"The question is whether you continue to Nice" - Jasper Philipsen unsure sprinters will finish Tour de France without Champs Elysees to aim for

For the first time in the long and illustrious history of the Tour de France, the race will finish outside of the French capital, Paris due to a potential clash with the Olympic Games. Due to this however, there is little for the sprinters in the final few stages.

“I would like to be back, but the team makes the selection. I will have to ensure that I am at the same level," the winner of the points classification at this year's edition of the race, Jasper Philipsen said in conversation with WielerFlits at the presentation of the profiles and routes of the 2024 Tour de France. “They already say there are eight flat stages, so that should be the maximum number of opportunities for sprinters. I have not yet been able to view the stages in detail, it is still too early for that."

Ordinarily, the brutal ascents of the Pyrenees and the Alps and other such climbing ranges are worth the pain for the sprinters as the chance to sprint for victory in one of the most historic and picturesque locations - the Champs Elysees - awaits on the final stage. This time around however, an individual time-trial in Nice closes the race with a couple of mountainous stages in the day's previous.

“That is striking. I think the last chance for sprinters will be stage sixteen. Then the question is whether you continue to Nice, because it will be a very difficult end," the Alpecin-Deceuninck sprint ace previews. “I think we will have to evaluate where we stand after stage sixteen. If you no longer have any prospects in the green position, the question is asked whether it makes sense to continue."

It's not just the Race Director and route planner that have had to work the Paris Olympics into their plans for the Tour de France either, riders who have hopes of taking the gold medal must decide whether those final few stages are the ideal preparation.

"There are also other goals such as the Olympic road race in Paris or other things later in the season," Philipsen admits. “There are some very difficult, short stages with a lot of elevation gain. Even early in the Tour. It was of course expected that there would be many mountains in the course, but they are tough climbs.”