The defining moments of the 2024 season: Olympic golds, a Triple Crown and records smashed

The 2024 season was one for the history books, with records broken, nail-biting storylines written, and new Olympic champions crowned.

Some Grand Tours went right down to the wire, while others were already tied up by the second week – such was the standout strength of their victors. 

Alongside the victories, record-breakers, and history-makers, there were also season-defining moments that sprung from crashes. A few notable incidents shaped the campaigns of some of the peloton’s key protagonists.

To give each of these moments from the road their fair share of the limelight, we refrained from including highlights from other disciplines, such as gravel and mountain biking.

However, we can’t not mention Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s stunning women's cross-country mountain bike gold on her fourth and final attempt at the event, so too Tom Pidcock’s breathtaking comeback in the men’s event to defend his gold medal. 

While in the world of gravel, the exhilarating World Championships in Belgium saw Marianne Vos and Mathieu van der Poel win world titles in yet another discipline. 

Back to the tarmac though, and we’ve whittled a long list down to just 12 key moments from the 2024 road cycling season.  

Biniam Girmay becomes first Black African to win a stage at the Tour de France, wins three stages in 2024 

Biniam Girmay made history as the first Black African to win a stage at the Tour de France when he stormed across the stage 3 finish line in Torino. His hometown fans back in Eritrea also had double the reason to celebrate as he captured his nation's first-ever Tour stage win in the process.

The 230.9-kilometre stage from Piacenza ended with Girmay blasting up close to the barriers on the right-hand side to win ahead of Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny), taking the early lead in the green points classification. 

He captured another win on the 183.4km stage 8 from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises ahead of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and De Lie. He won for a third time on stage 12's 203.6km race from Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot and then carried the green jersey all the way into the finale in Nice to win the points classification.

The victory in Torino is one of many highlights for Girmay during his career, his name hit the headlines in 2021 when he took silver in the under-23 race at the Leuven Worlds, then again the following year as he took victories at Gent-Wevelgem and on stage 10 into Jesi at the Giro d'Italia.

Girmay followed in the footsteps of compatriots Natnael Berhane, Merhawi Kudus, and Daniel Teklehaimanot, who became the first Black African to start the Tour de France in 2015 and he stood on the podium as the leader of the polka dot jersey after stage 8 in Le Havre.

"It means a lot personally for me. And especially for the continent because it's been a long time for African Black riders to not win at the Tour de France," Girmay said after his Tour stage win in Torino. "It means a lot, especially for Eritrean cycling because we have a long history with cycling. We have cycling in our blood and know a lot about the Tour de France so to win today was amazing." (KF)

Rainbow jerseys rule Paris-Roubaix as Lotte Kopecky and Mathieu van der Poel conquer the cobbles

Paris-Roubaix witnessed not one but two rainbow jerseys victories at this season’s editions, as Lotte Kopecky claimed the Paris-Roubaix Femmes title for the first time, while Mathieu van der Poel made it back-to-back wins at the Hell of the North.

The ‘curse of the rainbow jersey’ was nowhere to be seen in northern France on the first weekend of April as both Lotte Kopecky and Mathieu van der Poel avoided punctures and crashes to raise their arms in sheer euphoria at the iconic Roubaix Velodrome, albeit achieving the feat in contrasting styles.

It was a race that yo-yoed back and forth with attacks, until a select group of riders, including Kopecky, Elisa Balsamo, Marianne Vos and Pfeiffer Georgi, burst clear with a handful of pavé sectors remaining.

Six riders arrived at the velodrome, and Kopecky was the last to launch her sprint. The Belgian – resplendent in an all-white rainbow kit – timed her sprint to perfection, navigating her way around the outside group at the perfect moment to confirm her place as Queen of the Classics.

Just 24 hours later, a week after clinching a third Tour of Flanders title, Van der Poel delivered an equally powerful display in northern France.

While Kopecky’s decisive move came inside the final 100m, the Dutchman made his key attack with 60km to go. Benefiting from smart teamwork by his teammates Gianni Vermeersch and Jasper Philipsen, he powered away from the rest of the peloton and wouldn’t be seen again.

The time difference between MVDP and the second finisher, his teammate Philipsen, would eventually be three minutes, breaking the record for the fastest edition of L’Enfer du Nord in its 128-year history, and becoming the first rider in 11 years to complete the Flanders-Roubaix double. (PT)

Kasia Niewiadoma and a magical four seconds at the Tour de France Femmes

In what was one of the most dramatic moments of the season, Kasia Niewiadoma won the 2024 Tour de France holding off runner-up Demi Vollering by four seconds on the final stage 8 atop Alpe d'Huez to secure the yellow jersey.

Niewiadoma took the overall lead after finishing second on stage 5. On the same day, overnight leader Vollering was involved in a mass crash that caused her to lose 1:19. Although Vollering clawed seconds back on the penultimate stage into Le Grand-Bronand, it was not enough.

Vollering tried to gain back the time lost on the final day with an attack on the mid-stage Col du Glandon. In the race up the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez, Vollering and Pauliena Rooijakkers played a tactical battle for the stage victory. 

In the end, Vollering crossed the line with the win, securing a 10-second bonus seconds toward the overall. She also made history as the first woman to have her name etched on a bend of the fabled ascent after winning on Alpe d'Huez. 

But with the clock still ticking in the race for the general classification, Niewiadoma desperately tried to make it to the finish line with enough time on Vollering to keep the yellow jersey, and she did so by just four seconds.

It was a significant moment in cycling that marked the smallest margin of victory in the women's or men's Tour de France history, as Greg LeMond beat Laurent Fignon by eight seconds to win the 1989 Tour de France. 

In addition, for Niewiadoma, it signified another turning point in her professional cycling career after having won the world title at the Gravel World Championships last October and secured the win at La Flèche Wallonne atop the Mud de Huy in April. (KF)

Mass crash at Itzulia Basque Country shapes riders' seasons and safety debate

Stage four of Itzulia Basque Country might not have been witness to any record-breaking performance or an emphatic victory but a mass high-speed crash with 35km remaining arguably had equal impact, shaping the course of several riders’ summers and the continuing discourse surrounding rider safety.

Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard, and Primož Roglič were among the 11 riders forced to quit the race following the incident as the race came around a bend on their way to the day's finish in Legutio. Roglič came away fairly unscathed and would return to racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné, which he would go on to win. 

Meanwhile, Evenepoel suffered a broken collarbone and sustained fractures to his clavicle and scapula when he skidded off the road. The Soudal Quick-Step rider also managed to make it back for the pre-Tour warm-up race but was off the pace when the race went uphill. 

However, it was Vingegaard who was the worst affected by the crash, suffering a collapsed lung alongside broken ribs and collarbone. The Dane would not return to action until the Grand Dèpart for the Tour de France at the end of June, almost three months after the incident.

Perhaps it's a testament to his recovery that he challenged Pogačar as well as he did en route to second place overall.

The crash wasn’t the first of note to occur during the Spring either, with Wout van Aert among the abandons following a nasty crash in the bunch at Dwars door Vlaanderen. It’s led to rider safety being a hot topic this season, with the UCI trialling a variety of measures to reduce safety risks including a ‘yellow card’ system and subtle changes to the 3km rule. (PT)

Mark Cavendish etched in history with record 35th Tour de France stage win 

Racing at his 15th Tour de France in July, Mark Cavendish broke the all-time stage win record set by Eddy Merckx by securing his 35th stage victory at the French Grand Tour on stage 5 in Saint Vulbas, the latest step in his own era in the history of sprinting.

Cavendish had announced his retirement the previous season but reneged on the idea after he crashed out of the 2023 Tour de France and lost his chance to establish a new record, that he had shared with Merckx, both on 34 - and a record that had stood for 48 years.

While racing for Astana-Qazaqstan on stage 5 at the 2024 Tour de France, Cavendish hit the front from distance to claim the win, beating Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility).

All of Cavendish's Tour de France stage wins have come in bunch sprints. His first four wins were with Columbia in 2008, then his next 16 with HTC and their famed lead-out train from 2008 through 2011. He also took three stage wins while racing for Team Sky in 2012, and another three with QuickStep between 2013 and 2015. 

He went on to race Dimension Data, where he won four stages in the 2016 edition, before his resurgent stint with Deceuninck-Quickstep in 2021 when he won another four stages. A prolonged career with Astana-Qazaqstan into 2024 saw him finally secure his record-breaking 35th Tour stage win.

Cyclingnews looked back on every one of Cavendish's 35 Tour de France victories that make him the event's greatest-ever sprinter. (KF)

Remco Evenepoel and Kristen Faulkner deliver golden doubles at Paris Olympics

Remco Evenepoel and Kristen Faulkner both starred at the Olympic Games this summer, clinching two gold medals each across their respective disciplines.

In dreary and wet conditions Evenepoel powered to time trial victory on the first weekend of the Games - putting 15 seconds into Filippo Ganna’s time despite the treacherous conditions on the French capital’s roads. Evenepoel couldn’t hide his joy as he crossed the line, already aware his time was enough for gold, punching the air as he added yet another major TT title to his record.

A week later though, to the backdrop of Montmartre’s cobbled streets packed with fans, the Belgian truly wrote his name into Olympic history.

Coming to the fore with 40km of the 272km race remaining, Evenepoel ignited the afterburners to power through the remnants of the day’s early break and lead the race with only Valentin Madouas remaining by his side at the 15km to-go marker.

The Frenchman was duly dropped on the final ascent through Montmartre, but Evenepoel - seemingly untouchable - couldn’t foresee a mechanical nearly deriding his golden double dream.

A frantic minute ensued, with the Belgian gesturing and shouting to his mechanic for a new bike. The handover proved slick and the crisis averted.

He arrived at the finish line with time to spare. In so doing he became the first male rider to secure both road and time trial titles in the same Olympics - posing for a finish line photo that will ensure in cycling history.

In vast contrast, Kristen Faulkner was by no means a favourite for the women’s road race - in fact, she wasn’t even on the startlist until a last-minute switch.

Perhaps it was her rank outsider status that saw none of Marianne Vos, Lotte  Kopecky, or Kata Blanka Vas respond to her attack with 3km remaining.

They’d quickly regret that when the American powered across the line over a minute ahead of them to win the women's road race - too focused on the Olympic title to even sit up and celebrate.

Faulkner would equal Evenepoel’s golden exploits three days later, helping Team USA to win their first-ever gold medal in the women’s Team Pursuit as they led from start to finish to see off New Zealand. (PT)

Devastation for Demi Vollering at Tour de France Femmes

Demi Vollering went into the 2024 Tour de France Femmes as the out-right favourite to win a second consecutive overall title after she had an outstanding early season that saw her on a stage racing winning streak at La Vuelta Feminine, Itzulia Women, Vuelta a Burgos and Tour de Suisse. She had also opted not to compete at the Giro d'Italia Women in order to focus on the Tour, which had moved to a new August date to accommodate the Olympic Games.

She looked well on her way to achieving that goal when she took a surprise win in the stage 3 time trial and moved into yellow in Rotterdam and then extended that lead into Liège the following day. 

A devastating crash on the exit of a roundabout saw Vollering crash hard with 6.3km to go on stage 5 into Amnéville, and she was unable to remount her bike for 49 seconds as she clutched at the back of her left leg with what appeared to be a hip injury, slowly getting back on her bike to make her way to the finish, initially alone and without support from SD Worx-Protime. 

The overall classification completely flipped on its head when Vollering crossed the line 1:47 behind her teammate and stage winner Blanka Vas, but more importantly, she had also lost 1:19 to Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) heading into the final three stages.

Questions swirled around the SD Worx-Protime's tactics and why their yellow jersey was left isolated in the closing kilometres of this stage, but her teammates and the riders from rival teams who had split off the front said they didn't realize Vollering was involved in the crash, but that there was little that could be done with such a short distance to the finish line. 

Vollering said she was 'empty, sour but proud' after capturing the finale stage 8 victory on Alpe d'Huez, but having also lost the overall race by just four seconds to Niewaidoma.

Although SD Worx-Protime went into the Tour de France in full support of Vollering, there had already been tensions between them surrounding rumours of her departure at the end of the 2024 season. It later emerged that Vollering had signed a contract at the end of the spring to compete with FDJ-SUEZ from 2025 to 2026, where she will once again target a victory at the 2025 Tour de France Femmes. (KF)

Ben O'Connor delivers best season of career as he stars at La Vuelta and earns surprise Worlds silver

The opening week of La Vuelta a España looked to be falling perfectly into place for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe when Primož Roglič - returning to racing after abandoning the Tour de France - took the red jersey on stage four. That was until, in their directeur sportif Patxi Vila’s words, “things got out of hand.”

‘Things’ specifically being Ben O’Connor, with the Australian putting six minutes into GC rivals on stage six after soloing to victory from the break. When we think about race favourites lending out the jersey to outsiders for a few days to alleviate pressure, this wasn’t it. The Australian and his Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team defended the jersey impressively.

Ultimately though, after 13 days on O’Connor’s back, the race leader’s jersey was wrestled back into Roglič’s control on the Alto de Moncalvillo - with the Slovenian all but sealing his record-equalling fourth Vuelta title in the process.

Nonetheless, O’Connor held on for second place, describing the result, which is his best Grand Tour finish and first podium, as "a bit of a dream, I have been close before but to get it now is such an amazing thing.”

Three weeks later, he’d add a road race World Championships runner-up spot to his palmarès too, to cap off his best season to date.

The Perth native played his role in the chasing group to perfection, behind an unassailable Tadej Pogačar. By no means the fastest finisher in the group, he bided his time and let other riders show their hands before bursting away with just a few kilometres remaining, telling Cyclingnews at the finish line that this result “is for Aussie cycling, not just for me.” (PT)

250 for Marianne Vos

Marianne Vos has had another outstanding season full of firsts and records, but the most defining was her first-time victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen, which ticks off a landmark number of 250 career road race victories.

She had an impressive Classics campaign, which was a clear indication that she was back to her best after late 2023 surgery on her iliac artery, with first-time wins at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and  Dwars door Vlaanderen, along with a victory at Amstel Gold Race.

She went on to win two stages and the points classification at La Vuelta Feminine, a stage win and the overall title at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, and the points classification at the Tour de France Femmes. 

She also secured the silver medal in the road race at the Paris Olympics Games and capped off the season by winning the world title at the UCI Gravel World Championships, adding a 14th rainbow jersey to her extensive collection of titles; eight cyclocross, three road race, two track and one gravel.

Vos has amassed 255 career road race wins by the end of the 2024 season, putting another defining stamp on her GOAT status in professional cycling. "It's a number you don't dare think about at the beginning of your career," said Vos of her 250th victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen. "Over the years you can make a lot of memories of different highs and lows and then this is definitely a very nice highlight." (KF)

Grace Brown's legendary last dance

Grace Brown called time on her career as a professional cyclist in scintillating style as she became the first Australian woman to win a Monument at Liège-Bastogne-Liège before reaffirming her legendary status by becoming the first woman to win Olympic time trial gold and the World Championships time trial in the same year.

Brown claimed victory at Liège when she outsprinted Elisa Longo Borghini and Demi Vollering to the title after spending half of the race in the breakaway.

Yet just two months later, at the age of 31, she announced 2024 would be her last in the women’s WorldTour. “I really miss my life in Australia with my husband, my family and my friends and it is something that is harder and harder to leave,” she explained when announcing her retirement.

That decision appeared to ignite a ‘leave it all out there’ mentality in the rider from Melbourne for the rest of the season as she stunned the field on the opening weekend of the Paris Olympics, storming the women’s time trial event by over a minute and a half to eventual silver medallist Anna Henderson. 

“I can be really proud to go out on such a high,” Brown told reporters after her win. Yet the historic feat in Paris didn’t mark the peak of the Australian’s season - that arrived two months later in Switzerland.

Brown beat Demi Vollering by a matter of 16 seconds in the elite women’s time trial at the World Championships, finally claiming a rainbow jersey after two second places in the event. 

Rounding out her career as the first woman to conquer both major TT titles in one year, Brown described it as a “dream” and was “really, really lucky to have the end of my career like this. It's special." (PT)

Elisa Longo Borghini's magnificent Giro d'Italia

Italy had to wait a long 16 years until one of their own secured the coveted maglia rosa at the Giro d'Italia Women. It finally happened in this year's 35th edition in the most dominating of fashions as Elisa Longo Broghini led the eight-day race from start to finish and was crowned the overall winner in L'Aquila.

Longo Borghini is the reigning Italian Champion and has competed in 13 editions of the Giro d'Italia Women and finished twice on the podium in 2017 and 2020, and said it took an entire team effort to make that step up as the overall champion.

She pulled on the maglia rosa after the stage 1 time trial in Brescia, and then carryied the race lead through Volta Mantovana, Toano, Urbino, Foligno, Chieti and to the top of the iconic Blockhaus, in what was a dramatic race for time bonuses on the penultimate queen stage 7 against runner-up Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).

In a dramatic stage 8 finale, she led by just one second ahead of Kopecky in the overall classification. A breakaway of three took the top three stage places, and then Longo Borghini accelerated and sprinted out of the field in the last kilometre to claim fourth place on the day and win the overall title by 21 seconds ahead of Kopecky.

Longo Borghini was the first Italian to win the maglia rosa at the women's race since five-time winner Fabiana Luperini last won the title in 2008, and added her name to a list of compatriots to have won the race that also includes Maria Canins, Roberta Bonanomi, and Michela Fanini. (KF)

Rainbow jersey wraps up sensational season for Tadej Pogačar

Tadej Pogačar delivered the best season of his stellar career so far, becoming just the third male rider to complete the Triple Crown of Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and World Championship road race victories in one season.

Alongside becoming the third man after Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche to complete the feat, Pogačar added a second Liège-Bastogne-Liège title and made it four consecutive wins at Il Lombardia. 

On his way to claiming his third maillot jaune and a first maglia rosa, Pogačar scored six stage wins at the Tour and Giro respectively.

Yet, unquestionably, the Slovenian’s World Championships victory was the most poignant of his successes in 2024, both for how he achieved it and what it meant in the context of cycling’s history.

One of the reasons Pogačar is already lauded by many as one of the greatest riders to grace the sport is his willingness to tackle races head-on, dictating proceedings on his terms and leaving rivals to guess his next move.

Nowhere was this clearer than in Switzerland when the 26-year-old launched an attack from the peloton with 100km to go, weaving through the day’s breakaway as if they were barely pedalling and then riding solo to the finish from no less than 50km until the line.

Speaking during his post-race press conference, Pogačar confirmed the long-range adventure was by no means planned, and described it as a "stupid attack."

A fortnight later the three-time Tour de France winner was at it again - now proudly donning the rainbow jersey - producing a mesmerising 48.4km solo effort to win a fourth consecutive Il Lombardia and his 25th victory of the campaign. (PT)