The pack rides during the ceremonial parade of the first stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 206 kilometres (128 miles) with start in Florence and finish in Rimini, Italy, on Saturday. AP

The 2024 Tour de France set off from Florence in searing heat on Saturday for a 206km stage one to Rimini, the first of three stages in Italy.

Defending champion Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard and chief pretender Tadej Pogacar led the peloton away from the start line for a 21-day odyssey that ends in Nice in three weeks time after 3,498km of race action.

The race was first organised in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper L'Auto and has been held annually since, except when stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened and gained more international participation. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers invite.

Traditionally, the bulk of the race is held in July. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same, and includes time trials, passage through the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, and (except in 2024) a finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day-long stages over a 23 or 24 day period and cover approximately 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi) total. The race alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise circuits.

Agencies