The High Riders Put together: There are 4 weeks to go earlier than the beginning of the behemoth that’s the largest bike race on the calendar: the Tour de France. The highest favourites at the moment are both on an altitude coaching camp or racing within the Criterium du Dauphiné. We have a look at the plans of the highest riders with 24 days to go.
Dauphiné and altitude earlier than the Tour for the Belgian
Remco Evenepoel
The final weeks to the Tour begin for Remco Evenepoel contains the Critérium du Dauphiné the place he’s on stage 4 immediately (Wednesday). The Soudal-Fast-Step chief says he nonetheless has some work to do and is taking the French race ‘day-by-day’. He’s returns to competitors after his crash within the Itzulia Basque Nation, the place he suffered a number of fractures. “That is extra of a race to achieve some race rhythm,” the World time trial champion stated cautiously. He stated he isn’t within the total. The Belgian spent three weeks on an altitude coaching camp within the Sierra Nevada in Might. He went to the Spanish mountains together with his climbing right-hand man, Mikel Landa and Ilan Van Wilder. All three are driving the Critérium du Dauphiné after which will go on one other camp at altitude. After that, he might miss out the Belgian time trial championship, however will defend his highway title. That shall be his the final race earlier than the Tour.
Schedule:
Criterium du Dauphiné
Altitude coaching camp
Belgian highway championship
Tour de France.
Pink and yellow for Pogačar?
Tadej Pogačar
For Tadej Pogačar, the preparation for La Grande Boucle has solely simply began. The 25-year-old Slovenian has had every week off after dominating the Giro d’Italia and is taking a unique path to this yr’s French Grand Tour. We’ll quickly discover out if this plan fits him. Through the Giro, the UAE Crew Emirates Tour squad have been on an altitude coaching camp within the Sierra Nevada. They then cut up between the Critérium du Dauphiné with Juan Ayuso and the Tour of Switzerland with João Almeida. Adam Yates, third in final yr’s Tour, was additionally on the coaching camp, however his calendar empty in June. Pogačar shall be at altitude in Isola 2000 for 3 weeks. He’ll observe the Mathieu van der Poel path to the Tour: Solely coaching at altitude after which go straight to the Tour.
Giro winner, Tadej Pogačar, has been in Isola 2000 for an altitude coaching camp since Tuesday. Earlier than touring to the ski resort within the French Alps, he was a visitor on the Geraint Thomas Biking Membership Podcast, hosted by Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe. Pogačar will shall be backed up by Adam Yates, Juan Ayuso, Joao Almeida, Marc Soler, Pavel Sivakov, Tim Wellens and Nils Politt within the Tour. “Yates is my proper hand, Ayuso and Almeida shall be like tremendous domestiques within the mountains,” stated Pogačar. “Soler and Sivakov are the massive males for the mountains, who may also do one thing on the flat. After which you have got Wellens and Politt. It additionally scares me a bit!”
Pogačar doesn’t need to lose three years ina row
Pogačar misplaced to Jonas Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023, however the Dane remains to be a doubt for the Tour de France after his crash within the Itzulia Basque Nation, however he’s getting ready for the Tour. Will he be prepared on time? “I feel so,” stated Pogačar. “He was in a position to journey once more fairly shortly after leaving the hospital. If he’s comfy on the bike once more, I feel he can begin in good condition. He has to achieve his race weight, however I don’t assume that may be a drawback.” Pogacar additionally has Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglič to look at within the Tour. “Evenepoel will fly. He may even be very motivated, similar to Roglič. It appears to be like like they are going to be greater than 100% prepared for the beginning of the Tour this yr.”
The Tour begins in Italy this yr, with a troublesome opening stage to Rimini. Will Pogačar go from the gun? “It’s a tricky begin, however I haven’t actually thought of it but. We have been very aggressive in Bilbao final yr, however we might have had a little bit of a boomerang in return. The form wasn’t nice then both. We have now to assume once more about what we’re going to do. The primary day is 210 kilometres with 4 consecutive climbs, and on day two we’ve got San Luca from the Giro dell’Emilia. After that, the Galibier is in stage 4. That’s a pleasant stage. Do I need to take revenge there for the 2022 Tour? That will be good, however the end line is beneath. The tip of the Tour can also be very powerful. It’s brutal.”
“Evenepoel will primarily need to make his transfer to start with,” Pogačar thinks. “However Roglič will first simply have a look at it after which fly within the final days. It’s good to lastly see Remco within the Tour. When he grew to become World champion, I believed: ‘fuck, you need to do the Tour’. However he didn’t do it.”
Schedule:
Altitude coaching camp in Isola 2000
Tour de France.
A crash for Roglič on stage 3 of the Dauphiné
Primož Roglič
Since that crash within the Itzulia Basque Nation initially of April, we’ve got not seen something of Primož Roglič. The 34-year-old Slovenian wasn’t as injured as the opposite Tour high favourites and we should assume that he’s on schedule for the Tour de France. He was additionally coaching within the Sierra Nevada final month. In Spain, Roglič rode to the highest of Pico Veleta, the best paved highway in Europe. We must always see how his type is within the Critérium du Dauphiné. Up to now it’s wanting good, he took second place on stage 2 behind Magnus Cort. “Everyone seems to be so match right here and there was just one who obtained to the road sooner,” he’s greater than glad together with his personal degree of type. “I’m nonetheless a bit upset that I couldn’t end it.” (Crimson Bull) BORA-hansgrohe may have Jai Hindley and Aleksandr Vlasov within the Tour line up, however Vlasov was disappointment after the staff introduced Roglič’s sole management within the Tour. After the Dauphiné, the Slovenian shall be at altitude in Tignes.
Schedule:
Criterium du Dauphiné
Excessive altitude Tignes
Tour de France.
Vingegaard was in high type earlier than the Itzulia crash
Jonas Vingegaard
From Sunday, a part of the supposed Visma | Lease a Bike Tour staff shall be in Tignes for a three-week coaching camp. Jonas Vingegaard arrived a number of days earlier to get his physique used to the altitude. Within the Itzulia Basque Nation crash, the double Tour winner broke a number of ribs, his collarbone, suffered a perforated lung and was saved in hospital for a very long time. So we’ve got to surprise if Vingegaard has sufficient time to recuperate and get into Tour form. A part of his Visma | Lease a Bike Tour squad are racing within the Critérium du Dauphiné, together with potential staff chief, Sepp Kuss, as are Dylan van Baarle, Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson and Steven Kruijswijk. After the French stage race, they may even go to Tignes after which we should always know whether or not Vingegaard will make it to the Tour or not. Wout van Aert can also be in Tignes engaged on his Tour preparation.
Schedule:
Altitude coaching camp in Tignes
Tour de France.
Rodriguez had a superb Itzulia Basque Nation
Carlos Rodriguez
A part of INEOS Grenadiers Tour staff was on the volcano of El Teide in Might, together with Carlos Rodríguez. Final yr the younger Spaniard confirmed his climber’s legs within the closing week, behind Pogačar and Vingegaard. This yr he shall be aiming at a greater closing total than his fifth place. His 2024 has been going effectively as he received the Tour de Romandie and was second within the Itzulia Basque Nation. The Spaniard was on Mount Teide for 3 weeks and is now racing towards Evenepoel and Roglič within the Critérium du Dauphiné. This yr’s Tour might be Rodríguez’s huge probability to be a staff chief, after all this relies on Geraint Thomas who is meant to not be at first of the Tour on account of driving the Giro d’Italia and that Egan Bernal is coaching in Colombia. After the Dauphiné, Rodríguez shall be at altitude once more, however the place that shall be just isn’t public data as but
Schedule:
Critérium du Dauphiné
Altitude coaching camp
Tour de France.
What can we count on from Tom Pidcock on the Tour?
Tom Pidcock
Tom Pidcock can also be a pacesetter of the INEOS Grenadiers staff within the Tour. The mountain bike World champion received the MTB World Cup in Nové Mesto for the fourth time in a row final week. The subsequent day he drove from the airport in Barcelona again residence to Andorra. It’s not clear whether or not he’ll full his Tour coaching there or will go to an altitude coaching camp with the staff. Thymen Arensman is coaching in France, he referred to as his coaching journey on Strava ‘Clermond-Ferrand vacationer’.
Pidcock will journey the Mountain Bike World Cup in Crans Montana on June 23, six days earlier than the beginning of the Tour de France, he instructed CyclingWeekly. After ending his spring Classics on the finish of April with a tenth place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, he was at first of the Mountain Bike World Cup in Nové Město in Might. Subsequent Sunday he shall be at first of the Tour de Suisse (9-16 June) and on June twenty third, he shall be on the mountain bike once more in Crans Montana. Per week later, Pidcock will begin the Tour de France (June 29-July 21), the place he says he’s aiming on the GC. Then he strikes on the Olympic mountain bike race in Paris (July 29), the place he’ll defend the title he received in Tokyo. 5 days after the mountain bike race, Pidcock will journey the Olympic highway race (August 3).
“I don’t practice as a lot on my mountain bike as I ought to, nevertheless it’s simple to alternate between highway bike and mountain bike,” Pidcock stated to CyclingWeekly. “In fact on this a part of the yr, in preparation for the Tour, I do longer intervals and extra quantity. However they complement one another.”
Schedule:
Coaching at residence in Andorra
Tour of Switzerland
(Probably) Coaching at residence in Andorra
Tour de France.
Gaudu goals of the Tour podium
David Gaudu
“I dream of the rostrum,” David Gaudu instructed l’Equipe. The Groupama-FDJ climber is the French hope for the house Tour. Two years in the past he completed fourth total and final yr he was ninth within the Tour. Additionally within the 2023 Paris-Good he was second behind Pogačar, however forward of Vingegaard. In Might, Gaudu was coaching on Teide in Tenerife. In the mean time he’s racing within the Dauphiné, he’ll then journey within the French highway championships.
Schedule:
Critérium du Dauphiné
French highway championship
Tour de France.
Will the 2024 Tour de France podium appear like final yr?
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*Due to WielerFlits and ProCyclingStats for the info.
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