Preview Tour of Romandie 2024 | Clash between strong UAE and Bora, Giro prep for Arensman and Co

After Liège-Bastogne-Liège, cycling fans won't have to wait long in suspense. The Giro d'Italia is coming up soon, but the consistently well-attended WorldTour race, the Tour de Romandie, is traditionally an event that fans can relish for six days. This is thanks to the beautiful Swiss landscape and, certainly, the strong field of participants! IDLProCycling.com tells you everything you need to know.

Adam Yates returns as the defending champion. However, it wasn't long ago that the Tour de Romandie was a playground for Team Sky to showcase their Tour de France leader. This strategy led to years of success on Swiss roads for the British multi-million dollar team, with victories from Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Richie Porte, and Geraint Thomas. Primoz Roglic also claimed the title twice for Jumbo-Visma.

Last year, UAE Team Emirates dominated the stage race. Juan Ayuso won the time trial, but ultimately it was Yates who clinched the overall classification with his victory on the Thyon 2000 stage. Matteo Jorgenson finished second, ahead of Damiano Caruso.

Recent winners of the Tour of Romandie 

2023 Adam Yates
2022 Alexander Vlasov
2021 Geraint Thomas
2020 Not ridden
2019 Primoz Roglic
2018 Primoz Roglic
2017 Richie Porte
2016 Nairo Quintana
2015 Ilnur Zakarin
2014 Chris Froome

Tour de Romandie 2024: Route, times, and favorites for stage victories

Prologue, Tuesday, April 23: Payerne - Payerne (2.3 km)

The Tour de Romandie kicks off with a sort of Mario Kart-style prologue through the streets of Payerne. Riders must cover 2.3 kilometers, which includes quite a few turns. Braking and accelerating – that’s the name of the game!

Climbs
None

Favorites
Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers)
Ivo Oliveira (UAE-Team Emirates)
Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor)

Times
Start: 2:49 PM (first rider)
Finish: 5:33 PM (last rider)

Stage 1, Wednesday, April 24: Chateau d'Oex - Fribourg (165.7 km)

On day two, there's a stage set that could go either way. Throughout the stage, six categorized climbs must be conquered, but none of these challenges are likely to drastically split the peloton on a large local circuit. Breakaway riders and strong sprinters will therefore smell their opportunity from afar, as is often the case in this race!

Climbs
49.5 km: Sorens (4.2 km at 7.5%)
76.0 km: Arconiel (1.8 km at 7.3%)
89.1 km: Lorette (0.7 km at 12.7%)
116.2 km: Aronciel (1.8 km at 7.3%)
129.4 km: Lorette (0.7 km at 12.7%)
155.7 km: Aronciel (1.8 km at 7.3%)

Favorites
Bryan Coquard (Cofidis)
Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek)
Tim van Dijke (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Times
Start: 1:30 PM
Finish: 5:26 PM

Stage 2, Thursday, April 25: Fribourg - Les Marecottes (171.0 km)

On day three, stage two unfolds, where the mountain goats will need to bring out their climbing legs immediately. After a long run-up, we finish at Salvan - Les Marecottes, a climb of 7.8 kilometers at an average gradient of 7.4 percent.

Climbs
115.2 km: Les Mosses (12.8 km at 4.2%)
172.0 km: Salvan (7.8 km at 7.4%)

Favorites
Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe)
Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers)
Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates)

Times
Start: 1 PM
Finish: 5:16 PM

Stage 3, Friday, April 26: Oron - Oron (15.5 km, individual time trial)

The race features two individual time trials over four stages, which explains why pure time trialists like Joshua Tarling are traveling to Switzerland. Day four includes a time trial around Oron, stretching just over fifteen rolling kilometers.

Climbs
None

Favorites
Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers)
Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates)
Magnus Sheffield (UAE-Team Emirates)

Times
Start: 2:10 PM
Finish: 5:34 PM

Stage 4, Saturday, April 27: Saillon - Leysin (151.7 km)

The penultimate day features a serious mountain stage, complete with five categorized climbs. Two of these are first-category climbs, including the final ascent to Leysin, which is 13.4 kilometers long with an average gradient of 6.1 percent.

Climbs
44.7 km: Ovronnaz (9.1 km at 9.5%)
79.1 km: La Rasse (2.1 km at 8.6%)
100,1 km: Les Rives (9.6 km at 5.4%)
106.8 km: Les Giettes (4.1 km at 8.2%)
151.7 km: Leysin (13.4 km at 6.1%)

Favorites
Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe)
Adam Yates (UAE-Team Emirates)
Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers)

Times
Start: 11:55 AM
Finish: 3:51 PM

Stage 5, Sunday, April 28: Vernier - Vernier (150.8 km)

Vernier is set to host the final stage of the Tour de Romandie. The organizers have crafted it to resemble an Ardennes-style race on a local circuit, featuring the climbs of Dardagny and Cartigny as key challenges.

Climbs
16.5 km: Dardangy (1.3 km at 4.8%)
51.8 km: Dardangy (1.3 km at 4.8%)
86.5 km: Dardangy (1.3 km at 4.8%)
121.2 km: Dardangy (1.3 km at 4.8%)

Favorites
Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team)
Brandon McNulty (UAE-Team Emirates)
Paul Lapeira (Decathlon AG2R)

Times
Start: 12:20 PM
Finish: 3:50 PM

Favorites for the General Classification of the Tour de Romandie 2024

Note: The start list has not been officially confirmed yet, so this section is subject to change.

As in the previous season, UAE-Team Emirates appears to have the strongest cards for the general classification of the Tour de Romandie. The multi-million dollar team brings a robust squad to every stage race: defending champion Adam Yates is participating, along with Juan Ayuso, Brandon McNulty and Pavel Sivakov, whose skills are well-suited for a race like the Tour de Romandie.

However, there are challengers waiting in the wings, particularly from BORA-hansgrohe and INEOS Grenadiers. The German team is likely to field Aleksandr Vlasov and Jai Hindley as their leaders, while Thymen Arensman from the British squad is set to ride his final race in preparation for the Giro d'Italia. Egan Bernal, who recently finished third in the Tour of Catalonia, and Magnus Sheffield are also contenders for a top finish.

Other in-form riders will be at the start as well. For example, Alexey Lutsenko from Astana Qazaqstan Team, who recently performed impressively against a UAE-dominated field in the Tour of Abruzzo. Lenny Martinez, riding for Groupama-FDJ and winner of the Tour du Doubs and Classic Besançon, will compete, as well as Enric Mas from Movistar, who finished fifth in Catalonia.

Additionally, a number of riders are using the Tour de Romandie as their final preparation for the Giro d'Italia. Damiano Caruso has adopted this approach for years with Bahrain Victorious, and it will be interesting to see how others like Eddie Dunbar, Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), and Koen Bouwman (Visma | Lease a Bike) fare with the Giro in mind. For Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) and Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step), this race is also a crucial opportunity to aim for personal success.

According to IDLProCycling.com, who are the favorites for the GC of the 2024 Tour de Romandie?

Top favorites: Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates) and Aleksandr Vlasov (BORA-hansgrohe)
Outsiders: Adam Yates (UAE-Team Emirates), Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe), Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana Qazaqstan Team)
Long shots: Pavel Sivakov, Brandon McNulty (UAE-Team Emirates), Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers), Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek), Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal Quick-Step), Enric Mas (Movistar), Eddie Dunbar, Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) and Koen Bouwman (Visma | Lease a Bike)

Data powered by FirstCycling.com

TV Tour of Romandie 2024

The Tour de Romandie can be followed daily on Eurosport. The 'Home of Cycling' provides live coverage every day on the main channel and online platforms, starting a bit earlier in the afternoon for the last two stages.