The Souvenir Henri Desgrange is a prize awarded to the rider who crosses the Col du Galibier first in each edition of the Tour de France. It honours Tour de France founder Henri Desgrange, who died in 1940.
If the Tour de France route doesn't include the Galibier, the prize is given to the first rider to cross the highest summit of the race, similar to the Cima Coppi awarded during each year at the Giro d'Italia.
There is a second prize, the Souvenir Jacques-Goddet, which is awarded for the first rider to cross the Col du Tourmalet each year. If this climb is the highest point of the Tour de France edition, the Souvenir Henri Desgrange is awarded at the second-highest peak.
If the Col du Tourmalet isn't used in the Tour, the prize may not be awarded, though it was given on two occasions atop other climbs - on the Col d'Aubisque in 2002 and Port de Pailhères in 2007.
The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was first awarded when the event resumed post-WWII in 1947.
Initially a seemingly randomly designated point on a given stage – outside Desgrange's house, halfway up a medium mountain – it was in 1950 that the high mountains became its natural habitat. And the peaks of the Alps and Pyrenees have predominantly, though not exclusively, been where the prize is awarded.
A monument to Henri Desgrange was built on the Tour's iconic Col du Tourmalet, one of the man's favourite ascents, in 1949, where a wreath is laid on years when the race passes.
The 2023 winner of the €5,000 prize was Austrian Felix Gall (AG2R-Citröen) at the summit of the Col de la Loze en route to the biggest win of his career in Courchevel, finishing solo ahead of Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla).
Tying on three wins apiece for the award are Richard Virenque and Nairo Quintana, so with the Colombian out of the running with a fractured hand sustained at the Tour de Suisse, that record will remain intact for this year at least.
Talking of Colombians, Quintana's compatriots have good form in the Souvenir Henri Desgrange, with 10 wins making the nation of climbing greats third in the list of countries who have taken the prize over its 76-year history. France leads the way (17), followed by Spain (14).
The highest point thus far where the prize was awarded came in 2019 on the Col de l'Iseran, the highest paved road in the Alps at 2,764m. Another Colombian, Egan Bernal (Team Ineos) took the honours that year, along with the yellow jersey in Paris.
And the lowest point? Outside Desgrange's old house in the village of Grimaud in the Var department. Much as he loved the mountains and led the way in taking Grand Tours into previously uncharted racing terrain, the founder lived at a paltry five metres above sea level.
Cime de la Bonette is the designated Souvenir location for 2024. Standing at an eye-watering 2,715m, the Bonette is the second of three huge mountains included on stage 19, concluding in Isola.
If the yellow jersey is still up for grabs by this point in the race, we could be in for a real treat. And the amuse bouche of the Souvenir Henri Desgrange could well be a springboard for whoever is capable of making a bold move before the finish in Nice.
