Sarah and Anthony break down the Tour de France stages you absolutely need to watch, from the surprising seven-climb opening stage to the gravel battleground of stage nine and the queen stage at Plateau de Beille. They'll also walk you through the sprinters to watch, the four-way GC battle led by Tadej Pogačar, and the cutting-edge tech teams are bringing to the race this year.
Key Takeaways
- Stage one is far from a procession this year—expect early GC battles and attacks with 206km and seven climbs, making it essential viewing despite traditionally being a sprinter's stage
- The gravel stage nine (199km with 14 sectors and 32km of gravel) is a wildcard that could dramatically reshape the race; punctures at the wrong time could knock out GC contenders entirely
- Stage 15 to Plateau de Beille is the true queen stage where the four-way GC battle between Pogačar, Remco, Jonas, and Ružicka will likely decide the tour
- The final stage is a time trial into Nice, not a Paris procession—if the race is close, expect a nail-biter finish similar to Greg LeMond's 8-second win over Laurent Fignon in 1989
- New tech this year includes Senna communication systems (small helmet nodules replacing bulky jersey packs), temperature-regulating core body monitors, and Jumbo Visma's controversial digital van for real-time performance data
Expert Quotes
"I expect Tadej to be unreachable almost. I think what he showed in the Giro was super impressive and he didn't have to go too deep so it won't have to take it too much out of him. I think Tadej would be the man to beat. — Remco (on Pogačar's dominance)"
"If you puncture at the wrong time it doesn't matter if you are Pogačar you're not coming back... these are tiny little roads, very third and fourth class roads so the cars are going to find it very difficult to get up to riders. — Anthony (on gravel stage dangers)"
"Does riding your bike help with your mental health? Yes 100%. Riding your bike makes everything better. — Sarah"