SOPHIE HURCOM

Deputy editor, Procycling

Evenly balanced peloton

I don’t think Anna van der Breggen and Annemiek van Vleuten will run away with almost every race this year as usual. The balance of power across the women’s teams is equalising, and with Van Vleuten’s transfer to Movistar, Marianne Vos now at Jumbo, Trek’s strength in depth and Chloe Dygert’s arrival at Canyon, 11 teams easily now have an A- list rider with excellent support around them.

Rider power is here to stay

There was a sense in 2020 that the peloton realised that there’s power in numbers, and I think we’re going to see much more on that theme. A new rider union representing the interests of the men’s peloton launched in the winter, out of frustration at the apparent ineffectiveness of the CPA. I expect we’ll have more action around the quality of races and maybe more protests.

Knocking on the door

It feels like a number of riders are on the verge of major victories and there are a few who I think will rise to the occasion in 2021... Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Max Schachmann in the classics, and Pavel Sivakov, Jack Haig and David Gaudu in GTs. Watch out for Anna Henderson and Elisa Balsamo in sprints, too.

Changing of the GC guard

It’s too early to talk about the transfer season, but among the riders whose contracts are up this year are: Vincenzo Nibali, Geraint Thomas, Dan Martin and Jakob Fuglsang. The youngest of them is 34. Martin did finish fourth at the Vuelta last year, and Thomas looked decent before crashing out of the Giro, but I think a grand tour win is a tough ask. If none make a podium, their hopes of getting to be a bona fide GC leader again might dwindle.