Cycling: We all know the big names - Pogacar, Vingegaard, Philipsen, Van Aert, Cavendish and Van der Poel. Today we look at six riders who may not yet mean much to the general public. But the 2024 Tour de France could be their breakthrough. We're counting on Derek Gee and Paul Lapeira, among others.
Matteo Jorgenson (Visma – Lease a Bike)
Will Jonas Vingegaard be fit for the Tour de France or not? This is probably the biggest and most important question before the start of the Tour de France. The Dane had such a bad fall in the Tour of the Basque Country that even a start in the Grand Boucle was not certain until a few days ago. Now we know: the defending champion will ride. But whether he will actually be in good shape is something we can only speculate about. If Vingegaard cannot keep up with the best, his team Visma – Lease a Bike could be on the way. Matteo Jorgenson The American came to the Dutch team from Movistar after the last season and has immediately made strong progress. He won Paris-Nice, Across Flanders and the Critérium du Dauphiné. His versatility makes him unpredictable. He will perhaps soon show us whether he can actually ride in a Grand Tour for the overall ranking over three weeks.
Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)
One of the shooting stars of the season is Paul Lapeira. The Frenchman is 24 years old and is no longer one of the youngest riders in the peloton. However, he only really became a winning rider this year. He won the Classic Loire Atlantique, the Cholet Agglo Tour and a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country. At the weekend he was even crowned French road race champion. Of course, the French will keep an eye on him. His strengths lie on hilly terrain. He is explosive, has a strong sprint and is aggressive. We can assume that we will see him in one or two breakaway groups. There he will automatically be one of the favorites for the stage win. A stage win for him on his first Tour would not be a surprise.
Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa – B&B Hotels)
Two attempts have Kevin Vauquelin to completely convince the team management of the Arkéa - B&B Hotels team. He tried his luck as a trainee in 2020. Again in 2021 - and this time the contract should work out. Since then, the now 23-year-old Frenchman has improved a lot. From a follower, he has risen to at least a co-captain. From a pure outlier, he has managed to develop into a serious GC rider. 14 top ten results this season speak a very positive language. It is not to be assumed that he will ultimately fight for the tour podium, but he can definitely be trusted to finish in the top ten.
Michele Gazzoli (Astana)
The Astana team is undoubtedly one of the weakest in the WorldTour this season. At the Tour de France 2024, they will once again try to break the record with Mark Cavendish. Around him, we find a few sprinters as well as one or two potential breakaway riders. If the stage is too difficult for Cav, Astana will have to go on the offensive. One of these stage hunters will be Michele Gazzoli The 25-year-old Italian has only won two races as a professional and is therefore not necessarily in the spotlight. He is best known for being banned from August 2022 to August 2023 because he tested positive for tuaminoheptane. Since he has been back, he has achieved some good results and shown that he has used the year without racing to develop further on the bike. He is extremely fast, has the necessary punch and will enjoy a lot of freedom in Team Astana. A stage win - or at least several attempts at a stage win - is therefore inevitable.
Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla)
Captain of the Jayco AlUla team is Simon Yates. He was given the role of co-leader Chris Harper. At the age of 29, the Australian has developed so much this season that he could also surprise at the Tour de France. But he hasn't managed to win recently. Chris Harper has already achieved four second places in 2024. He has often been noticed for his enormous resilience in the mountains. As a helper to Yates, he could therefore be worth a lot. If the team management sends him into breakaway groups, he could even be worth his weight in gold. If he is given his freedom, Harper could aim for stage wins and the mountain jersey.
Derek Gee (Israel – Premier Tech)
The Canadian Derek Gee is what you would call a late bloomer. He only made the leap to the pros at the age of 25. In this day and age, that's almost unthinkable. After all, many teams recruit the most talented riders into their first team at the age of 18 or 19. Derek Gee, however, is an exception. His star rose last year at the Giro d'Italia, where he was part of breakaway groups countless times and came second four times. The spectators were thrilled. After that, however, he was unable to repeat his performances in Italy. People were already talking about a classic one-day flash. Derek Gee proved the critics wrong in June of this year at the Critérium du Dauphiné. He won his first professional race and finished in the top six on four more stages. This time, however, not as a breakaway rider. He stayed at the front until the final stages and did not let the best riders in the high mountains shake him off. His enormous leap in performance may surprise many, but there are reasons for it. Derek Gee has lost a lot of weight in the past few months and looks much lankier than before. He also attended a high-altitude training camp for the first time in his career. His team Israel – Premier Tech is planning to retrain him as a GC rider. The first test has shown that it could work! He can now show the whole world at the Tour de France.