2024 UCI ME Road Race Championships Preview

Only rainbows after rain?...we'll see about that.

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Long...I would expect the winner's finishing time to be north of six hours. With over 4000m of climbing, the race will be hugely selective as well, but there are several nations capable of bossing the race. No rain in the forecast, but it will still be cold. Only one of the best Ardennes classics riders or the fittest GC climbers have a shot. While none of the climbs are long or particularly punchy, there are so many they will gradually strain the peloton until ~15 riders are left in the front group going into the final circuit of town.

Contenders

TADEJ POGACAR -- Looking to become the third man to pull rainbows over yellow over pink, and he has the form to do it following a masterclass in Montreal, which came after mucking up the finale in Quebec. He's a class apart right now, especially on these parcours, and he can go it alone without needing help from someone like van der Poel to get and stay away. Especially with Roglic admitting himself that he is a bit overcooked following his Vuelta win, the troops should be in line to support Pogacar. I expect Roglic to rip it up the circuit climb on either the antipenultimate or penultimate lap to launch this year's Giro-Tour double win on the winning move.

REMCO EVENEPOEL -- Any other year he would be a near shoe-in, but this isn't any other year. The double Olympic champion and TT champion from last weekend has been outstanding all year outside of the Basque crash. Could win in a sprint from a group of GC men, and the Belgian team is great, but then there is...

MATHIEU VAN DER POEL -- ...the defending world champion. A very hard parcours, but are the climbs steep enough to eject the Dutchman from the front of the race? I'm not so sure and, despite not winning the overall in Luxembourg, the form chart is very good right now. And despite some struggles with longer races earlier in his career, his success at worlds last year and MSR the past two years indicates that's a thing of the past. He'll be able to outkick the GC men to the line, so they have to get rid of him before then, which is a difficult task. I think for many, the dream scenario is for these three to come to the line together after getting away with 40 or 50 km to go.

JUAN AYUSO -- Another whose form chart is good, he'll be in the mix for top 5, although there could very well be some in-fighting amongst the Spanish team, given their national sponsor.

MATTIAS SKJELMOSE -- DNF'd in Luxembourg, but riding super up 'til then. Another one for the top 5.

MARC HIRSHCI -- The big dark horse on home roads, is anyone hotter in one-day races right now? After a quiet year or two, he is back in a big way. No stranger to podiums in the biggest races on the calendar, he could very well surprise with a late attack.

BEN HEALY -- He's going to attack, but I'm not sure it will stick.

JULIAN ALAPHILIPPE -- Can he roll back the clock a few years...I'm not so sure, despite the strength of the French team. Given the way he raced in Luxembourg, it might be better for them to back Gaudu. 

MATTEO JORGENSON -- The Americans are very good this year, and Jorgenson seemed to be the closest to following Pogacar's attacks in Canada earlier this month. Can he repeat the feat? If so, a podium could be in play.

Also worth looking out for are ANTONIO TIBERI, TOM PIDCOCK, and MICHAEL WOODS

Prediction

I'm going to gamble again...Marc Hirschi sneaks away while the "Big 3" are looking at each other. van der Poel and Pogacar take the minor places on the podium.