When the 2024 Tour de France announced it would not be finishing at the Champs-Elysees for the first time in its 121-year history, a tradition was broken. Not without good reason - Paris is gearing up to welcome the world with the start of the Olympics this week.

The Tour finished on Sunday and as riders platooned their way from Monaco to Nice for the last Stage, accompanied by a diverse crowd of enthusiasts cheering on their heroes, it was clear that change is good. This wasn’t the only thing that was different this year.

For the first time in its history, the 2024 Tour de France ushered a new era of electric vehicles (EV) as in-race support cars for the entirety of the “big loop”, including our very own Cadillac LYRIQ. We were thrilled to provide electric-powered support to the EF Pro Cycling team every push of the way.

The Tour is the ultimate test of human potential and endurance and here are some of our key highlights from helping it go electric from start to finish for the first time.

The LYRIQ traversed nearly 3,500 km, through all types of terrain - from urban jungles to steep mountains and windy coastlines. It was designed to be driven on any type of road, with rigorous testing not just on tracks but on all types of terrain.

We even used virtual simulations to test how the car would take on sharp curves and steep slopes on certain parts of the Tour route while carrying multiple bikes on the bike rack. It passed every simulation and conquered the route alongside the EF Pro Cycling team.

With a maximum cargo capacity of 1751 Liters, LYRIQ’s spaciousness was what the EF Pro Cycling team needed to move critical equipment to support the team through every stage.

Powered by our unique battery platform, the LYRIQ has an impressive range of 530 km on a full charge and 528 hp.

Rigorous testing was also done on the battery to ensure we maintain the range in all kinds of conditions, whilst our energy recovery system means any heat produced by the battery whilst on the move is recycled back into electric energy to power the LYRIQ for even longer.

Importantly, we were not short on options of charging points as they were found across every terrain at every Stage – from the Plateau de Beille in the Pyrenees mountains to Barcelonnette in the slopping hills.

We saw the LYRIQ’s performance come to life at key moments of the Tour, such as during the descent down Cime De La Bonette in Stage 19 – which moved EF Pro Cycling’s Richard Carapaz closer towards being crowned King of the Mountains.

Thanks to our Regenerative Braking System (which converts kinetic energy from the car’s motion to electricity for the battery), we estimated that as the LYRIQ made its way down the mountain pass in the French Alps using Regen on Demand, it would have increased its state of charge by about 9%, ultimately increasing its range by approximately 40-47 km.

Even more, during the Stage 3, which is the longest ride, the LYRIQ covered 230 kms in less than half its total range!

The Tour is the most demanding course we’ve put the LYRIQ through to date – testing its limits in the real world on all types of roads.

We saw its sleek design, innovative technology, and performance shine throughout, loudly demonstrating that EVs can be the right choice for any type of journey.

It supported the EF Pro Cycling team through every hairpin turn, hurdle and high – when Richard Carapaz won the yellow jersey at Stage 3, and the polka jersey at Stage 19 and 20. The whole team gave it their all and it was a privilege to be able to support them every step of the way.

The 2024 race was unlike any other. Whilst some change was temporary (the Tour will be returning to the Champs-Elysees in 2025), this is only the beginning of electrifying future Tours.

We’ll be back with the EF Pro Cycling team at the Femme Tour de France next month and we can’t wait to see what new electrifying milestones we hit.