Falset. Costa Daurada – Roquetes. Terres de l’Ebre 174km That’ll be that then. Decathlon did Decathlon things and Pogačar did Pogačar things. Hats off to Jarno Widar and Gregor Mühlberger for putting in exceptional performances, a real coming of age ride by the young Belgian. If you don’t like Pogačar dominance, I suggest you turn off for a couple of weeks. Stage 5 is an interesting looking day, normally, it would be a day for the climbing sprinters.

Andorra la Vella > Andorra la Vella 106km Pogačar’s kryptonite has been found, it’s hail! Quite how teams get that involved in mountain stages is beyond me, but you just never know. Anyway, get ready for a big day in Andorra. Just 106km, that’s bonkers, but it still contains 3000m of climbing, a tunnel has skewed the figures in the profile. That amount of climbing over just 100km really is insane, I can’t wait to see how this stage will play out.

Gruissan – Aude > Font Romeu 174km Day 3 in the Vuelta and the riders head towards Spain but finish just on the French side of the border in Font Romeu. It’s an uphill finish, but not the hardest in the world, will UAE want to ride for a Pogačar win? Will it be a day for the break and a chance for one of the attackers to take the red jersey?

Leuven > Leuven 184km The final stage of the Renewi Tour. After a brilliant sprint win today, Jasper Philipsen is now in the race lead, 4 seconds ahead of Berckmoes, with Kooij a further 6 seconds back. With a potential 19 seconds available in bonuses throughout this stage, it’s going to be a very exciting day.

Monaco > Manosque 215km Day 2 in the Vuelta and the riders head for France. 215km is a long day in the saddle, something other grand tours have tried to avoid, but I like to see stamina tested, so I’m quite happy with the distance in this stage. You’ll know this finish from Tour de la Provence, but only the final 700m is actually the same, this finish is harder.

Riemst > Bilzen-Hoeselt 187km There’s been far too many crashes in this race, such a shame for those who have hit the deck. The big GC day is now behind us, this should be another sprint finish, bonus seconds are going to be very important.

Monaco > Monaco 9.5km ITT The first stage of the Vuelta, a technical 9.5km ITT in Monaco. Please note the little hill at the end is caused by a tunnel, the road doesn’t really rise at all.

Celles > Geraardsbergen 182km The big day in the Renewi Tour, the Geraardsbergen stage, with all the usual climbs. Two times up the Kapelmuur, this day also features multiple ascents of the Bosberg and Denderoodberg. Not only that, but the Paterberg features early in the day.

The final grand tour of the year is here, La Vuelta is definitely the hipster’s grand tour. Forget about the clamour and glamour of the Tour and Giro, this is the race for the diehards of the sport. This year the race kicks off in Monaco, spends a couple of days in France, one in Andorra and then starts to head down the various Costas on the Mediterranean coast. Heading to the south at this time of year will raise eyebrows but remember this is where the people from inland Spain come during August, to escape the intense heat. Yes,...

Blankenberge > Ardooie 174km Stage 2 and the usual finish in Ardooie. My favourite win here was Renshaw back in 2013, it’s a finish most know well. Kooij, Milan, Philipsen and Merlier have all won here since 2020, Philipsen is the only one of them to have won it twice. Who’s going to win this year?