As we’ve forecasted tech trends for mountain and road cycling in 2024, let’s explore what the professional peloton might hold.
Following a frenzied offseason marked by transfer sagas, team consolidation dramas, and unexpected supplier changes, anything could happen in the world of pro cycling.
Despite the unpredictability, here are some predictions for the new year, including hot topics at the Tour de France, thoughts on Mathieu van der Poel, and a wager on continuous lactic acid monitoring.
Continuous Lactic Acid Monitoring (CLM) sets to revolutionize training in 2024
The much-awaited CLM, a bio-sensor tracking real-time lactic acid levels, will likely transform how pro teams approach training. Several companies are developing this technology, similar to how Supersapiens monitors glucose continuously. In endurance sports, a reliable and accurate CLM holds promise, expanding its use beyond laboratory settings into races.
Athletes are increasingly testing lactate levels mid-workout, but current methods like finger or earlobe tests are cumbersome. A connected device or watch that integrates with CLM would enable cyclists to focus more during training, eliminating the risk of overexertion in Zone 2 and providing precise data on when to push to their limits.
However, don’t expect to see CLMs in competition anytime soon; UCI prohibits their use in races, and short-term, that stance is unlikely to change.
Jonas Vingegaard may not win the 2024 Tour de France
In 2024, can Jonas Vingegaard secure another fairy tale triple crown? It won’t be easy.
After consecutive victories by Team Jumbo-Visma, the Tour de France aims to diversify in 2024, even with the formidable duo of Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss. The loss of Primoz Roglic and Nathan van Hooydonck weakens the Dutch team’s core competitiveness, regardless of the potential remaining with Vingegaard and Kuss.
Wout van Aert might opt for the Giro d’Italia first, and without Roglic, the strength of the Jumbo-Visma squad is diminished. The absence of a dominant strategy from the Dutch team leaves competitors like UAE Emirates and Bahrain-McLaren seemingly ahead in the game.
Bora-Hansgrohe struggled under Jumbo-Visma’s dominance, while Bahrain struggled to “take notes” as Vingegaard reigned supreme. Who among them might be the envious one next season?
A Slovenian accent rings in my prediction for the Tour winner in Nice next July, but which Slovenian? Roglic or Bora?
My gut feeling leans towards Bora claiming the title in 2024, potentially dashing Vingegaard’s triple crown aspirations. Meanwhile, Roglic might secure a podium finish.
Mathieu van der Poel’s greatest triumph isn’t just the rainbow jersey
In 2024, Mathieu van der Poel will have a major victory, but it might not come in the form of the rainbow jersey. Following his triumphs at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, Van der Poel faces a “rainbow curse” in the spring classics, with Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar possibly toppling him. Milan-San Remo might witness a different winner this time around.
Yet, for “Van der Popp” in 2024, it’s not all bad news. As the Netherlands’ ace, he’ll wear the orange jersey at the Paris Olympics, reversing his season and career trajectory. Targeting the Tour de France and Olympic gold, Van der Poel aims to erase the disappointment of Tokyo 2021. But it seems unlikely he’ll return to mountain biking at the 2024 Olympics, instead choosing a road race that will etch his name and banish the lingering “cloud” of 2021.