UCI Highway World Championships 2024 - U23 Males Highway Race contenders

The U23 males’s highway race on the 2024 UCI Highway World Championships is broad open this 12 months, with final 12 months’s winner Axel Laurance (France) and two different riders from the highest six not taking part in Switzerland.

The U23 males’s route will function an identical distance and elevation acquire to the route in Scotland, this time 173.6km with 2,483 metres of elevation acquire. All of the climbing is packed into 4 full laps of a metropolis circuit, every lap 27km in size and passing two key climbs every time, the Zürichbergstrasse and Witikon.

There was a breakaway of seven riders final 12 months who stayed away on rolling circuits of Glasgow, Scotland, so the more durable repeat climbs round Zürich are anticipated to whittle down an enormous subject once more for a decisive entrance group. Cyclingnews supplies perception on a number of up-and-coming riders who needs to be within the decisive transfer and contest for the rainbow jersey.

Giulio Pellizzari is simply 20 years outdated, however he already has three seasons underneath his belt as an expert on the ProTeam stage. This 12 months he showcased his climbing talents on the Giro d’Italia by ending second within the mountain classification to KOM and GC winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Staff Emirates). He grew to become a sensation at his house Grand Tour when he completed second to the maglia rosa on stage 16’s end to Monte Pana and attacked once more on stage 20’s Monte Grappa to complete sixth on the day.

“It’s at all times an honor and a terrific emotion to put on the nationwide crew jersey. The course is hard and fits my traits, so I’ll put together myself as finest as I can for this vital occasion,” he mentioned in a press release from his present crew, VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè. Subsequent 12 months he might very nicely have a rainbow jersey when he rides for his new crew, Purple Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

Born within the small city of Leuggern north of Zürich, Jan Christen will lead the five-rider Swiss crew. He’s simply 20 years of age and as a neo-pro with UAE Staff Emirates this 12 months gained Giro dell’Appennino, a stage of April’s Giro d’Abruzzo and Prueba Villafranca-Ordiziako Klasika. A quick glimpse at Swiss highway race nationals reveals he was simply ninth total, however look nearer to see that was within the elite class towards the highest WorldTour veterans. The previous junior European highway race champion needs to be impressed on house turf.

Having just lately turn into the first-ever British rider to win the Tour de l’Avenir, Joe Blackmore ought to discover the undulating Swiss course to his liking. The 21-year-old makes an inaugural look at Highway Worlds, having competed at Worlds in two different disciplines, scoring a high 10 for U23s in Hoogerheide for cyclocross and ending twenty sixth within the U23 cross-country MTB race.

He moved as much as the Israel-Premier Tech roster within the spring and since has accomplished nothing however excel, profitable the GC at each Tour du Rwanda and Tour de Taiwan. He nearly taking a podium spot on stage 2 of Tour of Britain into Redcar, holding to fourth place with a rush forward of Remco Evenepoel. With the event squad, he took a solo victory at U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège after which used six high 10s throughout seven phases to safe the Avenir title. Staff Nice Britain has a loaded roster as nicely, with Giro Subsequent Technology stage-winner Matthew Brennan and Paris-Roubaix Espoirs runner-up Bob Donaldson and Callum Thornley, who earned the KOM jersey on the Tour of Britain.

That is the primary 12 months for Jørgen Nordhagen on the under-23 stage and the quickly-developing all-rounder could possibly be the highest wild card to observe. He had high 10s in each the ITT and highway race on the Worlds final 12 months as an 18-year-old, and final 12 months he was instrumental in aiding his teammate Felix Ørn-Kristoff to the bronze medal within the junior highway race in Glasgow.

This 12 months, the Norwegian comes into Worlds as GC and mountains classification winner from Giro della Regione Fruili Venezia Giulia driving for the Visma-Lease a Bike Growth crew. He demonstrated his energy towards older riders with third at U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège and third total at Tour Alsace. Only a month in the past he dominated the hilly 164.5km one-day Gran Premio Sportivi di Poggiana victory, profitable with a 2:49 margin.

Huub Artz gained the U23 highway race on the UEC European Championships per week in the past on a hilly 162km course in Belgium, so ought to flourish on comparable roads in Switzerland towards lots of the identical riders. He isn’t generally known as a real climber, however has made enhancements this 12 months transferring to the Wanty-ReUz-Technord improvement crew. He gained the longest stage at Giro d’Italia Subsequent Gen with an enormous uphill end atop Zocca and soloed to victory at this 12 months’s U23 Gent-Wevelgem. Subsequent 12 months he strikes to the WorldTour stage with Intermarché-Wanty so search for the Dutch rider to do one thing particular.