cyclists assigned a value based on their likely output at the Tour. Tadej Pogacar , for example, is the most expensive rider at 25 stars.

The peloton is split into four categories — Leaders, Sprinters, All-rounders and Climbers — with a maximum of three of each type permitted to be selected. Similarly, only three riders can be chosen from a single team. A limited number of changes can be made to your team during the race, so use these wisely.

Points scoring

Points are awarded both based on stage performances and in the overall classifications. Picking stage winners is most valuable, but riders who rank highly in the chase for the yellow, green, white and polka dots jerseys also boost your points tally.

Before each stage, a Stage Winner Bonus can also be designated. This doubles the points of the rider chosen on that particular stage and should be updated based on each day’s parcours.

There is little surprise that Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates, 25 stars) is the most selected player in the game. Even at a price higher than any other rider, the Slovenian shapes as a prolific points scorer as both a ravenous stage hunter and likely general classification favourite having already torn the Giro d’Italia to pieces this year.

Heading the sprinting field, meanwhile, is Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck, 23 stars) . After winning four stages in France last year, the Belgian will arrive full of confidence even with a host of contenders sure to be nipping at his heels. There could be as many as eight sprint stages across the three weeks, though there will be no traditional final-day dash up the Champs-Elysees due to preparations for Paris 2024.

Another man who may be in the mix out of the bunch is Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike, 19 stars) — no other rider is conceivably competitive on such a wide variety of terrains as the Belgian, and with questions surrounding his team leader, Van Aart might have the freedom to go hunting for both stages and green jersey points.

What about the defending champion?

No-one will be writing off Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike, 22 stars) as the Dane targets a third consecutive yellow jersey, but there are doubts about the defending champion’s form and fitness entering the Tour. Vingegaard has not raced since suffering serious injuries at the Tour of the Basque Country in April. The noises coming out of team camp are more pessimistic than you might expect, and taking a cautious approach with Vingegaard is probably wise for fantasy directeur sportifs until he has shown that he has the legs to mix it with Pogacar.

Other GC candidates

Similar concerns swirl around Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step, 20 stars), who was short of his best at the Criterium du Dauphine after recovering from injury. Vingegaard’s former teammate Primoz Roglic (Bora-hansgrohe, 21 stars) went better at the traditional Tour tune-up, taking overall victory on his return from a lay-off, though lacked the end-of-stage sharpness that tends to characterise the Slovenian’s racing.

At a lower price point, big things will be expected of Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers, 18 stars) as he leads a team also containing Geraint Thomas (18 stars) and Egan Bernal (17 stars). Looking for a value option? Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech, 16 stars) might be your man after an unexpected podium finish at the Dauphine.

The sprinters

It’s an intriguing selection of sprinters at the Tour this year. Beyond Philipsen, perennial contenders like Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich PostNL, 17 stars) and Sam Bennett (Declathlon AG2R La Mondiale, 16 stars) are viable options, while young guns Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike, 19 stars) and Arnaud de Lie (Lotto DSTNY, 18 stars) are priced highly with each tipped for an impressive debut.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek, 18 stars) is usually a good option for fantasy players given the Dane’s ability to get through the tougher stuff and survive climbs - like Van Aert, he has the ability to contest plenty of stage finishes in an intriguing route to Nice.

And what about Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan, 15 stars)? The Manx Missile will bid farewell to the Tour (again) after postponing his retirement in search of a record-breaking 35th stage win. He may lack the sheer speed of younger, more in-form rivals but nous and a nose for the line count for a lot in heat of a sprint finish. Cavendish has a loaded sprint train to help him out, too.

Value picks

It can be hard to forecast which riders will enjoy a standout Tour, but there are plenty of possible picks that might provide real value at a cheaper cost. It feels like a breakthrough victory is coming for Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious, 11 stars) after a series of near misses, while Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost, 13 stars) is one to watch in the hills. Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL, 12 stars) may have a limited role on Tour debut but there is a lot to like about the young Scot, too.

Tiny French climber Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ, 11 stars) should like the steeper slopes in the Alps and Pyrenees if not dedicated to supporting team leader David Gaudu (16 stars). Another home hope might be Bryan Coquard (Cofidis, 12 stars) — the Frenchman will have his work cut out forcing a long-awaited victory at the race given the quality of his sprint rivals, but Coquard seems to have found another gear this season.

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How to pick the best Tour de France fantasy team – CyclingTips

July is upon us, and that means the Tour de France is nearly here. It also means the Fantasy Tour de France game is here, and if there’s one thing that makes watching sports even more fun, it’s watching them while you root for guys who compete on a fake team you put together.

I’m here to help you put together the best fake team you can.

You’re probably wondering why you should listen to a real-life cycling journalist when it comes to matters of fantasy sports. You may be surprised to know that before I was covering bike races, I was watching them from afar as a connoisseur of fantasy cycling. On my palmares, you’ll find a global top 10 overall finish in the Velogames Tour de France (RIP), and a few victories in other fantasy cycling competitions.

I haven’t secured a real maillot jaune, but I did win a long-sleeve jersey once as a prize for fantasy cycling. I’m like a fantasy Bauke Mollema—no blasting off the front like Chris Froome, but I’m always there or thereabouts. Lately, I’m starting to focus more on helping others.

In this case, that’s you. Here’s your guide to rocking the 2019 Tour de France Fantasy game.

Bauke Mollema at the Giro d’Italia. Photo: ©kramon

The way the Fantasy Tour de France game works should be relatively familiar to anyone who has played Velogames. If you have, you can skip this section (and you can also shed a tear for the Velogames Tour de France, which was shut down by the ASO when it launched its own fantasy game) and just read the official rules for the full rundown of all the important scoring stuff and the transfer process .

For those who aren’t versed in Velogames, the idea is to select a roster of riders who score fantasy points for you over the course of the race by getting real-life results, like winning stages or wearing jerseys. You have a budget, and riders are assigned a cost, so you must be judicious in how to spend your assets.

Eight roster slots, 120 stars to spend.

In the Fantasy Tour de France game, you have eight roster slots, and your budget comes in the form of “stars.” You have 120 stars. Riders like Geraint Thomas and Peter Sagan cost more stars to put in your team than, say, domestiques on Pro Continental teams.

Crucially, you have the ability to transfer riders in and out during the race a limited number of times. Each transfer costs 50 “credits,” and you start with 400 credits. However, you are apparently able to rack up a few more credits by getting your friends to play — which is pretty lame if you ask me. The way I see it, you shouldn’t need real friends to succeed in this fantasy world.

Riders on your team score points over the ensuing stages based on a scoring rubric. For instance, a stage win is 200 points, a day in yellow is 50. Each day, you appoint a road captain, who scores double points for his stage results that day. On the final stage of the race, the classification-based points earned by any rider are multiplied by five to reward them for their final positions in those rankings.

That’s most of what you need to know, although I would highly recommend reading the rules for the full breakdown of scoring plus some nuances and fine print.

Core Strategy

This is probably what you’re really here for so let’s get to it.

Success in fantasy cycling is all about identifying value — spending less of your budget to earn more points. Familiarizing yourself with the scoring system is a critical starting point.

This particular game awards perhaps fewer points than you’d expect to yellow jersey contenders when it comes to the final standings. With that in mind, you may want to prioritize stage-hunters – sprinters and puncheurs alike – more than you otherwise might. The ability to select a road captain, doubling your stage points, boosts stage winners even more.

That said, you can expect certain familiar faces to do well in the various classifications, so relying on points from the consistent contenders for the various jerseys might be a bit more lower-risk than trying to pick individual stage winners.

My advice? Embrace the balance. The highest scorers will be riders who consistently finish highly on stages,  and also routinely get ahead in a jersey battle. That includes the green and mountains jerseys—they’re worth a fair few points, more than you might expect. If a rider seems like the kind of guy who could win the whacky combination classification at the Vuelta a España, he’s a good choice.

Alejandro Valverde has won the Vuelta combination jersey three times. Keep him in mind.

Once you have a grasp of the points structure, it’s all about picking the riders you think will give you the best return on investment. If you’re not great at predicting stage winners, check the bookmakers’ odds. The bookies’ favorite won’t always win, but looking at the top few names favored for a specific result is a darn good way to confirm you’re on the right track. Out-of-the-blue winners are very, very rare, except on breakaway days.

Using your transfers efficiently is the other key aspect of lineup management. Remember, you have the ability to shuffle your lineup a limited number of times.

Five Big Tips

1. Study the stages well in advance . It helps to know how many sprinters’ stages await before you decide on how many sprinters you want. Ditto for puncheurs, rouleurs, etc. This is a pretty climber-friendly Tour, so keep that in mind. TT-only guys won’t win you many points. As usual, however, the climbing stages mostly come later, so keep that in mind too.

2. Plan your transfers . This is a big one, particularly if you’re used to fantasy cycling games that don’t have transfers. Maybe save a few transfers to account for injuries, but plan to swap riders in ahead of extended stretches of stages with similar profiles. In other words, feel free to start with sprinters and puncheurs in your lineup for the first block of stages. If you followed that last tip, you’ll know that there are plenty of stagehunter-friendly days in the early goings. You can load up on climbers in the middle of the second week when the race hits the mountains.

3. Beware overpriced veterans . I’d love to end up eating my words here because he came so close to that 2016 Giro d’Italia win, but Steven Kruijswijk sure looks expensive considering he costs almost as much at 18 as Peter Sagan at 20. Kruijswijk is a consistent top 10 type but not much of a stage winner; Sagan, for two points more, is a fantasy cycling machine. Even if Kruijswijk wins the Tour, you will have picked him up by then.

Picking with your heart may be the easiest route, but it might not yield the best results. An all-Dutch team could be fun if you’re from the Netherlands, but it probably wouldn’t be the most successful.

4.  Acquaint yourself with the plans of riders’ real-life teams . Simon Yates is a proven Grand Tour rider, but he’s ostensibly a domestique at this race for his brother Adam Yates according to Mitchelton-Scott. Could those plans change? Sure. Will I gamble 19 stars on him when I could spend them elsewhere? No way. Plus, you can always transfer him in later.

5. Find the hidden gems . Low-cost, high-return athletes are the bedrock of a fantasy sports team. Up-and-comers often fit the bill. Kasper Asgreen, making his Tour debut, comes to mind. You’ll need a few, because you won’t have the budget for a team full of  yellow jersey contenders—which is the way it works in real life too. Unless you’re Ineos.

Naming Names

I won’t weigh on all 170-something Tour starters, but I’ll give you at least a handful of other names that stand out to me as good values like Asgreen , or less attractive options like Kruijswijk .

I’ve mentioned Sagan and Valverde , but it’s worth reiterating how valuable I think they’ll be despite their relatively high costs. A typical Sagan performance should put him on par with the winner of the Tour de France in the points department, and the guy is pretty darn consistent, so 20 stars seems like a decent price to pay. Valverde is a bigger risk because of Movistar’s whacky leadership situation, but the potential reward is great—he could very well end up in the GC battle, as well as constantly finishing highly on stages.

Michael Matthews (18 stars) is cheaper than plenty of other big names, and his versatility should translate to plenty of points. Plus, he should be riding with a smile on his face, having secured a two-year extension with Sunweb this week.

Michael Matthews wins stage 2 of the Volta a Catalunya. Photo: Luis Gomez/Cor Vos © 2019

Fabio Aru  is a special case. He only costs 10 stars. As he works his way back to form following surgery, he’s a great candidate for a mid-race transfer. If he looks healthy and fit, bring him aboard for the mountains.

As for riders I’m avoiding,  Mikel Landa  comes to mind. Coming off the Giro, I don’t expect Landa to be terribly fresh, so I’d rather spend those 19 stars on, say, Elia Viviani , who seems very likely to shine in the first few stages. I can always bring in Landa later if he proves me wrong.

Thibaut Pinot  looks very expensive at 20 stars. For the same amount, you can get the guy hunting a record green jersey. Pinot’s inconsistency is not what I want for that cost

Michal Kwiatkowski is another rider I’m not in love with for this specific game. He’s one of cycling’s most versatile riders and can therefore be a fantasy monster under the right circumstances, but for the Tour, he’s a super-domestique that costs a whopping 16 stars. If Bernal, Thomas, and Wout Poels crash out, pick him up. Otherwise, pass.

Hopefully that’s enough to get you started on the road to strong Tour de France Fantasy lineup. I could maybe spend more time telling you which riders I like and which I don’t but I would rather put together my own team.

Fantasy cycling is a great way to keep yourself invested in every single stage of the race. Even if none of your favorite guys are going to do anything on a given day, someone of your fantasy roster might, and that makes it more compelling to watch whether they score points for you or not. The real goal here is to have some fun, so hopefully you’re able to do that even if your picks don’t all turn out.

Of course, it’s even more fun to win, so be sure to get your friends to join you in your league, and then crush them with your fake team.

Who are you picking, and why?

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See you on 29th October for the announcement of the routes for the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes with Zwift in 2025.

Official games.

2024 Edition

• Stage Winners

Tour Culture

• Sporting Stakes
• All the rankings
• Commitments
• The jerseys
• "Maillot Jaune" Collection
• Key figures

Tour de France launches its Fantasy game !

For the first time in the history of Le Tour, sign up to the official 2018 Fantasy Tour de France and put yourself in the shoes of the directeur sportif!

Choose your favourite riders and build your dream team of 8 cyclists. Collect points each stage depending on the actual results of your riders and their performances in the overall jersey classifications. Be careful, select your Captain wisely for each stage as his points will count double!

On each of the rest days (after Stage 9 and Stage 15), you will have the possibility to make two transfers and adapt your game strategy for the coming week. Create your own league with your friends, colleagues and family, and challenge them to beat you on the roads of Le Tour de France! May the best team win!

To play, it's here ! 

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The Tour de France returns in all of its glory on Saturday, June 29, with no shortage of major storylines going into cycling’s most prestigious race. Can Jonas Vingegaard, winner in back-to-back years, become history’s ninth cyclist to win at least three Tour de France races? His primary competition, Tadej Pogačar, aims for the same feat and the yellow jersey after finishing second in 2022 and 2023. Elsewhere, Primož Roglič seeks the elusive Tour de France victory that has eluded him.

Before cyclists embark on their massive trek, get up to speed with everything you need to know for the 111th Tour de France, which is streaming on Peacock on NBC.

How does the 2024 Tour de France work?

This year’s Tour de France is unique for several reasons. It will begin in Florence, Italy, for the first time in the event’s history. This starting point honors the 100-year mark since an Italian won the Tour de France, achieved by Ottavio Bottecchia in 1924. With the Paris Olympics starting in late July, 2024 features the first-ever Tour de France that won’t conclude in France’s capital city. Instead, it will finish in Nice, France. Riders will complete 21 stages across three weeks, starting in Florence, Italy on Saturday, June 29, and ending on Sunday, July 21. The entire Tour De France will cover a total distance of 3,492 km (2,170 miles), with riders competing in one stage per day and receiving one rest day at the end of each week.

How to watch every stage of the 2024 Tour de France: Stages, schedule, start times, live stream info

Who is riding in the Tour de France 2024?

The favorite to win the 2024 Tour de France is Tadej Pogačar , a member of the UAE Team Emirates . At 25 years old, he already has two Tour de France wins (2020, 2021) and one Giro d’Italia victory (2024). After dominating the Giro d’Italia in May, the phenom aims to become the first cyclist since 1998 (Marco Pantani) to win both the Giro and the Tour de France in the same year. Already considered one of the greatest talents cycling has ever seen, the Slovenian has won four out of five events he’s raced in this year, finishing third in his only non-victory. He’s finished second place in the last two editions of the Tour de France.

Pogačar will look to defeat two-time defending Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard of Team Visma-Lease a Bike, another popular pick to win this year. The 27-year-old has bested Pogačar the last two years, but the Tour de France will mark his return to racing since a severe crash at the Tour of the Basque Country in April, where he broke his collarbone and ribs, suffering a collapsed lung in the process.

Another intriguing challenger is Tour veteran Primož Roglič of Team Bora-hansgrohe, who seeks his first Tour de France victory in what will be his sixth appearance. At 34 years old and well into his illustrious career, it remains the major title he has yet to win, having already secured victories across the Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España, Monuments, and Olympic Games.

How many teams are in the Tour de France?

The Tour de France is made up of 22 pro cycling teams with eight riders each, amounting to 176 total competitors.

How do teams work in the Tour de France?

Each team has one rider who is their main contender, commonly referred to as the team’s leader. Teams may have several leaders throughout the race, determined by each group’s individual race strategy. Other members of the team are known as domestiques . These key figures support their team’s leader in the race by shielding them from wind and other cyclists, bringing them water, and even offering to switch bikes in the event of mechanical failure. Team members typically take turns acting in these support roles.

RELATED: 2024 Tour de France cyclists to watch: Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar lead the pack

Who are recent Tour de France winners?

2023: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) 2022: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) 2021: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) 2020: Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) 2019: Egan Bernal (Colombia) 2018: Geraint Thomas (United Kingdom, Wales) 2017: Chris Froome (United Kingdom) 2016: Chris Froome (United Kingdom) 2015: Chris Froome (United Kingdom) 2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Italy) 2013: Chris Froome (United Kingdom) 2012: Bradley Wiggins (United Kingdom) 2011: Cadel Evans (Australia) 2010: Andy Schleck (Luxembourg) Alberto Contador was initial winner, but was stripped of victory in 2012 after he was found guilty of doping

How many points do you get for winning a stage in the Tour de France?

Points are awarded throughout and at the end of each stage, differing based on the type of stage. Here’s the point distribution for first-place finishers across stages (Individual time trial and intermediate sprint winners are also awarded 20 points each):

Flat stage finishes: 50 points Hilly and medium mountain stage finishes: 30 points High mountain finishes: 20 points

How do they determine the winner of the Tour de France?

The rider with the shortest overall combined time from every stage is declared the winner. This year’s race will feature an individual time trial from Monaco to Nice as the final stage. Though there is only one overall winner, there are three other individual awards granted to cyclists for various accomplishments. Throughout the race, the leaders in each category wear specific jerseys to differentiate them from the rest.

The coveted yellow jersey is for the rider with the fastest overall time at the end of each stage; the race leader. A green jersey, also known as the points jersey, is awarded to the fastest sprinter. Riders collect points for finishing stages quickly, winning sprint sections, and performing well in mountain sections. A white jersey with red polka dots, also known as the “King of the Mountains,” is awarded to the best climber. Mountain points are distributed based on the difficulty of individual climbing sections throughout various mountain stages. Lastly, a white jersey is awarded to the best young rider, the highest-ranked cyclist under the age of 26. Winning just one Tour de France stage is considered a huge victory for most cyclists.

How much money do you get for winning the Tour de France?

The overall winner of the Tour de France will receive €500,000, equivalent to $533,915. Second place earns €200,000 ($213,566), with third place getting $100,000 ($107,062). Each stage win is worth €11,000, equivalent to $11,746. The rider with the most sprint points at the race’s conclusion walks away with €25,000 ($26,765) as the green jersey winner.

Is there a team prize in the Tour de France?

Yes, there is a team prize in the Tour de France. The top five teams at the end of the race receive cash prizes, which are then calculated by adding the cumulative times of each team’s three fastest finishers from the stage. The winning team receives €2,800 in prize money ($3,001). Team earnings are often split among the team instead of just one rider.

How is the Tour de France time cut calculated?

The Tour de France’s time cut is a Grand Tours ruling that ensures riders don’t reduce their workloads in certain stages to conserve energy for later stages. Time cuts in stages are determined by two factors, primarily the stage’s difficulty and the winning rider’s average speed. Every stage in the Tour de France is given a difficulty coefficient, numbered one to six. For example, a stage where minimal climbing is involved may be granted a one or a two, but a stage with high climbs through mountains may be granted a higher difficulty coefficient, like five or six. If the stage maintains a fast pace, time cuts will be more forgiving. If races produce a slower pace, the time cut will be harsher.

What is the name of the British team in the Tour de France?

The INEOS Grenadiers are Great Britain’s professional cycling team that competes at the UCI World team level. The team is based out of Manchester, England with a base in Deinze, Belgium. Previously known as Team Sky, the name changed to Team INEOS and then the INEOS Grenadiers in 2019, when INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe became sole owners. This year’s 11 British riders throughout the field are the most ever in Tour de France history.

What are the stages of the Tour de France 2024?

Saturday, June 29: Stage 1 , Florence - Rimini (206 km) Sunday, June 30: Stage 2 , Cesenatico - Bologne (199.2 km) Monday, July 1: Stage 3 , Plaisance - Turin (230.8 km) Tuesday, July 2: Stage 4 , Pinerolo - Valloire (139.6 km) Wednesday, July 3: Stage 5 , Sant-Jean-de-Maurienne - Saint-Vulbas (177.4 km) Thursday, July 4: Stage 6 , Mâcon - Dijon (163.5 km) Friday, July 5: Stage 7 , Nuits-Saint-Georges - Gevrey-Chambertin (25.3 km, individual time trial) Saturday, July 6: Stage 8 , Semur-En-Auxois > Colombey-les-Deux-Églises (183.4 km) Sunday, July 7: Stage 9 , Troyes - Troyes (199 km) Monday, July 8: Rest Day Tuesday, July 9: Stage 10 , Orléans - Saint-Amand-Montrond (187.3 km) Wednesday, July 10: Stage 11 , Évaus-les-Bains - Le Lioran (211 km) Thursday, July 11: Stage 12 , Aurillac - Villeneuve-sur-Lot (203.6 km) Friday, July 12: Stage 13 , Agen - Pau (165.3 km) Saturday, July 13: Stage 14 , Pau - Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet (151.9 km) Sunday, July 14: Stage 15 , Loudenvielle - Plateau de Beille (198 km) Monday, July 15: Rest Day Tuesday, July 16: Stage 16 , Gruissan - Nîmes (188.6 km) Wednesday, July 17: Stage 17 , Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux - Superdévoluy (177.8 km) Thursday, July 18: Stage 18 , Gap - Barcelonnette (179.5 km) Friday, July 19: Stage 19 , Embrun - Isola 2000 (144.6 km) Saturday, July 20: Stage 20 , Nice - Col de la Couillole (132.8 km) Sunday, July 21: Stage 21 , Monaco - Nice (33.7 km, individual time trial)

Who is the only American to win the Tour de France?

The legendary Greg LeMond is the only American man to win the Tour de France, capturing victories in 1986, 1989, and 1990. In the process, he became the first non-European professional cyclist to win the historic race.

What happens if you have to go to the bathroom during the Tour de France?

Cyclists can stop on the side of the road if they must use the bathroom during the Tour de France. However, they must be out of view of spectators to avoid getting fined. Riders often will take collective breaks as a group to individually go to the bathroom.

Do riders sleep during the Tour de France?

Yes! Tour de France competitors do indeed get rest. The race is three weeks long and athletes are exercising intensely, so sleep is necessary. Cyclists typically sleep in hotel rooms that vary in accommodations and location.

What are the Tour de France rules?

There are many rules within the Tour de France, among them include:

• All riders must wear their team’s official outfit: shorts, jersey, socks, shoes, gloves, and a helmet to begin the race (aside from special jerseys).
• Other classifications can be identified by a rider’s uniform or race number, including colored or special numbers for the highest-ranked individual rider on each team, the most aggressive rider as determined by a jury, and stage winners.
• If a cyclist wins a stage or is one of the first three finishers, seconds are subtracted from their overall time as a bonus. First place subtracts ten seconds, then six and four for second and third. At various critical points like passes and summits, the first three riders can also receive time premiums of eight, five, and two seconds.
• There is a time cut calculated depending on the type of stage using the time of the winner. In most cases, riders will be eliminated from the race if they do not finish under the time cut. There are cases where a rider will finish after the time cut and still be allowed to start the next day, but they lose all of the points they had accumulated to that point.
• Various cyclists are drug tested at every stage, with over 180 drug tests distributed throughout the race.

Other specific rules for the Tour de France include:

• No littering
• Cyclists cannot push off cars, motorcycles or other riders
• Team cars called caravans may follow riders, but must maintain a distance of at least 25 meters.
• Spraying liquid, like water used for cooling purposes, from team cars is prohibited.
• Teams cannot help eachother.
• Riders may only eat in designated areas.
• No indecent behavior towards spectators.

Continuing Coverage

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar wins Tour de France for the 3rd time

Pogacar, 25, is the first cyclist to win the giro d’italia and tour de france in the same year since 1998., published july 21, 2024 • updated on july 21, 2024 at 1:03 pm.

Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France for the third time and celebrated in style with a victory in Sunday's final stage — a time trial ending in Nice.

The 25-year-old Slovenian rider became the first cyclist to secure the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year since the late Marco Pantani in 1998.

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Two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark was second overall. He also finished the 21st and final stage in second place.

Pogacar won the 34-kilometer (21-mile) time trial on the French Riviera's roads from Monaco to Nice in 45 minutes, 24 seconds. Vingegaard was 1 minute, 3 seconds behind him and Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel 1:14 back in third spot.

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In the overall standings, Vingegaard finished 6:17 behind Pogacar and Evenepoel was third overall, 9:18 behind Pogacar — whose other Tour wins came in 2020 and 2021.

The race did not finish in Paris as it usually does because of the Olympic Games. Nice mayor Christian Estrosi called the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the southern French Alps “perfect cycling territory.”

From early Sunday morning, fans camped along the popular Promenade des Anglais in Nice to guard a spot that would offer the best glimpse of cyclists.

Some fans chanted “Remco, Remco” as the race-against-the-clock specialist zoomed past them.

They may have been surprised to see Pogacar going flat out.

After his explosive attack on Friday, Pogacar said he would not try to win Saturday’s stage. But the UAE Team Emirates rider could not resist and won that to become the second man to win five mountain stages in one Tour after Italian rider Gino Bartali in 1948.

Pogacar had no need to attack on Sunday, either, considering he led Vingegaard overnight by more than five minutes.

But the lure of another stage win proved too strong and he flew down the winding roads past picturesque Èze and Villefranche-sur-Mer on the approach to Nice, where the route flattened out again.

Pogacar held out three fingers as the finish line and a sixth stage win approached on this year’s Tour — the same number of stages he won when dominating the Giro d’Italia.

It was Pogacar’s biggest winning margin of his three Tour wins — beating the 5:20 gap on Vingegaard three years ago, but below the 7:29 victory margin Vingegaard enjoyed over Pogacar last year.

The battle with Vingegaard was not as close as it might have been in different circumstances.

The 27-year-old Vingegaard was hospitalized for nearly two weeks in April following a high-speed crash in the Tour of the Basque Country. He resumed competitive racing only on this Tour.

Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz won the best climber's polka dot jersey while Eritrea's Biniam Girmay won the top sprinter's green jersey and the 24-year-old Evenepoel capped a fine debut Tour with the white jersey for best young rider.

Associated Press writer Barbara Surk in Nice contributed to this report.

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