Tour de France general director Christian Prudhomme, right, and Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi take part in a news conference in Nice, France, on Dec. 1.VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
The 2024 Tour de France will end on the French Riviera instead of the French capital because of the Olympic Games.
The finish of cycling’s marquee race leaves Paris for the first time since 1905.
Tour organizers said on Thursday the last stage of its 111th race will take place in the Mediterranean resort of Nice on July 21. Five days later, Paris opens the Olympics.
Because of security and logistical reasons, the French capital won’t have its traditional Tour finish on the Champs-Elysees. Parting with tradition of a sprint on the Champs-Elysees, the last stage will be an individual time trial along Nice’s famed Promenade des Anglais.
The start of the 2024 race, which will begin for the first time in Italy, was brought forward by one week, a customary change during an Olympic year. The Tour will start on June 29 in Florence.
Nice has hosted the Tour 37 times, including its start twice, in 1981 and in 2020. Two years ago, the start was delayed until Aug. 29 due to lockdowns and travels bans during the COVID-19 pandemic.