Cyclist
5 things to expect from the Tour of Britain 2024
The Tour of Britain returns for six days of racing across Britain from Tuesday 3rd September until Sunday 8th September. The route spans from Kelso down to Felixstowe, covering 946.5km over the week of racing.
Four WorldTour teams will line up in the Scottish Borders for the start of this year’s race: Ineos Grenadiers, Soudal-QuickStep, DSM-Firmenich-PostNL and Bahrain Victorious. They will be joined by an array of teams from the UK and beyond, including Israel-Premier Tech, Uno X Mobility and both Lidl-Trek and Groupama-FDJ’s youth teams.
As the race gets underway in Kelso, we’re going to pull the curtain back and let you know what to expect, and what storylines you should be following at the 2024 Tour of Britain.
All eyes on Evenepoel
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Remco Evenepoel doubled up in Paris with gold medals in the Olympic road race and time-trial. After a hero’s return to Belgium, Evenepoel returns to tracing at the Tour of Britain. The white jersey winner at this year’s Tour is making his debut at the British race and starts as the man to beat.
It’s understandable. He’s a former Grand Tour winner, a Monument champion and a double gold medallist. And with teammate Julian Alaphilippe beside him, Soudal-QuickStep start the Tour of Britain as the team to watch.
Stages 2 and 3 will give Evenepoel a chance to gain time in the hunt for the race leader’s teal-coloured jersey. The inclines on the North Yorkshire coast, such as Lythe Bank and Saltburn Bank, could provide Evenepoel with a launch pad to break free and pull off one of his characteristic long-range moves. With few WorldTour opponents here, it will be hard to bring Evenepoel back. If Stage 2 doesn’t go his way, Stage 3 provides another chance on the hilly run into Barnsley that is punctuated by an undulating final 20km.
Evenepoel has already unveiled his brand new golden jersey and bike at the start line in Kelso. That gold bike is sure to keep everyone’s eyes on him, and some of the first photos of him on the gilded machine were captured outside a Greggs in Kelso. That certainly wasn’t on our bingo cards.
Pidcock with something to prove
Tom Pidcock has never won a senior road race in the UK (though he did as a junior). This might come as a surprise given that he is seen as British cycling’s current golden boy. He’ll therefore have something to prove at the 2024 Tour of Britain.
Stages 2 and 3 pass through his home county of Yorkshire, and could be a solid chance for the Ineos rider to get away, particularly Stage 3’s tricky approach into Barnsley. He’s got a decent sprint on him so the uphill drag up Barnsley’s Old Mill Lane could suit his characteristics. Elsewhere, Pidcock will try to rely on his spring and kick to get away on these sharp climbs and hope to get the better of Soudal’s Evenepoel and Alaphilippe double act and other puncheurs such as Stevie Williams and Pello Bilbao.
After competing in the Tour of Britain over the past two years, Pidcock is still to win a stage. His Ineos team also have something to prove as they haven’t won their home race in a decade. Rumours have been circulating about Pidcock’s future at the team and this all comes after a whirlwind summer at the Olympic Games. The pressure is on, will Pidcock deliver?
An open sprinter’s book
It’s good news for both the sprinters and spectators at the Tour of Britain. The startlist may be missing an A-list sprinting name, but that just means proceedings should be completely anarchical and open. The field is full of young chancers who are yet to win a Tour of Britain stage in their career, so competition should be fierce.
Among the fast men who are at the race, Casper van Uden of DSM-Firmenich-PostNL and Ethan Vernon of Israel-Premier Tech stand out as riders to watch. However, they are closely chased down by the exciting young talents of Paul Magnier and Matevž Govekar and more unknown wildcards such as Scott McGill and Emmanuel Morin. We might have a close fight for the points jersey on our hands with such an open sprinting field.
Half of the stages in this year’s race are expected to come down to a sprint, with three pure flat stages finishing in Northampton (Stage 4), Newark-on-Trent (Stage 5) and Felixstowe (Stage 6). These days could be hectic, so expect the unexpected and don’t be surprised if we see a new talent break through the ranks here.
A chaotic sprint into Felixstowe
Stage 6 from Lowestoft to Felixstowe will round out the week of racing at the 2024 Tour of Britain. The profile might offer the least amount of vertical metres in this year’s parcours, however the race could end up being one of the more chaotic days of this year’s Tour.
Bonus seconds sprints throughout the final stage could prove influential in the final fight for the overall classification. It’ll also be a last-chance saloon to create real time gaps on the road, as the windy and exposed Suffolk coastline could cause some chaos in the peloton thanks to the threat of crosswinds. Rain is also forecasted for the weekend, which could make things even more interesting.
Last year, Wout van Aert managed to break free in the argy-bargy finale through Felixstowe. This year, the approach is the same and maybe someone will try and emulate Van Aert with their own last-chance burst for glory. For the Belgian, that move made the difference between first and second place in the overall standings, and we could be in for an equally thrilling finale this year if the GC standings are close.
A step up for young British riders
We’re spoiled for choice when it comes to homegrown riders at the Tour of Britain. This year, there are some notable riders knocking on the door of a big result. On home roads and familiar land, the 2024 Tour of Britain is the perfect place for young British stars to hunt out a headline result, particularly if they’re in the hunt for a new contract.
Max Walker, riding for the GB national team, should be a man to watch throughout the race. He’s a strong time-triallist with a good kick who recently finished in third place at the National Road Championships while wearing the jersey of his Astana Qazastan team. Bob Donaldson has just signed for Jayco-AlUla, but he could leave Trinity Racing with a bang if he breaks the top five on a stage at the Tour of Britain.
From the breakaway, expect young British talents to jump away in a bid to capture the mountains jersey. Scotland’s Callum Thornley riding for Trinity Racing and Sabgal’s Oliver Rees are two names to take note of for the breakaways this week.
To know more about the route, riders and where to watch, read our full Tour of Britain preview here
The post 5 things to expect from the Tour of Britain 2024 appeared first on Cyclist.