PREVIEW | Tour of Norway 2024 - Will Wout van Aert be able to win on his return to cycling?

The Tour of Norway is scheduled from May 23rd to 26th, overlapping with the Giro d'Italia. While it may attract a secondary field of riders, the race promises exciting competition across its four-day duration. Here's our preview of the upcoming race.

The race starts off with a hilly day that can be important for the overall classification. Almost completely flat in it's first half, but the second includes three ascents before the final one to Voss Resort.

This final ascent is 3.9 kilometers at 5.8%, although it includes tougher gradients and will provide a launchpad for important differences for the overall classification.

The queen stage? I would certainly call it. The longest and hardest day of the whole week, the riders start off in Odda and face a climb right in the first minutes of the race where a strong breakaway can go up the road.

The day lacks big climbs until it's finale but small hilltops will be ridden through the entire day. A lot of fatigue will build up throughout several hours of racing... And lastly, the final climb to Gullingen is 5.5 kilometers long at 8.8% and is a true challenge even for the strongest of climbers.

The third day of racing is that best suited to the sprinters. It's not completely flat but it's not far off. From Sola to Egersund the riders go through 178 kilometers and should have a regular bunch sprint - perhaps the only one of the race.

The final day of racing starts and finishes in the familiar city of Stavanger. Every year in Norway we have this city hosting a hilly stage on a circuit... This year it is not too difficult, the sprinters are still likely to fight for the win, but they will have to go through an explosive climb that summits 7 kilometers away from the finish quite a few times.

*** Thibau Nys
** Koen Bouwman, Luca Vergallito
* Oscar Rodríguez, Lorenzo Rota, Natnael Tesfatsion, Bart Lemmen, Wout van Aert, Walter Calzoni, Fredrik Dversnes

Pick: Thibau Nys