The biggest cycling race in the world sets off on Saturday as the Tour de France embarks from Florence on its 21-day mammoth ride.

This year the race begins in Italy and finishes in Nice rather than Paris due to the Olympic games.

The race sees most of cycling’s biggest stars including Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard and Sir Mark Cavendish compete.

Pogačar and Vingegaard will be two of the favourites fighting for the overall win as both chase a third yellow jersey. Cavendish on the other hand is looking to be out on his own as the record holder of Tour de France stage wins as he searches for his 35^th victory.

Two riders who will be looking to be in and amongst the stage winners are Welsh pair Geraint Thomas and Stevie Williams.

38-year-old Thomas returns to the race where he has won three individual stages and finished on the podium three times.

Thomas won the race in 2018 but this year is set to play more of a supporting role with Spain’s Carlos Rodriguez set to lead the team.

Their team, the Ineos Grenadiers, have four possible leaders including Rodriguez and Thomas with Tom Pidcock and Egan Bernal both capable of competing for the overall classification.

Bernal won the race in 2019 with Thomas right behind him in second, but then struggled with a back injury before suffering a life-threatening crash into the back of a stationary bus in 2022.

Rodriguez finished fifth in last year’s edition of the race taking a memorable win on stage 14 but will be hard pressed to get onto the podium this time round.

All of those who finished ahead of Rodriguez are at the race this year with Vingegaard, Pogačar and the Yates twins whilst World Time Trial Champion and former Vuelta a España winner Remco Evenepoel and four-time grand tour winner Primož Roglič are also in the mix.

Of course, anything can happen at Le Tour and Ineos will be hoping their strength in numbers at the front of the general classification can give them an advantage.

“I’m super excited,” said Thomas.

“We’ve got a strong team. We sat down on the bus briefly on what we want to get from the race and it all aligns.

“It’s still a challenge but there are a lot of guys capable of winning stages in the team. As long as we’re all pulling in the same direction which we will be.”

Whilst Thomas and Pidcock have both stated they are not going to intentionally lose time early in the race, both are looking for stage victories at the tour.

“I’ll get the opportunity to go for a stage but that can benefit the guys riding for general classification,” said Thomas.

“There’re other teams who have more of a weight to take of the race and bigger favourites so we can race differently.

“We’re not going to ride like Sky used to with one train on the front.”

This could well be Thomas’ final Tour de France. Although he has another year on his contract with Ineos in 2025 he may look to turn his focus to other races next year.

“It could be my last tour for sure,” said Thomas.

“I missed the race last year, it’s the biggest bike race in the world and to be here with these guys, looking to be aggressive, win some stages and be competitive in the GC is what I dreamt of as a kid.

“In the back of my mind it could be my last one but I’m not thinking about it and I’m going to go and enjoy it.”

Pogačar’s UAE team are expected to push hard in the first few days and take advantage of what may well be an undercooked Vingegaard who is returning from a broken collarbone, fractured ribs and a punctured lung, earlier in the year.

That might mean the Slovenian looks to make the first couple of stages particularly hard as he searches for an early advantage, but there will be plenty of other’s looking to grab an early win.

One who is on the hunt for stage victories is Israel-Premier Tech’s Stevie Williams.

The rider from Aberystwyth is riding Le Tour for the first time.

Williams has had a brilliant start to 2024, winning the Tour Down Under before becoming the first Briton to win the one-day monument La Flèche Wallonne.

Having spent years suffering with a chronic knee injury before being left without a team after B&B Hotels folded in December 2022, Williams has enjoyed his new start at Israel-Premier Tech and is revelling at the opportunity.

A strong climber with a swift kick, Williams will be a good pick for a breakaway stage win and could even win stage one if he is part of a small group coming to the line.

Williams one La Flèche Wallonne in torrential conditions and is particularly effective in wet or damp weather.

The experienced Thomas who is racing his 13^th Tour de France gave his own advice to Williams.

“I told Stevie to soak it in and enjoy it,” said Thomas.

“It’s easy to say that, the tour is 10-fold bigger to any other bike race but if you’re here you deserve to be here.

“You’re racing the guys you race against all-year-round so there’s no difference there it’s just the attention.

“Don’t get drawn into the soap opera because every day there’s a story and you’ve just got to laugh at that.”