Retired WorldTour veteran uses his local knowledge to provide insights on climbing-heavy course
Joe Dombrowski enjoys a moment as a tourist near his home in Nice before the 2024 Tour de France(Image credit: Joe Dombrowski)
Joe Dombrowski raced in the pro peloton across six teams and 12 years before he called it a career at the beginning of 2024. The US rider caught the attention of WorldTour teams when he won the overall at the U23 Giro d’Italia in 2012 riding on the Bontrager-Livestrong development team. He went on to notch a GC title at the Tour of Utah in 2015 and a stage victory at the 2021 Giro d’Italia.
The 33-year-old last raced the Tour de France in 2022 for Astana Qazaqstan, and completed both the Giro and Vuelta a España the next year to compile a total of 14 Grand Tour appearances as a rider. A resident of Nice and in an "exploratory period" for his next career move, Dombrowski rides his bike almost daily for recreation, mixes in running and winter ski touring. He will be on the other side of the fence for this year’s Tour finish, an individual time trial over Col de Eze and into his backyard along the Mediterranean coast.
“I do ride the roads featured in the time trial more or less daily. I live right on the course as it passes through the port, so I regularly use those roads making my way in and out of the city,” he told Cyclingnews. He recently rode the full ITT route and shared his insights on the twists, turns and climbs of the route, as well as his perspective about the ‘buzz’ in Nice ahead of the stage 21 finale.
The Tour de France is flipping the script. With the Olympic Games coming to Paris this summer, the iconic sprint finish on the Champs Elysées will be replaced by an individual test on the French Riviera.
Personally, being freshly retired in January this year, I think it will be a funny feeling to be so close to the Tour, but not there as a participant. When I heard the news of the final few stages being held here in Nice, one of the most beautiful places in the world and my home for the past decade, it was a dream to take part. Alas, my career was a year too short, but I will be enjoying the Tour from the other side of the fence this year, as a spectator.
As a rider, I always enjoyed the final stages of Grand Tours. There’s a sense of accomplishment at the end, but the clout of three-week races also often takes you to places where lesser sporting events would have a hard time setting foot.
Memories like racing around the Colosseum in Rome at the end of the Giro d’Italia, or making the u-turn around the Arc de Triomphe on the final stage of the Tour de France, will stay etched in my mind as a unique opportunity to combine my career in sport with entry as a tourist to some of the world’s most amazing places.
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The Tour has not deviated from a Parisian finish in over one hundred years; and for good reason, the finish on the Champs-Élysées is magical. That being said, I don’t think this year’s edition has disappointed.
There is definitely a buzz with the Tour de France finish coming to Nice.
The final stage of this year’s Tour is unique in its time trial format, but also in the parcours itself. The climbs, and technical descending along the abrupt coastline between Monaco and Nice, will make pacing and bike handling a much bigger factor than your average time trial.
The riders will start their engines along the famed Monaco Grand Prix start grid next to Port Hercule. The initial three kilometres are a flat warm-up along the coast, before the climbing begins. Formula 1 fans will recognise the early ramps of the climb as the Fairmont Hairpin. The riders will be tackling the famous corner in the opposite direction, on their way to the iconic Casino de Monte Carlo before exiting the principality and grinding further upward towards the major climb of the day, Mont des Mules.
Pacing here will be crucial. The main climb is around four kilometres, and features relatively shallow gradients, with a series of hairpins. With around 450 meters of altitude gain between the sea level start in Monaco, and the top in La Turbie, the bulk of rider’s effort will be spent here.
From La Turbie the course heads downhill for a few kilometres to beautiful Eze Village. If the day is clear, you can expect stunning helicopter shots of one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, from the castle in Eze, to the exclusive peninsula of St Jean Cap Ferrat, and onward to the finishing line in Nice. Riders will be able to coast at high speed heading to Eze village, and have some respite before making a right turn for the final uphill push to Col de Eze.
The climb to the Col is short, but will sting. Ramps are over 10%, and a certain Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) has the Strava KOM, in 4:19. While the final climb to Eze might not be as long as the first ascent of the day, it will still be a factor and riders need to empty the tank here before the long downhill run to Nice.
The riders will see very high top speeds on the way down to Nice where the course will become more a test of nerves and descending prowess. The municipality has luckily made road improvements just for the Tour’s arrival. A high-speed straightaway off Col de Eze leads riders to a left turn into a technical set of switchbacks down Col de Quatre Chemins.
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The view of the Mediterranean sea from atop Col de Eze(Image credit: Joe Dombrowski)
Signage for the 2024 Tour de France at the base of Mont de Mules, the major climb of stage 21(Image credit: Joe Dombrowski)
The race will most likely be decided on the uphill sections of this climbing-heavy course, but too much risk in the corners could be costly.
The end of the descent will route riders through the Port of Nice before making their way onto the iconic Promenade des Anglais. It’s just a few final flat kilometres to push the pedals before the finish line at Place Massena.
Time gaps could prove decisive, and pacing will be crucial for a time trial like this. The course features a lot of climbing, but all the gradients will favour a full TT setup, albeit with lighter options, overdoing a bike change.
The descents don’t pose the possibility for quite the same time to be made as the climbing portions, but they are technical and high speed. Many riders call this region home, and will be familiar with the roads. Of the two giant favourites, Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Tadej calls Monaco home. He’s my pick for the win, because I think pacing and course knowledge is a big advantage in such an unconventional time trial. Plus the extra motivation that home court advantage brings.
I’m looking forward to the last stages around Nice, and particularly watching from my window at our home in the port, as the riders zip by on their way to the finish line.
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Joe Dombrowski rode for 12 years in the pro peloton and retired in January 2024, last riding for Astana Qazaqstan. Across his career, Dombrowski raced for Trek-Livestrong, Team Sky, Cannondale and UAE Team Emirates before two full seasons with Astana. Major results on his palmarès include overall titles at the 2012 U23 Giro and 2015 Tour of Utah, as well as a stage 4 victory at the 2021 Giro d'Italia.
