Top stars enter, first classics on the programme: These are the most important races in February
Sebastian Lindner
· 31.01.2024
Nine races at UCI level for the women, 28 for the men: the road season is already in full swing in February, at least for the men. In addition to the two World Tour events UAE Tour and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, which are also scheduled for the women, the men's calendar includes ten races from the ProSeries - only in October is there one more.
In addition to the tour through the United Arab Emirates, the men also have other stops in the Orient coming up. At the AlUla Tour (2.1, 30 January - 3 February), the peloton will make a guest appearance in the Saudi Arabian desert, while the Muscat Classic (1.1, 9 February) and the Tour of Oman (2.Pro, 10 - 14 February) are also scheduled for the Horn of the Arabian Peninsula. Three more races will be held in Turkey.
Vingegaard, Evenepoel and van Aert get into the racing action
The first top stars will also face the competition for the first time in February. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal - Quick Step) will start the season in Portugal. He will contest his first race of 2024 at the Figueira Champions Classic one-day race (1st Pro, 10 February) and then ride the Tour of the Algarve (1st Pro, 14 - 18 February).
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) will also be racing in the Algarve. Before that, however, he will ride his first race at the Clasica de Almeria (1.Pro, 11 February) in Spain. One day later, he will start at the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior (1.1), the small Strade Bianche. And the reigning Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) will also start the competition season in February. As in the previous year, the Spanish stage race O Gran Camino (2.1, 22 - 25 February) is the opening race of his choice. Demi Vollering (SD Worx - Protime) will start her women's season at the Omloop het Nieuwsblad (24 February).
Kick-off to the classics season and cross-country world championships
This year, the Omloop is once again part of the Openingsweekend - the weekend that heralds the start of the Flemish classics season. The men's race Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (1.Pro) follows the next day, while the women's race is the Omloop van het Hageland (1.1).
While the season begins for some, it comes to an end for others. From 2 to 4 February, the cyclo-cross world championships will be held in Tabor, Czech Republic. Mathieu van der Poel wants to celebrate his fifth World Championship title in the cross-country there. In view of his season so far, it is hard to doubt that it might not work out. Van der Poel has only failed to win one of the 13 races he has contested this winter.
The most important road races in February at a glance
Men
- 31 January - 4 February: Volta Comunitat Valenciana, 2.Pro
- 10 February: Figueira Champions Classic, 1.Pro
- 10 - 14 February: Tour of Oman, 2.Pro
- 11 February: Clasica de Almeria, 1.Pro
- 14 - 18 February: Volta ao Algarve, 2.Pro
- 14 - 18 February: Vuelta a Andalucia, 2.Pro
- 19 - 25 February: UAE Tour, 2nd UWT
- 22 - 25 February: O Gran Camino, 2.1
- 24 February: Faun-Ardeche Classic, 1.Pro
- 24 February: Omloop het Nieuwsblad, 1st UWT
- 25 February: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, 1.Pro
- 25 February: La Drome Classic, 1.Pro
- 28 February: Trofeo Laigueglia, 1.Pro
Women
- 8 - 11 February: UAE Tour, 2nd WWT
- 15 - 18 February: Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, 2.Pro
- 24 February: Omloop het Nieuwsblad, 1st WWT
The most important cyclocross races in February at a glance
- 2 - 4 February: UCI World Championships in Tabor
- 7 February: Exact Cross Maldegem
- 10 February: Superprestige Middelkerke
- 11 February: X2O Trofee Lille
- 17 February: Exact Cross Sint-Niklas
- 18 February: X2O Trofee Brussels
