Tour De France 2018
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2018 Tour de France was the 105th edition of the
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
, one of cycling's three
Grand Tours In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour is one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Collectively they are termed the ''Grand Tours'', and all three races are similar in ...
. The -long race consisted of 21
stages Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * S ...
, starting on 7 July in
Noirmoutier-en-l'Île Noirmoutier-en-l'Île (), commonly referred to as Noirmoutier, is a commune located in the northern part of the island of Noirmoutier, just off the coast of the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. History T ...
, in western France, and concluding on 29 July with the Champs-Élysées stage in Paris. A total of 176 riders from 22 teams participated in the race. The overall
general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...
was won by
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
of .
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
() placed second, with Thomas's teammate and four-time Tour winner
Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de ...
coming third. The opening stage was won by
Fernando Gaviria Fernando Gaviria Rendón (born 19 August 1994) is a Colombian professional road and track racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is well known as a sprinter. Riding for the Colombian national cycling team, Gaviria came to int ...
of , who became the Tour's first rider to wear the general classification leader's yellow jersey.
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
() then took the race lead on the following stage. won stage three's
team time trial A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events). The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ( ...
, putting their rider
Greg Van Avermaet Greg Van Avermaet (born 17 May 1985) is a Belgian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Considered one of the most versatile riders of modern cycling, Van Avermaet is a specialist of the classic cycle races, but has also ...
in yellow. He held the jersey for eight days until the second stage of the three
Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...
stages, which Thomas won and took the lead in. He successfully defended it from Dumoulin for the rest of the Tour, which included three stages in the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
and the penultimate stage's
individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...
, the latter won by Dumoulin. Sagan, who won three stages, was placed first in the
points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...
for the sixth time.
Julian Alaphilippe Julian Alaphilippe (born 11 June 1992) is a French professional road cyclist, former cyclo-cross racer and two-fold UCI World Road Champion, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is the brother of racing cyclist Bryan Alaphilippe. Career E ...
of , winner of two mountain stages, won the
mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...
, and 's
Pierre Latour Pierre Latour (born 12 October 1993) is a French cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He is a stage winner of the Vuelta a España, and twice the winner of French National Time Trial Championships. Career Latour was born in Romans-sur ...
won the
young rider classification Young rider classification (french: classement général des jeunes) is a cycling jersey competition in multi-day stage race events, such as the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and many others, which awards the current leader by overall time for ride ...
. The
team classification The team classification is one of the different rankings for which competitors can compete in a multiple stage cycling race. It differs from the other usual rankings (general classification, points, king of the mountain and best young rider competi ...
was won by , and
Dan Martin Daniel Martin may refer to: People * Dan Martin (actor) (born 1951), American actor *Dan Martin (drama educator) (born 1953), American academic *Dan Martin (cyclist) (born 1986), Irish road bicycle racer *Dan Martin (footballer) (born 1986), Britis ...
of won the
combativity award The combativity award is a prize given in road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of ...
.


Teams

The 2018 edition of the Tour de France consisted of 22 teams. The race was the 25th of the 37 events in the
UCI World Tour The UCI WorldTour (2009–2010: ''UCI World Ranking'') is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an annual ...
, and all of its eighteen
UCI WorldTeams UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...
were entitled, and obliged, to enter the race. On 6 January 2018, organisers of the Tour, the
Amaury Sport Organisation The Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) is part of the French media group Éditions Philippe Amaury. It organises the Tour de France and other cycling races, as well as golf, running, sailing and off-road motorsport events. The president of ASO is Je ...
(ASO), announced the four second-tier
UCI Professional Continental teams UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...
that received a
wildcard Wild card most commonly refers to: * Wild card (cards), a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games * Wild card (sports), a tournament or playoff place awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal pla ...
invitation to participate in the event. The four teams were , , , from France, and Belgium's , all of which have participated in the race before. This meant that new French team , with their team leader, sprinter
Bryan Coquard Bryan Coquard (born 25 April 1992) is a French cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He was a silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Omnium. Career Youth and amateur career Coquard began cycling in 1999 at the age of sev ...
, missed out on the race. The presentation of the teams – where the members of each team's roster are introduced in front of the media and local dignitaries – took place on in the town of
La Roche-sur-Yon La Roche-sur-Yon () is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It is the capital of the department. The demonym for its inhabitants is ''Yonnais''. History The town expanded significantly after Napo ...
on 5 July, two days before the opening
stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...
. New rules by the cycling's governing body, the ''
Union Cycliste Internationale The ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI; ; en, International Cycling Union) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues racing ...
'' (UCI), reduced the number of riders per team for
Grand Tours In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour is one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Collectively they are termed the ''Grand Tours'', and all three races are similar in ...
from 9 to 8, resulting in a start list total of 176, instead of 198, which had been the number of starters since 2010. Of these, 35 competed in their first Tour de France. The riders came from 30 countries. Seven countries had more than 10 riders in the race: France (35), Belgium (19), the Netherlands (13), Italy (13), Australia (11), Germany (11) and Spain (11). The average age of riders in the race was 29.37 years, ranging from the 21-year-old
Egan Bernal Egan Arley Bernal Gómez (born 13 January 1997) is a Colombian cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . In 2019 he won the Tour de France, becoming the first Latin American rider to do so, and the youngest winner since 1909. At the 2021 Giro d'It ...
() to the 40-year-old
Franco Pellizotti Franco Pellizotti (born 15 January 1978) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2018 for the Alessio, , and teams. Pellizotti now works as a directeur sportif for the team. Career Pelliz ...
(). had the youngest average age while had the oldest. The teams entering the race were: UCI WorldTeams * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * UCI Professional Continental teams * * * *


Pre-race favourites

In the lead up to the Tour, the favourite for the
general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...
was
Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de ...
of . Froome had won the
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
,
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
and
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
editions of the Tour, and was also the current defending champion at both other Grand Tours, the
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
and the Giro d'Italia. However, Froome's participation was unconfirmed due to an ongoing anti-doping investigation that began in December 2017, when it was announced that he had returned a urine sample taken at the Vuelta (which had taken place two months earlier) which contained twice his allowed amount of the asthma drug
salbutamol Salbutamol, also known as albuterol and sold under the brand name Ventolin among others, is a medication that opens up the medium and large airways in the lungs. It is a short-acting β2 adrenergic receptor agonist which works by causing rel ...
. This was considered not as a positive doping result, but as an "Adverse Analytical Finding" (AAF), meaning that he was allowed to continue racing until the case was resolved. He did however face the possibility of losing his Vuelta victory and all subsequent results. The ASO were unhappy with the situation, which was very similar to that of the 2011 Tour pre-race favourite
Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
, who started the tour with his case over a positive test for
clenbuterol Clenbuterol is a sympathomimetic amine used by sufferers of breathing disorders as a decongestant and bronchodilator. People with chronic breathing disorders such as asthma use this as a bronchodilator to make breathing easier. It is most commonl ...
still unresolved. The UCI conducted an investigation into the AAF, which was still unresolved at the time that Froome won the Giro in May 2018. With an outcome before the start of the Tour unlikely, the ASO attempted to bar Froome from starting the race, citing article 28 of the race's rules, saying that the organiser "expressly reserves the right to refuse participation in – or to exclude from – the event, a team or any of its members whose presence would be such as to damage the image or reputation of ASO or the event". Froome was cleared by the UCI on 2 July, five days before the start of the Tour, with a press statement reading that the authorities had found sufficient evidence "that Mr Froome's sample results do not constitute an AAF". He was thereafter cleared to start the Tour by the ASO as well. The closest rivals of Froome were thought to be
Romain Bardet Romain Bardet (born 9 November 1990) is a French professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Bardet is known for his climbing and descending abilities, which make him one of the top general classification contenders in Gra ...
(),
Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
(),
Mikel Landa Mikel Landa Meana (born 13 December 1989) is a Spanish professional road cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . His career breakthrough came at the 2015 Giro d'Italia where he won two stages and finished third overall. Career Early career Lan ...
(),
Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...
(),
Richie Porte Richard Julian Porte (born 30 January 1985) is an Australian professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His successes include wins at 8 UCI World Tour, World Tour stage races: Paris–Nice in 201 ...
(),
Nairo Quintana Nairo Alexánder Quintana Rojas, Order of Boyacá, ODB, (born 4 February 1990) is a Colombian racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . Nicknamed "Nairoman" and "El Cóndor de los Andes", Quintana is a specialist climber, known ...
() and
Adam Yates Adam Richard Yates (born 7 August 1992) is a British road and track racing cyclist who currently rides for . He placed fourth overall at the 2016 Tour de France and became the first British rider to win the young rider classification, one year ...
(). Porte's best result in the Tour was fifth overall in 2016. He had shown his form so far in the 2018 season by winning the general classification of
Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
. Although Quintana had placed twelfth overall in the 2017 Tour, his 2018 season so far had been consistent and he had finished second behind Froome in previous Tours. He came to the Tour with a strong team, which included contender Landa, who in 2018 had moved to Movistar from Sky after being a
domestique In road bicycle racing, a domestique is a rider who works for the benefit of their team and leader, rather than trying to win the race. In French, ''domestique'' translates as "servant".However, in French, the term used is ''équipier''. In Ita ...
for Froome. The 2017 Giro winner Dumoulin placed second in the 2018 Giro. Nibali had recently won the
classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is t ...
, one of cycling's five one-day race "
monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
". He had however failed to impress in the
stage race A race stage, leg, or heat is a unit of a race that has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages, but sometimes stages ...
s leading up to the Tour, finishing 24th in the
Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part ...
after finishing outside the top 10 in the general classifications at
Dubai Tour The Dubai Tour is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Dubai, which began in 2014 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. History The race was classified as a 2.1. in 2014. The race is organized by the Dubai Sports Council in partn ...
,
Tour of Oman The Tour of Oman is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Oman since 2010 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. It was scheduled to become part of the new UCI ProSeries in 2020, but both the 2020 and 2021 editions were cancelled d ...
and the Tirreno-Adriaticoo. He was the only rider on the start list apart from Froome to have won a Tour, the 2014 edition. Bardet finished second and third overall in the two previous Tours and placed third in the
Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part ...
leading up to the 2018 Tour. Yates' best overall Tour result was fourth 2016; he had shown his form during the season before the Tour with top-five placings in four stage races, including second in the Dauphiné. Some of the other riders considered as contenders for the general classification were
Dan Martin Daniel Martin may refer to: People * Dan Martin (actor) (born 1951), American actor *Dan Martin (drama educator) (born 1953), American academic *Dan Martin (cyclist) (born 1986), Irish road bicycle racer *Dan Martin (footballer) (born 1986), Britis ...
(),
Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born 25 April 1980) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Valverde's biggest wins have been the Vuelta a España in 2009, Critérium du Dauphiné in 2008 and 2009 ...
(),
Rigoberto Urán Rigoberto Urán Urán, ODB (born 26 January 1987) is a Colombian professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the road race. He became the first Colombian ever ...
(),
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
() and
Primož Roglič Primož Roglič (; born 29 October 1989) is a Slovenian racing cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He started as a ski jumper and switched to cycling several years after an accident suffered at Planica. At the 2017 Tour de France, Roglič bec ...
(). The sprinters considered favourites for the
points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...
and wins on the flat or hilly
bunch sprint This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter a ...
finishes were
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
(), Michael Matthews (),
Fernando Gaviria Fernando Gaviria Rendón (born 19 August 1994) is a Colombian professional road and track racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is well known as a sprinter. Riding for the Colombian national cycling team, Gaviria came to int ...
(),
Marcel Kittel Marcel Kittel (born 11 May 1988) is a German former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2011 and 2019 for the , and squads. As a junior, he specialised in time trials, even winning a bronze medal in the World Championships for cycli ...
(),
Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...
(),
Dylan Groenewegen Dylan Groenewegen (born 21 June 1993) is a Dutch professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won five individual Tour de France stages and one team time trial stage. He has also won the Dutch National Road Rac ...
(),
Arnaud Démare Arnaud Démare (born 26 August 1991) is a professional road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . In 2011 he won the UCI World Under-23 Road Race Championships, and in 2016 he won the Milan–San Remo. He is one of five riders t ...
() and
André Greipel André Greipel (born 16 July 1982) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2021. Since his retirement, Greipel now works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . Born in Rostock, East ...
(). Others expected to contend for sprint finishes included
Greg Van Avermaet Greg Van Avermaet (born 17 May 1985) is a Belgian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Considered one of the most versatile riders of modern cycling, Van Avermaet is a specialist of the classic cycle races, but has also ...
(),
Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan ...
(),
Sonny Colbrelli Sonny Colbrelli (born 17 May 1990) is a retired Italian professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Desenzano del Garda, Colbrelli has competed as a professional since the start of the 2012 season, ...
(),
Nacer Bouhanni Nacer Bouhanni (born 25 July 1990) is a French professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . A sprinter, he was the winner of the 2012 French National Road Race Championships. Although his first Grand Tour was in 2012, his r ...
() and
John Degenkolb John Degenkolb (born 7 January 1989) is a German professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His biggest wins to date are the 2015 Milan–San Remo and the 2015 Paris–Roubaix, two of cycling's five monuments. He i ...
(). Triple reigning world road race champion Sagan had won the five previous points classifications of the Tour before his 2017 Tour disqualification after race officials judged that he caused Cavendish to crash. Sagan was again aiming to equal
Erik Zabel Erik Zabel (; born 7 July 1970) is a German former professional road bicycle racer who raced most of his career with Telekom. With 152 professional wins and 211 wins in his career, he is considered by some to be one of the greatest German cycl ...
's record of six points classifications. He was in good form during the season before the Tour, winning the one-day races
Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Monuments' or classics of the ...
and
Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...
, multiple top ten results one-day races and two points classifications in stage races. Matthews, who won the 2017 Tour's points classification, suffered an early season injury and his sole win for the season was at the
Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. I ...
. Kittel had won fourteen Tour stages, five in 2017, gained two wins so far in 2018, both at the
Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...
. Debutant Gaviria had been second to Kittel at before the latter moved to for the 2018 season. Gaviria amassed a total of seven wins so far in 2018, and additionally the points classification at the
Tour of California The Tour of California (officially sponsored as the Amgen Tour of California) was an annual professional road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race on the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour that ran from 2006 to 2019. It was the ...
. The 2011 points classification winner Cavendish's win at the
Dubai Tour The Dubai Tour is an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Dubai, which began in 2014 as part of the UCI Asia Tour. History The race was classified as a 2.1. in 2014. The race is organized by the Dubai Sports Council in partn ...
in February was his only of 2018 so far. Winner of the 2017 Tour's final stage Groenewegen had a total of nine victories for the season going into the Tour, with one coming at
Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...
. Démare, who led the points classification in the 2017 Tour, had gained two wins at Paris–Nice and the Tour de Suisse in 2018 before the Tour. Greipel, who turned 36 during the Tour, had taken six wins at stage races during 2018 before the Tour, as well as the points classification of the
Tour of Belgium The Tour of Belgium ( nl, Ronde van België; french: Tour de Belgique) is a five-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium, and is part of the UCI ProSeries. It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Betw ...
.


Route and stages

On 12 February 2017, at a
rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
match between France and Scotland at Paris's
Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...
, race director
Christian Prudhomme Christian Prudhomme (born 11 November 1960) is a French journalist and general director of the Tour de France since 2007. Pre-Tour career Born in Paris, Prudhomme studied at the ESJ school of journalism in Lille from 1983 to 1985. He joined RT ...
announced the opening stages of the 2018 Tour (known as the ''Grand Départ'') would take place in the
Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.
department, in the
Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" (). ...
region. Since the inaugural Tour in 1903, the Vendée has hosted the ''Grand Départ'' five times, with the last in 2011. Two weeks after the announcement, the ASO revealed that the ''Grand Départ'' would take place over three stages, with the third a
team time trial A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events). The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ( ...
. In June 2017, the UCI's Professional Cycling Council (PCC) moved the start of the Tour a week later than usual and originally planned due to a clash with the
2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
. The full route was announced on 17 October 2017; it was almost completely within France, with short deviations into Spain in the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
the only exceptions. Two of the Tour's most historic climbs featured,
Alpe d'Huez L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Western Alps, in the commune of Huez, which is part of the department of Isère in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is part of th ...
and the
Col du Tourmalet Col du Tourmalet (; elevation ) is one of the highest paved mountain passes in the French Pyrenees, in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées. Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is at the foot on the eastern side and the ski station La Mongie two-thirds of th ...
, which last featured in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Notable was stage nine's of
sett A sett or set is a badger, badger's den. It usually consists of a network of tunnels and numerous entrances. The largest setts are spacious enough to accommodate 15 or more animals with up to of tunnels and as many as 40 openings. Such elaborat ...
paving, split across fifteen sectors, a feature that was last seen in the 2015 Tour. It finished in Roubaix, home of the "monument" race
Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Monuments' or classics of the ...
. For the first time in 60 to 70 years, it included a section of unpaved roads on the Glières Plateau. Overall, the route was thought to offer something for all rider types. Stage one began in the village of
Noirmoutier-en-l'Île Noirmoutier-en-l'Île (), commonly referred to as Noirmoutier, is a commune located in the northern part of the island of Noirmoutier, just off the coast of the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. History T ...
on the island of
Noirmoutier Noirmoutier (also French language, French: Île de Noirmoutier, ; br, Nervouster, ) is a tidal island off the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée Departments of France, department (85). History Noirmoutier was the locatio ...
, before heading along the coast of the Vendée department. The following two stages were loops, with the third taking the route north into the
Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-e ...
department. The next three stages took place in the region of
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
, ending with two laps of the short, but steep, climb in
Mûr-de-Bretagne Mûr-de-Bretagne (, literally ''Mûr of Brittany''; ) is a town and former Communes of France, commune in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, th ...
. The seventh, eighth and ninth stages headed north-east with finishes in
Chartres Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...
,
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
and Roubaix, respectively. A long transfer then moved the race to the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
. Following three stages in the mountains, the Tour descended into the
Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.
department and stage thirteen's finish in the city of Valence. The
Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...
highland region hosted stage fourteen, with the finish in Mende. The next two transitional stages took the race south-west to the Pyrenees across a continuous journey between
Millau Millau (; oc, Milhau ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Aveyron Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region in Southern France. One of two Subprefectures in France, subp ...
,
Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...
and
Bagnères-de-Luchon Bagnères-de-Luchon (; oc, Banhèras de Luishon), also referred to as just Luchon, is a commune and spa town in the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitanie region of south-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Luchonn ...
. After two Pyrenean stages, the eighteenth stage took place in the foothills between
Trie-sur-Baïse Trie-sur-Baïse (; oc, Tria de Baïsa) is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in south-western France. It is the administrative center in a Canton (country subdivision), canton comprising 22 vi ...
to Pau. The next stage headed back into the mountains, before the penultimate stage, which took place close to the west coast in the
French Basque Country The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country ( eu, Iparralde (), french: Pays basque, es, País Vasco francés) is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitu ...
. A long transfer took the Tour to its conclusion in Paris with the Champs-Élysées stage. There were 21 stages in the race, covering a total distance of , the shortest of the 21st century up to that point. There were two time trial events, stage three's team time trial and stage twenty's
individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...
. Of the remaining nineteen stages, eight were officially classified as flat, five as hilly and six as mountainous. The longest mass-start stage was stage seven, at , and the shortest was stage seventeen, at . The aforementioned, a mountain stage, was the shortest since
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
and began with a
standing start A standing start is a type of start in auto racing events, in which cars are stationary when the race begins (different to the rolling start, where cars are paced). Procedure In a standing start, cars are completely still but with their engines ...
grid formation, with positions based on riders general classification ranking. The grid formation was an innovation for the Tour, and with shorter distance, was beforehand universally welcomed, but it was thought to have made little effect on the race. There were summit finishes on stages stage eleven to La Rosière, stage twelve to Alpe d’Huez, and stage seventeen to the
Col de Portet The Col de Portet is a mountain pass in the French Pyrenees in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées and the Occitanie region. The eastern side of the pass is located in the heart of the skiing area above Saint-Lary-Soulan, and is the winter home ...
. The highest point of elevation in the race was the -high Col de Portet Pyrenean pass, the first time it had been used in the Tour. It was among nine ''
hors catégorie ''Hors catégorie'' (HC) is a French term used in stage bicycle races to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization". The term was originally used for those mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass. The HC climb is the ...
'' (English: "beyond category") rated climbs in the race. There were nine new stage start or finish locations. The rest days were after stage nine, in
Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...
, and fifteen, in Carcassonne.


Race overview


First week: Northern stages

Stage one's bunch sprint was won by Fernando Gaviria, with Peter Sagan coming in second place and Marcel Kittel in third. Gaviria took the yellow and green jerseys as the leader of the general and points classifications respectively. Breakaway rider
Kévin Ledanois Kévin Ledanois (born 13 July 1993) is a French professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He is the son of the former French cyclist Yvon Ledanois. On September 25, 2015, he won the under-23 road race at the 2015 UCI Roa ...
() collected the most
mountains classification The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a femal ...
points to take the first
polka dot Red polka dots on a yellow background Girl wearing polka dot dress Polish ceramics German ceramics Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of large filled circles of the same size. Polka dots are commonly seen on children's clothing, ...
jersey as the leader of the classification. Sagan won stage two from a sprint to take the yellow and green jerseys, with
Dion Smith Dion Smith (born 3 March 1993) is a New Zealand cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Smith was born in Taupaki in Rodney District. He attended Massey High School. In September 2015 it was announced that he would join for t ...
of claiming the lead in the mountains classification. Stage three's team time trial was won by whose riders
Tejay van Garderen Tejay van Garderen (born August 12, 1988) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2021 for the , , and . Following his retirement as a cyclist, van Garderen became a directeur sportif for ...
and Greg Van Avermaet became tied for the overall lead, with Van Avermaet moving into yellow for the second time in his career due to him crossing the finish line ahead of Van Garderen in the first two stages being as there was not yet an individual time trial to measure their times down to the 1000th of a second. Stage four was won by Gaviria from a bunch sprint. Sagan further extended his lead in the points competition by winning stage five's uphill sprint finish in
Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography The ...
. Also in stage five,
Toms Skujiņš Toms Skujiņš (born 15 June 1991) is a Latvian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career In 2013 and 2015, Skujiņš received the Cyclist of the Year award presented by Latvian Cycling Federation. In 201 ...
of won the mountains points which gave him the polka dot jersey, becoming the first from
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
to ever lead the mountains classification. In stage six, which ended atop the Mûr-de-Bretagne climb, Dan Martin attacked with a kilometre remaining and was able to stay away take the victory one second ahead of a large group that the contained the general classification contenders. In the closing kilometres of the stage, Geraint Thomas won a three-second time bonus sprint that brought him to three seconds behind Van Avermaet in the general classification. Overall favourites Romain Bardet and Tom Dumoulin lost time as their tyres punctured late in the stage. The seventh stage was won by Dylan Groenewegen from a bunch sprint. There were multiple crashes in the first week of the Tour with six riders abandoning the race for various reasons, including the 2017 Tour points classification winner Michael Matthews. Groenewegen won a further bunch sprint in the eighth stage. In the sprint, André Greipel and Gaviria were penalised for headbutting each other and lost their stage placing and green jersey points. Stage nine's sett-paving sections caused many issues for the riders, including leading sprinters and two of the classification contenders. Richie Porte abandoned for the second year in a row after crashing in the opening . Rigoberto Urán initially tried to continue the race despite injuries sustained during a crash, but was forced to quit the race on the following stage. Chris Froome, his teammate Egan Bernal, Jakob Fuglsang, and Mikel Landa, crashed in the stage along with many other riders; numerous riders had tyre punctures as well, including three for Bardet. His teammate Alexis Vuillermoz was forced to abandon the stage after colliding with a spectator taking photographs. Meanwhile,
Yves Lampaert Yves Lampaert (born 10 April 1991) is a Belgian road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Lampaert practiced judo from the age of six, earned a black belt, but at the age of 17 started training in cycling. He rode at the 2014 ...
(), John Degenkolb, and Van Avermaet were able escape the remaining riders from the
peloton In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close ( drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reductio ...
(main group) and together they contested a sprint finish, which was won by Degenkolb. Van Avermaet gained time, as well winning the time bonus sprint, to extend his lead in the general classification. The following day was the Tour's first rest day.


Second week: Alps and transition west

The first stage in the high mountains and first in the Alps, the tenth, was won by rider
Julian Alaphilippe Julian Alaphilippe (born 11 June 1992) is a French professional road cyclist, former cyclo-cross racer and two-fold UCI World Road Champion, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is the brother of racing cyclist Bryan Alaphilippe. Career E ...
, who attacked on his own with to go from a large breakaway group that included race leader Van Avermaet. The aforementioned retained the yellow jersey and extended his lead to 2 min 22 s, when pundits predicted the first day in the Alps would be his last as overall race leader. Alaphilippe also took lead of the mountains classification. Thomas achieved back-to-back wins both from the group of overall contenders on stages eleven and twelve by pushing the breakaway riders until the very end. In the steep summit finish of the eleventh, Thomas attacked in the final , passing lone breakaway rider
Mikel Nieve Mikel is the Basque adaptation of the given name Michael. Notable people with the name include: Footballers * Mikel Alonso (born 1980), Spanish Basque footballer and older brother of retired Spanish international Xabi Alonso * Mikel Álvaro (bo ...
() and managed to distance himself from Froome and Dumoulin by twenty seconds to take the win. On the twelfth stage, which was the final day in the Alps, Thomas won the sprint on the flat finish after the climb to Alpe d'Huez. 's
Steven Kruijswijk , birth_date = , birth_place = Nuenen, Netherlands , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2006 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2007–2009 ...
was caught by the group of overall contenders in the final kilometres after he had launched a solo attack with remaining. Following the stage, the general classification top three was: Thomas in first position, Froome second, 1 min 39 s down, and Dumoulin third, a further 11 seconds behind. General classification contender Vincenzo Nibali, who was fourth overall, was forced to withdraw from the Tour following the stage after an incident near the summit of Alpe d'huez where he fell off his bike fracturing a
vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...
taking Roglic down with him. It was initially suspected that the crash had been caused by a police motorcycle driving in front of him, but it later emerged that he became caught in a spectator's camera strap. Nibali's team management saw the lack of crowd control from the
police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
and spectators lighting
flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
s as contributing factors. Following the incident, Christian Prudhomme appealed to fans to show the riders more respect. Many riders left the Tour during the Alpine stages, either being forced to abandon due to fatigue and injury, or were disqualified for finishing outside the cut-off time; riders of note were the sprinters Mark Cavendish, Gaviria, Greipel, Groenewegen, and Kittel. Sagan won stage thirteen with a surprise attack in the closing meters of the bunch sprint finish, while Alexander Kristoff and Arnaud Démare were together sprinting for the finish line. In stage fourteen,
Omar Fraile Omar Fraile Matarranza (born 17 July 1990) is a Spanish racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is a winner of stages in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, and has twice won the Mountains classification in the Vuelta a ...
of launched a late move from the large breakaway after the final climb to win at the Mende aerodrome; the breakaway finished eighteen minutes ahead of the peloton. Stage fifteen, the start of the final week, was once again a breakaway victory, with
Magnus Cort Magnus Cort Nielsen (born 16 January 1993) is a Danish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Orica–GreenEDGE (2015–17) In June 2014, World Tour team signed Cort for three years, starting from the ...
taking 's second win in two days. The next day was the second rest day of the race. Following the stage, controversy arose around Team Sky rider
Gianni Moscon Gianni Moscon (born 20 April 1994) is an Italian professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in the road race. Early life and career Moscon grew up in the apple farms north of Trento ...
, who had allegedly punched Fortune-Samsic rider
Élie Gesbert Élie Gesbert (born 1 July 1995) is a French racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Gesbert competed in the Tour de France in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. Career Fortuneo–Vital Concept (2016–present) Born in Saint-Brieuc, Ges ...
during the opening part of the stage. After reviewing footage of the incident, the race jury disqualified him for 'particularly serious aggression'. A non-racing incident occurred during the sixteenth stage when hay bales were placed across the road by local farmers protesting about reductions to their subsidies. The police used
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
to disperse them, and as the riders rode passed this area, there was still gas in the air. The race was subsequently neutralized for about fifteen minutes because several riders had problems with their eyes and had to rinse them. After the restart, a large breakaway escaped, and
Philippe Gilbert Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the three ...
(), while in the lead on a descent, lost control of his bicycle and crashed into and over a wall. Later, Adam Yates, having taken the lead, also fell. Gilbert finished the stage and collected the most combative rider award, but would not start the following day. Yates carried on, but was overtaken by Alaphilippe, who took his second stage victory.


Third week: Pyrenees and finale in Paris

The first of three stages in the Pyrenees, the seventeenth, opened with an uneventful grid formation, which saw the customary early formation of a breakaway group. Froome's challenge faded on the approach to the summit of the Col de Portet and he dropped to third position in the general classification, 2 min 31 s behind Thomas. Dumoulin moved into second place, 1 min 59 s off the lead. Nairo Quintana won the stage after attacking at the bottom of the final climb, moving himself up to fifth overall, behind Primož Roglič. The flat stage eighteen was won by Démare from a bunch sprint. By this point of the Tour, most of the top sprinters had left, and Démare had come close to missing the time cut in the previous stage along with Sagan, who had crashed heavily and was suffering with injuries. On the mountainous stage nineteen, Roglič attacked on the descent following the final climb, to a misty
Col d'Aubisque The Col d'Aubisque ( oc, Còth d'Aubisca) (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Aquitaine region of France.Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire du T ...
, and soloed to the finish line nineteen seconds ahead of the chasing small group of overall favourites. Roglič took third place from Froome. Thomas was able to consolidate his overall position by picking up six bonus seconds by winning the sprint for second place, thereby extending his lead over Dumoulin to 2 min 5 s. The penultimate stage's individual time trial was won by Dumoulin, who finished one second ahead of Froome. Froome in turn managed to retake third place from Roglič. Thomas came third after surviving a scare when his back wheel locked, but completed the stage successfully, finishing fourteen seconds behind Dumoulin, taking a lead of 1 min 51 s into the final stage. The final stage in Paris was won by Kristoff in a bunch sprint on the Champs-Élysées. Thomas won the race with no changes in the final stage. Froome came third overall, 2 min 24 s down on Thomas. Sagan won the points classification with a total of 477, 231 ahead of Kristoff in second. Alaphilippe won the mountains classification with 169 points, with the 2017 winner and French compatriot
Warren Barguil Warren Barguil (; born 28 October 1991) is a French cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He is best known for winning two mountain stages and the mountains classification of the 2017 Tour de France. Career Early career Born in Hennebont, Britta ...
() second with 80 points. The best young rider was thirteenth-placed overall
Pierre Latour Pierre Latour (born 12 October 1993) is a French cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He is a stage winner of the Vuelta a España, and twice the winner of French National Time Trial Championships. Career Latour was born in Romans-sur ...
(), with fifteenth-placed overall Bernal second. finished as the winners of the
team classification The team classification is one of the different rankings for which competitors can compete in a multiple stage cycling race. It differs from the other usual rankings (general classification, points, king of the mountain and best young rider competi ...
, 12 min 33 s ahead of second-placed . Of the 176 starters, 145 reached the finish of the last stage in Paris.


Classification leadership and minor prizes

Four main individual classifications were contested in the 2018 Tour de France, as well as a team competition. The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each rider's finishing times on each stage. Time bonuses (time subtracted) were awarded at the end of every stage apart from the time trial stages. The first three riders received 10, 6, and 4 seconds, respectively. Time bonuses of three, two and one seconds, were given to the first three riders to cross a "bonus point" in each of the first nine mass-start stages of the race. It would affect the general, but not the points classification. For crashes within the final of a stage, not including time trials and summit finishes, any rider involved received the same time as the group he was in when the crash occurred. The rider with the lowest cumulative time was the winner of the general classification and was considered to be the overall winner of the Tour. The rider leading the classification wore a yellow jersey. The second classification was the points classification. Riders received points for finishing among the highest placed in a stage finish, or in
intermediate sprint This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport. For ''parts of a bicycle'', see List of bicycle parts. 0–9 ; 27.5 Mountain bike: A mountain bike with wheels that are approximately in diameter and a ...
s during the stage. The points available for each stage finish were determined by the stage's type. The leader was identified by a green jersey. The third classification was the mountains classification. Points were awarded to the riders that reached the summit of the most difficult climbs first. The climbs were categorised, in order of increasing difficulty, as fourth-, third-, second-, and first-category and ''hors catégorie''. Double points were awarded at the top of the last mountains in the three mountain stages in the three Pyreneean stages (the
Col du Portillon The Col du Portillon () (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees on the border between France and Spain. It connects Bagnères-de-Luchon in France with Bossòst in the Val d'Aran, Spain. Details of climb Starting from Bossòst, the climb is ...
, the Col de Portet and the Col d'Aubisque). The leader wore a white jersey with red polka dots. The final individual classification was the young rider classification. This was calculated the same way as the general classification, but was restricted to riders born on or after 1 January 1993. The leader wore a white jersey. The final classification was a team classification. This was calculated using the finishing times of the best three riders per team on each stage; the leading team was the team with the lowest cumulative time. The number of stage victories and placings per team determined the outcome of a tie. The riders on the team that lead this classification are identified with yellow number bibs on the back of their jerseys and yellow
helmets A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
. In addition, there was a
combativity award The combativity award is a prize given in road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of ...
given after each stage to the rider considered, by a jury, to have "made the greatest effort and who demonstrated the best qualities of sportsmanship". No combativity awards were given for the time trials and the final stage. The winner wore a red number bib the following stage. At the conclusion of the Tour, Dan Martin won the overall super-combativity award which was, again, awarded by a jury. A total of €2,287,750 was awarded in cash prizes in the race. The overall winner of the general classification received €500,000, with the second and third placed riders getting €200,000 and €100,000 respectively. All finishers in the top 160 were awarded money. The holders of the classifications benefited on each stage they led; the final winners of the points and mountains were given €25,000, while the best young rider and most combative rider got €20,000. The team classification winners were given €50,000. €11,000 was given to the winners of each stage of the race, with smaller amounts given to places 2–20. There were also two special awards each with a prize of €5000. The
Souvenir Henri Desgrange The Souvenir Henri Desgrange is an award and cash prize given in the yearly running of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. It is won by the rider that crosses a particular point in the race, mostly the summits of the highest a ...
, given to first rider to pass the summit of the highest climb in the Tour, the Col du Portet on stage seventeen, and the
Souvenir Jacques Goddet The Souvenir Jacques Goddet is an award and cash prize in the Tour de France bicycle race that began in 2001. The Souvenir is named in honour of the historically second Tour de France director and French sports journalist Jacques Goddet. It is aw ...
, given to the first rider to pass Goddet's memorial at the summit of the Col du Tourmalet in stage nineteen. Nairo Quintana won the Henri Desgrange and Julian Alaphilippe won the Jacques Goddet. * On stage two,
Marcel Kittel Marcel Kittel (born 11 May 1988) is a German former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2011 and 2019 for the , and squads. As a junior, he specialised in time trials, even winning a bronze medal in the World Championships for cycli ...
, who was third in the points classification, wore the green jersey, because first placed
Fernando Gaviria Fernando Gaviria Rendón (born 19 August 1994) is a Colombian professional road and track racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is well known as a sprinter. Riding for the Colombian national cycling team, Gaviria came to int ...
wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification and
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
, who was second in the points classification, wore the
rainbow jersey The rainbow jersey is the distinctive jersey worn by the reigning world champion in a cycling discipline, since 1927. The jersey is predominantly white with five horizontal bands in the UCI colours around the chest. From the bottom up the c ...
of the world champion. * On stage two,
Dylan Groenewegen Dylan Groenewegen (born 21 June 1993) is a Dutch professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won five individual Tour de France stages and one team time trial stage. He has also won the Dutch National Road Rac ...
, who was second in the best young rider classification, wore the white jersey, because first placed
Fernando Gaviria Fernando Gaviria Rendón (born 19 August 1994) is a Colombian professional road and track racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is well known as a sprinter. Riding for the Colombian national cycling team, Gaviria came to int ...
wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification. * On stage three,
Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan ...
, who was third in the points classification, wore the green jersey, because first placed
Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification, and second placed
Fernando Gaviria Fernando Gaviria Rendón (born 19 August 1994) is a Colombian professional road and track racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He is well known as a sprinter. Riding for the Colombian national cycling team, Gaviria came to int ...
wore the white jersey as leader of the young rider classification. * On stage seventeen
Philippe Gilbert Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the three ...
did not start, so no rider wore the red bib as the most combative rider of previous stage.


Final standings


General classification


Points classification


Mountains classification


Young rider classification


Team classification


UCI rankings

Riders from the WorldTeams competed individually and for their teams for points that contributed towards the World Tour rankings. Riders from both the WorldTeams and Professional Continental teams also competed individually and for their nations for points that contributed towards the
UCI World Ranking The UCI men's road racing world rankings are a point system which is used to rank men's road cycling riders. Points are accrued over a rolling 52 weeks in three categories (Individual, Nations and Teams). Also Year-End rankings exist, based on ...
, which included all UCI road races. Both rankings used the same points scale, awarding points to the top sixty in the general classification, each yellow jersey given at the end of a stage, the top five finishers in each stage and for the top three in the final points and mountains classifications. The points accrued by Thomas moved him from 20th to second in the World Tour individual ranking and from 41st to fourth in the individual World Ranking. Sagan kept his position at the top of both rankings, with and Belgium also holding the lead of the World Tour team ranking and World Ranking nation ranking respectively.


See also

* 2018 in men's road cycling *
2018 in sports 2018 in sports describes the year's events in world sport. The main events for this year were the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang. Calendar by month ...
* 2018 La Course by Le Tour de France


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tour De France, 2018 2018 in French sport 2018 UCI World Tour July 2018 sports events in France
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...