Preview Tour of Catalonia 2024 | Pogacar heads there straight from San Remo, Kuss aims to challenge him

After Australia, the United Arab Emirates, France, and Italy, Spain is the next host for a WorldTour stage race in 2024. The Tour of Catalonia is traditionally one of the toughest races on the cycling calendar, so this year, IDLProCycling.com is eager to preview it!

The honor roll of the Tour of Catalonia is filled with big names. As one of the most challenging climbing races on the calendar, it's no surprise that the winners' list mainly features climbers, including Alejandro Valverde, Miguel Ángel López, Nairo Quintana, Joaquim Rodríguez, and Adam Yates in the last decade.

Last year, Primoz Roglic emerged as the best in Catalonia, battling it out with Remco Evenepoel throughout the week, both securing two stage victories in the seven-day race through the autonomous Spanish region. Neither rider is participating this season.

Most recent winner of the Tour of Catalonia

2023 Primoz Roglic
2022 Sergio Higuita
2021 Adam Yates
2020 Not ridden
2019 Miguel Ángel López
2018 Alejandro Valverde
2017 Alejandro Valverde
2016 Nairo Quintana
2015 Richie Porte
2014 Joaquim Rodríguez

Tour of Catalonia 2024: Route, favorites for stage wins, and times

Stage 1, Monday, March 18: Sant Feliu de Guíxols - Sant Feliu de Guíxols (173.9 km)

The Tour of Catalonia kicks off as in recent years with a stage in and around Sant Feliu de Guixols. This stage often ends in a showdown for the strong sprinters, though the early breakaway sometimes manages to make it through in this hilly stage.

Climbs
28.5 km: Alt de la Ganga (3.5 km at 4.3%)
54.5 km: Alt dels Angels (5.5 km at 5.7%)
152.5 km: Alt de Sant Gau (8.1 km at 4.0%)

Favorites
Bryan Coquard (Cofidis)
Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny)
Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Times
Start: 12:25 PM
Finish: 4:30 PM

Stage 2, Tuesday, March 19: Mataro - Vallter (186.5 km)

On the second day, the Tour of Catalonia heads straight to the mountains. Starting from Mataro and passing through Girona, the route heads towards Vallter 2000, a climb that reaches above 2000 meters, as its name suggests. Climbing 11.4 kilometers at 7.5 percent up to 2136 meters altitude will certainly be a challenge.

Climbs
139.0 km: Coll de Coubet (9.6 km at 5.2%)
186.5 km: Vallter 2000 (11.4 km at 7.5%)

Favorites
Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates)
Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers)

Times
Start: 11:55 AM
Finish: 4:30 PM

Stage 3, Wednesday, March 20: Sant Joan de les Abadesses - Port Aine (176.7 km)

The organizers of the Tour of Catalonia do not let up after the Vallter 2000 stage, immediately presenting another challenging mountain stage. With the Port de Toses (4 km at 9.1%), Port de Canto (25.2 km at 4.2%), and a summit finish on the Port Ainé (18.4 km at 6.7%), the riders face three formidable climbs, totaling nearly four thousand meters of elevation gain.

Climbs
41.5 km: Port de Toses (4 km at 9.1%)
132.5 km Port de Canto (25.2 km at 4.2%)
176.7 km: Port Ainé (18.4 km at 6.7%)

Favorites
Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates)
Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step)
Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe)

Times
Start: 11:55 AM
Finish: 4:30 PM

Stage 4, Thursday, March 21: Sort - Lleida (169.0 km)

Day four is one for the sprinters. The route includes just one climb, with the majority of the stage trending downhill towards Lleida.

Climbs
73.0 km: Port d'Ager (3.9 km at 6.7%)

Favorites
Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost)
Iván Garcia Cortina (Movistar)
Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers)

Times
Start: 12:45 PM
Finish: 4:30 PM

Stage 5, Friday, March 22: Altafulla - Viladecans (167.3 km)

The fifth stage unfolds between Altafulla and Viladecans, featuring a course with significant ups and downs in the middle. This could potentially be a day for the breakaways.

Climbs
64.5 km: Coll de les Ventoses (7.8 km at 4.3%)
137.0 km: Alt de la Creu d'Aragal (6.4 km at 5.9%)

Favorites
Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech)
Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny)
Ide Schelling (Astana Qazaqstan Team)

Times
Start: 1:35 PM
Finish: 5:30 PM

Stage 6, Saturday, March 23: Berga - Queralt (154.7 km)

Five climbs over 154.67 kilometers, amounting to 4085 meters of elevation gain, make for a demanding mountain stage. The really high peaks are avoided, but the Coll de Pradell mid-race, with its last five kilometers averaging over 11%, is a giant slayer, setting the stage for the final showdown on the six-kilometer-long Queralt.

Climbs
28.5 km: Coll de la Bataillola (11.6 km at 3.2%)
56.5 km: Collet de la Ros (10.1 km at 4.2%)
93.5 km: Coll de Pradel (14.6 km at 7.1%)
127.0 km: Collada de Sant Isidre (5 km at 8.7%)
154.7 km: Queralt (6 km at 7.2%)

Favorites
Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates)
Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla)
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Times
Start: 12:35 PM
Finish: 4:30 PM

Stage 7, Sunday, March 24: Barcelona - Barcelona (145.3 km)

The Tour of Catalonia traditionally concludes with a stage in and around Barcelona, with Montjuic acting as the decisive climb. This 2.5-kilometer ascent usually sets the stage for a battle royale, where breakaway riders and GC contenders vie for the stage win.

Climbs
36.0 km: Coll de la Creu de l'Ordal (7 km at 4.4%)
101.0 km: Alt de Montjuic (2.5 km at4.8%)
109.0 km: Alt de Montjuic (2.5 km at 4.8%)
117.0 km: Alt de Montjuic (2.5 km at 4.8%)
124.5 km: Alt de Montjuic (2.5 km at 4.8%)
132.5 km: Alt de Montjuic (2.5 km at 4.8%)
140.5 km: Alt de Montjuic (2.5 km at 4.8%)

Favorites
Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates)
Andreas Kron (Lotto-Dstny)
Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech)

Times
Start: 10:30 AM
Finish: 2 PM

Favorites for the general classification of the Tour of Catalonia 2024

Please note:the participant list is not yet complete, so this section may be updated.

If there's one man starting as the top favorite, it's Tadej Pogacar from UAE-Team Emirates. The Slovenian will have just two race days under his belt by mid-March and will be adding seven more in Catalonia. He'll be supported by a formidable team, including Pavel Sivakov, Joao Almeida, Felix Grossschartner, and Jay Vine.

Visma | Lease a Bike is without Jonas Vingegaard or Matteo Jorgenson, but they are lining up Sepp Kuss as a fresh team leader for this edition of the Tour of Catalonia. The American has targeted this race as a main goal and will have Cian Uijtdebroeks by his side, the seventh-place finisher of the most recent Tirreno-Adriatico.

BORA-hansgrohe and Soudal Quick-Step are without last year's high-flyers, Roglic and Evenepoel. Instead, they are banking on Aleksandr Vlasov (for the German team) and the duo of Mikel Landa/Ilan Van Wilder (for the Belgian team), giving the domestiques of the grand tours their own freedom in this stage race in Catalonia.

There are also men who found success in the Middle East: AlUla Tour winner Simon Yates from Jayco AlUla is participating, while his brother Adam is still dealing with the aftermath of a concussion. Movistar brings forward Enric Mas and Nairo Quintana, while INEOS Grenadiers includes two former Tour de France winners, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal. EF Education-EasyPost (Hugh Carthy), Bahrain Victorious (Wout Poels and Antonio Tiberi), and Cofidis (Guillaume Martin) are entering with outsiders, with other teams likely focusing mainly on stage victories.

Who are the favorites for the 2024 Tour of Catalonia, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorites: Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) and Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders: Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) and Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step)
Long shots: Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma | Lease a Bike), Joao Almeida (UAE-Team Emirates), Nairo Quintana, Enric Mas (Movistar), Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step), Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) and Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Data powered by FirstCycling.com

TV coverage of the Tour of Catalonia 2024

You can follow the Tour of Catalonia throughout the week on the Home of Cycling, Eurosport. They will provide live coverage every afternoon with broadcasts on the main channel and online platforms.