PREVIEW | Vuelta a Burgos 2024 - Sepp Kuss, Nairo Quintana and Thymen Arensman headline interesting GC battle

From the 5th to the 9th of August the peloton will tackle the Vuelta a Burgos. The Spanish race is the single most important race in preparation for the Vuelta a Espana and features opportunities for the climbers, time-trialists and sprinters alike.

We preview the race ahead.

The race starts off with an explosive stage finishing in Burgos, as usual. But this time around it is not a race up to the castle but instead with an urban sprint finish. However there is no certainty that this will be one for the sprinters, there are a few hilltops in the final kilometers which may serve as launchpads for late attacks to succeed.

Stage 2 of the race is indeed a profile that looks exactly like a traditional Burgos stage. On paper this is a day to be contested by the sprinters who can climb, who will be here preparing for the Vuelta. It is a day with six categorized climbs, none too hard, and with a small hilltop finish in Ojo Guareña that should be very interesting and have everyone on the limit.

The queen stage? Usually the race is decided purely in the mountains, but with a time-trial this year it may not be the case. Hence, this day, the sole mountain stage may become even more important for the pure climbers. The riders take on a short stage finishing on the Lagunas the Neila, a steep climb with it's final 3 kilometers averaging over 10%.

A novelty in the race, this year the riders tackle an 18-kilometer time-trial. In such a small race, this day could and should be vital for the overall classification and dare I say, even decide it. There is nothing complex about the route, it is a flat and non-technical course, but meaningful gaps can be created.

The final day of racing takes the riders from Frias to Treviño and will be an open day. On paper, it could end in a bunch sprint after the 156 kilometers, but the profile also opens up the fight for the stage win to the breakaway or even late attacks because of it's many small climbs.

Prediction 2024 Vuelta a Burgos overall classification:

*** Thymen Arensman, Antonio Tiberi
** Sepp Kuss, Finn Fisher-Black
* Tao Geoghegan Hart, Cian Uijtdebroeks, Johannes Staune-Mittet, Sergio Higuita, Nairo Quintana, Rafal Majka, David de la Cruz, Lorenzo Fortunato, Eddie Dunbar, Jay Vine, Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda, Michael Storer, Davide Piganzoli

Pick: Thymen Arensman