The three main cycling tours are the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. They all have three-week-long stage races that include both flat and mountainous stages.
The oldest of the three is the Tour, which was established in 1903. It’s still one the most prestigious Grand Tours around the world.
Tour Down Under
The Santos Tour Down Under in Australia is the most important international cycling event. It is on the UCI WorldTour and each year attracts some of the best riders and teams from around the globe. It also features a festival of cycling that includes local food and wines, amateur participation activities, and street parties and markets.
The Tour Down Under usually takes place in early January and is a six-day stage race over five stages covering around 673km, starting with a city prologue in Adelaide. The race then continues on to the surrounding roads of South Australia, finishing with a climb-heavy stage on the last day.
This will give home favourite Rohan Dennis a chance to make the most of his time trial skills in a short and technical circuit. It will be interesting to see whether the Australian can take advantage of this and secure a crucial time buffer in the prologue, which could prove crucial when it comes to the general classification.
British squad Ineos Grenadiers are a team to watch with Aussie national champion Luke Plapp, former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas and young talents Ethan Hayter and Magnus Sheffield in the mix. UAE Team Emirates will also have a strong squad with Jay Vine at the top of their list, while Caleb Ewan (UniSA-Australia) and Gerben Thijssen (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) are other strong sprinters.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is one of the three main cycling tours, along with Milan-San Remo and Tour of Flanders. It is also known as the ‘First Classic of the Year’, due to its early start in the calendar.
The race covers over 200 kilometres with 13 climbs. These include the Leberg, Berendries, Taaienberg, Muur van Geraardsbergen and Eikenberg.
The route has been modified slightly from its original form over the years, but still includes the Haaghoek-Leberg cobbled climbs at start of race. The Kattenberg is next on the list, and then every 10 km another climb occurs.
Last year’s edition saw a slick victory from Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma). To win, he made a solo attack from the base, just before the Bosberg climb. Behind, Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Victorious) and Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R-Citroen) completed the podium.
This is a challenging and difficult course in the Flemish Ardennes. It is used as a lead-up to the larger Tour of Flanders five weeks later. It also includes many sections of cobbled roads as well as stretches of flat road.
Tour of the Basque Country
The Basque Country tour is full of surprises. It is the perfect choice for those who love great food and mountains, beaches, cultural diversity and seashore art galleries, unaltered rural villages, offbeat legends and traditional Basque traditions, and great food.
It has a rich past that dates back to prehistoric time and includes vestiges from many ancient eras such as the Paleolithic or Neolithic periods. Its natural parks, religious heritage and geological curiosities are sure to enchant you.
The region enjoys a mixture of sunshine and rain and is renowned for its lush vegetation, especially in the summer months. This means that it’s a good time to visit if you want to see the country in all its glory without the crowds.
This 4-day trip will take you to some of the most beautiful places in the Basque Country. Experience Bilbao’s famous Guggenheim Museum, see the pretty coastline of Biarritz, and get to know some of northern Spain’s most popular destinations.
Enjoy two nights in Bilbao with Frank Gehry and see his architectural masterpiece. Local guides will guide you through the city’s charming streets, highlighting its culture and cuisine. You will also be able to see the stunning coast of Biarritz, and taste some of the finest wines from the region at a boutique winery.
Tour of California
A renowned destination for cycling fans, California is a diverse and fascinating place. The state is dotted with stunning beaches, mountain ranges, wineries and national parks. The best way to see it all is by taking a tour of the region.
The Tour of California typically begins in the Sierra Nevada and travels through Redwood forests as well as through California’s wine country. It ends in southern California.
For 14 years, the Tour of California was a UCI World Tour Event. This was a major step for US cycling.
American teams had the opportunity to show their skills in front of an international audience. This was especially important for teams competing in the Tour de France.
Despite its success the Amgen Tour of California will not return in 2020. This decision was made by Anschutz Entertainment Group on October 21, 2019.
The Tour of California was an important part of the development of American cycling. It was a highly prestigious event that helped attract more riders. The race was also a key training opportunity for many top riders.
Il Lombardia
The 2022 WorldTour season will come to a dramatic halt with the 116th edition Il Lombardia. It will be held on Saturday, October 8. The ‘classic of the falling leaves’ will see a host of big names duking it out for a place in the history books as the ‘Race of the Autumn Double’.
The race will begin and end in Bergamo/Como. However, the route changes every few decades with some classic climbs omitted. This year’s race will be 253km long and include Muro di Sormano as well as the Madonna del Ghisallo.
As usual, there are many climbers participating in the event. Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo), is the only two-time winner of the start list. Thibaut Pinot and Bauke Mollema both made it to the top 10 last season.
Another strong card is Primoz Roglic, who has looked incredible lately at both Tre Valli Varesine and Milano-Torino. The Slovenian is a Monument winner and has the potential to be a threat here, while he will have a great collection of teammates.
The beautiful scenery, small villages, and rolling hills of the Italian Alpine region are what make it so special. This is the perfect place for a cycling tour, where you can enjoy the beauty of the mountain in comfort. Alberto Elli, a highly decorated and experienced professional cyclist from Italy, will guide you through the course. He will tell you about his racing experiences and help you improve your skills for this famous race.
Vuelta a Espana
The Vuelta a Espana, one of three major cycling tours, is one that follows the Tour de France or Giro d’Italia on WorldTour’s calendar. It has a similar racing and qualification format, with the winner being determined by the cyclist with the lowest overall time across all stages.
As a result, the Vuelta a Espana has traditionally been dominated by Spanish riders. In fact, 30 of the 66 editions have been won by Spaniards.
However, in the past few years, the race has been making a more conscious effort to reach out to lesser known towns and regions in Spain. Alberto Guillen was the race director and wanted to offer a more exciting alternative to Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
On stage seven, the peloton heads north into Extremadura for a day with an interesting profile that could see several scenarios unfold. The first half of stage seven will be flat. The peloton will then encounter rolling terrain with some small climbs that will make it difficult for riders to control.
Giro d’Italia
The Giro d’Italia, or the Tour of Italy, is one of the world’s most prestigious road cycling tours. It has been held annually since 1909 and it is considered to be one of the three Grand Tours along with the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana.
The first edition of the Giro d’Italia was conceived by a newspaper editor called Tullo Morgagni as a way to raise money for his publication. He pitched the idea to his bosses, and they liked it. However, they didn’t have the money to start the race.
Primo Bongrani, a friend of Morgagni, was able to help him raise the funds. In 1909, the first Giro d’Italia was run on a modest 25 000 liras budget.
The Giro is well-known for its tough racing and high mountains. The 2022 edition is no exception. It features 51,000m of climbing on some of the most challenging mountain stages as well as a few punchy day.
There are many classifications that can be contested at the Giro, including the general. All stages are timed until the finish. Each stage’s times are added together with the previous stage times to determine overall leader. The general classification winner is the rider with a lower aggregate time and the rider who wears the pink jersey at race’s end.
