Tour Disappointments: 5 Riders with Something Left to Prove

The Tour de France is over, but not everyone is going home a winner. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest letdowns of the 2024 Tour de France. We’ll dive into why some of these riders didn’t live up to hopes. And what they should do now to redeem the end of their cycling season.

Why even the best can fall short in France.

The Tour de France is one of the most brutal tests in the world of cycling. The pace is faster and the competition is keener than at any other Grand Tour on the calendar. Peak performance for each rider hinges on a complex interplay of factors. Physical prowess and form, honed through training in the months beforehand, is just one piece of the puzzle. Success in France can be derailed by a teammate’s mishap, a surprise illness, or simply a strategic miscalculation. Even the most meticulous planning can’t control whether a rider performs at his best during the Tour de France. Thus, the month of July is a dance with chance for many riders.

At the same time, consistency is key. Each rider within a team, whether they are a GC leader or a domestique, need to perform at a high level day after grueling day! This is necessary to stay in contention for the team’s larger goals. One misstep might be recoverable, but a string of errors is much, much more difficult to come back from.

Overtraining, undertraining, and nutrition play big parts.

While the pace and the terrain itself certainly play a role in why many cyclists don’t find victory at the Tour de France, individual success hinges on much more. Meticulous fueling is vital — one day of a poorly planned nutrition strategy can sap a rider’s strength for the rest of the race. Training is also a double-edged sword. Undertraining leaves a rider unprepared, while overtraining can lead to burnout and injuries. Cycling trainers must be careful to balance each rider’s needs and make sure they aren’t “overcooked” by July. Team tactics and mental fortitude are crucial, but even the most focused rider can be undone by these logistical factors. And in the unforgiving Tour de France, they can definitely make the difference between glory and disappointment.

The twists and turns of fate are sometimes beyond the riders’ control.

Cycling fans know all too well that a Tour de France bid is like a house of cards. Sometimes, all it takes is a single gust to send a meticulously planned campaign tumbling down. For example, Richard Carapaz was taken out on the first stage of the 2023 Tour by a surprise crash. This year, Primož Roglič met a similar misfortune. A crash on a supposedly uneventful sprint stage saw him ending his bid for the General Classification and leaving the race. Now, questions remaining about how his injuries might influence his plans for La Vuelta. This can happen to anyone, and it’s hard to plan for or predict.

Read more: Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe – no decision on Primož Roglič and Vuelta a España until after Tour de France (CyclingNews)

But this article won’t focus on crashing and heartbreak. Instead, let’s look at the performances of several riders who, despite lacking a single defining setback, consistently fell short of expectations in this year’s Tour. We’ll explore the reasons behind their underwhelming July, which range from illness, to training, to other unknown factors that may be clearer in the future. Their stories offer valuable insights, highlighting the many sustained challenges that can lead to disappointment on cycling’s biggest stage.

Five Most Disappointing 2024 Tour de France Performances:

1. Carlos Rodriguez

Carlos Rodriguez is a rising star in the cycling world. The young Spaniard, riding for Ineos Grenadiers, has already impressed many with his climbing prowess and overall stage racing ability. Despite his young age, Rodriguez has notched up some impressive results. This includes stage wins and top ten finishes in Grand Tours. Last year, he came 5th in GC after a series of excellent climbing performances. This result solidified his status as one of Ineos’s key future contenders for the Tour’s yellow jersey. No wonder many of their fans celebrated when he was selected for their Tour squad this year! He was intended to serve as co-leader alongside Egan Bernal.

However, Rodriguez’s Tour performance seemed to fade as the weeks went on, especially in the third week. He dropped from fifth place to seventh place in the final days in the Alps. He also failed to secure a stage victory, even on climbs that suited him on paper. As a young rider, Rodriguez still has growing to do. His top-ten performances are a great sign for his potential going forward. For future Grand Tours, he will need to prioritize endurance and longevity to ensure he doesn’t crack in the final week. Similarly, Ineos should continue to invest in his training and support. They should be able to contest GC in the years to come, as Rodriguez continues to hone his form and performance in three-week races.

However, the rest of Ineos was also underwhelming. The squad did not win any stage. Their strong riders like Michał Kwiatkowski made the most of breakaway opportunities, but it wasn’t enough. The team was plagued by COVID starting in the first week, with star rider Tom Pidcock going home to recover. Aging former Tour champ Geraint Thomas made the decision to continue riding after testing positive. This raised some eyebrows and created controversy on social media. It’s clear his performance in the following weeks was not compelling enough to justify putting other riders at risk of illness.

Here’s hoping that next year’s Ineos squad, including Rodriguez, comes back healthy and ready to contend for both stages and the overall win.

2. David Gaudu

David Gaudu, a French cyclist with Groupama-FDJ, is known for his aggressive climbing style and impressive endurance. After joining the World Tour in 2016, Gaudu has been a contender in major stage races and a young hope for his French team. He boasted a strong showing at the 2023 Tour de France, where he finished eighth overall. While he hasn’t yet cracked the podium at a Grand Tour, his talent makes him a rider to watch closely.

However, Gaudu’s performance fell absolutely flat this year at the Tour de France. Despite being GC leader for his team, he finished a disappointing 65th place for the yellow jersey. Part of this was due to his time trial in Stage 7, where he finished 59th and lost time to all his competitors. However, why didn’t Gaudu switch to a stage hunting strategy once his GC hopes were dashed? He failed to finish in the top ten on any climbing stage. Maybe illness had an impact on his form. He was also sick with COVID immediately before the Tour’s Grand Depart. Whatever the case, let’s root for a successful return to form for David. He may still be able to earn some smaller stage or GC wins for his team at one-week races later this year.

3. Matej Mohorič

Matej Mohorič, a Slovenian rider with Team Bahrain Victorious, is a versatile cycling talent. He is well known for his attacking style and tactical cunning. A former winner of the Junior and Under-23 World Championships, Mohorič boasts an impressive palmarès. His wins include multiple stage victories at past editions of the Tour de France. His unpredictability as a rider and willingness to take risks make him a fan favorite. While he may not be gunning for the Yellow Jersey, he’s always a threat to shake things up and steal the show on any given day in July.

While “Moho” is a big favorite here at CyclingScoop, he was relatively invisible at the Tour de France this year. Like many others, he was ill in the first week and didn’t seem to recover in time for any of the stages he was targeting. This included Stage 9, the first Tour de France stage to include gravel. This seemed like an obvious fit for the gravel World Champion. He also seemed to suit Stage 18, but failed to successfully join the breakaway on that day. Suffice to say this Tour was underwhelming for him, especially in light of his past performances.

However, things weren’t all bad for Moho. During several stages, he was important support for Santiago Buitrago, who was contesting GC. Buitrago finished 10th overall, a strong showing for his first Tour. Much like Ineos, Bahrain Victorious was negatively impacted by illness during the race. The GC co-leader Pello Bilbao left the race during Stage 12 due to feeling sick. Fred Wright, another stage hunter, finished over the line on a climbing stage and was excluded from the race before the final stages. Next year, Moho and his team will hopefully have a healthy and successful Tour with more chances at winning breakaway stages.

4. Lenny Martinez

Although Gaudu was the GC leader at this year’s Tour, he wasn’t the only hope for the Groupama squad. At just 21 years old, Lenny Martinez boasts a pedigree steeped in cycling royalty. His father was a mountain biker and his grandfather won King of the Mountains at the Tour de France. Living up to that legacy, Martinez became the youngest rider ever in the Vuelta a España in 2023. Many were also excited to see him in the Tour to determine whether he may be a GC contender in the future.

Unfortunately, Martinez didn’t really stand out at this year’s race. He did not show up for many of the mountain climbs. Instead, he rode mostly as a domestique, fetching water bottles and snacks for teammates. While it may seem like boring work, Martinez was likely happy to finish his first Tour de France strong. It’s unlikely that this performance is indicative of his long-term potential. On the final time trial day in Nice, Lenny finished the stage in the lead and enjoyed his time in the “hot seat.” He finished 11th on the stage overall. Happy ending! If all goes well for him, we’re rooting for Martinez to find his first Tour de France stage victory in the 2025 edition.

5. Derek Gee

Derek Gee, the Canadian powerhouse riding for Israel-Premier Tech, has quickly risen to the top in the peloton. After transitioning from track cycling, Gee exploded onto the road scene in 2021. While known for his breakaway attempts, his true potential shone through in the 2023 Giro d’Italia. Despite being a Grand Tour debutant, Gee racked up four runner-up finishes and two fourth-place finishes. He even claimed second place overall in the points classification. Following a nice showing at Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this June, he was ready for his Tour de France debut.

Now, wait a minute! You might think Derek Gee actually did a great job at this year’s Tour de France! In many ways, he did. He finished 9th in GC and was in the mix for quite a few climbing stages. However, it would have been amazing to see him get the summit victory he deserves. As in his other appearances, the aptitude just wasn’t quite there. And support from his teammates was lacking, a problem that seems unlikely to be rectified in the near future. These factors led to a slight letdown for Gee, who should have been crossing the line in victory somewhere in the Alps. Instead, he goes home with few top ten finishes on any of the mountain stages this year.

Are we still looking forward to seeing more from Gee in the future? Absolutely! He remains a pleasure to watch in the race and hopefully he enjoyed his first Tour de France. We have our fingers crossed that he returns next year and finally nabs that stage win.

What’s next? To make a comeback, riders will target late-season races.

For those who underperform at the Tour, the rest of the season requires a strategic shift. Many riders will target late-season races, aiming to salvage their year and regain momentum. These races might be shorter stage races over less demanding landscapes, like week-long outings in Croatia or Poland. These races allow GC riders to pick up an overall victory… and make their teams and sponsors happy before the end of the season. One-day classics cater to the specific strengths of classics riders, and the Italian classics in the fall are no exception. A strong performance in any of these events can act as a springboard for the next season’s goals. It’s not uncommon to see the biggest Tour de France disappointments emerge victorious in late-season races. This proves to the world that a setback in July doesn’t define their entire year.

Who’s planning what this fall?

While the Tour is the pinnacle of cycling, the Olympics and World Championships also hold immense prestige. Some top riders skip the Tour entirely to focus on peaking for these later events. Others will try to manage their fitness instead. This means racing strategically in the Tour while keeping enough in the tank for what’s to come. Not so for Tadej Pogačar, who targets the World Championship race following his third dominant yellow jersey victory in France. His countryman Mohorič will lead the Slovenian team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. While the course suits his riding style, he will rely on teammate support for the victory. He will be joined at the event by Wout van Aert, Matheiu van der Poel, and Juan Ayuso. Each of these riders also had somewhat unimpressive Tour de France performances and will hope to make a splash in Paris.

Read more: How to Watch 2024 Olympics Road Cycling From the United States (CyclingScoop)

La Vuelta a España is another big chance for redemption. Gaudu, Martinez, and Roglič will all target this race, offering a chance for Tour redemption. GC riders from UAE Team Emirates like Adam Yates and João Almeida will also be eager for the overall win. While they didn’t disappoint in the Tour, they played second fiddle to Pogačar and likely want to compete for a win of their own. This race proves to bring as much excitement as it usually does this year! That’s even without the possibility of Pogačar winning all three Grand Tours.

Read more: How to Watch the 2024 Vuelta A España: A Complete Guide

Want to learn more about which races to watch in the late season? Check out our recent article: 8 Late-Season Races to Cure Your Post-Tour de France Blues.

Which performances disappointed you this Tour de France? How did your favorites stack up? Let us know in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you. ★