Favorites stage 1 Tour of Guangxi | Top sprinters aim for the first leader’s jersey!
Cycling
While for many riders the cycling year of 2024 concluded on Saturday with the Tour of Lombardy, the WorldTour peloton heads to China in mid-October. The Tour of Guangxi kicks off on Tuesday, and the flat profile of the opening stage seems tailor-made for the sprinters. IDLProCycling.com walks you through everything you need to know!
Course stage 1 Tour of Guangxi 2024
The fifth edition of the Tour of Guangxi begins with a predominantly flat opening stage. The organizers have mapped out a 149.4-kilometer course around the start and finish location, Fangchenggang, consisting of four local laps. It’s a stage that sprinters will undoubtedly have set their sights on!
The local circuit is 38 kilometers, with the start positioned slightly further along in the loop than the finish. This makes the first lap 35.4 kilometers long, followed by three identical laps of 38 kilometers each. Although the profile hints at some smaller challenges on this nearly flat course, they’re minimal in practice.
The few hills on the course are tiny bumps in the Chinese landscape. The first of the three hills is 600 meters long at a gradient of 7.3%. The second begins with a kilometer at 5.1%, then continues almost immediately with another 500 meters at 7.4%. The third and final hill climbs a kilometer at 6.7%. Overall, these are nothing for the fast men to worry about, as a bunch sprint is expected on the streets of Fangchenggang.
Climbs
Times
Weather stage 1 Tour of Guangxi 2024
While there might be some showers in Fangchenggang on Tuesday morning, the riders are likely to stay dry by the afternoon. It’s expected to be quite warm in Guangxi, with temperatures around 29 degrees Celsius. The wind will blow from the east but won’t be strong enough to impact the race.
Favorites stage 1 Tour of Guangxi 2024
With an almost entirely flat opening stage, all eyes are on which sprinters will line up on Tuesday. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL is bringing two to the start: Dutchmen Fabio Jakobsen and Casper van Uden. Jakobsen has one win this year, while van Uden has celebrated victory four times in 2024. EF Education-EasyPost is also fielding a fast Dutchman, Marijn van den Berg, who is certainly a contender for the stage win in this sprint field.
UAE Team Emirates has the fast Colombian, Juan Sebastián Molano, who recently won a sprint in the CRO Race. Cofidis brings Milan Fretin, who might be the fastest of this field. The 23-year-old Belgian claimed his first two professional wins this year. The struggling Astana Qazaqstan team has two sprinters, Gleb Syritsa and Max Kanter, though the young Russian will likely be their designated finisher.
One step down the ladder, there are still plenty of fast men. Luke Lamperti, the young American racing for Soudal Quick-Step, has had several impressive podium finishes this year. Lotto Dstny will rely on Belgian Lionel Taminiaux, while Bahrain Victorious will likely look to Matevz Govekar. Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) has won two sprints at WorldTour level in his career, and Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers) also has a strong sprint in him.
Favorites stage 1 Tour of Guangxi 2024, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites: Casper van Uden (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Milan Fretin (Cofidis)
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024