August 22, Stage 1: Porto Banus - Marbella 7.4km
A short team time trial on Spain's south coast
It had been suggested that the race would open with a prologue time trial. But, after some input from Cofidis’s local star Luis Ángel Maté, the organisers decided to stick with their preference for a team test.
The route will follow the beach-side promenade that links the glitzy resorts. Starting on the breakwater at Puerto Banús, to which the teams will be ferried on launches, the riders will sweep onto the seafront, cross the Rio Verde on a temporary bridge and hurtle towards the finish on the Playa de la Venus. The TTT’s difficulty stems from the narrowness of the promenade and the different surfaces, including wood, marble and cobbles. Thankfully, there’s little chance of rain.
Javier Guillén (race director):
"The race starts on the port’s breakwater, which is a very lovely setting. Although it’s very short, I think the beach-side course will look very impressive, and it will have the first ever finish on a beach. It shows that cycling can come up with original concepts because it’s not limited by the confines of a stadium."
The text in this preview originally appeared in the September edition of Procycling magazine.
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Most Popular
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes Live - Can Demi Vollering defend her crown?
The peloton tackle the toughest route yet with 10 climbs across 153km -
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Live - Pogacar and Van der Poel face-off
La Doyenne could deliver Van der Poel a sixth monument, as Pogacar returns with unfinished business from 2023 -
Tour of Turkey: Fabio Jakobsen takes first win of 2024 on stage 1
Cavendish distanced in final sprint -
Lefevere dismisses ‘pressure from the team’ in Julian Alaphilippe’s decision to race on fractured knee
‘Of course he had the final say,’ Soudal-Quickstep manager clarified in his weekly column