Tao Geoghegan Hart will be going into his debut Tour De France hoping to bring collective success for Ineos Grenadiers.
The 26-year-old from Hackney and Giro D'Italia winner from 2020 will finally get his his dream opportunity this Saturday, officially known as the Grand Départ, in the harbour surroundings of Brest.
Slovenia's UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogačar will be defending his title he claimed 10 months ago.
An enduring 3,414.4 km will be covered in 21 stages over 23 days in a bid to reach in the finishing line at the prestigious Parisian surroundings of Champs-Élysées on July 21, including a short stopover in Andorra-La-Vella in the principality of Andorra on July 11 for the 15th stage finish.
It is a place where Geoghegan Hart resides as his training camp is based there.
"The stage goes past my apartment," he said. "I've been living for quiet a few years now so that will be pretty cool.
"I know all the roads from the other side like the north side until it finishes. It's definitely as very much as a home stage as I'm ever going to get on the tour."
The former Stoke Newington school pupil will be in a high-quality team, assembled by boss Sir Dave Brailsford.
It includes Welshman Geraint Thomas, who will be seeking to repeat his brilliant TDF victory from 2018; Ecuador's Richard Carapaz who won the Giro D'Itala win a year before Geoghegan Hart took over the reigns in 2020; and recent Critérium du Dauphinè winner Richie Porte from Australia.
"We're going in with some really big names in the team and that's always exciting and also not something new," Geoghegan Hart said. "At the end for us is sticking together and focusing on how we're going to win the race as a collective."
Holloway-born Geoghegan Hart hopes to get some valuable experience amongst the world's elite in his debut TDF appearance.
"For me it's my first time in the tour so the big thing there is getting the experience there, enjoying it and seeing what it's all about really."
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