Favorites stage 2 Vuelta a Espana 2024 | Wout van Aert may go for double win

The riders will start in Cascais, a coastal town half an hour outside the Portuguese capital Lisbon. The first neutralized section is until Farol do Cabo Raso, the most western point of Europe. The riders will face three flat kilometers until the first climb of this Vuelta a Espana: the Alto de Lagoa Azul, 5.7 kilometers at 4.6 percent.

So, some riders will also be eager to throw themselves for the polka dot jersey, knowing it is up for grabs in this opening stage. Next up is a long, rather hilly intermediate stage. The peloton will pass Sintra and the beautiful forests surrounding that idyllic town while continuing northwards.

After 140 kilometers, the first intermediate sprint of this Vuelta is scheduled, where - in case a not-too-big breakaway group gets away - we can see who has set his sights on the green jersey in this Vuelta. The Alto de Batalha is next, a fourth-category climb: 7.1 kilometers at 3.3 percent. With the summit twenty kilometers from the finish, something might happen here. But we must see if it's tough enough and if a team wants to commit to it.

Afterwards, we set a fast course downhill toward the arrival town of Ourem, which we head via a provincial road. There are some roundabouts in the final kilometers, but overall, it's a nice sprint. In the final kilometer, the climb is very slight.

Climbs
8.9 km: Alto de Lagoa Azul (5.7 km a 4.6%)
174.9 km: Alto da Batalha (7.1 km a 3.3%)

Timetable
Start: 11:50 am - 12:50 pm Dutch time
Finish: 4:19 pm - 5:19 pm Dutch time

We head northeast, and the wind comes from the northwest, so it is mostly against us. In the finale, however, we turn inland toward Ourem, so the wind can still be quite fierce on the side—and that with temperatures of 31 degrees Celsius.

We are in for a super tough Vuelta a Espana, which means few sprinters. Guys like Tim Merlier chose the Tour of Poland over the Tour of Spain, whereas Mads Pedersen and Caleb Ewan also decided at the last minute to make the trip to Eastern Europe instead of Southern Europe. So who is present then?

That brings us to Wout van Aert from Visma | Lease a Bike, the Belgian heading to this Vuelta with an unlimited stage win goal. Van Aert hasn't won too many this year and would like to add some stages in Portugal and Spain, which the Dutch team will also support him in. If he manages to win more than three seconds back on leader Brandon McNulty, he also has the red jersey. Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) should also come in with no bonus seconds as number two in the GC.

Kaden Groves, winner of three stages and the points jersey in the Vuelta last year, hasn't even won this year. The Aussie from Alpecin-Deceuninck had problems in the spring and missed out on the Giro but is now determined to win something in the Vuelta. Another man from Oceania, Corbin Strong, is also looking for a Vuelta victory on behalf of Israel-Premier Tech.

Another fast man of note is Bryan Coquard of Cofidis, who has never won a stage in a grand tour. The same applies to young, talented sprinters like Pavel Bittner (who won two stages in the Tour of Burgos on behalf of dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Arne Marit, Intermarché-Wanty's fast man.

The Spanish teams also have semi-sprinters at the start, including Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Canal (Movistar), and Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma). For the rest, the main focus will be on all-round types, genre Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers), Ide Schelling (Astana Qazqstan Team), Arjen Livyns (Lotto-Dstny), and Roger Adria (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe).

Top favorites:Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Outsiders:Pavel Bittner (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) and Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty)
Long shots: Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Carlos Canal (Movistar), Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma), Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Ide Schelling (Astana Qazqstan Team), Arjen Livyns (Lotto-Dstny) and Roger Adria (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)