Tour de France 2024 team guide – Start list and star riders for UAE, Ineos, Visma Lease-a Bike and all 22 teams

Updated 28/06/2024 at 09:14 GMT

Our Tour de France preview series continues with a look at each of the 22 teams and weighing up their form, options, goals and star riders ahead of the 111th edition of the race. Felix Lowe also asks the important question on the tip of everyone’s tongues: which Asterix comic would each of the participating teams be? Stream the 2024 Tour de France live and on-demand on discovery+.

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Chris Froome may have been overlooked once again, but confirmation of Jonas Vingegaard’s place in the Visma-Lease a Bike team means there will be four former champions taking to the start of the 2024 Tour de France in Florence.

After battling back from injuries sustained during Itzulia Basque Country in April, double defending champion Vingegaard will do battle with Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) as both riders vie to become the first to reach a hat-trick of Tour titles.

The 2018 champion Geraint Thomas and the 2019 winner Egan Bernal will both be part of a strong Ineos Grenadiers team that hopes to take advantage of the question marks surrounding the so-called Big Four of Vingegaard, Pogacar, Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step).

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Pogacar sneaks into yellow as Vingegaard follows fierce attack, Vauquelin wins from break

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In the last of our Tour de France previews, Felix Lowe looks closer at all 22 teams and weighs up their options, goals, strengths and weaknesses ahead of the biggest bike race on the planet – giving them each a rating out of 10 while drawing parallels with another French institution, Asterix.

ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK

Mathieu van der Poel
Jasper Philipsen
Jonas Rickaert
Axel Laurance
Gianni Vermeersch
Robbe Ghys
Silvan Diller
Soren Kragh Andersen

Star rider: Mathieu van der Poel

Form: 14 wins this season shows the team firing on all cylinders.

Style: Get the world champion in the break or work hard so he can lead-out last year’s green jersey, Philipsen, in the sprints – all while the Dark Denim army amass on the front of the pack to intimidate all rivals and win few friends.

Goals: Green and at least three sprints for Philipsen, plus a stage win for Van der Poel after missing out last year; Kragh Andersen to roll back the years to 2020, plus an encouraging debut for Laurance would be the icing on top.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Big Fight – tactics seem to be the sporting version of bashing opponents on the head with a menhir.

Rating: 7/10

ARKEA-B&B HOTELS

Kevin Vauquelin
Arnaud Demare
Cristian Rodriguez
Luca Mozzato
Daniel McLay
Raul Garcia
Clement Champoussin
Amaury Capiot

Star rider: Arnaud Demare

Form: Exactly what you’d expect from a team whose star rider is Demare.

Style: Get in the breaks and then hope Demare – winless in 2024 – can pull something out of the bag. They do, however, have a new Bianchi-inspired jersey to tie in with the Italian grand depart...

Goals: A first sprint stage win for Demare at the Tour in six years, plus a strong debut from Vauquelin, Mozzato to mix it up on the classics-style stages, Champoussin to rediscover his climbing legs from the 2021 Vuelta, and Rodriguez to build on his surprise 13th place at last year’s Vuelta.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix in Britain – squint, and it says Brittany, where the team headquarters are located.

Rating: 4/10

ASTANA QAZAQSTAN

Alexey Lutsenko
Mark Cavendish
Michael Morkov
Davide Ballerini
Cees Bol
Yevgeniy Fedorov
Harold Tejada
Michele Gazzoli

Star rider: Mark Cavendish

Form: Just six wins this season so not too much to write home to Kazakhstan about.

Style: Erratic. Unless there’s going to be a sprint, it’s each man for himself (in Lutsenko’s case, it’s each man for himself all the time).

Goals: For the second year running, it’s all about sprint win #35 for class act Sir Mark Cavendish so that he can retire for good. This time round they’ve even drafted in Morkov and Ballerini to lead out the Manx Missile. They’ve even made Mark Renshaw a DS and reunited Cav with his old coach.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Class Act – but can he deliver in his 15th and final Tour?

Rating: 6/10

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BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS

Matej Mohoric
Wout Poels
Pello Bilbao
Phil Bauhaus
Santiago Buitrago
Jack Haig
Fred Wright
Nikias Arndt

Star rider: Pello Bilbao

Form: Eight wins from seven different riders this season.

Style: Consistently getting into breakaways and placing riders in the top 10.

Goals: Stage wins for Mohoric and sprinter Bauhaus, plus a top 5 finish for Pello Bilbao after a career-best sixth last year, and solid GC rides from Buitrago and Haig.

If they were an Asterix comic: Mansions of the Gods, which lampoons new money.

Rating: 7/10

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RED BULL-BORA-HANSGROHE

Jai Hindley
Aleksandr Vlasov
Nico Denz
Matteo Sobrero
Primoz Roglic
Bob Jungels
Marco Haller

Star rider: Primoz Roglic

Form: 15 wins for the team so far this year with Roglic returning well to win the Dauphine after his injury setback at Itzulia.

Style: Forming a human wall around their leader while keeping their options open.

Goals: Roglic to take advantage of the question marks elsewhere by finally winning the Tour; Hindley and Vlasov to keep themselves in the equation should the Slovenian come a cropper.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Goths – a nod to the team’s Germanic roots (to be upgraded to Asterix and the Griffen once Red Bull give them wings).

Rating: 7.5/10

COFIDIS

Bryan Coquard
Guillaume Martin
Piet Allegaert
Axel Zingle
Alexis Renard
Simon Geschke
Jesus Herrada
Ion Izagirre

Star rider: Guillaume Martin

Form: Wins have been few and far between this year although Coquard was on song in the Tour de Suisse and the team took a stage in the Giro.

Style: Getting a man in the break or hoping Le Coq Sportif can pull off a surprise in the sprints. In the sartorial stakes, Cofidis is another team with a dreamy throwback limited-edition new kit and snazzy bike updrade.

Goals: Elusive Tour stage wins for Coquard and Martin, the pedalling philosopher, and a successful swansong for retiring climber Geschke; Spanish duo Izagirre and Herrada to have free rein in the mountains; Zingle to give the fans a tingle before his expected departure.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and Caesar’s Gift – not one of the most memorable of the Asterix canon, admittedly.

Rating: 5/10

DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE

Felix Gall
Dorion Godon
Oliver Naesen
Sam Bennett
Nicolas Prodhomme
Paul Lapeira
Bruno Armirail
Nans Peters

Star rider: Felix Gall

Form: One of the big success stories of the year with 24 wins and counting, including two at the Giro.

Style: Supporting their GC options while never betraying the team’s penchant for a breakaway – usually with Peters in the move. This year the departure of brown shorts has made them far sounder sartorially – and the results have followed.

Goals: A top 10 for Gall and getting the best out of Bennett again are high priorities, while giving new French champion Lapeira free rein to work his magic.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix the Gladiator – we salute them for their fighting spirit this season.

Rating: 5.5/10

EF EDUCATION-EASYPOST

Richard Carapaz
Neilson Powless
Ben Healy
Marijn van den Berg
Stefan Bissegger
Sean Quinn
Rui Costa
Alberto Bettiol

Star rider: Richard Carapaz

Form: A solid season so far with 16 wins from the team.

Style: Pinging off the front – or hitting the deck – in a limited-edition jersey, usually.

Goals: For their GC ambitions to last beyond the opening stage. If Carapaz can keep out of trouble, Jonathan Vaughters will hope to see a return on his heavy investment. Also: debutant Van den Berg to fare well in the sprints, Bettiol to push for an opening day win and a yellow jersey on home soil, Healy to rediscover his mojo, Costa to roll back the years, and Powless to deliver on his promise alongside US champion Quinn.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Great Crossing – a no-brainer given their transatlantic roots.

Rating: 6/10

GROUPAMA-FDJ

David Gaudu
Kevin Geniets
Romain Gregoire
Stefan Kung
Lenny Martinez
Valentin Madouas
Quentin Pacher
Clement Russo

Star rider: Thibaut Pin-oh wait… make that, um, er, David Gaudu?

Form: Over half the team’s nine wins have come from one rider, who makes his long-awaited Tour debut: the pint-sized Martinez.

Style: Carefully slipping out the earpiece to avoid a ruptured ear drum every time manager Mark Madiot has a meltdown (while drinking beers during the race, apparently).

Goals: A top 10 for the under-performing Gaudu and why not a debut stage win for Martinez, with Madouas getting in the hilly breaks and Kung putting in two solid time trials.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix the Gaul – they are, after all, the most French of the lot.

Rating: 6/10

INEOS GRENADIERS

Carlos Rodriguez
Tom Pidcock
Geraint Thomas
Michal Kwiatkowski
Egan Bernal
Laurens De Plus
Ben Turner
Jonathan Castroviejo

Star rider: Tom Pidcock

Form: Just the nine wins this term but the team had a good Giro and Dauphine, plus they have GC options galore – including two former winners.

Style: All round strength in depth may see them bring back the tactics of yore with a kick-ass train on the front in support of their GC trident of Bernal, Rodriguez and Pidcock – with the luxury of Welsh veteran Thomas playing a wildcard role.

Goals: Getting a rider on the final podium after missing out last year, and at least two stage wins given the options and talent at their disposal. They will need to juggle a lot of balls and keep everyone happy – which could be difficult should things not go Pidcock’s way. Rodriguez is a serious candidate for the white jersey, if not more.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Falling Sky – although for those still wondering what happened to that laptop, then it would have to be Asterix and the Missing Scroll.

Rating: 8.5/10

INTERMARCHE-WANTY

Louis Meintjes
Biniam Girmay
Laurenz Rex
Hugo Page
Mike Teunissen
Georg Zimmermann
Kobe Goosens
Gerben Thijssen

Star rider: Biniam Girmay

Form: A bit lacklustre, to be honest.

Style: Disrupting and riding the coattails before going all-in for the bunch sprints.

Goals: A maiden Tour stage win for Girmay after a disappointing debut last year, and if the Eritrean slips up then Thijssen to pick up the pieces; Meintjes to Zubeldia his way into the top 10; Rex to be king for a day.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and Son – the towering Laurenz Rex could easily be taken as the father of little Louis Meintjes.

Rating: 4.5/10

LIDL-TREK

Carlos Verona
Giulio Ciccone
Jasper Stuyven
Julien Bernard
Mads Pedersen
Ryan Gibbons
Tim Declercq
Toms Skujins

Star rider: Mads Pedersen

Form: One of the best performers of the WorldTour this year – although their most successful riders this year (Jonathan Milan and Thibau Nys) won’t be there.

Style: Covering all bases – much like their eye-catching kit.

Goals: Ciccone for the climbs, polka dots and perhaps GC now that Tao Geoghegan Hart is ruled out with illness; Pedersen for green and stage wins; Declercq for hunting down breakaways that Skujins or Verona are not in.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Banquet – the supermarket chain sponsor can help source the spread.

Rating: 7/10

MOVISTAR

Enric Mas
Oier Lazkano
Nelson Oliveira
Davide Formolo
Alex Aranburu
Fernando Gaviria
Javier Romo
Gregor Muhlberger

Star rider: Enric Mas

Form: Certainly more straight-to-DVD than Hollywood blockbuster.

Style: Usually baffling and involving multiple attempts to make the break while leader Mas chases shadows behind.

Goals: After failing to finish his two last Tours, leader Mas will hope for a return to the top five. While Mas is not exactly a winning machine, new Spanish champion Aranburu is capable of pulling something off. Gaviria to time one of his sprints right and Lazkano to build on his promising Dauphine.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix in Spain.

Rating: 5/10

SOUDAL QUICK-STEP

Remco Evenepoel
Mikel Landa
Ilan Van Wilder
Louis Vervaeke
Jan Hirt
Casper Pedersen
Yves Lampaert
Gianni Moscon

Star rider: Remco Evenepoel

Form: The Belgian team has been strong all season with 22 wins to date – albeit 12 of those coming from the absent Tim Merlier.

Style: They used to be a team for the classics and the sprints but are slowly morphing into a GC force with Evenepoel at the helm.

Goals: A solid debut for Evenepoel, who showed his class at the Dauphine with a superb TT win, but also showed his shortcomings after struggling in the mountains. A top five for the former world champion would be a success given his injury woes.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield – Pat Lefevere is the peloton’s own Vitalstatistix.

Rating: 6.5/10

TEAM DSM-FIRMENICH POSTNL

Romain Bardet
Warren Barguil
John Degenkolb
Nils Eekhoff
Fabio Jakobsen
Oscar Onley
Frank Van Den Broek
Bram Welten

Star rider: Fabio Jakobsen

Form: Middling – as you’d expect, to be fair.

Style: Veteran French climbers Bardet and Barguil on the offensive while the others go all-in for their Dutch sprinter.

Goals: Getting fastman Jakobsen back to winning ways after his injury-plagued Tour last year and his disappointing Giro; hoping that Bardet has a final Tour to savour and Barguil can roll back the years; free role for exciting British debutant Onley.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Roma(i)n Agent.

Rating: 5.5/10

TEAM JAYCO-ALULA

Dylan Groenewegen
Luka Mezgec
Simon Yates
Elmar Reinders
Luke Durbridge
Chris Harper
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Michael Matthews

Star rider: Simon Yates

Form: Solid if unspectacular with 10 wins so far this year.

Style: Spreading themselves thin across every platform: GC, sprints and breakaways - in a massive upgrade of a kit (loving the orange shoulders).

Goals: A top five and a stage win for Yates, a sprint win for Groenewegen after Caleb Ewan’s travails in the Giro, Matthews getting in the mix too. But it could easily all come to nothing.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Great Divide – could we see divisions from a team that seems to lack direction?

Rating: 6/10

UAE TEAM EMIRATES

Tadej Pogacar
Juan Ayuso
Joao Almeida
Adam Yates
Pavel Sivakov
Marc Soler
Tim Wellens
Nils Politt

Star rider: Tadej Pogacar

Form: Hands-down the best team of the year so far, with a staggering 43 wins – 44% of which from star duo Pogacar and Yates.

Style: Front foot, dictating play – whoever is in the leadership role – with a growing penchant for one-twos.

Goals: Completing the second half of Pogacar’s Giro-Tour double – and failing that, winning yellow with either Yates or Ayuso; possible top 5 for Almeida and top 10 for Sivakov.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Black Gold – we all know where the money comes from…

Rating: 9.5/10

VISMA-LEASE A BIKE

Jonas Vingegaard
Tiesj Benoot
Matteo Jorgenson
Christophe Laporte
Jan Tratnik
Wout van Aert
Wilco Kelderman
Bart Lemmen

Star rider: Jonas Vingegaard

Form: The unluckiest team of 2024 still have 19 wins this season despite being plagued by a litany of crashes, injuries and illness inflicting top riders – most recently Sepp Kuss, who joins Steven Kruijswijk and Dylan van Baarle on the sidelines.

Style: Total suffocation and domination last year – winning all three Grand Tours with three different riders. This year, the team was reduced to fighting for scraps in the Giro. A lot will depend on the condition of the two-time winner Vingegaard and the mercurial Van Aert: the former hasn’t raced since April, the latter may be well below his swashbuckling best. Vingegaard may have to get used to the team’s limited-edition blue jersey rather than his usual yellow…

Goals: A third straight win for Vingegaard but with a ready-made (but inexperienced) back-up option, the in-form American Jorgenson, should the Dane not be at his best. Could be reduced to stage hunting, or the Dane downgrading from yellow to polka dots.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Laurel Wreath – except they haven't been able to rest on those laurels this year.

Rating: 8/10

ISRAEL-PREMIER TECH

Stephen Williams
Pascal Ackermann
Derek Gee
Jakob Fuglsang
Hugo Houle
Guillaume Boivin
Krists Neilands
Jake Stewart

Star rider: Derek Gee

Form: It’s been a strong season for a team that’s fast becoming both the peloton’s retirement home and one of its most exciting attacking forces, with 16 wins to date.

Style: Picking the right break and striking while the iron is hot.

Goals: Canadian revelation Gee will look to build on his super-strong Dauphine, where he won a stage and made the final podium. Houle and Nielands to star in the breaks; Williams to build on his Ardennes success; Ackermann to be a dark horse in sprints; Fuglsang to justify his selection with something – anything.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Cauldron – owner Sylvan Adams needs a cauldron of coins just to cover the absent Chris Froome’s salary.

Rating: 7/10

LOTTO DSTNY

Arnaud De Lie
Victor Campenaerts
Maxim Van Gils
Brent Van More
Jarrad Drizners
Harm Vanhoucke
Sebastien Grignard
Cedric Beullens

Star rider: Arnaud De Lie

Form: Just 13 wins for the Belgian second-tier team who make their Grand Tour debut in 2024 after missing out on Giro selection.

Style: It usually involves getting Campenaerts into a doomed breakaway.

Goals: Campenaerts ensuring that at least one of those breaks is not doomed. More specifically, a stage win for the exciting Van Gils and a debut victory for De Lie.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix in Belgium – just one of their riders, the Australian Drizners, is not from the land of Leffe.

Rating: 4/10

UNO X-MOBILITY

Magnus Cort
Johannes Kulset
Rasmus Tiller
Odd Christian Eiking
Alexander Kristoff
Soren Waerenskjold
Tobias Halland Johannessen
Jonas Abrahamsen

Star rider: Magnus Cort

Form: Just 10 wins but they missed out on Giro selection.

Style: Getting in the breakaways while trying to roll back the years for Kristoff ahead of the flamme rouge.

Goals: Stage wins for veterans Cort and Kristoff, top 20 on GC for Johannessen, and breakaway kilometres for Abrahamsen.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Normans – the one when the Vikings come to Gaul to discover “the meaning of fear”.

Rating: 4/10

TOTALENERGIES

Mathieu Burgaudeau
Steff Cras
Anthony Turgis
Jordan Jegat
Thomas Gachignard
Matteo Vercher
Sandy Dujardin
Fabien Grellier

Star rider: Hard to say now Peter Sagan has retired. Steff Cras? Or Mathieu Burgaudeau, the Pound Shop Julian Alaphilippe?

Form: Slim pickings for the French second tier outfit, who only have three wins all season.

Style: Headless chicken infused with hit-and-hope. Four Tour debutants will add more of an amateur sheen than usual.

Goals: Cras to complete his first Tour in three attempts with the same gusto that saw him finish 11th in the Vuelta last year; Burgaudeau to try his luck on the lumpy finishes; Turgis in the breaks; the rest gathering invaluable Grand Tour experience.

If they were an Asterix comic: Asterix and the Legionary – because 50% of them are new recruits.

Rating: 3/10

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