Preview Tour of Britain 2024 | Evenepoel and Pidcock lead the charge!

Stage races in the fall: there aren’t many of them, but that makes the ones we do have all the more interesting. The Tour of Britain is one of these races. Wout van Aert dominated it last year; will it be Remco Evenepoel’s turn this time? IDLProCycling.com tells you everything you need to know!

The Tour of Britain has been favorable for Dutch and Belgian riders. In the last ten years, three Dutchmen have won: our classics specialists Dylan van Baarle (2014), Lars Boom (2017), and Mathieu van der Poel in 2019.

Last year, the victory went to a Belgian: Wout van Aert and Jumbo-Visma dominated the whole race. Two years before that, the superstar from Herentals also won the overall classification, but he won’t be able to do that this season. Van Aert is riding the Vuelta and, like his team, will not be present.

Latest winners Tour of Britain 

2023 Wout van Aert
2022 Gonzalo Serrano
2021 Wout van Aert
2020 Not ridden
2019 Mathieu van der Poel
2018 Julian Alaphilippe
2017 Lars Boom
2016 Steve Cummings
2015 Edvald Boasson Hagen
2014 Dylan van Baarle

Tour of Britain 2024: Course, favorites stage wins and times

Stage 1, Tuesday, Sept. 3: Kelso - Kelso (181.9 km)

The Tour of Britain kicks off in Kelso, Scotland. This is familiar ground for Remco Evenepoel, who won the World Time Trial Championships last year in Stirling. The Belgian has a chance on day one, but a sprint with a small group seems like the most likely scenario.

Climbs
65.4 km: Scott's View (4.2 km at 2.1%)
103.0 km: Dingleton (2.6 km at 6.1%)
146.2 km: Scott's view (4.2 km at 2.1%)
159.0 km: Dingleton (2.6 km at 6.1%)

Favorites
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech)
Casper van Uden (dsm-firmenich PostNL)

Times
Start: 10:30 AM UK time (5:30 AM EST)
Finish: 3:00 PM UK time (10:00 AM EST)

Stage 2, Wednesday, Sept. 4: Darlington - Redcar (152.1 km)

On day two, we move from Darlington to Redcar, located on the coast. The stage features a number of challenging climbs spread over many small ascents. A perfect opportunity for the punchers to cause some chaos?

Climbs
74.6 km: Ugglebarnby Moor (1.9 km at 7.9%)
85.9 km: Raw Pasture Bank (1.5 km at 6.5%)
100.3 km: Lythe Bank (1.5 km at 8.3%)

Favorites
Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers)
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step)

Times
Start: 11 AM UK time (6 AM EST)
Finish: 3 PM UK time (10 AM EST)

Stage 3, Thursday, Sept. 5: Sheffield - Barnsley (166.1 km)

Stage three appears to be the queen stage of this Tour of Britain. We start in Sheffield and finish 166 kilometers later in Barnsley. Just five kilometers from the end, there’s a tricky little climb, Hound Hill (1.4 kilometers at 5.5 percent), waiting for the riders.

Climbs
17.1 km: Long Lane (2.4 km at 5.5%)
22.0 km: Jawbone Hill (1.7 km at 8.9%)
162.0 km: Hound Hill (1.4 km at 5.5%)

Favorites
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step)
Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL)

Times
Start: 11 AM UK time (6 AM EST)
Finish: 3 PM UK time (10 AM EST)

Stage 4, Friday, Sept. 6: Derby - Newark (138.5 km)

Day four can be described as a flat, pancake-like stage, running from Derby to Newark-on-Trent. Sprinters, get ready!

Climbs
None

Favorites
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech)
Casper van Uden (dsm-firmenich PostNL)

Times
Start: 10:30 AM UK time (5:30 AM EST)
Finish: 3:00 PM UK time (10 AM EST)

Stage 5, Saturday, Sept. 7: Northampton - Northampton (146.9 km)

On day five, we start and finish in Northampton, where we once again seem to have a chance for the fast men, as the total elevation gain barely exceeds 1,000 meters.

Climbs
15.8 km: Newnham Hill (0.6 km at 7.2%)
19.5 km: Bulshill (0.6 km at 5.3%)

Favorites
Casper van Uden (dsm-firmenich PostNL)
Erlend Blikra (Uno-X)
Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech)

Times
Start: 11 AM UK time (6 AM EST)
Finish: 3 PM UK time (10 AM EST)

Stage 6, Wednesday, Sept. 8: Lowestoft - Felixstowe (158.4 km)

The Tour of Britain concludes on the British coast in Felixstowe. There might be some action caused by crosswinds, but it won't be due to elevation—there’s only 817 meters of climbing, according to the organizers.

Climbs
None

Favorites
Casper van Uden (dsm-firmenich PostNL)
Matevz Govekar (Bahrain Victorious)
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step)

Times
Start: 11:00 AM UK time (6 AM EST)
Finish: 3:00 PM UK time (10 AM EST)

Favorites final classification Tour of Britain 2024

The route of this year's Tour of Britain isn't very selective, so attackers will have to force the issue if they want to compete for the overall victory. The advantage for this type of rider is that the teams are limited to just six riders, which generally means there's slightly less control. However, the difference in levels between teams could be significant.

For example, there's a WorldTour team like Soudal Quick-Step, which comes with champions such as Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe. They might not even be the biggest favorites for the Belgian team, as hill sprinter Paul Magnier could also shine with his fast finish after a tough race, much like Van Aert did in 2023.

INEOS Grenadiers counters with Tom Pidcock and Ethan Hayter, who is moving to Soudal Quick-Step, but Israel-Premier Tech also has a strong, well-rounded team. With puncher Stephen Williams, top talent Joseph Blackmore, and strong sprinters Ethan Vernon and Jake Stewart, they can try to compete with the big teams.

Other WorldTour teams include dsm-firmenich PostNL and Bahrain Victorious, which also feature strong riders from a Dutch perspective. The Dutch team has sprinter Casper van Uden and Oscar Onley, who hails from the starting point in Kelso, while the team from the Middle East brings Wout Poels, Pello Bilbao, and Matevz Govekar.

Revelation stagiaire Jelte Krijnsen is also participating with Q36.5, while Uno-X is counting on Jonas Abrahamsen, Markus Hoelgaard, and the fast Erlend Blikra. Additionally, keep an eye on young talents such as Noah Hobbs (Groupama-FDJ development team), Tom Donnenwirth, Rasmus Sojberg Pedersen (Decathlon AG2R Development), Liam O'Brien (Lidl-Trek Future), Robert Donaldson (Trinity), and the Visma riders Tomos Pattinson and Jed Smitshon, who are racing for the British national team in this event.

According to IDLProCycling.com, who are the favorites for the general classification of the 2024 Tour of Britain?

Top favorites: Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech)
Outsiders: Remco Evenepoel, Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal Quick-Step), Ethan Hayter and Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers)
Long shots: Stephen Williams, Joseph Blackmore, Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), Casper van Uden, Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Jonas Abrahamsen and Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X)

TV coverage of the Tour of Britain 2024

The Tour of Britain will be broadcast live this week on HBO Max and Discovery+, where you can watch coverage from the UK every day starting at 1:30 PM.

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