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If he’s to interrupt Eddy Merckx’s Tour de France stage win report subsequent yr, Mark Cavendish should deal with the “hardest course” he has ever seen.
The Astana Qazaqstan rider was current on the Palais des Congrès on Wednesday to observe the 2024 Tour de France route presentation, and gave the impression to be caught out by simply how tough the parcours are.
Based on race organisers ASO there are eight flat levels, 4 hilly levels, seven mountain levels and two time trials, however lots of the flat levels are tough affairs, whereas the quantity of climbing all through will show powerful for the quick males and their leadout trains.
“It is so exhausting. I’m really in a little bit of shock,” Cavendish informed the media, together with Het Nieuwsblad and GCN, after the presentation. “It is perhaps the toughest route I’ve ever seen on the Tour de France.”
“There’s a number of [sprint opportunities], however you have to get to them, that is the issue,” he continued. “I believe Turin ought to provide the prospect for sprinters. That is maybe the hardest course I’ve ever seen throughout a Tour de France.”
The primary likelihood for a bunch dash needs to be on stage three, to Turin, however with 52,320 metres throughout the three,492km of racing subsequent July, it will likely be tough to get spherical. Phases three, 5, six, eight, 10, 12, 13 and 16 are all designated as flat by ASO, however lots of these embrace notable quantities of climbing, whereas levels 10 and 16 might very effectively be affected by crosswinds.
Even the primary dash, in Turin, comes after two powerful days in Italy, with stage one from Florence to Rimini contains 3,600 metres of climbing, and stage two together with Bologna’s San Luca climb twice in direction of the tip. A minimum of Cavendish has recollections of previous days in Tuscany to look again on whereas struggling
“The beginning in Italy is tremendous good, it’s proper by my house for a few years. It’s only some kilometres away, so I do know the primary kilometres rather well, however it makes no distinction as a result of it begins exhausting, finishes exhausting and is all exhausting,” Cavendish stated.
“It will likely be lovely in Italy, the Giro is at all times an unbelievable race and I do know the Tuscan folks simply love biking. It’s actually fairly particular.”
The sprinter initially introduced in the course of the 2023 Giro d’Italia that he would name time on his profession on the finish of the present season. Nonetheless, having crashed out of the 2023 Tour de France, it was confirmed this month that he’ll postpone retirement with the opportunity of taking the stage win report on the Tour. He at present shares the report with Eddy Merckx.
To that finish, the group has bolstered its dash squad, signing Michael Mørkøv and Davide Ballerini from Soudal Fast-Step, Max Kanter from Movistar, and Rüdi Selig from Lotto Dstny.
“It is type of nonetheless within the course of, we all know roughly what we’re doing subsequent yr. It is a good group, I’ve seen loads of the brand new guys,” Cavendish added.
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