POLL: Men’s Rider of the Year - 2024 CyclingUpToDate End of Season Awards

In 2024, the level of performance in the men’s World Tour peloton was incredibly high. For the second annual CyclingUpToDate awards, we want to hear from you and now, it’s the turn of the big one: Men’s Rider of the Year.

Every vote counts and yours could be all important to deciding the final winner, so take a look through our nominations below and make sure you cast a vote via the poll at the end!

Unquestionably the outstanding option, Tadej Pogacar has had a year from the gods in 2024. From his first race of the campaign (a stunning solo at Strade Bianche), to his final pedal strokes (a stunning solo at Il Lombardia), the Slovenian has been utterly dominant all season.

Becoming the first man since Marco Pantani to win the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same calendar year, Pogacar then went on to emulate Nicholas Roche and Eddy Merckx by adding a Rainbow Jersey to his Grand Tour double. Add to that a duo of monument victories, plus 12 Grand Tour stages and numerous other successes, Pogacar’s 2024 is a season that will go down in history.

Dispelling the Rainbow Jersey curse, Mathieu van der Poel was the dominant force in the Spring Classics this season. Kicking off his campaign with a top 10 at Milano-Sanremo helping teammate Jasper Philipsen take monument glory, Van der Poel then took victory at the E3 Saxo Classic before finishing runner-up at Gent Wevelgem. Then, two Monument wins of his own followed at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, plus a podium finish at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Although his Tour de France was a quiet one, helping Philipsen again, and he couldn’t retain his Rainbow Jersey in Zurich, Van der Poel ended the season ensuring he was still a world champion, taking an incredible victory at the Gravel World Championship.

Silencing a lot of doubters in 2024, Evenepoel seemed to have really kicked on this campaign. Starting the season successfully in Portugal, the Soudal - Quick-Step leader then moved one to take a close second at Paris-Nice. Adding a Criterium du Dauphine stage victory to his palmares, Evenepoel then took the fight to Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard over three weeks on his Tour de France debut, finishing on the final podium.

It was a short time later, in Paris though, that Evenepoel’s true season highlight arrived as the Belgian took a historic double Olympic gold from both the time trial and the men’s road race. His season wasn't completely done there either, adding another world time trial title and finishing 2nd at Il Lombardia.

In his first season at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, Primoz Roglic brought Grand Tour success back to the team in the form of a record equalling 4th career Red Jersey victory at the Vuelta a Espana in late August / early September.

Although Roglic didn’t succeed in his ultimate goal of winning a Tour de France Maillot Jaune, but nevertheless there were multiple victories for the 34-year-old to reflect upon such as a stage of the Itzulia Basque Country and a narrow overall triumph at the Criterium du Dauphine.

Although admittedly a lesser season than his 2022 and 2023 efforts, Jonas Vingegaard was again one of the top performers in the peloton across 2024. The stage race king, Vingegaard won all the races he started this year, except the Itzulia Basque Country where he terrifyingly crashed out and the Tour de France, where only a rampant Tadej Pogacar bettered the Visma leader, despite the Dane’s preparation being ruined by the aforementioned crash in the Basque Country.

Starting his year with Gran Camiño dominance, Vingegaard then swiftly turned his attention to similar levels of dominance at Tirreno-Adriatico. Taking a famous Tour de France stage victory in the summer, outsprinting Pogacar on 11, the Dane then ended his post-Tour campaign on a high at the Tour de Pologne.

Taking 9 victories in 2024, markedly lower than 2023, it was perhaps the quality of his wins that stick out more than the quantity for Jasper Philipsen this season. Most notable of all, a first career monument victory at Milano-Sanremo ahead of Michael Matthews and Tadej Pogacar.

Taking stages of Tirreno-Adriatico, the Baloise Belgium Tour and the Renewi Tour, plus one-day victories at the Classic Brugge De Panne and Sparkassen Münsterland Giro, Philipsen also starred again at the Tour de France taking three stages, even though a second Green Jersey proved just out of reach.

He might not have the big number of wins as the others on this list, only adding three triumphs to his palmares, Ben O’Connor’s 2024 is arguably just as impressive comparative to pre-season expectations.

After finishing 2nd overall at the UAE Tour in his season opener, taking home a stage win to boot, O’Connor came home 5th overall at Tirreno-Adriatico and then 2nd at the Tour of the Alps. A strong Giro d’Italia followed, finishing just off the podium in 4th, before his real season highlight came at the Vuelta a Espana. Taking victory on stage 6 from the breakaway, the Aussie moved into the Red Jersey and didn’t relent until stage 19, eventually finishing 2nd overall to Roglic. Finally, O’Connor ended his campaign on a high with a World Championship silver medal in the men’s elite road race.

A total of 16 wins this year, Tim Merlier was the most successful sprinter of the 2024 campaign. There were some big wins along the way too for the Belgian of Soudal - Quick-Step.

Two stages of the AlUla Tour, three stages of the UAE Tour, Nokere Koerse, three stages of the Giro d’Italia including the final stage in Rome, two at the Baloise Belgium Tour and one stage of the Tour de Pologne among others. Arguably his most prestigious win though came at the European Championship in Belgium as he secured the European title.

In his final year at UAE Team Emirates, Marc Hirschi ensured he'd be departing the team in winning ways this autumn. Taking a total of nine victories, the Swiss was nearly unstoppable in the second half of the season, hoovering up one day wins.

Four of the end of season Italian classics went to Hirschi. The Coppa Agostini, the Memorial Marco Pantani, the Coppa Sabatini and the GP Industria & Artigianato. Add to that victories earlier in the season at the likes of the Czech Tour, the Faun Drome Classic, San Sebastian and the Bretagne Classic, Hirschi heads to Tudor Pro Cycling Team high on confidence.

Remember, use the poll below to cast your vote! The winner is set to be announced one week from today (5th of November).