Portuguese Cycling Federation Announces ‘Possible’ Dates For 2024 Tour of Portugal

THE ‘possible’ date for next year’s 85th Tour of Portugal was announced this Monday, September 25.

Delmino Pereira, the president of the Portuguese Cycling Federation (FPC), confirmed that the Volta a Portugal event will take place between July 24 and August 4, 2024, reported sicnoticias.pt, citing lusa.pt.

‘We had to propose two dates, one was this week and the other was July 31, but it has a lot to do with the sporting framework of the Olympic Games. We had to bring it forward. And also with the coming of the Tour of Spain, which also comes a week earlier to Portugal. All these small factors lead us to go to this date”, he explained.

The Paris Olympics run between July 26 and August 11

The summer of 2024 will be a bust time as far as sporting events are concerned. Between July 26 and August 11, there are the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

On August 17, the riders participating in the 2024 Tour of Spain will depart from Lisbon. Three stages of the prestigious event will be held on Portuguese territory.

With these events in mind, Pereira pointed out that ‘it was agreed with the organisation’ of the Tour of Portugal to present the dates of July 24 to August 4 as the first option. The second option was from July 31 to August 11 the FPC president revealed.

‘It is the best possible date, in terms of managing all the interests that are being evaluated. There is no ideal date, this is the possible date’, he defended.

The 2024 Euros football tournament is in June

The year of the Olympic Games inevitably represents ‘an added problem’ for Delmino Pereira in defining the dates of the ‘queen’ national cycling races. A decision became even ‘more pressured with the anticipation of the football championships’. The Euro 2024 football tournament of course takes place in Germany in June.

‘When we have the Olympic Games, the situation becomes more complicated, especially when they are in Europe, because they coincide with the times of major events’, he stressed.

‘Making the participation of Portuguese people in any sport coinciding with the Tour of Portugal something that’s not desirable’, Pereira noted.

However, the head of the FPC believed that bringing the race forward by a week would in no way affect the preparation of the national teams for what is the main objective of the season.

The president concluded: ‘I think the Portuguese teams adapt well to these small differences. Eight days forward, eight days back’.

‘The important thing is that the Tour continues to grow in the sporting quality of the teams present and that it maintains this path of progressive international prestige and that our teams are also prepared to give a good response because that is what the Portuguese want and desire’.

Portugal’s other international races were confirmed

In addition to the Volta a Portugal, the International Cycling Union also confirmed the dates of other international races held in Portuguese territory.

These include the Clássica Figueira Champions, which opens the calendar on February 10. Also in the ProSeries category, the Volta ao Algarve starts four days later and ends on February 18.

That is followed by the Clássica da Arrábida on March 17, the Volta ao Alentejo from March 20 to 24, and the Beiras and Serra da Estrela International Grand Prix from May 2 to 5.

From July 11 to 14 will be the Joaquim Agostinho Trophy which is the final test of preparation for potential candidates looking to win the Tour of Portugal.