Ex-Tour champion Vingegaard against ‘stressful’ Montmartre inclusion

PARIS: Two-time former Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard said on Monday he was against this year´s race passing through the historic Parisian district of Montmartre.

Last Wednesday organisers announced the world´s most famous cycling race will include a climb on the narrow cobbled hill to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica on July 27. At last year´s Paris Olympics around 500,000 people lined the streets of Montmartre and the French capital to witness the men´s and women´s events in iconic scenes.

“To be honest I don´t think it´s a good idea,” the Visma Lease a Bike rider told reporters. “Montmartre was nice to do in the Olympics, it seemed good, a lot of people, a really good atmosphere.

“In that race, when they came to Montmartre there were only 50 riders left in the bunch, when we do the Tour de France we will be 150 guys fighting for positions on a very narrow climb.

“It could end up being more stressful than they want it to be,” the 28-year-old Dane added. This week, race organisers are expected to announce further details of the stage. Traditionally the final day´s racing in Paris is a processionary stage with the battle for the coveted yellow jersey having been decided 24 hours earlier.

The concluding 21st day of competition culminates in an eight-lap sprint of the Champs-Elysees, the French capital´s most famous street, with the finish in the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe.

This season´s Grand Boucle starts in Lille on July 5 with Vingegaard expected to be the main contender to last year´s winner Tadej Pogacar. Elsewhere, Frenchman David Gaudu, who finished fourth on the Tour in 2022, extended his Groupama-FDJ contract by two years until 2027.