The final stage of the 2024 Tour de France will start in Monaco!

"You can't replace Paris just like that. Something prestigious was needed to finish this event," said Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France, who was at the Yacht Club de Monaco alongside Prince Albert II on 3 December to officially announce the news. 

The Principality will host the final stage of Le Tour in 2024. For the culmination of the race, the riders will set off from the unique setting of Monaco for an individual time trial. Their destination will be the famous Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The news should be welcomed by the peloton, as many professional cyclists have set up home in Monaco, which offers the perfect location for training with its hilly back country and unrivalled passes with views of the Mediterranean, between the sea and the mountains.  

While the exact details of the stage have not yet been revealed, it will feature altitude gains and a route covering at least 30 km between the Principality and Nice. "More interesting for spectators than the traditional parade with nothing riding on it, no matter how magnificent it may be, on the Champs-Elysées", said the Tour boss. The time trial could affect the final standings. 

Made necessary by the Olympic Games in Paris, the switch is almost unprecedented. Not since 1903 and 1904 has the final stage been held outside the French capital. The Sovereign declared his delight at once again hosting the Tour de France, fifteen years after the race last came to the Principality. The first stage also started from Monaco in 2009, and the route followed part of the Formula 1 circuit, before leaving the Principality the following day and heading for the Var départment of France.

All eyes will be on Monaco on 21 July 2024, for the climax of the Tour de France!