tour de geuze 2023

Belgian Beer Specialist

Gueuzerie tilquin: toer de geuze 2024, the “family tree project”, and more.

Gueuzerie Tilquin has announced its plans for Toer de Geuze 2024, and the revered lambic blendery-now also a lambic brewery-should be a great place to spend a few hours during the weekend of May 4 and 5.

Toer de Geuze is an open house at most of the lambic breweries and lambic blenderies in Belgium’s Payottenland and Zenne Valley. With thousands of attendees, it is the biggest event in the lambic beer world, and it happens only once every two years. Toer de Geuze is organized by HORAL , The High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers. HORAL was founded in 1997, and is a non-profit organization comprised of most of the lambic producers in Belgium. This is from HORAL: “The main objective of the association is the promotion of traditional lambic beers, in particular Oude Geuze and Oude Kriek. The association also takes initiatives to protect these beers. Every two years HORAL organizes the Toer de Geuze, the open brewery day of the Pajottenland and the Senne valley.”

If you are a lambic fan, you can become a supporting member of HORAL. See here for more info.

For 2024, the participating members of Toer de Geuze are Boon, De Cam, De Troch, Den Herberg, Eylenbosch, Hannsens, Kestemont, Lambiek Fabriek, Lindemans, Mort Subite, Oud Beersel, Tilquin, and Timmermans.

Gueuzerie Tilquin joined HORAL in 2012, and first participated in Toer de Geuze in 2013.

Toer de Geuze used to be held on odd numbered years. I attended in 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022. The global pandemic threw the timing off, so beginning in 2022, the event is now being held on even numbered years.

I wrote about a previous edition of Toer de Geuze in this article here. I highly recommend this fun, educational, and highly enjoyable weekend of lambic beer immersion!

Gueuzerie Tilquin master blender and owner Pierre Tilquin had this to say about plans for the 2024 event:

“At the occasion of the Toer de Geuze 2024, it’s an open-doors weekend at Gueuzerie Tilquin, on the 4th and 5th of May 2024. Everyone is welcome. The entry is free. It is possible to get a free guided tour of the blendery (in French, Dutch, or English) and to taste all our beers at the bar, and to buy them in our shop. There will be good food and a bouncy castle… All you need to have a great time with friends and family.

Gueuzerie Tilquin offers to all visitors making the guided tour a free glass of lambic.

A new ABRICOT TILQUIN A L’ANCIENNE will be presented for this edition of the Toer de Geuze, together with a new gueuze from our Family Tree Project : GUEUZE TILQUIN A L’ANCIENNE – CUVEE ARTHUR (20% one year old, 30% two years old, and 50% three year old lambics).

Who is hungry at Gueuzerie Tilquin can find pig on the spit prepared by butcher Fisette, or Brussels style meatballs from Tartempion, and fish & chips from Biamara.

Finally, there will be a parking area opposite to the blendery. Everybody welcome!”

So, there will be plenty of tasty foods to choose from!

The Abricot Tilquin promises to be another delicious fruit lambic from Tilquin, who has done dozens of such lambics over the nearly 15 year history of the blendery. Abricot is French for apricot-and one of the world’s most famous lambic beers, Brasserie Cantillon’s Fou’ Foune, is an apricot lambic.

The Cuvee Arthur should be equally as interesting, and something that fans of Oude Gueuze should not miss. Most Oude Gueuzes are blends of 1, 2, and 3 year old lambic, and while there are no rules saying how much three year old lambic must be in a blend, it is much more common to see a proportion of between 5 and 20% of said lambic in such blends. The three year old lambic brings maturity to the blend, while the one year old component is not fully fermented, so the beer will continue to evolve. The two year proportion of the blend lends a balance between the one and three year old lambics.

A blend with 50% three year old lambic is likely to be very complex, while still being refreshing. Pierre Tilquin had this to say when he tasted Cuvee Arthur recently: “With one year in the bottle, it is tasteful. A delightful blend, with a nice foam head. A great gueuze.” I can’t wait to taste this one!

There were about 25 different Tilquin lambics on offer during the 2022 Toer de Geuze, and it should be a similar number for 2024.

One of my favorite new oude gueuzes in the last few years is Tilquin’s superb “Oude Gueuze Tilquin à L’Ancienne – Lambics Vieillis en Fûts de Cognac” which debuted in 2023. Pierre Tilquin says: “In this special blend, we used 40% two year old lambics that fermented and matured for two years in freshly emptied Cognac barrels. A proportion of 30% one year old lambics and 30% three year old lambics were used in the blend to bring freshness and complexity, respectively.” I enjoyed this beer immensely during Tilquin’s open beer days in early September. The interplay of Cognac flavor, mild to medium tartness, and noticeable funkiness made it a spectacular lambic. ***Note that this beer is sadly, sold out.***

I have visited Gueuzerie Tilquin many times since May 2010. My most recent visit was during their open door days weekend in September 2023, and Pierre Tilquin filled me in on some of the recent happenings.

“We added a small lambic brewery a couple of years ago, and the first brew day was in early 2022,” Tilquin says. He then went into more detail: “Thursday, 27 January, was a historic day, as a new lambic brewery started in the Senne valley. We made our first lambic brew, in Bierghes (Rebecq), with our new brewing installation, which was designed with the help of our friend, Maxime Libouton. The brewing method used is the one of turbid mash. Mashing with 60% organic malted barley and 40% organic raw wheat. Parts of turbid wort are taken during the mashing process and boiled to keep some complex sugars, and to allow the addition of hot water in the mash tun to increase the temperature in steps. Last step at 78°C (note: about 172 degrees Fahrenheit) with the addition of the turbid wort. After a period of decanting, filtration takes place. The resulting clear wort is brought to a boil. There is an addition of aged hops. The wort is boiled for at least 2 hours. During this time, the spent grains are emptied, and two 500 liter barrels were steamed. The wort is then pumped to the coolship. The wort is then inoculated with wild yeasts and bacteria in the open air overnight. After cooling, it is then pumped into oak barrels for fermentation. Two 500 liter barrels were filled. The aim is certainly not to replace the production of the blendery, but to experiment and eventually produce a small volume of 100% organic Tilquin gueuze.”

I can’t wait to taste the new, organically made, 100% Tilquin Gueuze in the future, possibly sometime in 2025! Given Pierre Tilquin’s determined desire for excellence in his brews, it should be well worth the wait.

Tilquin has made lots of fruited lambics, as well as lambics infused with grapes and other things, over the years. I tasted the Oude Viognier Tilquin à L’Ancienne, which is macerated with 250 grams of Viognier grapes per liter of lambic. I enjoyed this very interesting lambic.

There were dozens of different beers available during the Open Beer Days, as Gueuzerie Tilquin has been very prolific in experimenting and creating new lambics. As to what new beers Tilquin lambic fans should expect to see in 2024, Pierre had this to say: “There will be some new family tree blends, Abricot Tilquin à l’ancienne, Kriek de Schaerbeek Tilquin à l’ancienne (!), Abricot Draft Version, Abricot-Rhubarbe Draft Version, and the Tilquin Fruit Extravaganza 2024, with 10 different beers on draft.”

This event will happen on March 22-24 at selected bars in Belgium and the U.K., as well as the Tilquin taproom in Bierghes (Rebecq) in the province of Wallonian Brabant. Note that Gueuzerie Tilquin is the only lambic producer in French-speaking Wallonia, the southern half of Belgium. The Tilquin Fruit Extravaganza 2024 will continue at several bars in The Netherlands on April 5-7. Please see here for details about the plans for each venue.

The Tilquin Family Tree Project was created to honor Pierre’s Tilquin’s ancestors with various lambic blends. About the project, Tilquin had this to say: “As a tribute to each of my ancestors, I would like to create a special blend (cuvée) of GUEUZE TILQUIN À L’ANCIENNE for each ancestor (male and female), with an increasing amount of two and three year old lambics in the blend. If possible, each blend will be obtained from the blend of 10 barrels of 400 liters to reach a production of 5000 bottles of 75cl. Note that each blend will mature in the bottle for one year before release.”

Tilquin added: “We started on March 1st, 2021, with a special blend in honor of my father, Jean-Paul Tilquin (1947-2010).

All is well at Gueuzerie Tilquin. It continues to be one of Belgium’s premier lambic producers, and Pierre Tilquin has demonstrated time and time again that he is one of the best lambic blenders in the business. I highly recommend a visit, and to enjoy the Tilquin brews, wherever you can find them!

For those wishing to visit Gueuzerie Tilquin, or the great breweries, cafes, and distilleries in Belgium’s Payottenland and Zenne Valley, note that many are not easy to reach by public transport. Belgium’s drunk driving laws are very strict, so I recommend visiting the area with a local, or with a group.

One such person is Patrick Van der Spiegel. As a resident of Halle, ten miles southwest of Brussels in Belgium’s lambic country, he has lived his life savoring and enjoying lambic brews. Patrick has two projects,  “The Land of Geuze”  and  “Lambic Tours”  which both have Facebook and Instagram pages.  The Lambic Tours website is here.

To sum up, Patrick Van der Spiegel organizes tours to lambic breweries, geuze blenderies, and traditional Belgian pubs in and near the Pajottenland and the Zenne Valley. Patrick guides these tours himself, and can do so in English, Dutch, and French. In addition, there is the possibility to pair these tours with guided tours at breweries or blenderies, with professional tour guides, or lambic brewers/blenders. These tours typically include tasting samples of multiple beers, and an optional lunch or dinner for the whole group.

I wrote about Patrick Van der Spiegel’s tours in this previous article here.

If you are interested in these custom guided tours, feel free to fill in the contact form on their website ( lambictours.com ) or send an email to  [email protected] . It is also possible to send private messages through their Instagram and Facebook pages.

Patrick’s lambic tours can be summed up in one word:  Marvelous!

If you like this website, please like our  Facebook page here

and our  Instagram page here

and our two  Twitter pages here  and  here

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HORAL’s Oude Geuze Megablend 2024

Sang bleu: a new star in the brasserie cantillon lineup.

Toer De Geuze

Wat valt er te beleven, streekproducten.

• De Toer de Geuze werd voor de eerste keer georganiseerd in 1997.
• Tijdens dit evenement openen geuzeproducenten hun deuren voor het publiek.
• Je kunt er terecht voor een rondleiding aangevuld met informatie rond het productieproces.
• Er is ook heel wat randanimatie voorzien tijdens dit evenement
• Alle informatie over de Toer de Geuze en de deelnemende brouwerijen kan je ook hier terugvinden
• Adres Grote Markt 1 bus 1 , 1500 Halle (Halle) Tel. +32 2 365 98 50 [email protected] www.toerisme-pajottenland.be www.toerisme-halle.be www.toerisme-halle.be
• Locatie Verschillende gemeenten en brouwerijen in het Pajottenland-Zennevallei.
• Tijdstip De volgende editie van de Toer de Geuze zal plaatsvinden op 4 en 5 mei 2024.

In de buurt

Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen

Het ambacht en de traditie van het steken van lambiek tot Oude Geuze werd door vader Gaston doorgegeven aan zoon Armand. Vele jonge koks promoten Oude Geuze en Oude Kriek 3Fonteinen en hierdoor krijgt dit "oude" bier een plaats in de moderne keuken.

Brouwerij Boon

De eerste sporen van wat nu Brouwerij Boon heet, vinden we terug in 1680. De brouwerij werkt als één van de weinigen volgens de 'troebele wort'-methode, ook wel slijmmethode genoemd. Dit is de oudste traditionele brouwmethode voor lambiek.

Brouwerij Oud-Beersel

Sinds 1882 worden er in brouwerij Oud Beersel volgens de aloude traditie lambiekbieren gebrouwen. Je vindt er de Oude Geuze, Oud Beersel, die werd uitgeroepen tot 's werelds beste Lambiek/Geuze bier. Ook de blonde tripel, Bersalis, is het proeven waard.

Brouwerij Lindemans

De familie Lindemans startte al in 1809 een Lambiekbrouwerij in Vlezenbeek. Dat ging zo goed dat de familie de boerderij sloot om zich te concentreren op het brouwen. Vandaag brouwt Lindemans nog steeds Lambiek als basis voor tal van authentieke en vernieuwende bieren.

Brouwerij De Troch

Zoals bij vele lambiekbrouwerijen ligt de oorsprong van brouwerij De Troch in 1795 in een boerderij. De installatie is nagenoeg ongewijzigd gebleven en is een pareltje van archeologische industrie.

Brouwerij Timmermans

De brouwerij werd gesticht in 1781 en is daarmee een van de oudste lambiekbrouwerijen. Je kan er genieten van zowel lambiek, geuze en faro als van fruitbieren zoals kriek, perzik en framboos.

Nieuwsbrief

Schrijf je vandaag nog in op de nieuwsbrief van Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant en ontdek wat onze provincie te bieden heeft.

• Supporting Members
• Traditional Lambic Beers
• Schaarbeekse Krieken
• Report irregularities
• Lambic Academy
• Lambic Award
• Toer de Geuze
• Lambiekland
• Your cart is currently empty.

List and addresses of the participating producers in 2024:

• Boon, Fonteinstraat 65, 1502 Lembeek • De Cam, Dorpsstraat 67, 1755 Gooik • De Troch, Langestraat 20, 1741 Wambeek • Den Herberg, Octave de Kerchove d'Exaerdestraat 16, 1501 Buizingen • Eylenbosch, Isidoor Crokaertstraat 167, 1731 Zellik • Hanssens*, Vroenenbosstraat 15, 1653 Dworp • Kestemont, Isabellastraat 16, 1703 Sint-Gertrudis-Pede • Lambiek Fabriek, Eugène Ghijsstraat 71, 1600 Sint-Pieters-Leeuw • Lindemans, Lenniksebaan 1479, 1602 Vlezenbeek • Mort Subite*, Lierput 1, 1730 Kobbegem • Oud Beersel, Laarheidestraat 230, 1650 Beersel • Tilquin, Chaussée Maïeur Habils,110 1430 Bierghes • Timmermans, Kerkstraat 11, 1701 Itterbeek

* Closed on Saturday. Only open on Sunday, May 5th, 2024

Biercentrum De Lambiek in Alsemberg (Beersel) will also be open all weekend.

The first Toer de Geuze was organised on 19th October 1997.

Four breweries and two blenderies opened their doors for the public. Since then the open brewery day of the Payottenland and the Valley of the Senne has become a biannual event.

The previous editions of the Toer de Geuze took place on 3rd October 1999, 22nd April 2001, 27th April 2003, 3rd April 2005, 22nd April 2007, 26th April 2009, 1st May 2011, 21st April 2013, 3rd May 2015, 6th and 7th May 2017, 4th and 5th May 2019 and 30th April and 1st May 2022.

HORAL Megablend 2022

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the brewers' association and the 14th Toer de Geuze, the HORAL members have created a special oude geuze

the HORAL Megablend 2022. It is the 8th Megablend in a row. All 11 HORAL members (Boon, De Oude Cam, De Troch, Den Herberg, Hanssens, Lambiek Fabriek, Lindemans, Mort Subite, Oud Beersel, Tilquin and Timmermans) have contributed by delivering an amount of lambic. 29,300 bottles were filled. The outside was printed with a festive tricolor design. On the front are the HORAL logo, the names of all manufacturers, the date 1997-2022, a flag with the number 25 and the European Traditional Speciality Guaranteed label.

If you also want to taste this Megablend, you can buy bottles during the Toer de Geuze at the HORAL members who contributed to the Megablend or order a box of 12 bottles via [email protected]. Shipping cost will be added.

Toer de Geuze bus services

The next open brewery weekend will be organised on may 4 and 5, 2024. admission to all participating lambic breweries and gueuze blenders is free. you can do the toer de geuze with your own transport (car, bicycle…) or use one of our buses. you can purchase bus tickets here., when do the buses leave.

The doors of the blenders and breweries open on Saturday at 11 A.M., and on Sunday at 10 A.M. This means that the buses leave the station on Saturday at 10:30 A.M. and on Sunday at 09:30 A.M. sharp.

Shuttle bus from/to Biercentrum De Lambiek

Biercentrum De Lambiek in Alsemberg (Beersel) organises several activities at the Toer de Geuze.

That is why a shuttle bus leaves from the Biercentrum to Halle station sharply on Saturday morning at 10 A.M. and Sunday at 09 A.M.

In the evening, after the Toer de Geuze, the shuttle bus from Halle station returns to De Lambiek.

This shuttle bus is FREE. However, a reservation is required. So anyone who would like to use the shuttle bus AND a specific route from Halle station must, in addition to the paid ticket for the actual Toer de Geuze route, also reserve a free ticket for the shuttle bus.

HORAL bus routes

Saturday 4th may, 2024.

Attention! The coaches depart at 10:30 AM sharp (with the exception of the shuttle bus between Biercentrum De Lambiek and the train station of Halle, which will leave 30 minutes earlier)

SUNDAY 5th MAY 2024

Attention! The coaches depart at 09:30 AM sharp (with the exception of the shuttle bus between Biercentrum De Lambiek and the train station of Halle, which will leave 30 minutes earlier)

Bus 1: Tilquin – Lambiek Fabriek – Kestemont – De Cam (Start: train station Halle)

HORAL Megablend 2024

On the occasion of the 15th Toer de Geuze, the HORAL members have created a special Oude Geuze: the HORAL Megablend 2024.

It is the 9th blend of the Megablend series. All HORAL members (Boon, De Oude Cam, De Troch, Den Herberg, Eylenbosch, Hanssens, Kestemont, Lambiek Fabriek, Lindemans, Mort Subite, Oud Beersel, Tilquin and Timmermans) have contributed by delivering an amount of lambic. If you also want to taste this Megablend, you can buy bottles during the Toer de Geuze at the HORAL members who contributed to the Megablend or order a box of 12 bottles via [email protected]. Shipping cost will be added.

Toer De Geuze

Toer de Geuze is a biennial event in the Pajottenland region and Senne Valley during which the participating Lambic breweries and Geuze distilleries open their doors to the public. 

Several breweries in the Pajottenland and Zenne Valley.

Toer de Geuze is the largest beer event on the Flemish Brabant calendar. This brewery open day in the Pajottenland region and Senne Valley is organised every two years by HORAL, the high council for artisan Lambic beers.

The following breweries and distilleries will be opening their doors to the public: Boon , Den Herberg ,  De Cam ,  De Troch , 3 Fonteinen , Lindemans , Oud Beersel and  Tilquin . The 'De Lambiek' visitor centre in Beersel will also be opening beer afficionados with open arms. Groups without a designated driver can choose to travel on the shuttle busses organised by HORAL between the different breweries.

You do not need an admission ticket to attend this event.

Don't miss out in Halle

Flea markets

Halle Carnival

Bluebell Festival

The Ale Trove’s Substack

Tour de Geuze 2024

A practical guide to wild ales around brussels.

On the first weekend in May 2024, the High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers (HORAL) organized their open brewery & blendery biennially in and around Brussels. This blog aims to provide a practical guide and what to expect.

Event summary:

2-day event every 2 years at the start of May

13 participants (breweries & blenders)

organiser: Horal

Our approach:

Take a train to Halle

Rent a Blue Bike for 24h

Visit 5 participants by bike around Halle: Boon , Hanssens, Oud Beersel , Eylenbosch Boerenerf , and Den Herberg .

Costs (1 person):

Train: 8.80 EUR

Bikes: 12 EUR (yearly fee*) + 1.50 EUR (day fee)

Ales: 27.00 EUR

Food: 12.00 EUR

TOTAL : 61.30 EUR

Packing list:

bottle(s) of water

Transport & route

Many participants are located in small towns around Brussels and are difficult to access solely by public transportation. That’s why many private buses are organised to drive you from one to the next (for more info see HORAL ). However, on a sunny Sunday in May, a bike ride is the recommended mode of transportation.

The Blue Bike system is available at over 120 locations in Belgium (mostly at train stations). Unlike rental city bikes, these bikes are meant to cover the last mile e.g. when commuting to work. Therefore, the pricing is not by the minute but by 24h. This allows you a carefree experience once you get a hold of a bike. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to reserve a bike. This is a major downside of the system. The Tour de Geuze started at 10:00; we arrived at 10:25 at the train station; and most of the blue bikes were still there. However, about an hour later all of the bikes were rented out.

The rolling hills around Brussels, called pajottenland, can be a struggle for the untrained cyclist after a handful of brewery visits. Although we were untrained and in no rush, we found the Google Maps estimations to be fairly correct:

Our selection of places to visit was purely based on their location. All participants would’ve been interesting to visit. Especially the Timmermans Brewery (not on our list) is highly recommended because of the over 100-year-old brewery installation. This short 22 km ride allowed us to visit 5 different places ( Boon , Hanssens, Oud Beersel , Eylenbosch Boerenerf , and Den Herberg ):

Breweries & Blenders

The first stop was at Boon Brewery. It’s the largest geuze brewery and supplies (mostly freshly brewed) lambic ale to various blenders. Their use of massive barrels (= foeders ) helps to guarantee consistency in the delivered product. Although brewing traditional ales, the brewery consists of modern stainless steel equipment with a large & clean storage space.

We tried a sample of 1-year-old lambic and bought Duivelsbier (not lambic-based), HORAL’s Oude Geuze Megablend 2024 , and Oude Geuze Boon Black Label Edition N°4 . The Duivelsbier was disappointing in both aroma and taste. We expect more from a Belgian dark 8% abv ale. This was the first and last non-lambic-based ale of the day. The HORAL Megablend was a perfect match with the sunny weather. Light and lots of carbonation. It lacked some depth compared to other Oude Geuze but was perfect in the right context. Boon offered a large selection of old Oude Geuzes that are usually not for sale anymore. The Oude Geuze Boon Black Label Edition N°4 was bottled in 2017. As expected, it had less carbonation but more depth. Less refreshing but nice to sit back and savour.

From the largest to the smallest: Hanssens Artisanaal. A blender (not a brewery) located at an old farmhouse where various lambic fruity ales could be tasted at democratic prices. The blender buys 1-day-old lambic from the major lambic breweries (Boon and Lindemans) and lets it age in their small wooden barrels. To some barrels, large amounts of fruits are added like sour cherries, strawberries or others. Because of the wild yeast and long ageing all the sugars from the fruits will be fermented so don’t expect sweet ales.

In the barrel hall, there were knowledgeable guides answering any question about the type of wood, the amount of fruit per barrel, the blending process etc.

Various fruity ales were available at the bar at reasonable prices. We tried Schaarbeekse Kriek (cherry), 100% Schaarbeekse Kriekenlambiek (cherry), Oudbeitje (strawberry), Oude Kriek (cherry), and Cassis (blackcurrant). All were pleasantly sour ales with plenty of noticeable fruit without the sweetness. Oudbeitje (strawberry) was unanimously voted the best.

Next, we went to Oud Beersel where one after the other guided tours started in English and Dutch. At the moment, Oud Beersel is only a blender. They’ve been a brewery in the past and might brew again in the future. We visited Oud Beersel last year for a Vintage Tasting where we had excellent ales like Oude Geuze Vandervelden 135, 137 and 140 , and Oude Geuze Barrel Selection Oude Pijpen 2017, 2020 and 2023 . However, this year we tried various more experimental ales that couldn’t convince us like Bersalis Wild - Session Sour and Cherry Wood Infused Lambic .

On our way to Den Herberg, we bumped into the Eylenbosch Boerenerf (farmhouse). The Eylenbosch brewery is 22km up north and we weren’t aware of this Boerenerf offspring. At Boerenerf there is no brewery but an old farm full of wooden barrels with a hip crew and DJ outside.

After our disappointing experience with the experimental ales at Oud Beersel we decided to go back to classic Oude Geuze. The Oude Geuze Hermitage was the best ale of our day. But it did cost nearly double of the close 2nd Oude Geuze at Den Herberg.

Finally, we arrived at Den Herberg. A young brewery & blender producing high quality oude geuze at a reasonable price. A lambic taster, a mini tour across the brewery, lots of people and a great ambience. We only tried Oude Geuze Devillé à l'ancienne because we had to rush to our train. Nevertheless, this Oude Geuze was both refreshing and had depth at an affordable price point. During the next summer months, I’ll definitely get back to Oude Geuze Devillé and I wish also Hanssens’ Oudbeitje although the latter is hard to find.

Overall, Brussels with its surrounding small towns and villages is one of the ultimate beer & ale capitals in the world. This event doesn’t aim at exploring all the different breweries and styles but does give an excellent overview of the traditional lambic-based ales. It’s a must for everyone interested in beers & ales.

‘ * blue bike yearly fee: (1) 1 account can rent up to 2 bikes simultaneously. (2) Only to be paid in case you don’t have a blue bike subscription yet.

Ready for more?

010 Beer Blog

The Rotterdam Beer Experience

Toer de Geuze: celebrating Belgian wild ales

Toer de Geuze is a biennial festival organized the first weekend in May by the High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beer (HORAL), in celebration of the wonderful traditional wild beers of Brussels and the Senne Valley. It has been high on my wishlist for a long time and I first visited in 2022. It was as fun as everyone says it is! If you love Lambic and Geuze beers or enjoy beer history, then this is the adventure for you. The breweries are open to visit and offer beer tasting, food and brewery tours. The next edition is coming up this weekend on May 4 and 5, 2024. Check out the official website here .

What is Toer de Geuze?

The very first Toer de Geuze took place in 1997. It is a so-called open door event, now held every 2 years, where the HORAL members open their breweries to the public for two days. It’s free and no tickets are needed. People can stop by to visit and try a selection of the brewery’s beers. If you don’t want to drive or bicycle, a special bus service connects the different breweries. There are 10 bus routes to choose from (a ticket is required) and they visit 4 breweries during the course of about 8 hours, from pick-up at 10:30 am to drop-off at about 7:30 pm.

Since 2009 a unique Megablend is created for every Toer de Geuze edition with lambic beer from all members, which you can usually taste or buy at one of the breweries or at the Lambic visitor’s center. For the 2022 edition 29.300 bottles were produced. I am so curious to try the 2024 version!

Participating breweries are: Boon | Lindemans | Den Herberg | Oud Beersel | Mort Subite | Lambiek Fabriek | De Troch | Timmermans | Gueuzerie Tilquin | De Cam | Hanssens | Kestemont | Eylenbosch.

What makes Lambic beer special?

Lambic is a beer made with at least 30% unmalted wheat and by spontaneous fermentation, meaning that the brewer does not pitch yeast into the wort. The wild yeast and bacteria come from the air and environment. Dirk Lindemans explains that “the microflora in the air depends on the type of soil, microclimate and vegetation. These wild yeasts are everywhere, but in Pajottenland and the Senne Valley the ratios and concentrations are completely different, producing that specific Lambic taste.” Because these wild yeasts mustn’t be too abundant, Lambic is brewed only in the colder months of the year, making it one of the few remaining truly seasonal beers. The wort is cooled overnight in open shallow tanks (coolships) allowing the wild yeasts and bacteria to submerge themself. It is also common to use ‘old’ hops for preservation purposes, which is why these beers rarely have any hop flavors or aromas. It is thought that this beer style dates back to at least the Middle Ages (if not before), though verified written accounts don’t describe it specifically until later, for example the Ordonnance of 1560. A copy is proudly hanging on a wall at Oud Beersel.

Lambic is aged in oak or chestnut barrels for a period of one up to three years resulting in a flat beer, because the carbon dioxide has escaped through the wood. The barrels used for maturation come in different sizes, the largest of these are ‘foeders’ and can hold up to 10.000 liters. When bottling different blends of Lambic based on the méthode champenoise, it further ferments in the bottle resulting in a sparkling version called Geuze , which is always a blend of young (1 yr) and older Lambics (2 and 3 yrs). Since 1997, Lambic, Geuze, Oude Geuze, Kriek (with cherries) are protected names under European law, which distinguishes lambic and geuze beers according to the raw materials used and the traditional brewing process.

The name ‘Lambic’

The name Lambic first appears in documents in the 18th century and is likely a corruption of the Belgian word ‘allambique’ from French alambic, meaning distilling vessel. According to beer writer and historian Jef van der Steen it was common in that time for businesses to both brew beers and distill spirits. He suspects that the French occupier confused the term. Another theory is that the word is a distortion of the place name ‘Lembeek’ where several breweries were located in that time period.

More information

Here are some recent Spotify podcasts to get you in the mood for the coming Toer de Geuze weekend!

• Belachelijk Lekker: Interview with Jo Paneels (Lambiek Fabriek)
• Belachelijk Lekker: Interview met Karel Boon (Brouwerij Boon)
• Bierschrijver Spreekt! Interview met Gert Christiaens (Oud Beersel)
• The Belgian Smaak: Lambic Roundtable

All photos taken by and copyright of Tina Rogers.

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Toer De Geuze

When is it? April/May

Where is it? Belgium

What beer? Lambic, gueuze, kriek

How long is it? 2 Days

Run once every two years by HORAL (the lambic brewer’s council) the Toer de Geuze is a rare opportunity to see into the true heart of lambic land.

During the Toer almost every producer in the Pajottenland open their doors and allow visitors to tour their breweries and blenderies. Many do not allow visitors at all, and some will only allow pre-booked large tour groups. Producers will typically release special variants and blends during this time, and all of the participants come together to produce a ‘Megablend’ comprised of lambics from each brewery.

The HORAL organisation lay on bus tours taking in 4 producers per day, with ample time for any purchases. Alternatively, if you’re feeling adventurous it is possible to cycle the entire Toer, in true Belgian fashion. There is no charge to visit any of the breweries.

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Get to know the world’s most unique beer at Toer de Geuze

You know that Belgium makes the best beer in the world, but did you know that there is a kind of beer that can only be made in Belgium? In fact, it can only be made in the Zenne river valley.

That beer is lambic, and it is being celebrated this weekend during the Toer de Geuze . The Pajottenland region of Flemish Brabant is home to the most lambic brewers, and a normal edition of the Toer de Geuze sees them opening their doors for tours, tastings and special activities.

The biennial event takes place during the first weekend of May, but measures to control the spread of the coronavirus mean that it will be held online this time. Live sessions with brewers and sommeliers will teach you all about lambic – and geuze and kriek.

But what’s the difference between these beers and what makes them unique to Flemish Brabant? Simply put, geuze and kriek are derived from lambic, and lambic –known as lambiek in Dutch – can only be made in the Zenne river valley.

While most beers are fermented in those giant vats that are synonymous with breweries, lambic is fermented in the open air. Open flat vats (called coolships) contain the mixture of barley malt and wheat known as wort. Windows are left open so the wort is exposed to the open air.

Then, rather than yeast being added by the brewer as with others beers, wild yeasts and bacteria fall into the coolship on their own. Known as spontaneous fermentation, it is a process that literally relies on nature to work. The naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria in the Zenne river valley mixes with the wort, creating the brew called lambic.

This fermentation also relies on cold temperatures, which produces the right ratio of yeast and bacteria. If it’s too warm, harmful bacteria will ruin the wort. So lambic wort can only be exposed to open air when the temperature is between 0 and 10°C. This limits the brewing period, which is from late autumn to early spring.

Because nowhere else in the world has this precise mixture of organisms at the right temperature, nowhere else can produce the same beer. The name “lambic” is protected under Belgian and European law.

While the upcoming Toer de Geuze is digital, you can still head to the breweries and bars of Pajottenland later when terraces open. You can order a lambic as is, but some beer lovers prefer kriek, made when lambic is fermented with sour cherries.

Still others order a glass of geuze, a blend of young lambic (less than one year old) and old lambic (two or three years old). Bottled together, the sugars of the young lambic interact with the old lambic, re-fermenting the brew and creating geuze.

While some brewers make both lambic and geuze, there are businesses that make geuze alone. They are known as blenders rather than brewers. But they are no less masterful in their craft, mixing lambics from different brewers to create an endless variety of unique tastes.

Lambic-based beers are not like any other; they are sour in a way that often surprises people new to the tipple. While some larger breweries sweeten their kriek beers with cherry-flavoured syrup, real kriek does not contain artificial sweeteners.

The weekend Toer de Geuze programme includes many talks with brewers from lambic and geuze breweries and blenderies, including Mort Subite, Boon and Oud Beersel. There are also food-pairing sessions to learn just what to serve with these very special beers. The website’s helpful map shows you were to find the breweries and blenderies.

Pajottenland is gorgeous in the spring and summer, its valleys and hills verdant, its farmland vast. The Flemish Brabant tourist office helps you discover it with a special Lambiek-Geuze Bicycle Route , which starts at De Lambiek visitor centre (currently closed) and passes by no fewer than four breweries and blenderies as well as the picturesque Hallerbos forest.

Photo top ©Courtesy Visit Flanders

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Events, Festivals and Exhibitions

Toer de Geuze 2024 Belgium Beer Festival

4 May - 5 May

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If your idea of a great weekend is to jump on a bus – or bike – and go on a tour of some of the best breweries in Belgium then the Toer de Geuze is right for you.

What Is the Toer de Geuze?

The Toer de Geuze is more like an open house than a beer festival, but instead of visiting museums and stately homes, you pop into breweries and sample their best tipples. The breweries are free to enter. You don’t even need to book an appointment, although organisers HORAL (High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers) do provide a bus to take you around the breweries, which specialise in lambic and geuze beers.

History of the Toer de Geuze

The first tour was in 1997, and involved four breweries and two blenderies. Since then it has been held each two years with the 2024 event being the 15th tour.

Toer de Geuze 2024 Breweries

In 2024, 13 breweries and blenderies will be opening their doors. These are: Boon; De Cam; De Troch; Den Herberg; Eylenbosch; Hanssens; Kestemont; Lambiek Fabriek; Lindemans; Mort Subite; Oud Beersel; Tilquin; and Timmermans.

When Is It?

The Belgium beer festival will be on Saturday 4 May (11am to 7pm) and Sunday 5 May (10am to 5pm).

Where Is It?

Addresses for the breweries can be found here .

How to Get About

If you wish to take the bus, departures are from Halle and Denderleeuw train stations. Details of the bus schedule are here . But you can drive yourself or take a bike. But please do so carefully. The bus is free but you have to book a seat in advance.

HORAL Megablend 2024

To commemorate the 15th anniversary, all HORAL’s members have collaborated to produce 34,800 bottles of a HORAL Megablend. If you can not make it to the festival then you can always order a box of 12 via [email protected] .

All images provided by Visit Flanders , © Toerisme Vlaams Brabant.

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Before setting up Travel Begins at 40, Mark was the publisher of AsiaLIFE Cambodia and a freelance travel writer. When he is not packing and unpacking his travelling bag, Mark writes novels, including To Cook A Spider and Peppered Justice. He loves walking, eating, tasting beer, isolation and arthouse movies, as well as talking to strangers on planes, buses and trains whenever possible. Most at home when not at home.

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NBC Sports airs every stage of the 110th Tour de France, including live daily start-to-finish coverage on Peacock .

Additional encores of each stage air on USA at 2 a.m. ET most days. All NBC and USA Network coverage also streams on NBCSports.com/live and the NBC Sports app. Complete broadcast information is here .

Peacock will also air daily live pre-race shows setting up each stage.

The Tour began July 1 with the Grand Départ in Spain before crossing into France on the third stage.

The Tour covers France’s five biggest mountain ranges, including eight mountain stages and four summit finishes.

The Tour will not have a time trial on the penultimate day as it did the last three years. Instead, the 20th stage, usually the last competitive stage for the yellow jersey, includes five significant climbs.

This is the first Tour since 2009 to include the last three men to win a Tour. That’s Dane Jonas Vingegaard, who went from a fish-packing facility worker years ago to the top of pro cycling in 2022; Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, who in 2020 became at 21 the second-youngest winner in race history, then repeated in 2021, and Colombian Egan Bernal, who in 2019 became the first South American to win the Tour.

Mark Cavendish, a 38-year-old Brit aiming to break his tie for the career Tour de France stage wins record of 34, crashed out in the eighth stage of his final Tour.

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The Winners and Not-Quite-Winners of the 2023 Tour de France

The men’s Tour this year was one to remember for some—for others, not so much.

“Winner, winner Poulet de Bresse dinner!”

Jonas Vingegaard

The defending champion, Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard entered the 2023 Tour de France as the top favorite, but we wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d lost the race to Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar, who won back-to-back Tours in 2020 and 2021. And after the Dane lost almost all of his early advantage over Pogačar at the end of Stages 6 and 9 we wondered if our suspicions might come true.

But Vingegaard trusted the process , commenting several times during the first half of the Tour that the race would be decided in the Alps. And boy was he right! His win on Stage 16’s time trial was maybe the most dominant time trial victory we’ve seen in decades, and the way he and his team systematically ground down Pogačar on the Col de la Loze on Stage 17 is the stuff of legend.

And yes, he’s not the most swashbuckling rider in the peloton, but he is the most calculatingly cool, traits that certainly helped him this year. If last year’s victory proved that his runner-up finish in 2021 was no fluke, then this year’s established him as the best grand tour rider in the sport. Up next: the Tour of Spain , where he’ll join Tour of Italy champion Primož Roglič in trying to win all three of this season’s grand tours for Jumbo-Visma.

Tadej Pogačar

Even when he doesn’t win, Pogačar finds a way to come out on top. Yes, he “lost” the Tour–which says a lot about how high he’s set the bar given the fact that he won two stages, the white jersey, and finished second overall. But that’s quite an achievement considering he came to the race underprepared after crashing in April’s Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

And remember: Pogačar came into the Tour having already won Paris-Nice, the Tour of Flanders, the Amstel Gold Race, and Fleche Wallonne. That’s an incredible season in itself, one that we haven’t seen since the days when riders raced every race on the calendar–and raced them to win. He’s a true throwback and easily the sport’s most all-round talented–and exciting rider–so we can forgive him for “only” finishing second.

But more importantly, Pogačar never let his bad days get the best of him, maintaining his joie de vivre even after experiencing what will likely be his worst ever day on a bike (Stage 17). His win on Stage 20 completed his transformation and perhaps sent an important message to Vingegaard ahead of whenever their rivalry will be renewed.

He hasn’t yet revealed what’s next on his program, but we’re hoping it’s the World Championships in Glasgow and then the Tour of Spain, two events he has yet to win and races that–if he gets them–will make an already legendary season even more incredible.

And while we’re on the topic: let’s give a shout-out to Pog’s teammate, Adam Yates. The Briton won Stage 1, took the Tour’s first yellow jersey, then rode his heart out for Pogačar and still finished third overall (one spot ahead of his twin brother, Simon). Wow.

Bahrain Victorious

Just weeks after the team tragically lost Switzerland’s Gino Mäder due to a crash in the Tour de Suisse, Bahrain Victorious lived up to its name, winning three stages at the Tour with three different riders (Pello Bilbao, Woet Poels, and Matej Mohorič)–all in spectacular fashion on three of the Tour’s most intense and explosive stages (Stages 10, 15, and 19).

Even better: Bilbao rode his breakaway stage win–which shot him up the Tour’s General Classification–to a top-10 GC finish, following one of the most underrated yet consistent GC performances in this year’s Tour.

But the team’s most memorable contribution to this year’s Tour might have come after Mohorič won Stage 19 in a photo finish. His post-race interview is the stuff of legend, one of the most authentic, transparent, thoughtful, and emotional post-race reactions we’ve ever seen. Go ahead and watch it below—we’ll wait.

When Jumbo-Visma switched from Shimano to SRAM components this past off-season, many of us wondered why. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right? Well, the easy answer is that money was the answer–company’s pay big bucks to get their parts on the best teams’ bikes, and the agreement was surely lucrative for Jumbo-Visma.

But a team as calculating and as methodical as Jumbo-Visma doesn’t make such a switch unless it’s done its homework and truly believes there’s something to be gained by making the change. Well, the proof was in the pudding, with Vingegaard riding a trouble-free Tour on his way to bringing home SRAM’s first Tour de France victory since 2010–and the first Tour de France victory to be won on a wireless drivetrain.

Formerly Trek-Segafredo, the squad signed a new title sponsor right before the Tour, rebranding itself as Lidl-Trek thanks to the addition of the German discount supermarket chain. Well, the team immediately rewarded the company’s investment: Denmark’s Mads Pedersen won Stage 8 in Limoges and Italy’s Giulio Ciccone took home the polka dot jersey as the Tour’s King of the Mountains. They also made a splash with some stunning bike paint jobs and a fantastic-looking kit (aside from Ciccone’s polka dot shorts).

The Tour’s Organizers—and Fans

When the route of the 2023 Tour de France was unveiled last autumn, we were excited by the jagged, mountainous route that we knew would benefit opportunistic riding and climbers. Well, the race didn’t disappoint and ASO, the Tour organizers, deserves the credit for putting together a race that offered a little something for everyone. There were few “boring” stages, and even the transitional stages that brought the race from one major GC battleground to another produced exciting racing–just go back and watch the replays of Stages 18 and 19 if you don’t believe us.

Next year’s Tour will be interesting as well: with Paris hosting the Summer Olympics, the Tour can’t conclude in the French capital, so we’ll get three stages in Italy to start the Tour and mountainous final weekend in the hills around Nice–and an individual time trial on the final day–to end it. We won’t know what happens in between until late October, but we already can’t wait to see what the organizers have in store.

“Alright, we’ll call it a draw.”

Jasper Philipsen

Yes, Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen won four stages and the green jersey as the winner of the Tour’s Points Classification, but the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was often criticized for his tactics at times, whether deviating from his line in sprints or blocking riders from going up the road in a breakaway. In the end, the commissaires found no fault with his actions, but in the court of public opinion, he came away with fewer warm fuzzies than his palmares might have deserved.

INEOS Grenadiers

INEOS won back-to-back stages during the Tour’s second weekend–which is better than most of the teams in this year’s Tour. But for a team that dominated the race for so many years, winning the Tour seven times with four different riders between 2012 and 2019, one can’t help but think they wanted to achieve more.

They entered the race with two young GC captains in Spain’s Carlos Rodríguez and Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock–and gave them both the freedom to ride their best races. But Rodríguez, who won Stage 14 in the Alps and looked to have a great chance of finishing third overall, “faded” in the third week and fell to fifth. And Pidcock, who won a stage atop Alpe d’Huez last year, cracked in the Alps and finished 13th–more than 47 minutes behind Vingegaard.

The team remains at a crossroads: Rodríguez is rumored to be leaving this off-season, and Pidcock, despite learning lots of valuable lessons in this year’s Tour, hasn’t shown he’s able to carry the team’s GC hopes all by himself. INEOS might have to look elsewhere for the answer: the team is rumored to be trying to sign Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel away from Soudal Quick-Step, which might be their best chance to make itself a true Tour contender once again.

“Well, there’s always the Vuelta.”

Aside from Victor Lafay’s win on Stage 2, there wasn’t much for the French to celebrate during this year’s Tour. Stage-hunter Julian Alaphilippe tried to win a stage for Soudal-Quick Step, but faded every time there was a stage-winning selection. GC contender David Guadu fell short in trying to equal or better his fourth-place finish last year with Groupama-FDJ (he ended the Tour 9th overall). And Gaudu’s teammate, national hero Thibaut Pinot , failed to win a stage in his final Tour de France (despite making us all dream for a little bit on Stage 20).

And while Cofidis took a second stage victory (Stage 12) after ending its 15-year draught with Lafay’s win on Stage 2–and AG2R won a stage as well (Stage 17)–neither were won by Frenchman (Ion Izaguirre for Cofidis and Felix Gall for AG2R). All in all, it wasn’t a banner year for the French.

EF Education-EasyPost

The American team came to the Tour with a podium contender in Richard Carapaz, a former podium-finisher-turned-super-domestique in Rigoberto Uran, a proven grand tour stage winner in Magnus Cort, and one of the sport’s best up-and-coming all-rounders in Neilson Powless . In short: expectations were high.

Well, things didn’t go as planned: Carapaz crashed on Stage 1 and abandoned the Tour, Uran and Cort were rather anonymous until popping up in a couple of breakways during the third week, and Powless wore the polka dot jersey for 12 days but (in our humble opinion) should’ve focused his energy on winning a stage instead. The team maintained its fighting spirit throughout all three weeks, but they had to be disappointed with how things went in the end. Look for Carapaz to try and bounce back at the Tour of Spain, a race in which he finished second overall in 2020.

Spain’s only WorldTour squad lost its GC leader, Enric Mas, in the same crash that ended the Tour for Carapaz. The team pivoted to hunting for stage wins instead, but never seemed to recover from American Matteo Jorgenson’s heartbreaking near-miss on the Puy de Dôme at the end of Stage 9. (He would later abandon the Tour after injuring his hamstring in a crash on Stage 15.) Overall, the team finished the race with just four riders and only one team–DSM-firmenich–earned less prize money in this year’s Tour.

There’s some good news, though: Mas, a three-time runner-up at the Tour of Spain, should be back at the Spanish grand tour, and the team is said to be signing Rodríguez away from INEOS. So more help is on the way.

Peter Sagan

Slovakia’s Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies), who holds the record for the most green jerseys in Tour history with seven, was racing his final Tour de France this year–but we forgive you if you didn’t realize that given the fact that his best result was eighth place on Stage 11 in Moulins.

Sagan deserves credit for the current style of racing, one that favors aggression and versatility. Seemingly unstoppable in his prime, the competition often had no answer to him. Before there was Wout van Aert, there was Peter Sagan.

The 33-year-old deserved a better send-off, but as Pinot showed when he went on the attack at the end of Stage 20 in the Vosges, there are indeed no gifts at the Tour. Sagan wanted more from his last one, then he needed to do it himself. Now he heads off to race his mountain bike, with the goal of competing at next summer’s Olympics. We’ll be rooting for him if he does, and wishing him peace and happiness as he transitions into life after professional cycling.

Since getting hooked on pro cycling while watching Lance Armstrong win the 1993 U.S. Pro Championship in Philadelphia, longtime Bicycling contributor Whit Yost has raced on Belgian cobbles, helped build a European pro team, and piloted that team from Malaysia to Mont Ventoux as an assistant director sportif. These days, he lives with his wife and son in Pennsylvania, spending his days serving as an assistant middle school principal and his nights playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Tour de France standings, results after Ecuador's Richard Carapaz wins Stage 17

Richard Carapaz of EF Education-EasyPost crossed the finish line alone in Superdévoluy to win Stage 17 of the 2024 Tour de France on Wednesday. 

The victory was Carapaz’s first career Tour de France stage win. The 31-year-old has now completed the coveted career Grand Tour triple with six previous stage wins at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. 

"This victory means everything!" Carapaz said. "I’ve been trying to get it since the start of the Tour."

Carapaz made history as the first Ecuadorian man to win a Tour stage.

"I'm proud to be here and represent all of America in the best possible way," Carapaz said.

Approaching the foot of the Alps, a four-man breakaway of Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and Bob Jungels (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) made the first decisive move approximately 35 miles into the race. Unable to join the first group, Carapaz, alongside Wednesday’s runner-up Simon Yates of Jayco AlUla, led a second 48-rider breakout group in hot pursuit. As the race entered the Alps, Carapaz’s strength on the climbs proved too much to handle and the Ecuadorian reached the finish 37 seconds ahead of Yates. 

"It was a very difficult day, with a lot of attacks, but in the end, a large group formed, I was able to come out at the right time and I managed to get this result which I will remember forever,” Carapaz said. "I really made the most of the moment."

The leading general classification trio of Tadej Pogačar , Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard and Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel continuously tested e ach other on the final summit climbs, with Evenepoel prevailing and gaining 10 seconds on Pogačar and 12 on Vingegaard . The general classification leaderboard remains unchanged, though, as Pogačar retains the yellow jersey with a three-minute-and-11-second lead over second-place Vingegaard. 

Evenepoel said his attention was focused on maintaining his position in the general classification standings rather than gaining ground on the pair ahead of him. The Belgian 24-year-old has already established a clear eight-minute-and-21-second lead in the white jersey standings, awarded to the best young rider.  

"I took back 10 seconds from Tadej and Jonas, but that wasn’t the goal,” Evenepoel said after Stage 17. “I remain focused on my place on the podium. I'm good where I am, but it allowed me to gain a little time on those behind me."

The battle for the green jersey is also nearing its close with current wearer Biniam Girmay of Eritrea and Intermarché-Wanty gaining one point on second-place Jasper Philipsen . Girmay’s lead of 33 points should be enough to secure the Eritrean’s win with just mountainous, hilly and time-trial stages remaining before the July 21 finale in Nice. 

Girmay, who sustained injuries after crashing at high speed on the approach to yesterday’s finish line, said his knee and elbow, which needed stitches yesterday, were in pain throughout today’s stage. However, Girmay said he is motivated now more than ever to have a strong finish to the Tour.

"You have to show the fighting spirit and if you are mentally strong nothing can stop you,” Girmay said. "I already said to my team yesterday, ‘Don’t worry it’s not yet finished and we’ll give it everything, just fight until Nice.’"

Tour de France Stage 17 results

TOUR DE FRANCE: Recap, results and standings after Stage 16

Tour de France general classification standings after Stage 17

Tour de france jersey standings after stage 17.

• Yellow ( general classification ) : Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates)
• Green ( points classification ):  Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty)
• Polka dot ( mountains classification ):  Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates); worn by Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in second place
• White (young rider classification ):  Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep)
• Yellow numbers ( teams classification) :  UAE Team Emirates
• Golden numbers ( combativity award ):  Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ)

Tour de France Stage 18: How to watch, schedule, distance

Date : Thursday, July 18, 2024

Location : Gap to Barcelonnette (France)

Distance : 111.5 miles (179.5 km)

Type : Hilly stage 

Streaming : Peacock, FuboTV

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Tour de France 2024: How to watch the final stage of the cycling Super Bowl

Today, the 111th Tour de France concludes, with bikers riding from Monaco to Nice. The annual long-distance race has brought together some of the biggest names in cycling, including two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogačar, Primož Roglič, Remco Evenepoel, Juan Ayuso, Carlos Rodríguez, Adam Yates, João Almeida and Matteo Jorgenson. The Tour De France has covered 2,170 miles across 21 days of racing, and it all comes to an end tomorrow, July 21, in Nice. This year's Tour will be the first ever to not finish in Paris (due to the 2024 Olympics).

Want to tune into the final stint of the 2024 Tour de France (AKA the cycling Super Bowl)? Here's everything you need to know about the last day of the cycling event.

How to watch the Tour de France from the US:

Stream the tour de france.

Tour de France dates: June 29 - July 21

Tour de France TV channel: NBC

Tour de France streaming: Peacock

How to watch the 2024 Tour de France without cable:

Starting at $8 a month, a Peacock subscription is the easiest way to stream live sports and events airing on NBC, including this year’s Tour de France! On top of access to the Tour de France, the streaming platform is the home of the 2024 Olympics, and the easiest way to stream most live sports and events airing on NBC. You’ll also get access to thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office . For $14 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.

Is there a free Tour de France livestream?

Don’t want to pay for Peacock to watch the Tour de France? UK-based streaming platform ITVX will have a free livestream of their Tour de France coverage throughout the race. To access this free livestream though, you’ll need a VPN.

To watch ITVX from the US, you’ll need to sign up for a good streaming VPN and choose a UK server. From there, you should be able to watch ITVX totally free from the US.

A VPN (virtual private network) helps protect your data, can mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to a boxing match this weekend without paying the PPV prices, a VPN can help you out. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user .

Stream free Tour de France coverage

ExpressVPN offers “internet without borders,” meaning you can catch free coverage of the 2024 Tour de France without shelling out for Peacock. All you'll need to do is sign up for ExpressVPN, change your server location to the UK and then find free livestream coverage on one of the streaming platforms mentioned above. 

ExpressVPN’s added protection, speed and range of location options make it an excellent choice for first-time VPN users looking to stretch their streaming abilities, plus, it's Endgadget's top pick for the best streaming VPN . New users can save 49% when they sign up for ExpressVPN’s 12-month subscription. Plus, the service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you're nervous about trying a VPN.

How long is the Tour de France?

The 2024 Tour de France will cover 3,492km (2,170 miles) across 21 days of racing.

The Tour de France cycles to a stop on July 21, 2024 in Nice, France. It'll mark the first time in Tour De France history that the ride won't finish in Paris.

How many riders are in the Tour de France?

176 cyclists are riding in the Tour de France this year, making up 22 Tour de France teams.

2024 Tour de France full schedule:

Monaco to Nice, 21 miles (individual time trial) - Coverage begins at 10:10 a.m. ET (Peacock)

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Preview 2024 Olympic time trial – men's category | 2022 or 2023 scenario for Evenepoel?

L ess than a week after the Tour de France, the next big cycling event is already on the menu. The Olympic time trial in Paris. The top favorites have chosen different preparations, whether by choice or necessity, making it interesting to see who will take the prize in Paris. IDLProCycling.com previews the event for you!

The Olympic time trial has been part of the globally renowned Games since 1996 (Atlanta). At that time, the IOC immediately had a big name as the winner with Miguel Indurain, followed by Viatcheslav Ekimov taking gold in Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004). He won the latter after Tyler Hamilton was disqualified.

Fabian Cancellara also won the gold medal twice (2008 and 2016), while Bradley Wiggins took the gold in 2012 in his home country. The most recent winner of the gold was Primoz Roglic, who won at the COVID-affected Tokyo Games. Ahead of Tom Dumoulin, who took silver for the Netherlands, just like in 2016. Who will succeed Roglic, who will not be participating?

Practical information 2024 Olympics time trial men 

• Saturday, July 27, 2024
• Participants
• Classification: Olympics

In this article

• Most recent winners
• Course, weather and times
• TV information

Most recent winners Olympics time trial men

2020 Primoz Roglic

2016 Fabian Cancellara

2012 Bradley Wiggins

2008 Fabian Cancellara

2004 Viatcheslav Ekimov

2000 Viatcheslav Ekimov

2016 Miguel Indurain

Course, weather and times 2024 Olympics time trial men 

While the road race course is fairly hilly, the time trial course is not. A classic flat course: 32.5 kilometers with only 88 meters of elevation gain. Along the way, the riders could enjoy numerous famous spots in the French capital, were it not for the full focus being on the race.

The riders start at the Esplanades des Invalides and then head to the Place de la Bastille. From there, the participants fly to the Jacques Anquetil Velodrome. This is also a well-known spot: here Jan Janssen won the 1968 Tour de France by striking in the final time trial.

From the velodrome, the course goes through the Bois de Vincennes, where they encounter the first checkpoint after 13.4 kilometers, at the Château de Vincennes. After making a loop through the mentioned park, the riders return to the Château, where the second and final checkpoint is located.

From here, there are still ten kilometers to go. The route goes straight through the city, via the Place de la Nation. From there, we once again pass the Place de la Bastille, from where we take the same route as the start (but in reverse direction). The finish is opposite Les Invalides on the Pont Alexandre III. In short: few turns, little elevation, and many straight sections. A course for the power riders.

Continue reading below the photo.

We won't really get true summer weather in Paris on Saturday, as there is a chance of rain throughout the day. More rain in the morning than in the afternoon, and let's hope it stays that way. The temperature will be around 22 degrees Celsius, while the wind will not be too strong, coming from the northwest.

Start: 4:30 PM (first rider)

Finish: 6:40 PM (last rider)

The exact start times of the various riders will be announced later this week.

Favorites 2024 Olympics time trial men

In every aspect, the 2023 World Time Trial Championship in Stirling, Scotland, was the test event for this Olympic time trial. Not only is this where the tickets for Paris were distributed, but there was also a showdown at the highest level. And that was won by Remco Evenepoel, the Belgian who just finished his first Tour de France in third place.

Evenepoel won on the nearly 48-kilometer course, beating INEOS Grenadiers riders Filippo Ganna (Italy, 12 seconds) and Joshua Tarling (Great Britain, 48 seconds), who complete the three top favorites for gold, silver and bronze. So, that's settled.

Just kidding, of course. For Evenepoel, it is also interesting to consider the 2022 World Time Trial Championship, when he went to Australia as the Vuelta winner. Back then, he did not have a great day in the time trial which was surprisingly won by Norwegian Tobias Foss , but Remco did win the road race a week later. Now, he did not have an ideal preparation due to the Tour, unlike Ganna and Tarling, who have been preparing for this one big day for months.

Among the outsiders, we first look at a compatriot of Evenepoel: Wout van Aert . The Visma | Lease a Bike rider had a seriously disrupted time trial preparation due to his crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen and didn't really manage to put himself in the spotlight in the Tour. But then again, van Aert is still van Aert, and you should never count him out for a big race.

The Americans and Swiss are also ready to step in if one of the top favorites has an off day. When it comes to the stars & stripes, top time trialists Brandon McNulty and Magnus Sheffield are competing, both of whom can come very close to victory on a good day. The same applies to regular time trial competitor Stefan Küng and also Stefan Bissegger, although the latter is having a somewhat lesser year.

The Anglo-Saxon countries are well represented, as Luke Plapp (Australia) and Derek Gee (Canada) are also aiming for top five/ten finishes. Mikkel Bjerg, Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark), Mathias Vacek (Czech Republic), Max Schachmann (Germany), Kévin Vauquelin (France), Alberto Bettiol (Italy) and Daan Hoole (Netherlands) will be satisfied with an Olympic diploma.

Who are the favorites for 2024 Olympics time trial men, according to IDLProCycling.com ?

Top favorite: Joshua Tarling (Great Britain) and Remco Evenepoel (Belgium)

Outsiders: Filippo Ganna (Italy), Magnus Sheffield (United States) and Stefan Küng (Switzerland)

Long shots : Wout van Aert (Belgium), Brandon McNulty (United States), Ethan Hayter (Great Britain), Tobias Foss (Norway), Luke Plapp (Australia) and Derek Gee (Canada)

TV 2024 Olympics time trial men

Saturday's Olympic time trial will, of course, be broadcast through a variety of ways, in conjunction with the women's time trial (which will precede the men's). The NOS (NPO 1 and online), Sporza (VRT 1 and online) and Eurosport (main channel, as well as HBO Max and Discovery+) will all pay due attention to the men's time trial, from the start at 4:30 PM until after the finish at around 7 PM.

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