Category: Previews

Alcaudete 5km ITT A little context. The original race was cancelled as the Guardia Civil were needed to police farmer protests, they didn’t have enough left for the race. This is the 2nd week of protests, due to the farmers being very unhappy with the EU. They must adhere to strict rules, but non-EU farmers don’t,...

The organisers and local authorities have done very well to find a new route that can be policed. Just the three stages, but it’s good that the riders get to race this weekend.

Silves > Fóia 172km The usual finish on Alto da Fóia. The organisers have made a habit of tinkering with the approach to Fóia, this year they go back to the same finale they used in 2022. That was during COVID times, which meant the race was in May, and the front group was much...

Almuñécar > Cádiar 163km A tough old day in the saddle. There might not be any big mountains, but the race heads up to Sierra Nevada, which is why there’s over 4000m of climbing. It’s the hardest stage in the race, it should be a big GC day.

The route looks experimental to me, I’m looking forward to seeing it goes this week. The first stage looks like being the big GC day, which I’m not keen on, hopefully the gaps are small, and the rest of the stages see a battle between the best.

Portmão > Lagos 201km The first stage in the Algarve is usually a nailed-on sprint in Lagos, but the wind could have something to say about that.

Standard Algarve route. The 22km ITT gives hope for the TT riders, but the two hilltop finishes still make it hard for them to win the race.

The big GC day in Oman. An easy day rolling round the desert, then 18 minutes of pure hell. This is why puncheurs have a good record on the Green Mountain compared to climbers, they do much better than expected. As everyone arrives fresh, and the whole race is easy, riders like Jorgenson can climb...

Again, the organisers have had to change the stage due to landslides. This time they’ve removed the opening 106km, leaving just 105km to be raced. The hills remain in place, last year we saw Lutsenko almost blow Jorgenson’s legs off, then Ackermann attacked ahead of the final climb, he was then caught and Ulissi won...

Naseem Park > Al Bustan 76km Today’s rain has caused landslides and a new route for this stage. Out goes the super steep finish, which was one for the GC riders, and in comes a punchy finale. It might only be 76km but hats off to the organisers for sorting it out.