giro and tour double

Pogacar wins Liege with epic solo break, launching bid for Giro d’Italia and Tour de France

Tadej Pogacar won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege bike race on Sunday thanks to a solo break 30km from home launched on a steep climb and sustained to the finish line.

Issued on: 21/04/2024 - 17:07

Ahead of Pogacar 's Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double bid the 25-year-old Slovenian blew the opposition away with a maverick acceleration that none could answer on the 254km race in the Ardennes forests that marks the end of the spring classics.

Billed as a duel between Pogacar and winner of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders Mathieu van der Poel, the Dutchman came in a commendable third but was far from going shoulder-to-shoulder for the title.

Frenchman Romain Bardet was second, also solo 1min 39sec off the pace with Van der Poel leading a bunch home at 2min 02sec.

Another pre-race favourite was Briton Tom Pidcock, who was 10th on the day after a mechanical problem at a key moment hindered his day.

The win puts to bed Pogacar's fall here last season that broke his wrist and blighted his Tour de France bid.

"It was an emotional day of riding for me," a drained-looking Pogacar said.

"Not just because of my hand but also because two years ago just before the race Urska's mother died, so I was riding for her today," Pogacar said referring to his professional cyclist partner Urska Zigart.

Pogacar also won here in 2021 and this was his sixth one-day Monument win with three wins at the Tour of Lombardy and his 2023 Tour of Flanders triumph.

Champion Remco Evenepoel, former winner Primoz Roglic and Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard would all have been suited to this course but are injured after a mass fall at the Tour of the Basque Country.

Pogacar came into the race fresh from altitude training and at the start line said he had "no regrets about not racing la Fleche", referring to the frozen and drenched midweek race in the same region.

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This off-season just refuses to be quiet, which is probably a good thing for all of us. Last week it was the whole Cian Uijtdebroeks farrago , and this week we have Tadej Pogačar announcing that he will ride the Giro d’Italia .

First off, I should say that Pogačar riding the Giro will be fantastic, for the race, for the sport of cycling, and fans. The more outstanding riders that the event attracts the better, as the level of the whole thing will be raised, and while it might seem likely that the Slovenian will dominate in May, seeing him with a new challenge will be a great watch for all of us.

Pogačar is not just down to ride the Giro, either, with UAE Team Emirates revealing that he is also set to contest the Tour de France , the Olympic Games road race, and the World Championships.

If we assume that the 25-year-old will start these races with the aim of winning them - as he always does - then this will be quite the task. No rider in the 21st century has won the Giro and the Tour in the same season; only two riders ever have won the Giro, Tour and World Championships road race in the same year; no one has ever done that and won at the Olympics too.

If anyone could do it, it would be Pogačar. The serial champion, the man who can win on basically any terrain, who took victory at Paris-Nice , the Tour of Flanders and Il Lombardia in 2023, the two-time Tour de France winner. 

In favour of him performing, making history, is the fact that he has won or finished on the podium at the Tour, the Worlds, and the Olympics in his short career to date. In fact, he has finished on the podium at every Grand Tour he has ever taken part in (one Vuelta a España , four Tours).

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However, he has never ridden the Giro, let alone in a year in which he will also be targeting the Tour. He has never tackled two Grand Tours in the same season, let alone two five weeks apart, almost immediately followed by the Olympics.

There have already been casualties in the UAE rider’s calendar, with no defence of Flanders on the cards, or the Amstel Gold Race. Pogačar will not target 2024 half-heartedly, though, with Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Sanremo scheduled.

He is not a rider who keeps his powder dry, he is a born attacker, one with the talent and legs to make this count. To succeed at the Giro and then Tour will require a different approach, though, one where he rides more conservatively in Italy, something he might find difficult. A slightly easier Giro - one with a less hard final week - might allow Pogačar to build up a lead early and then defend it, but this would require him to change his style. Is that the Pogačar we want to see at the Giro? Is that the Pogačar the race organisers and his sponsors want, too?

On the other hand, perhaps he will go all guns blazing at the Giro, and then tackle the Tour with an open mind, pressure off. There is an argument that for a two-time winner, another yellow jersey is worth less than a first pink one, and this situation creates the opportunity for history, too.

The Giro-Tour double has not only seemed impossible because no one has achieved it since Marco Pantani in 1998, but impossible because no one has really tried it. The Tour has such a gravitational pull that everything revolves around the French race, and a tilt at the Giro is seen as frippery, an add-on. It might be different for Pogačar, whose UAE team is the successor to the Italian Lampre; there are also close ties between the countries of the UAE and Italy. 

A stab at history is an exciting thing, and a brave thing too. We can almost guarantee that with Pogačar embarking on it, there will be fun along the way too. Onto 2024.

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Adam is Cycling Weekly ’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.

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Emotional Pogacar claims Liege triumph ahead of Giro-Tour double bid

LIEGE – Tadej Pogacar won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race on April 21, thanks to a solo break, 30km from home, before dedicating victory to the mother of his girlfriend who died on the eve of the 2022 event.

Ahead of Pogacar’s Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double bid, the 25-year-old Slovenian blew the opposition away with an acceleration that none could answer on the 254km route in the Ardennes forests that marks the end of the spring classics.

Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders winner Mathieu van der Poel, bidding to become the first man since the legendary Eddy Merckx in 1975 to win three of the major one-day races in the same season, was a commendable third.

Frenchman Romain Bardet was second, also solo, 1min 39sec off the pace with van der Poel leading a bunch home at 2:02.

Pogacar fell in the race last season and suffered a broken wrist which blighted his Tour de France bid.

“It was an emotional day of riding for me,” a drained-looking Pogacar said after raising his arms and pointing to the sky, dedicating victory to the mother of his girlfriend Urska Zigart, also a pro rider, after winning in 6hr 13min 48sec.

“Not just because of my hand but also because two years ago just before the race Urska’s mother died, so I was riding for her today.”

He also won the Liege-Bastogne in 2021. April 21 was his sixth one-day Monument victory with three wins at the Tour of Lombardy and a 2023 Tour of Flanders triumph.

“Coming in alone was great, it’s really special to come in alone on such a long race. It’s a beautiful race and I’m happy to win it again,” said the UAE Team Emirates rider.

He came into the race fresh from altitude training and at the start line said he had “no regrets about not racing la Fleche”, referring to the frozen and drenched midweek race in the same region.

This was a seventh win in just 10 days of competitive racing for Pogacar, who starts the Giro d’Italia on May 4 in a bid to become the first man to win the Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998.

The Giro bid will be his debut, but he won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, and was runner-up to Jonas Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023.

Defending champion Remco Evenepoel, former winner Primoz Roglic, and Vingegaard would all have been suited to the April 21 course.

However, all were out injured after a mass fall at the Tour of the Basque Country. AFP

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tadej Pogačar (@tadejpogacar)

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Tour de romandie, uci mtb eliminator world cup - barcelona, spartanburg regional healthcare crit, uci bmx racing world cup tulsa, athens orthopedic clinic twilight crit, la vuelta españa femenina, eschborn-frankfurt, uci mtb fort william, gp morbihan (coupe de france), giro d'italia, lagrange cycling classic, tro bro leon (coupe de france), tour de hongrie, uci bmx freestyle wcup - fise, giro d'italia 2024 preview: tadej pogacar takes aim at double, tadej pogacar arrives in torino for his debut in the giro d'italia. he looks to make history, trying to win ahead of doing the same in the tour de france..

Giro d'Italia 2024 Preview

Tadej Pogacar arrives in Torino for his debut in the 2024 Giro d'Italia. He looks to make history, trying to win the race ahead of doing the same in the Tour de France. It's a massive feat, one that hasn't been done since 1998, so brace yourself for the show this May.

2024 Giro d'Italia

The 2024 Giro d'Italia starts on May 4th in the historic city of Torino and culminates in the eternal city of Rome. This year's edition, the 107th, is buzzing with anticipation, especially with Pogacar making his debut. Fresh off his triumphs in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and ahead of the Tour de France, the Slovenian enters as the red-hot favorite in a race celebrated for its brutal climbs and scenic routes.

The 2024 Giro d'Italia Route

The 2024 Giro d'Italia promises a grueling 3320 kilometers over 21 stages, blending time trials, mountain finishes, and even a Strade Bianche-style gravel stage. Riders will face a total vertical elevation of nearly 43,000 meters, which will challenge even the most seasoned climbers including the 2020 Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar.

Key features include:

• Two individual time trials spanning 40.6km and 31.2km, testing riders' pacing and endurance.
• Six summit finishes that will likely decide the general classification. These include the iconic climbs through the Alps, Apennines, and Dolomites, with a dramatic double ascent of Monte Grappa.

Key stages:

• Stage 2: San Francesco Al Campo - Santuario di Oropa, 150km (first summit finish)
• Stage 6: Viareggio - Rapolano Terme, 177km (gravel stage)
• Stage 8: Spoleto - Prati di Tivo, 153km (summit finish)
• Stage 16: Livigno - Santa Cristina Valgardena, 202km (includes Cima Coppi - Stelvio Pass)
• Stage 20: Alpago - Bassano del Grappa, 175km (final mountain stage)

Giro d'Italia: Tadej Pogacar Versus Geraint Thomas?

Tadej Pogacar of team UAE Emirates, entering his first Giro, is already a fan favorite and bookies' choice. 

He told La Stampa, "The race is renowned for its breathtaking scenery, challenging climbs and unpredictable weather. And I'm eager to test myself, I can't wait.

"Strategic energy management will be fundamental [with the Tour de France in mind]. While I will seize opportunities as they arise, I will also take the bigger picture into consideration, looking forward. It will be essential to find a balance between ambitions for the Giro and preparations for the Tour de France. 

"I want to do well in both races."

Geraint Thomas of INEOS Grenadiers, runner-up last year, is back. In 2023, he was crushed in a close mountain time trial after leading for several days. 

Thomas explained, "Obviously [last year's Giro d'Italia] didn't end the best way but with the start of the season I had I think it was still a good one, but we'll see what this year brings." 

Instead of Primoz Roglic, this year he faces a different Slovenian.

Other general classification contenders include Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale), Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), and the young talent Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike). 

Belgian Uijtdebroeks will be the most interesting to watch after the team will not be able to field Wout van Aert. He placed eighth in the Vuelta a España last year riding for Team Bora-Hansgrohe.

Canadian Michael Woods will line up for Team Israel-Premier Tech. It’s his third time in a career that includes second in a stage and 19th overall in 2018. After a stage win in the Tour de France last year, anything is possible for Woods in the Giro d’Italia.

Sprinters In The Giro d'Italia 2024

The sprint stages will see fierce competition among fast men like Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike), Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quick Step), Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich-PostNL), and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), all ready to claim their share of stage victories in the flatter stages. There are about seven opportunities on offer.

How To Watch The 2024 Giro d'Italia

FloBikes viewers in Canada can watch the 2024 Giro d'Italia live and on demand starting May 4th and running through May 26th. And for everyone on the planet, we will have in-depth reports, highlights, and on-the-ground coverage.

As the peloton navigates the twists, climbs, and sprints of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, the drama of this grand tour will unfold beneath the Italian sun, from the cobbled streets of Torino to the historic heart of Rome. Can Tadej Pogacar do it? Add the Giro d'Italia to his resume and who knows, go on to win again in the Tour de France? Tune in starting May 4th for the Giro d'Italia.

The 21 Giro d'Italia Stages

• Stage 1: Venaria Reale - Turin, 136km (2024-05-04)
• Stage 2: San Francesco Al Campo - Santuario di Oropa, 150km (2024-05-05)
• Stage 3: Novara - Fossano, 165km (2024-05-06)
• Stage 4: Acqui Terme - Andora, 187km (2024-05-07)
• Stage 5: Genova - Lucca, 176km (2024-05-08)
• Stage 6: Viareggio - Rapolano Terme, 177km (2024-05-09)
• Stage 7: Foligno - Perugia, 37.2km (2024-05-10)
• Stage 8: Spoleto - Prati di Tivo, 153km (2024-05-11)
• Stage 9: Avezzano - Naples, 206km (2024-05-12)
• Rest Day (2024-05-13)
• Stage 10: Pompei - Cusano Mutri, 141km (2024-05-14)
• Stage 11: Foiano di Val Fortore - Francavilla al Mare, 203km (2024-05-15)
• Stage 12: Martinsicuro - Fano, 183km (2024-05-16)
• Stage 13: Riccione - Cento, 179km (2024-05-17)
• Stage 14: Castiglione delle Stiviere - Desenzano del Garda, 31km (2024-05-18)
• Stage 15: Manerba del Garda - Livigno, 220km (2024-05-19)
• Rest Day (2024-05-20)
• Stage 16: Livigno - Santa Cristina Valgardena, 202km (2024-05-21)
• Stage 17: Selva di Val Gardena - Passo Brocon, 159km (2024-05-22)
• Stage 18: Fiera di Primiero - Padova, 166km (2024-05-23)
• Stage 19: Mortegliano - Sappada, 155km (2024-05-24)
• Stage 20: Alpago - Bassano del Grappa, 175km (2024-05-25)
• Stage 21: Rome - Rome, 126km (2024-05-26)
• Geraint Thomas
• Tadej Pogacar

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Emotional Pogacar Claims Liege Triumph Ahead Of Giro-Tour Double Bid

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Easy rider: Tadej Pogacar on his way to victory in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege

ADDS quotes, details and women's race

Tadej Pogacar won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race on Sunday with a solo break, 30km from home, before dedicating victory to the mother of his girlfriend who died on the eve of the 2022 event.

Ahead of his Giro d'Italia and Tour de France double bid, the 25-year-old Slovenian blew the opposition away with an acceleration that none could answer on the 254-kilometre race in the Ardennes forests that marks the end of the spring classics.

Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders winner Mathieu van der Poel, bidding to become the first man since the legendary Eddy Merckx in 1975 to win three of the major one-day races in the same season, was a commendable third.

Frenchman Romain Bardet was second, also solo, 1 minute 39 seconds off the pace with Van der Poel leading a bunch home at 2min 2sec.

Pogacar fell in the race last season and suffered a broken wrist, which blighted his Tour de France bid.

"It was an emotional day of riding for me," a drained-looking Pogacar said after raising his arms and pointing to the sky, dedicating victory to the mother of his girlfriend Urska Zigart, also a pro rider.

"Not just because of my hand but also because two years ago just before the race Urska's mother died, so I was riding for her today."

Pogacar celebrates after crossing the finish line

Pogacar also won the Liege-Bastogne in 2021. Sunday was his sixth one-day Monument victory, with three wins at the Tour of Lombardy and a 2023 Tour of Flanders triumph.

"Coming in alone was great. It's really special to come in alone on such a long race. It's a beautiful race and I'm happy to win it again," said the UAE Team Emirates rider.

Pogacar came into the race fresh from altitude training and at the start line said he had "no regrets about not racing la Fleche", referring to the frozen and drenched midweek race in the same region.

"I wore lots of layers today. It's still really cold," said the winner. "I rode hard up the hills, played it safe on the downhills, but at the end I was just suffering," he said of his long winning dash.

This was a seventh win in just 10 days of competitive racing for Pogacar this year. He starts the Giro d'Italia on May 4 in a bid to become the first man to win the Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998.

He will be making his Giro debut, but he won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, and was runner-up to Jonas Vingegaard in 2022 and 2023.

Defending Liege-Bastogne champion Remco Evenepoel, former winner Primoz Roglic and Vingegaard would all have been suited to Sunday's course but all were out injured after a mass fall at the Tour of the Basque Country.

In the women's race a tight finish in downtown Liege was clinched by Australian Grace Brown ahead of Elisa Longo Borghini and Demi Vollering.

Brown had been on a long range escape until a group of pursuers caught up 6km from the end, but then unleashed her remaining energy for a late, winning burst to the line.

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Breaking Down the Odds, Risks & Rewards of Pogačar’s Giro/Tour Double

Transfer time # 6: israel-premier tech & intermarché-wanty.

Transfer Analysis: Spencer Martin breaks down the odds, risks and rewards of Tadej Pogačar’s bold Giro/Tour double attempt in 2024. Plus Transfer Time # 6 : Israel – Premier Tech and Intermarché-Wanty.

– This article is an excerpt from the Beyond the Peloton newsletter. Sign up here for full access. –

At the end of the 2023 Tour de France, the consensus view was that to defeat Jonas Vingegaard and win his third Tour de France title, Tadej Pogačar needed to significantly narrow his race schedule and ambitions in 2024 relative to his sprawling 2023 campaign.

However, just a few months after learning that lesson, the transcendent superstar appears to have thrown caution to the wind by announcing that instead of focusing on the Tour de France in 2024, he would be significantly widening his scope this coming season by attempting the near-impossible Giro d’Italia/Tour de France double, while also targeting Olympic gold in early August, World Championships in late September before finishing off the season with an attempt at winning his fourth-consecutive Il Lombardia in early October.

Pogačar’s 2024 Schedule 3/4: Strade Bianche 3/16: Milan-San Remo 3/18-3/24: Volta a Catalunya 4/21: Liège-Bastogne-Liège 5/4-5/26: Giro d’Italia 6/29-7/21: Tour de France 7/27-8/3: Olympic Games TT & RR 9/13-9/15: GP Québec & Montreal 9/29: World Championships RR 10/12: Il Lombardia

Why this is shocking, and what it means for Pogačar and the other Tour contenders in 2024: While this race schedule certainly mixes things up for Pogačar sets up a great Giro d’Italia, where we will see two of the sport’s biggest stars, Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar, duke it out for stages, and potentially even the overall title, I can’t express just how shocking this news was to me and just how much it helps Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour de France.

• Even though Pogačar is attempting to leverage an easier-than-normal Giro route to get an ‘easy’ grand tour win on the board before heading to the Tour (he hasn’t won a grand tour since 2021) and potentially complete a historic Giro-Tour sweep, racing any three-week race, even one with a relatively mild course, is still incredibly difficult, especially due to the trend of line-to-line racing in modern cycling.
• This means Pogačar’s decision to race drastically shifts the odds in favor of Vingegaard to win the Tour and also means Primož Roglič has a much better chance than he would have had otherwise.
• After the Pogačar announcement, betting markets have Vingegaard at -155 (61% chance of winning) to win the Tour, while Pogačar has dropped to +300 (25% chance) and Roglič is up to +500 (16.7%).
• To highlight just how difficult the feat of contesting both the Giro and Tour, in the 100+ years of cycling history, only seven riders have won both races in the same season, with Marco Pantani double a quarter of a century ago being the last time it occurred (tests would later reveal Pantani used EPO to complete the feat).
• Since Pantani accomplished this, only three extremely talented riders have come close to the double, only to fall short due to fatigue at the Tour.
• 2015: Alberto Contador- Giro 1st & Tour 5th
• 2018: Chris Froome-Giro 1st & Tour 3rd
• 2018: Tom Dumoulin-Giro 2nd & Tour 2nd

The Risks Pogačar is certainly more talented than any of these three riders, has already redefined what a rider is capable of in modern cycling, and would ascend into the upper echelon of the sport’s greats if he could win both races, but this attempt seems like a bridge too far and carries a significant amount of risk.

• In the last two Tours, Pogačar has been outclassed by Vingegaard in the race’s toughest mountain stages.
• Since the only way to remedy this weakness is to lessen his racing load and focus more on specific high-altitude training camps prior to the Tour, this decision to double up at the Giro and Tour seems ill-advised.
• Also, it is incredibly unusual, if not unprecedented, for a rider who finishes second to the same rider at the Tour multiple times to shift their focus the following season while still in their prime. In fact, when big champions start targeting the Giro after winning the Tour, it is incredibly rare for them to come back and win the Tour again.
• After winning the Giro in 2015 and 2018, Contador and Froome never again won the Tour de France.
• Additionally, if Pogačar shows up to the Tour and looks subpar after the Giro, it will be hard for him to avoid the narrative that he was running from a fair fight with Vingegaard at the Tour and hedged against being left with yet another runner-up place at the Tour by getting a Giro win in beforehand.

The Rewards & Logic On the flip side, one has to imagine Pogačar signed a highly lucrative seven-figure contract with RCS to make their marque races the centerpieces of his season (Lance Armstrong and Chris Froome each received between €2-€3 million to start the Giro).

• Making large amounts of money is nice, and I’d imagine Pogačar will enjoy having a few extra million burning a hole in his pocket for doing exactly what he would be doing anyway to prepare for the Tour (riding his bike a lot, oftentimes up mountains very fast).

Also, we can’t underestimate the morale boost Pogačar could receive from getting a grand tour win before the start of the Tour.

• Heading into yet another Tour duel with Vingegaard with a Giro win under his belt could potentially take pressure off Pogačar.

Sepp Kuss won the 2023 Vuelta a España after racing a very strong Tour de France, after completing all three grand tours in a single season.

• Perhaps modern training science has potentially shown that with proper training, nutrition, and recovery, a top rider can actually prepare for a three-week race by racing one just a few weeks prior.

If he is somehow able to pull off the double, Pogačar would immediately enter the upper echelons of the sport’s all-time greats before he even heads into the back half of the season where he could win Olympic gold, a World title, and yet another one-day Monument.

• We don’t yet know if this is a great or terrible idea, but we do know that RCS’ aggressive recruitment of Van Aert and Pogačar for its grand tour has certainly added much-needed publicity around the Giro and made it match-watch TV for any dedicated cycling fan.

Weekly Transfer Analysis Part 6:

To continue our in-depth transfer analysis of every top team going into the 2024 season, I’ve continued to select two teams that have had polar opposite experiences as teams over the last few years, as well as in the transfer market so far this off-season, but have broken from form slightly by selecting one WorldTour and one second-division (ProTeam) team: Intermarché-Wanty and Israel-Premier Tech.

• You can see Transfer Time #1 HERE, #2 HERE #3 HERE , #4 HERE , #5 HERE and an Updated Transfer Time HERE .

Israel-Premier Tech

• Notable new signings: Pascal Ackerman (UAE), George Bennett (UAE), Hugo Hofstetter (Arkéa), Jake Stewart (FDJ), Ethan Vernon (Soudal-QuickStep), Riley Sheehan (Denver Disruptors)
• Notable departing riders: Sebastian Berwick (Caja-Rural), Giacomo Nizzolo (Q36.5), Ben Hermans (Cofidis), Sep Vanmarcke (retired), Daryl Impey (retired)
• Notable unsigned riders: Domenico Pozzovivo
• Total Riders In: 10
• Total Riders Out: 10
• 2024 Roster Spots Remaining: 0
• 2023 UCI Team Ranking Position: 16th
• Pro Cycling Stats Points In/Out: +406

After falling victim to relegation from the sport’s top flight at the end of the 2022 season, the now second-division squad had a slightly improved 2023, but, relative to teams competing to get back into the sport’s top tier, had a thoroughly mediocre campaign. While they had a few standout performances from previously unknown riders, like Derek Gee coming out of nowhere to become their 3rd highest points-scoring rider, and they saw young riders like Corbin Strong and Matthew Riccitello continue to develop, and veteran stalwart Michael Woods deliver with a Tour de France stage win, the team was ultimately dragged down in the aggregate by underperformances across the board by their highly-paid veteran riders. But, likely as a response to this, management was extremely aggressive this off-season by going out and signing 10 new riders, including a strong batch of quality young, while sending 10 riders out.

• The addition of 29-year-old sprinter Pascal Ackerman is the team’s headline addition of the off-season.
• While the German fastman is still capable of bagging Grand Tour stages (he won a stage at the 2023 Giro), he is a shadow of the rider who won the Points Jersey at the 2019 Giro and finished 7th in the 2019 PCS Rider Rankings (he finished 179th in 2023).
• But, as long as Israel’s expectations, and financial investment, take this dropoff into account, he could act as a solid bunch sprint specialist for the team in 2024, which is something they’ve lacked in recent years (they’ve never won a Grand Tour stage from a bunch sprint).
• Additionally, even if Ackerman struggles to return to his winning ways, 2nd-10th place finishes at WorldTour races will be incredibly valuable for the team as they aim to rack up UCI points to get back into the WorldTour when the promotion/relegation cycle ends in 2025.
• While it won’t get the headlines of the Ackerman signing, bringing on Riley Sheehan (23), Jake Stewart (24), and Ethan Vernon (23) sees them pick up three incredibly strong young riders who could all step in and contest wins at lesser-WorldTour races for the team in 2024.
• The 33-year-old George Bennett, who comes over after a few forgettable years at UAE, is a slightly odd pickup since, at least at this point in his career, he is operating as a grand tour domestique.
• But he did finish an impressive top ten at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in 2023, and if IPT thinks they can rehab him back into the stage-hunting form he had in 2020 and 2021, then this is a decent pickup for them.
• The outgoing crop of riders might feature some big names like Giacomo Nizzolo, Ben Hermans, Sep Vanmarcke, and Daryl Impey, but due to their age and/or declining performances, none will be sorely missed.
• Instead, the departure of the 24-year-old climbing specialist Sebastian Berwick, who broke out by finishing on a stage podium at the 2023 Giro, is a bit of a head-scratcher.
• Berwick might not have been progressing as quickly as the team would have liked after three years, but he was coming off a career season and seemed to have plenty of potential upside.

Intermarché-Wanty

• Notable new signings: Francesco Busatto (Circus – ReUz – Technord), Alexy Faure Prost (Circus – ReUz – Technord)
• Notable departing riders: Rui Costa (EF), Sven Erik Bystrøm (FDJ), Niccolò Bonifazio (Corratec)
• Notable unsigned riders:
• Total Riders In: 5
• Total Riders Out: 7
• 2024 Roster Spots Remaining: 3
• 2023 UCI Team Ranking Position: 15th
• Pro Cycling Stats Points In/Out: -1419

Coming off a disappointing 2023 season, which saw them revert to the mean after a fantastic 2022, Intermarché has had a surprisingly muted off-season that saw them depart with a key veteran, Rui Costa, while bringing on a series of talented but incredibly unproven, young riders. While this might be the best move for the long term, it is difficult to imagine the loss of Circus, a casino, as a sponsor due to a new Belgian gambling law (funnily enough, the state lottery, Lotto, is exempt from this rule) didn’t cause a crash-crunch that has dented the team’s ability to procure talent at a critical time.

• Amidst one of the blandest transfer performances in the World Tour, Intermarché’s biggest highlight is parting with a good chunk of its veteran riders (Rui Costa, Sven Erik Bystrøm, and Niccolò Bonifazio).
• With Bonifazio and Erik Bystrøm (U23 World Champion) never panning out as expected, their departures won’t move the needle for the team.
• However, losing Rui Costa is notable.
• Even at 37 years old, Costa was the team’s biggest points scorer in 2023 and was able to take a grand tour stage win at the Vuelta.
• While I love the idea of bringing in a collection of young talent and shedding older riders and believe the team will benefit long-term from doing so, the fact that they are at a net loss of PCS points for the second straight season means the team is increasingly revolving around the 23-year-old Biniam Girmay and that a significant amount of pressure will be on his young shoulders in 2024 to ensure the team avoids a relegation battle in 2025.
• But, going in their favor is that their track record of discovering and developing young talent into race winners is incredibly solid (Girmay, Gerben Thijssen, Georg Zimmermann), which means the young riders they are bringing up from their development squad, like 21-year-old Francesco Busatto (winner of 2023 U23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege) and 19-year-old Alexy Faure Prost (winner of 2023 U23 French road race championships), have a very good chance of quickly turning into more productive veterans they are departing with at a fraction of the cost.
• Despite having a very milquetoast transfer season on the surface, I think one of the more quietly interesting subplots of 2024 is Intermarché being forced to lean into younger, cheaper riders and if they can get back to the overproduction that marked their 2023 instead of the frustrating underperformance that marked 2024.

Spencer Martin authors the cycling-analysis newsletter Beyond the Peloton that breaks down the nuances of each race and attempts to bring a logic-based approach to cycling coverage. He is also a partner in cycling business publication The Outer Line, and in the past, has written for cycling outlets such as Velonews and CyclingTips. He has raced at a high-level in the past and still enjoys participating in a wide variety of races as well as riding in the mountains surrounding his residence in Boulder, Colorado. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @spencersoward.

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Tadej Pogacar: 'Pure talent' of Slovenian makes Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double 'possible' - Alberto Contador

Updated 22/02/2024 at 10:15 GMT

He may have seen Jonas Vingegaard leave the Tour de France draped in yellow in 2022 and 2023, but that hasn't stopped Tadej Pogacar adding the Giro d'Italia to his race programme for 2024 alongside the Tour. The two-time Tour champion is targeting a rare double this season, with seven-time Grand Tour champion Alberto Contador insisting the feat "is possible" for a rider like Pogacar.

'The four best GC riders in the world are on different teams – you can't ask for more than that'

'I was quite emotional' – Pogacar dedicates win to fiancée's late mother

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10/04/2024 at 10:20

Relentless success in single-day races and the Giro-Tour double: Pogacar and Van der Poel monopolize 2024

T o put it mildly, it has been an extremely peculiar cycling spring so far. From February onwards, the focus was on building up to an absolute climax in April. Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, both in their absolute best form, were expected to engage in a duel in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel were set to finally cross swords and create fireworks at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Afterwards, they would join Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard in preparing for the Tour de France. That is... Until March 27 and April 4. Since then, the dream spectacle season that 2024 was supposed to be lay largely in tatters on or beside the road.

Numerous rib fractures, broken collarbones and other physical injuries later, four of the 'big six' are battling against pain, the clock and the reality of what 2024 is turning out to be. What does Van Aert do after missing the Giro? Will Vingegaard make the Tour? How good will Evenepoel be in July? And when will Roglic get back to racing? These are questions that stand in the deep shadow of the physical malaise of the aforementioned star cyclists. Recovery comes first. Now that many of the top riders are in the infirmary, the 2024 cycling year has become a sort of desert, where two enormous gluttons are devouring all they can. Pogacar and Van der Poel are the only two top-fit riders who can win everything, no matter they compete. They are monopolizing 2024 and will continue to do so.

Van der Poel will squeeze every last bit of power from his legs to challenge Pogacar in Liège

Based on recent races, we can assume this. Van der Poel only faced opposition from Mads Pedersen during the flat finale of Gent-Wevelgem. The results are telling. Two minutes in Flanders. Three minutes in Roubaix. Time differences that are downright dizzying. Not to mention Pogacar, showing off with monster solos and raking in an amount of stage wins in the Tour of Catalonia that is humiliating to all other cyclists in the race. A clear conclusion: if Pogacar and Van der Poel are at their best and none of the other six top riders are there to offer resistance, then both men are capable of putting on a one-man show everywhere. Simply put, there is no one else in the peloton who can keep up with them.

Van der Poel will continue his demolition work at the Amstel Gold Race. For Pogacar, the hunt for new victories continues in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. There, a rare meeting between the two will take place. His race friend Van der Poel will be Pogacar's biggest competitor on Sunday, April 21. On paper, it seems the Slovenian can hardly be beat, but you can bet that world champion MVDP will squeeze every bit of insane power from his legs to follow Pogacar in the Ardennes hills. May the best man win in Liège. It will be the last clash, for now, between the two men who we have in the past at times referred to as "aliens" on this website.

Unprecedented streak of bad luck for Vingegaard and Van Aert also offers new opportunities for Visma | Lease a Bike

The big victim of this spring is, of course, Visma | Lease a Bike. The Dutch team has faced an overwhelming amount of bad luck. Literally, everything is against them this year. Christophe Laporte, Dylan van Baarle, Tiesj Benoot, Jan Tratnik, Per Strand Hagenes and of course Wout van Aert. All have been taken out of the game for short or long periods of time. Add to this the misfortunes of Bart Lemmen and Wilco Kelderman. The serious crash suffered by Vingegaard, which confirmed that the team's sorrows were not yet over, though they will have hoped otherwise. Given the severity of Vingegaard's injuries, it seems unlikely that the reigning Tour winner can cycle himself into top form by the end of June. That would be an immense blow to this cycling season. Visma | Lease a Bike, the big challenger for Van der Poel in the one-day races and to Pogacar in the tours, is currently utterly toothless.

While everything went well in 2023, everything is going wrong in 2024. To such an extent that disappointment might well give way to resignation. Resignation to the fact that making history like in 2023 is not possible, but the disaster year can still provide a fertile ground for new opportunities. The unprecedented streak of bad luck already offered chances in Paris-Roubaix for the Van Dijke brothers. Following that, Olav Kooij might clinch several sprint victories in the Giro. Perhaps Cian Uijtdebroeks could excel in the Giro and achieve a notable classification. The men from the second tier are up. And without pressure, for 2024 will not be 2023. Visma | Lease a Bike must turn its bad luck into something beautiful during this interim year. The resilience shown in recent years' races, for example in the Tour of 2021, demonstrates that the killer bees can do this like no other.

Road to Giro-Tour double is wide open for Pogacar

Out of the 'big six', only the two who are currently running at full steam remain. We can only look on with admiration as they devour everything in their way in 2024. It goes without saying that they each, to a large extent, stand alone in their respective races due to the absence or misfortune of their main competitors. The now pointless 'what-if' question about the presence of the other four is nonetheless interesting to consider. And yet, it seems unlikely that any of them could have challenged Pogacar and Van der Poel at this point. They seem to be steering straight towards their biggest (remaining) goals with the best-calculated and least risky program. In this respect, UAE Team Emirates in particular has learned its lesson well after Pogacar's wrist fracture in 2023.

We should not be surprised if Pogacar becomes the first rider since 1998 to reel in the Giro-Tour double. The competition is no match for him in the Giro. If he gets into the pink jersey early on, then Pogi can already start saving some energy for the Tour. Once there, he will either face competitors in lesser form or opponents of lesser quality. Add to that his insanely strong and in-form team, and the grand tours will become a playground for the Slovenian. Van der Poel has already triumphed in his biggest goals of the season. He can take it easy in the early summer, dotting the i's and crossing the t's during the Olympic Games in Paris.

All Van der Poel and Pogacar need to do, is stay on their bikes and continue their focused, concentrated and controlled course of action. If they do so, the good friends will be able to divide the bulk of all great 2024 cycling victories between the two of them.

6 Reasons to Be Psyched About the 2024 Giro d’Italia

With an aggressive opening weekend, the return of Mortirolo, and chances for sprint battles, this year’s Giro will keep fans on the edge of their seats.

The route of the 2024 Giro was revealed last October, but it was quickly overshadowed by the announcement of the route for the 2024 Tour de France . That’s a typical issue for the Italian grand tour, a race that always seems to be fighting to emerge from its French cousin’s shadow.

But it shouldn’t be: the Giro is a fantastic event in its own right, a race that offers stunning scenery and aggressive racing, and often gives us a chance to see other riders steal the limelight. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be getting you ready for the Giro’s 107th edition, starting with six reasons why we’re excited about this year’s race.

1. An Aggressive Opening Weekend

Once upon a time, the opening weekend of a grand tour was more about fanfare than competition, often with a short individual time trial (usually called a “Prologue”) followed by a flat stage ending in a field sprint. In other words: stages that had little bearing on the race overall.

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Don’t get us wrong: it can be fun to watch time trial specialists square off against GC contenders in a short ITT to determine the first rider to pull on a grand tour leader’s jersey. And who doesn’t love a good field sprint? But we want to see racing , with stages that don’t allow the overall contenders to hide in the bunch, stages like the two Basque stages at the beginning of last year’s Tour de France.

Well, this year’s Giro seems to have taken a page out of last year’s Tour de France racebook, with a 143-kilometer opening stage from Venaria Reale to Turin that brings the riders over three categorized climbs, including the Category 2 Colle de Maddalena less than 25 km from the finish line—which the riders will hit just a few kilometers after cresting a punchy, uncategorized ascent just outside the city. Expect an exciting race to win the Giro’s first maglia rosa (the “pink jersey” awarded each day to the Giro’s overall leader), but time gaps that won’t kill anyone’s GC hopes on the first day of the race.

The next day could be a different story though, when a 161-kilometer stage from San Francesco al Campo to the Santuario di Oropa ends with the Giro’s first summit finish, an 11.8-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 6.2 percent. The ascent to Oropa is this year’s “Cima Pantani,” an ascent designated to honor Marco Pantani , the deceased Italian superstar who famously won a stage here in 1999.

This isn’t the hardest climb in the Giro by any means, but given that it’s only Stage 2, it will start shuffling the general classification. And given one of the riders expected to be competing this year (more on that later), this could prove to be an especially impactful opening weekend.

2. Reasonable Stage Lengths

In recent years, riders have become increasingly critical of the Giro’s organizers for including too many long stages—and even longer transfers from the finish of one stage to the start of another (which means riders are on buses for sometimes two to three hours before getting to their hotels at the end of the day). That might not seem like a big deal for fans watching the race from the comfort of their couches, but how do you like it when your boss extends your workday without considering you first? What if the length of your commute was suddenly doubled or tripled?

Well, the organizers listened, and this is the shortest Giro in years, with an average stage length that’s 12.5 km shorter than it was five years ago. Even better, there are fewer super-long stages. For example, in 2019, there were eleven stages over 190 km, and eight of them went over 200 km. This year’s race has just four stages over 190 km and only one of them comes during the Giro’s final week, which is traditionally the hardest of the race.

That’s great for the riders, but it’s also a boon for fans, who have annually been “treated” to at least one or two Giro stages in which a large breakaway gets a huge lead on an otherwise disinterested peloton—or worse, stages in which the entire peloton decides to ride piano until the final hour, at which point they wind things up for an eventual field sprint. Stages like these are the cycling equivalent of watching paint dry.

Shorter stages produce more aggressive racing, and shorter transfers mean happier, better-recovered riders—which also means better racing. With shorter stages and more reasonable transfers, we’re expecting this to be one of the most exciting Giros–from start to finish–in years.

3. A Surprising Feast for Sprinters

A race known more for its mountains, the Giro rarely attracts large numbers of sprinters—at least not as many as the Tour de France usually does. But with eight stages expected to end in field sprints this year—and a particularly mountainous route at the Tour de France—the 2024 Giro d’Italia is shaping up to be one of the more sprint- and sprinter-heavy grand tours in the past few years.

Here’s an early look at the list of sprinters expected to take the start in Torino: Italy’s Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek); Belgium’s Tim Merlier (Soudal–Quick Step) and Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty); Dutch sprinters Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-Firmenich PostNL), and Australia’s Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe), Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck). That’s a deep line-up, and it should produce some of the most exciting field sprints of the season.

The Giro d’Italia has always embraced gravel roads. In 2005, the organizers took the race up and over the Colle delle Finistre, a climb in the Italian Alps that’s famous for an eight-kilometer section of gravel approaching the summit of the pass. The Giro has included the climb four three since 2005, most famously during Stage 19 in 2018 when Great Britain’s Chris Froome went on an 86K solo raid, overcoming a 3:22 deficit to take the maglia rosa . He won his first and only Giro in Rome two days later.

In 2010, the Giro was one of the first grand tours in the modern era to introduce gravel roads on a non-mountain stage when the organizers took a page out of the Strade Bianche road race and included several sections of white gravel roads near the end of Stage 7, a 220-kilometer ride from Carrara to Montalcino. Australia’s Cadel Evans won the stage; the former mountain biker seemed at home on the white gravel roads, which had turned brown due to heavy rain.

This year’s race won’t go over the Finistere (yeah, we’re bummed too), but it will bring the riders over about 12 km of punchy, gravel roads during the second half of Stage 6. The 177-kilometer stage from Viareggio to Rapolano Terme comes just before the Giro’s first time trial, and should present a perfect opportunity for an ambush, possibly by a rider who doesn’t fancy his chances in the next day’s race against the clock.

5. Lots of Mountains

It’s the mountains that keep everyone coming back to the Giro d’Italia (or, in the case of a few of the riders, staying away). This year’s race is no different, with 42,900 meters of elevation gain over the course of the Giro’s 21 stages and seven uphill finishes (including the climb at the end of Stage 7’s ITT). That’s a lot of climbing, and the organizers, as always, have included some of the most famous ascents in Giro’s history.

We’ve already mentioned the Oropa—this year’s Cima Pantani—at the end of the Stage 2, but that’s not the only summit finish of the first week. After Stage 7’s uphill ITT finish there’s another summit finish on Stage 8, on the Category 1 climb to Prati di Tivo, a 14-kilometer ascent with an average gradient of 7 percent. Expect these two stages to determine which rider will wear the maglia rosa heading into the Giro’s first rest day.

The second week begins with a new summit finish on Stage 10, the Category 1 Bocca della Selva, a 20.9K climb with an average gradient of just 4.6 percent. But that’s misleading: for some reason, the “official” climb begins with over 3 km of downhill roads, which lowers the average gradient overall.

The second week ends with Stage 15, which might be the hardest in this year’s Giro. Originally slated to bring the race into Switzerland for a hot sec, the route of this 220-kilometer stage has been altered to keep the race in Italy. That’s bad news for the riders, as they now will face the Mortirolo—one of the hardest and most famous climbs in Giro history—two-thirds of the way through the stage. The day ends with back-to-back Category 1 ascents: the Passo di Foscagno and—after a very short descent—the final climb to the Mottolino ski resort above Livigno, a steep, 8-kilometer climb with pitches that hit 18 percent. Thank goodness the next day is a rest day!

But after the second Rest Day, the riders won’t have a chance to ease themselves back into action, as Stage 16—another stage over 200 km—begins with an ascent of the Stelvio (20.2 km at 7.2 percent). Topping out at 2,758 meters, this is the highest climb in the entire Giro, and the first rider over the summit will win the Cima Coppi prize for being the first to the top. There’s a long ride from the top of the pass down into the valley, but two hard climbs at the end of the stage will settle things once and for all.

Stage 18 takes the race into the Dolomites on a 159-kilometer route containing five categorized climbs, including ascents of both sides of the Passo Brocon, with a summit finish on the steeper side of the mountain. And just for good measure, Stage 20 heads back into the Dolomites, where the riders will climb the Monte Grappa (18.1 km at 8.1 percent) twice. This one doesn’t end with a summit finish, but after 20 days of racing and at the end of another ferocious final week, this stage should blow the peloton apart. At the end of the day, we’ll know the eventual winner of the 2024 Giro d’Italia.

6. Pog Goes for Pink

But by far, the biggest marquee rider on this year’s start list has to be Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). Perhaps the most exciting rider in the entire men’s peloton, Pog can win it all: grand tours, cobbled classics, and week-long stage races. He’s the most complete and multi-faceted male rider we’ve seen in decades, and this year—for the first time in his career—he’s heading to Giro.

Yup, that’s right. The 25-year-old has made it a career goal to win every major race on the calendar. For example, the two-time Tour de France champion took a dominant victory in last year’s Tour of Flanders , a cobbled Monument that grand tour riders usually avoid. And in March, he stated his desire to win all seven of the sport’s major week-long stage races (he’s already won three of them).

This is a far cry from just a decade or two ago when riders rode super-specific programs, often only targeting one or two major events each season. This was especially the case with riders targeting the Tour de France. These riders cared less about winning as many races as possible and more about building fitness for the Tour de France—without crashing or getting sick (which, as recent events have shown us, is a delicate balance).

But we’re talking about Tadej Pogačar, a rider who cares more about winning as many races as he can than winning one or two races as many times as he can. And at 25, he can race a diverse program right now and still decide to specialize a few years from now.

Given the way he’s riding—having raced nine times this season and only finishing off the podium twice, and doing so with no real challengers—he could blow the doors of the Giro by the end of the first week. And that might be a good thing: in addition to winning the Giro, Pog also wants to become the first rider since Pantani to win the Giro and the Tour in the same season.

Jumping out to an early, insurmountable lead would allow Pogačar to sit back and ride defensively, possibly saving him important matches in what has suddenly become (after the recent crash at the Itzulia Basque Country ) a rather winnable Tour de France for someone having already raced the Giro. Now, that would be historic!

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The 77th Tour de Romandie packs in 11,000m of climbing across six stages in Switzerland

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Last year's winner Adam Yates and third-placed Damiano Caruso both return to this six day-stage race in Romandie, the French speaking area of west Switzerland to battle again in the region's beautiful mountain scenery.

Read on and we'll show you how to watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams from anywhere with a VPN , and potentially for FREE .

Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams take place between Tuesday, April 23 and Sunday, April 28. Start times vary. • FREE STREAMS —   Watch on SRF (Switzerland) •   U.S. — Watch on FloBikes •   U.K. — Watch on Discovery+ • Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN

Starting with a minuscule 2.3km prologue in the town of Payerne, the 77th Tour de Romandie will cover a total of 657km and pack in over 11,000m of climbing with a time trial on stage three and summit finishes on both stages two and four at Les Marécottes and Leysin.

Favourite to repeat his victory of last year will be Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates) who will be backed up by a strong team including Pavel Sivakov, Felix Großschartner and Juan Ayuso. Leading the challenge will be the ever improving Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) winner of the recent Giro d’Abruzzo Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team) and young French star Lenny Martinez (Groupama - FDJ).

The course isn’t just for the climbers though as with a prologue and a mid-race time trial many TT specialists are on the start sheet too including Josh Tarling and Ethan Hayter from (INEOS Grenadiers) and Rémi Cavagna (Movistar Team).

Read on for where to watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 cycling action live, wherever you are in the world.

FREE Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams

If you live in Switzerland then you can look forward to a FREE Tour de Romandie live stream in 2024. 

Switzerland's SRF is set to serve up a free stream of this six-stage stage race.

But what if you're based in Switzerland but aren't at home to catch that free Tour de Romandie coverage? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.

Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams around the world

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the cycling on your usual subscription?

You can still watch the Tour de Romandie 2024 live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN . It's the best on the market:

There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 5,000 servers, across 60 countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend.

Get 60% off NordVPN with this deal

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice . As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a Swiss service, you'd select Switzerland from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to SRF or another streaming service and watch the action.

How to watch 2024 Tour de Romandie live streams in the U.S.

Cycling fans in the U.S. can watch the 2024 Tour de Romandie on  FloBikes . A subscription will set you back US$149.99 for the year or US$29.99 on a monthly basis.

And if you're currently out of the U.S. but still want to watch the race, then don't forget to explore  NordVPN  set out above.

How to watch Tour de Romandie 2024 live streams in the U.K.

Live coverage of the 2024 Tour de Romandie will be broadcast on Eurosport and Discovery+.

A 'standard' subscription to Discovery+ which includes Eurosport's cycling coverage will set you back £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year. The package includes year-round cycling streams as well as other live sports including snooker, tennis, motorsports, the Paris Olympic Games, and more.

A premium subscription, which includes all that plus TNT Sports ( Premier League , Champions League and Europa League football plus rugby, wrestling, UFC, and MotoGP) costs an additional £29.99 per month.

If you're currently traveling overseas, don't worry, as you can use NordVPN to watch from abroad.

How to watch Tour de Romandie live streams in Canada

Cycling fans in the Canada can watch the 2024 Tour de Romandie on  FloBikes . A subscription will set you back CAN$150 for the year or CAN$29.99 on a monthly basis.

Not at home right now? Use NordVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Canada.

Tour de Romandie 2024 stages

The race starts with a very short 2.3km prologue which will be contested by the overall favorites, keen to install a pecking order early on, and the short TT specialists looking for a chance to gain a leaders jersey in a big stage race. 

Stage one follows the next day and it’s a lumpy 165.7km from Château d’Oex to Fribourg which will likely end in a sprint finish, although there are very view big name sprinters on the start sheet.

Stage two is where the GC action will really kick off with two huge mountains and a summit finish at Salvan/Les Marécottes. This 10km final ascent, averaging 7.3%, has slopes maxing out at 14% so will be a proper test for the climbers.

Those same climbers will the next day have to take on the 15.5km continuously undulating time trial around Oron and utilise another skill needed to win a stage race.

Stage four from Saillon to Leysin is 151.7km and takes the riders into higher territory with five classified climbs including the 10km summit finish at the end.

After this the GC battle should be stitched up with just the laps around Vernier to contend with on the final stage which will likely end in a sprint.

Prologue | Tuesday April 23, | Payerne - Payerne. 2.3km

Stage 1 | Wednesday April 24, Château d’Oex - Fribourg. 165.7km

Stage 2 | Thursday April 25, Fribourg - Salvan/Les Marécottes. 171km

Stage 3 | Friday April 26, Oron - Oron. 15.5km

Stage 4 | Saturday April 27, Sailion - Leysin. 151.7km

Stage 5 | Sunday April 28, Vernier - Vernier. 150.8km

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Simon Warren has been obsessed with cycling since the summer of 1989 after watching Greg Lemond battle Laurent Fignon in the Tour de France. Although not having what it took to beat the best, he found his forte was racing up hills and so began his fascination with steep roads. This resulted in his 2010’s best-selling  100 Greatest Cycling Climbs , followed to date by 14 more guides to vertical pain. Covering the British Isles, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain he has been riding and racing up hills and mountains for over 30 years now. He hosts talks, guides rides, has written columns for magazines and in 2020 released his first book of cycling routes,  RIDE BRITAIN . Simon splits his time between working as a graphic designer and running  his 100 Climbs brand  and lives in Sheffield on the edge of the Peak District with his wife and two children.

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Screen Rant

7 the tortured poets department songs that must be added to taylor swift: the eras tour.

Certain songs on Taylor Swift's new double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, were made to be performed live on The Eras Tour.

• Taylor Swift accompanied the release of her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, with a surprise second installment containing 15 extra songs.
• Assuming Taylor Swift incorporates the new album into The Eras Tour set list, some songs from The Tortured Poets Department are better suited to be performed live than others.
• Songs like "But Daddy I Love Him" and "Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?" would make for thrilling, captivating performances on The Eras Tour.

If Taylor Swift decides to incorporate her new double album, The Tortured Poets Department, into her shows on The Eras Tour , there are certain songs she must add to the set list. Two hours after Swift's highly anticipated eleventh studio album was released at midnight on April 19, 2024, the songstress dropped a surprise second instalment containing 15 brand-new songs. Combined with the 16 original tracks, there are 31 songs on The Tortured Poets Department : The Anthology double album.

Now that she's embarked on this new musical era, The Tortured Poets Department will have to be incorporated into the live show somehow when Swift goes back on The Eras Tour on May 9, 2024. It's unlikely that she will add a whole extra set considering The Eras Tour concert is already three-and-a-half hours long , but she may adjust the existing set list to make room for TTPD. At the very least, Swift is guaranteed to perform some selections from TTPD as surprise songs during her acoustic sets on tour.

If Swift does incorporate The Tortured Poets Department into the permanent set list, though, the Folklore and Midnights sets are the most at risk of receiving cuts since they're tied for the longest eras with seven songs each. As the maximum for any set on The Eras Tour right now, seven is the most songs Swift can reasonably be expected to add from TTPD to the set list. For her selections, these seven songs from The Tortured Poets Department would translate best to a live performance on The Eras Tour.

The Eras Tour Movie Creates 1 Huge Challenge For Taylor Swift's Next Era

7 but daddy i love him, written by taylor swift & aaron dessner.

On "But Daddy I Love Him," Swift seems to be responding to the general public's unsolicited disapproval of her dating certain men using the trope of a stubborn teenager rebelling against her disapproving parents. The song gives off Fearless vibes, particularly the Romeo & Juliet -centered "Love Story" due to their shared forbidden love narrative, and resembles "august" from Folklore in terms of the production, both of which make for great performances on The Eras Tour.

Many fans have speculated that this song might be about Swift's short-lived public relationship with The 1975 frontman, Matty Healey, in the spring of 2023.

Of every song on The Tortured Poets Department, "But Daddy I Love Him" feels the most fit to be performed live . While listening to the theatrical track, it's easy to visualize what a live performance would look and sound like. The lively, melodramatic chorus and post-chorus were made to be sung in a stadium in front of thousands and the end of the bridge conjures images of Swift frolicking around onstage à la "august" if the instrumental was extended.

Since she borrowed the title from Ariel in The Little Mermaid, a version of which Allie quotes in The Notebook, Swift could include an intro of these characters reciting the titular line before performing "But Daddy I Love Him."

This song also presents so many opportunities for Swift to create a memorable concert experience. Since she borrowed the title from Ariel in The Little Mermaid , a version of which Allie quotes in The Notebook , Swift could include an intro of these characters reciting the titular line before performing "But Daddy I Love Him" or even reference them in her costume. Swift teasing the audience with " you should see your faces " after the fake out about " having his baby " is also poised to become an instantly iconic moment if she performed this song on The Eras Tour.

10 Taylor Swift Songs I Really Wish Were In The Eras Tour Movie

6 florida (featuring florence + the machine), written by taylor swift & florence welch.

Of the two tracks with featured artists on The Tortured Poets Department, "Florida!!!" featuring Florence + The Machine blows the album opener "Fortnight" featuring Post Malone out of the water. This ode to the Sunshine State is already an intoxicating song to listen to on the album, and it would be ten times more exhilarating to experience live on The Eras Tour.

Even if she doesn't add it to the set list, Swift is guaranteed to perform "Florida!!!" as a surprise song during the acoustic set at one of her Miami shows, though.

If Swift added "Florida!!!" to the set list, the crowd stomping their feet along with the heavy drums on the chorus before belting out the titular lyric in unison, exclamation points and all, would be an unforgettable moment every night on The Eras Tour. The line " f**k me up, Florida " that repeats on the bridge and serves as the final lyric of the song would also feel liberating to shout out loud in a crowd setting, especially for the attendees at Swift's three stops in Miami, Florida, between October 18 to 20, 2024.

Sadly, Swift is unlikely to add "Florida!!!" to the permanent set list since Florence + The Machine will not be joining her on The Eras Tour. She could still perform the song solo and sing Florence's parts herself, but this is a long shot since there are no songs on the set list that originally have featured artists. Even if she doesn't add it to the set list, Swift is guaranteed to perform "Florida!!!" as a surprise song during the acoustic set at one of her Miami shows, though.

Swift has brought out opening acts like Phoebe Bridgers and HAIM to perform their duets with her ("Nothing New" and "no body, no crime," respectively) during the main show on The Eras Tour, but these were not permanently added to the set list.

Taylor Swift's Next Album Sets Up A New Eras Tour Movie Cameo That Would Make Up For Cutting HAIM

5 who's afraid of little old me, written by taylor swift.

While most of the songs on The Tortured Poets Department most fit for a live performance are more on the upbeat and lighthearted side, "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" is the polar opposite. On this haunting track, Swift ruminates on her experience in the spotlight and the treatment she's received as a public figure, calling out the hypocrisy of those who villainize her.

The whole song would make for a chilling, powerful live performance, but hearing Swift scream the titular lyric on the chorus of "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" would be on another level.

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" is delivered with the same exasperated rage underneath a devilish grin as most of the songs from Swift's Reputation era , especially the pre-chorus, " If you wanted me dead, you should've just said/Nothing makes me feel more alive ." The whole song would make for a chilling, powerful live performance, but hearing Swift scream the titular lyric on the chorus of "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" would be on another level.

The song is both sonically and thematically similar to "mad woman" from Folklore, as well. Though Swift does not perform "mad woman" on The Eras Tour, a good basis for comparison for how "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" would feel live is Swift's harrowing performance of "my tears ricochet" from the Folklore set, which the TTPD track also resembles. All of these songs that bear similar themes, subject matter, and overall vibe as " Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" show how the TTPD track would translate perfectly to a live performance.

4 Imgonnagetyouback

Written by taylor swift & jack antonoff.

On "imgonnagetyouback" from the second installment of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Swift schemes to get her ex back, though she's uncertain of her intentions for doing so. "Imgonnagetyouback" isn't necessarily a stand-out track on the album, but the playful song lends itself well to a live performance that's fun and entertaining for Swift and the audience alike. If executed properly, the lyrics on the bridge, " even if it's handcuffed, I'm leavin' here with you " and " pick your poison, babe, I'm poison either way, " and the lead into the final chorus could all be huge moments during the live performance.

By amping up the production and accompanying the song with some fun choreography, "imgonnagetyouback" has the potential to deliver a performance in line with the 1989 era. In fact, the line on the chorus about smashing up the subject's bike is reminiscent of Swift smashing her boyfriend's fancy car in the "Blank Space" music video, which she referenced via Easter egg on the Eras Tour by wielding a neon golf club during her performance.

9 Taylor Swift Songs That Are Even Better In The Eras Tour Movie Than On The Album

3 so high school.

On the joyous and nostalgic "So High School," Swift gushes about how her adult relationship makes her feel like a lovestruck teenager in the best way. She references teen-centric media like American Pie and Grand Theft Auto and games like "Kiss, Marry, Kill," Spin the Bottle, and Truth or Dare. These details and the premise of the song as a whole provide endless possibilities for different high school-themed costumes, props, set pieces, and even choreography in a live performance of "So High School" on The Eras Tour.

It's also widely speculated that "So High School" is about Swift's relationship with her current boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, mostly because of the lyric, " you know how to ball, I know Aristotle ." She already shouts him out on The Eras Tour by changing the lyric on "Karma" from " guy on the screen " to " guy on the Chiefs, " but it would be a sweet gesture to include a song that's (supposedly) about Kelce on the set list, especially for the shows where he's in attendance.

Is Travis Kelce In Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Movie?

2 thank you aimee.

On "thanK you aIMee," Swift reflects on how she was ruthlessly tormented by the titular Aimee and realizes that the hell Aimee put her through pushed her to prove herself and succeed. The song is seemingly directed at a mean girl who bullied Swift in school but the deliberately capitalized letters in the title suggest that "thanK you aIMee" is actually a subtle jab at Kim Kardashian and their famous feud. Given this additional context, it might be controversial to include this song on The Eras Tour set list.

Hearing Swift call out bullies and sing about finding her strength would be such a significant experience for all the young children attending The Eras Tour who might be going through the same thing.

As a standalone song separate from any (unconfirmed) lore, "thanK you aIMee" is an empowering anthem about perseverance and overcoming bullying. Hearing Swift call out bullies and sing about finding her strength would be such a significant experience for all the young children attending The Eras Tour who might be going through the same thing.

The production on "thanK you aIMee" is quite understated on the album, but the instrumentals can be bulked up to create more of an atmosphere during the live performance. Given the deeply personal subject matter (whether it's about Kardashian or a real childhood bully, or both), performing "thanK you aIMee" onstage every night would probably be a cathartic experience for Swift , especially the lyric, "I built a legacy that you can't undo ."

1 The Bolter

A bit of a deep cut on The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, "The Bolter" tells the tale of a woman who bolts (hence the title) at the first sign of trouble in a relationship. The third-person, unraveling narrative is reminiscent of the detached, fictionalized approach Swift took on Folklore , which has proved fruitful in delivering compelling performances on The Eras Tour.

The vast melodic diversity of "The Bolter" also creates sonic distinctions between the verses, chorus, post-chorus, and bridge, which would naturally translate to an engaging live performance.

Though it comes toward the end of the lengthy double album, "The Bolter" stands out due to Swift's vivid storytelling and the varying pitches she sings in throughout the song. The vast melodic diversity of "The Bolter" also creates sonic distinctions between the verses, chorus, post-chorus, and bridge, which would naturally translate to an engaging live performance. Performing "The Bolter" would also provide Taylor Swift with the opportunity to whip out her acoustic guitar during The Tortured Poets Department set on The Eras Tour.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

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Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is a film rendition of the colossal worldwide event that sees the legendary pop star hit the stage in a specially curated film event. Performing the hits of her over seventeen-year career in music, The Eras Tour highlights Taylor Swift and her team as they put on a show of a lifetime.

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Taylor Swift Has Given Fans a Lot. Is It Finally Too Much?

Swift has been inescapable over the last year. With the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” her latest (very long) album, some seem to finally be feeling fatigued.

• Share full article

By Matt Stevens and Shivani Gonzalez

Four new studio albums. Four rerecorded albums, too. A $1 billion oxygen-sucking world tour with a concert movie to match. And, of course, one very high-profile relationship that spilled over into the Super Bowl .

For some, the constant deluge that has peaked in the past year is starting to add up to a new (and previously unthinkable) feeling: Taylor Swift fatigue.

And it is a feeling that has only solidified online in the days following the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” which morphed from a 16-song album into a 31-song, two-hour epic just hours after its release .

Many critics (including The New York Times’s own) have suggested that the album was overstuffed — simply not her best. And critiques of the music have now opened a sliver of space for a wider round of complaint unlike any Swift has faced over her prolific and world-conquering recent run.

“It’s almost like if you produce too much… too fast… in a brazen attempt to completely saturate and dominate a market rather than having something important or even halfway interesting to say… the art suffers!” Chris Murphy, a staff writer at Vanity Fair, posted on X .

Which is not to say nobody listened to the album; far from it. Spotify said “Poets,” which was released on Friday, became the most-streamed album in a single day with more than 300 million streams .

And of course, many of Swift’s most ardent fans, known as “Swifties,” loved her 11th album or, at least, have decided to air any reservations in private conversations. The first days of the album’s release have been greeted with the usual lyrical dissections for key allusions hidden within the songs, attention to every word that few other artists receive.

But others, including some self-identified Swift fans, have freely admitted frustration. Fans and critics alike have contended that Swift’s lyrics have become a tad verbose and that the tracks on this latest album — many of them breakup songs — sounded a whole lot like others she has already put out . The internet has also provided an almost unlimited supply of jokes about the length of the album .

Some admonished Swift for selling so many versions of “Poets” only to double its size after those orders were in, part of a cynically corporate rollout . (Care for the CD , vinyl or the Phantom Clear vinyl ?) The Daily Mail cobbled together what it deemed “The 10 WORST lyrics in Taylor Swift’s new album — ranked!”

For its part, Reductress , the satirical women’s magazine, offered a post titled “Woman Doing Her Best to Like New Taylor Swift Album Lest She Face the Consequences.”

Those who dare to publicly criticize Swift are acutely aware of the potential for backlash. Murphy, the Vanity Fair writer, made a dark joke about it . At least one X user who posted a lengthy thread eviscerating Swift, the album and its rollout took the post private after it got more than three million views. Paste Magazine opted not to put a byline on its harsh review of Swift’s album, citing safety concerns for the writer.

In an unusual twist, even Swift herself is widely viewed as admonishing her most militant defenders in one particular song on the new album, “But Daddy I Love Him.” Some contingents of Swift’s fanbase strongly disapproved of her brief relationship with Matty Healy of the 1975 and appear to now be bristling at the amount of record real estate Healy consumes on the latest album .

Weird, complicated times in Taylor land.

“It might be a tough few days for the fanbase,” Nathan Hubbard, a co-host of the Ringer podcast, “ Every Single Album ,” wrote in a social media thread about “Poets” on Friday . “They’ll hear some valid criticism they aren’t used to (if the critics dare), and for many they’ll have to reconcile their own truth that this isn’t their favorite, while still rightly celebrating it and supporting her.”

Indeed, grinding through the 31-song double album after midnight had felt like “a hostage situation,” Hubbard wrote.

On a new podcast episode, which was released over the weekend, Hubbard and his co-host, Nora Princiotti, were among those who pointed out that while the album may be imperfect, Swift simply may have needed to purge herself of the songs on “Poets” to process a turbulent time in her life.

Princiotti said she enjoyed much of the album and was careful to stipulate that “Poets” did contain several “special songs.”

But she also allowed for some “tough love.”

“Musically, I do not really hear anything new,” she said, adding that Swift “could have done a little bit more self editing.”

“I don’t think the fact that this is a double-album that is more than two hours in length serves what’s good about it,” Princiotti said. “And I think that for the second album in a row, I’m still sort of left going, ‘OK, where do we go from here?’”

Princiotti ultimately graded “Poets” a “B.” And in the world of her podcast and universe of Taylor Swift, Princiotti acknowledged — that might have been an all-time low.

An earlier version of this article misstated the title of Taylor Swift’s new album. It is “The Tortured Poets Department,” not “The Tortured Poets Society.”

How we handle corrections

Matt Stevens writes about arts and culture news for The Times. More about Matt Stevens

Shivani Gonzalez is a news assistant at The Times who writes a weekly TV column and contributes to a variety of sections. More about Shivani Gonzalez

Inside the World of Taylor Swift

A Triumph at the Grammys: Taylor Swift made history  by winning her fourth album of the year at the 2024 edition of the awards, an event that saw women take many of the top awards .

‘The T ortured Poets Department’: Poets reacted to Swift’s new album name , weighing in on the pertinent question: What do the tortured poets think ?  

In the Public Eye: The budding romance between Swift and the football player Travis Kelce created a monocultural vortex that reached its apex  at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Ahead of kickoff, we revisited some key moments in their relationship .

Politics (Taylor’s Version): After months of anticipation, Swift made her first foray into the 2024 election for Super Tuesday with a bipartisan message on Instagram . The singer, who some believe has enough influence  to affect the result of the election , has yet to endorse a presidential candidate.

Conspiracy Theories: In recent months, conspiracy theories about Swift and her relationship with Kelce have proliferated , largely driven by supporters of former President Donald Trump . The pop star's fans are shaking them off .

Less can be more as Giro d’Italia tries a shift in emphasis – Analysis

Revamped route an attempt to convince Pogačar to try Giro-Tour double

It was clear that something needed to change. The past two editions of the Giro d’Italia produced late twists on the penultimate stage, but on neither occasion did the dramatic denouement feel like an adequate pay-off for the long waiting game that preceded it.

The final week of the Giro has always played host to its most demanding stages – witness Fausto Coppi and Hugo Koblet on the Stelvio in 1953, for instance, or Alex Zülle’s collapse at Marco Pantani’ s expense in 1998. But in recent years, it was hard to escape that the sense that an increasingly backloaded race was losing its balance.

Cramming the toughest climbs into the final days was one way of guaranteeing suspense deep into the Giro, but it was an act of engineering with an obvious structural flaw. The sheer difficulty of the third week was making overall contenders understandably reticent to go on the offensive earlier in the race.

The first two-thirds of the Giro, with the exception of the occasional set-piece time trial or hilltop finish, became an exercise in conserving energy for the GC men. Witness the stalemate at Gran Sasso d’Italia in 2023 or the inertia of the race’s second week, where the gaps between eventual podium finishers Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) , Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) didn’t change by so much as a second. And even in the redoubtable third week itself, the succession of imposing mountain passes often served more to inhibit attacking than to inspire it.

Giro d'Italia 2024 route presentation – The fanfare and reactions Giro d'Italia 2024- the full guide Giro d'Italia 2024 route Five key stages in the 2024 Giro d'Italia

The 2024 Giro route, presented in Trento on Friday evening, marks a change from recent editions, with director Mauro Vegni seeking to distribute the key stages across the entire race rather than hoarding them for the final week, and the overall volume of climbing has also been lowered considerably.

“That was the intention,” Vegni admitted. “In the past, we saw having such a difficult final week wasn’t allowing the riders to express themselves fully during the first two weeks, so we have tried to create a course that has climbs from the first week, and that also features more manageable climbs in the third week. And in total, we have about 20% less climbing than we did last May.”

In 2023, there were some 51,300m of total climbing on the Giro route. Next May, there will be ‘only’ 42,900m of climbing across the race’s 3,321km. In 2023, the final week included two stages with more than 5,000m of climbing and one with just under 4,000m, not to mention a severe mountain time trial.

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The final week in 2024 is still tough, of course, with three days featuring more than 4,000m of climbing, but the last summit finish comes at Passo Brocon on stage 17. Vegni will doubtless hope the rugged stage 19 to Sappada and the twin ascents of Monte Grappa on stage 20 will offer scope for invention as well as the usual test of endurance.

There has already plenty of invention in the construction of this Giro route, including Vegni’s calculated risk of including a summit finish on the very first weekend, with the race climbing to Oropa on stage 2. Coming 24 hours after an explosive opening stage around Turin, the ascent will certainly spark a selection, but for all the mystique of Pantani’s 1999 triumph, its slopes shouldn’t provoke insurmountable gaps among the men with designs on overall victory.

The variety that follows in the opening phase of the race might act as a safeguard, starting with the foray onto gravel roads for on stage 6 to Rapolano Terme, which offers a taste of Strade Bianche rather than a full-blown attempt at replicating the race. The gruppo will tackle 12km of gravel here rather than the 35km they encountered en route to Montalcino in 2021. “It’s just the right amount for the first week,” Vegni insisted.

It remains to be seen if Vegni has included the right amount of time trialling on his route, and much will depend, of course, on who eventually takes the start in Venaria Reale. A year ago, RCS Sport put some 70km of time trialling on the course in a (successful) bid to encourage Remco Evenepoel’s participation, and there is again plenty for the rouleurs again here, starting with the 37.2km test to Perugia on stage 7.

The flat and fast time trial to Desenzano del Garda on stage 14 brings the total distance against the watch to some 68km, which is itself another calculated kind of risk. Consider, for instance, the damage Jonas Vingegaard wrought on the 2024 Tour de France in the short time trial to Combloux. Vegni might be heartened, however, by the experience of 2017, where Tom Dumoulin forged overall victory in the Montefalco time trial without divesting the race of its suspense.

And yet, for all that this is a ‘lighter’ Giro than those of the recent past, the mountains should again be the final arbiter. The aim of the course, as Vegni suggested, is to bring the GC men out of their shells early and often. In that light, stage 9 to Prati di Tivo seems to offer more of a springboard to attackers than 2023’s headwind-blasted haul up Gran Sasso d’Italia.

The aforementioned Lake Garda time trial means that week two is already sure to provide some manner of tiebreaker among the maglia rosa contenders, but the Bocca della Selva summit finish on stage 10 and, of course, the tappone to Livigno on stage 15 should also provoke the kind of separation that was so lacking in the middle week this past year.

The scaled-back final week still hits plenty of the usual high notes, including the Stelvio – weather conditions on the Cima Coppi permitting, of course – and back-to-back summit finishes on Monte Pana and the Passo Brocon. The flat run to Padua offers a little respite and the run-in to Sappada on stage 19 sparks intrigue, while the double climb of Monte Grappa still provides scope for drama on the penultimate day.

Pogačar

The more balanced 2024 route is not, however, simply an effort to spread the key moments across the entire Giro rather than clump them together in the final days. It is also an exercise in trying to persuade the world’s best riders – Tadej Pogacar, above all others – to attempt the Giro-Tour double. Or, as Tuttobici’ s headline after the presentation put it: “Yes, but who’s riding?”

The modern Giro has leaned heavily into its tagline as “the toughest race in the world's most beautiful place,” and often with good reason. The race enjoyed a remarkable sequence of editions between 2014 and 2018, for instance, with the Giro routinely outstripping the Tour for excitement and intrigue.

In the last five years, however, the Giro has struggled to convince riders of the merits of tackling the race in tandem with the Tour. Alberto Contador (2015) and Chris Froome (2018) were the last Giro winners to go on and ride the Tour, and both men were left short in July after their efforts at the corsa rosa had exhausted their reservoirs.

Vegni knew that if he wanted to convince Pogačar – or Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and defending champion Primoz Roglic, for that matter – to ride the 2024 Giro, then he would need to tailor the demands of his race accordingly. Friday’s presentation was only one step in an ongoing diplomatic process. “We’re working on it,” Vegni said when asked about the likely start list.

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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation , published by Gill Books.

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Tadej Pogačar's double Giro-Tour dare opens up road to Vuelta a España for favored wingman: 'I'm the last man in the mountains.'

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

MUSCAT, Oman (Velo) — Adam Yates is now Tadej Pogačar ‘s most-trusted wingman, but he might be cut loose at the Vuelta a España this season as Pogačar tackles the Giro d’Italia- Tour de France double.

While supporting Pogačar remains Yates’ priority for July, he revealed he’s sizing up a potential leadership role at the Vuelta later in the year.

First things first, and that’s helping Pogačar win another yellow jersey.

“I am going there to be the last man for Tadej in the mountains, and it worked well last year,” Yates said ahead of this week’s Tour of Oman. “For me in the Tour I’ll have a similar job, and maybe later in the year if I come out of the Tour quite fresh I can do the Vuelta myself.

“We’ll see, it’s a long way from February,” he said during a media huddle. “Let’s get the first part of the season first, hopefully I can get a win and see how it pans out.”

• UAE to deliver ‘dream team’ to Tour de France
• Is this the best Adam Yates ever?
• Why Pogačar is racing the double now?

In the talent-rich UAE Team Emirates, Yates quickly became Pogačar’s indispensable ally in the high mountains in 2023, giving the team a potent second card against then-Jumbo-Visma.

The pair end up in Paris in second and third behind Jonas Vingegaard, with a slew of stage wins between them.

This season, with Pogačar focused on his historic double quest, Yates remains committed to his support role for July, with an eye on his own results when he can.

“To be honest, it doesn’t really change anything,” Yates said of Pogačar’s ambitions. “It’s similar to last year for me, so the preparation doesn’t really change.

“I know my calendar, I know when I need to go to altitude. If I can be at my best moment when I need to be, it doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing.”

UAE brass have shot down a Vuelta start from Pogačar, so others on the team along with Yates will also be pushing for a chance at the Spanish grand tour.

The 31-year-old knows his job, and sticks to it. He brings his A-game when it counts, and doesn’t get bogged down in things that aren’t worth his energy on who will be leaders where.

Acknowledging Pogačar’s leadership role at UAE, Yates finds freedom and support at the same time in his secondary role, and can only sit back and admire Pogačar’s Giro-Tour double attempt.

“If he wants to do it, he can do it. He’s the best rider in the world for a reason,” Yates told Velo . “He wants to do it, and the team is backing it, so go for it.

“If he cannot do it, I am not sure who else can. Why not try?”

Ever-steady: ‘I want to be consistent all year’

Yates buckles down this week at the Tour of Oman and is hoping to top his breakout 2023 season that saw him hit the Tour podium and emerge as the grand tour threat everyone thought he could be.

A newfound consistency helped Yates clinch victories at the Tour de Romandie, a runner-up spot at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and a stage win, the yellow jersey for four stages plus a third-place finish alongside Pogačar at the Tour, and then capping it all off with a win at the GP de Montréal.

For 2024, Yates wants to hit the repeat button, and then some.

“I found a level of consistency I’ve not had in previous years,” he said. “That’s what I want this year. I don’t want to have any bad days or moments. I want to be consistent all year, and hopefully the results will come.”

Adam Yates is the overwhelming favourite for a brutal edition of the #TourofOman . Read our in-depth preview. #TOO2024 https://t.co/gMt6mqM7Wf — CyclingQuotes (@CyclingQuotes) February 8, 2024

After pre-race favorite status at the five-stage Oman, it’s straight to the team’s “home race” at the UAE Tour, where he will share leadership duties with Brandon McNulty, who also opened the 2024 season with a win at the Volta a Valenciana.

Yates credits his move to UAE Team Emirates for elevating his performance to new heights thanks in part to the company he now keeps.

“When you’re on a team of champions, it’s not just Tadej, it’s the whole team,” he said. “Everyone’s trying to be better and trying to improve, it just brings your level up as well. When you’re in that environment, it’s hard not to be at your best. That’s what I found last year.

“Hopefully I can take it one notch higher and win some more races.”

Yates: ‘I am just a simple bike rider’

Once back in Europe, Yates will mix altitude training camps and a pre-Tour calendar that’s not fully defined, but will include a string of one-week stage races where he can vie for victories.

For the rest of the year, Yates will take his chances when he can, alongside the team’s stacked lineup that also includes McNulty, Juan Ayuso, João Almeida, Jay Vine, Isaac del Toro, and the list goes on.

With so many superstars piled onto one roster, Yates said he simply keeps his head down and does his work.

“It’s not up to me to decide calendars. Sports directors have a big job with so many good riders. I think they do it well,” he said. “There are a lot of races on the calendar, and we can choose well.

“You go to the race and try to perform at your best, and if someone is better than you, you do everything you can to help the team win.”

Also read : Simon Yates: ‘It’s hard to race against the super teams’

No complications, no drama, that’s how Yates likes it.

Much like his twin brother Simon, he trains, he rests, he races, and the results are usually pretty good.

Journalists tried to query Yates about his opinions on the ONE Cycling project and the radical idea of shortening grand tours or having replacement riders.

Yates was having none of it.

“It’s not up to me to decide, is it?” he said. “You’re asking the wrong questions, mate!

“I am a simple bike rider. I don’t get involved in this stuff. I train hard, I work hard, and I show up to the races that are on my calendar, and try to win.”

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