Once again the Tour of Hungary 2024 will take place at the same time as the Giro d’Italia, but that does not stop the Magyar stage race from boasting a high-profile starting field. Of the 20 teams at the start, eight will be in the WorldTour category and as many will be Professional teams, which includes Italy’s Polti-Kometa and Corratec-Vini Fantini. Rounding out the group are three Continental formations, including Italy’s MBH Bank-Colpack-Ballan, Peter Sagan’s Pierre Baguette and the Hungarian National Representative. The event, which is included in the Pro.Series calendar of the UCI calendar, begins Wednesday, May 8, and continues, with five fractions, through Sunday, May 12: the grand finale is scheduled on the steep Pecs wall, where Marc Hirschi’s successor in the race’s roll of honor will be crowned.

Recent winners Tour of Hungary

2023 HIRSCHI Marc
2022 DUNBAR Eddie
2021 HOWSON Damien
2020 VALTER Attila
2019 NEILANDS Krists
2018 BELLETTI Manuel
2017 JARAMILLO Daniel
2016 RÄIM Mihkel
2015 THILL Tom

Tour of Hungary 2024 Route

It starts with a stage that is very unlikely to fall prey to the fast wheels, the 166.1-kilometer Karcag – Hajdúszoboszló, which will offer a course devoid of any particular altimetrical difficulties and in the finale will see the riders ride a simple 19.1-kilometer circuit three times. The scenario should not be too different in the second stage, only slightly more eventful than the previous one, which will start from Tokaj and end in Kazincbarcika after 162.1 kilometers. In the first part, after about 30 kilometers from the start, the climb of Erdőbénye will be tackled, while in the final, after passing the finish line once and starting the only round of the final circuit, the short GPM of Tardona will be climbed at -24 from the finish and, shortly after, another climb, which could put some fast wheels in trouble but will hardly avoid a bunch sprint.

After two days dedicated to sprinters, with the third stage the GC men enter the scene instead. They will set off from Kazincbarcika and, having covered a fairly easy hundred kilometers, will tackle the first of the day’s two bumps, the Mátraháza climb (7.7 km at 4.6 percent). The same will then be climbed a second time at the end of the long 67.4-kilometer circuit, but this time it will continue climbing for another 3300 meters to Gyöngyös-Kékestető, where the finish line will be placed at the end of the 182.7 kilometer program. It is precisely this final section that will present the most challenging gradients, constantly above 8 percent and peaking at 12.4 percent, while in total the climb will measure 11 kilometers, with an average gradient of 5.5 percent.

Unlike last year, Budapest will not host the final stage, but instead the fourth stage will start from the capital, all of which will run a few kilometers outside the city. After about fifteen kilometers on the line, they will enter the first of two circuits that will characterize the day, along which they will climb for the first time from the Etyek climb, albeit from a different slope than they will climb in the subsequent passages from that asperity. Having completed a full lap of the first loop, in fact, the second loop, which is shorter than the previous one, will be ridden twice, and on three occasions the aforementioned GPM will be tackled, which in this case will measure 1,500 meters (with an average gradient of 6.1% and peak of 8%) and at the top of which the finish line will be placed after 166.6 kilometers.

The last chance to change things up in the general classification will come with the 173.2-kilometer Siófok – Pécs. Of these, the first 110 will offer no particular difficulties, which will instead begin, in the form of a rather pedalable climb, just before entering the final loop, the latter to be ridden two and a half times. The key point of this loop will be the Pécs GPM, which in all will measure about five kilometers, but of these the most challenging will be the first 1900 meters, where the gradient will touch a peak of 15 percent and average 10.9 percent. This toughest segment will also be climbed a third time in the finale, to which 500 meters at 2.7 percent will be added to reach the finish, where the overall winner of the Tour of Hungary 2024 will be crowned.