User:SportscarFan2004/TDFMotorcycle

The 2024 Round of Europe was the first European motorcycle race organised by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Based on the Grand Tours in cycling, the inaugural edition was won by THE EVENTUAL WINNER.

The race was originally announced in 2021 by the FIM in association with the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), scheduled to be held for the first time in 2023. However, it was pushed back after discussions between the FIM and ASO about the route of the race, as well as the length of stages. On 18 October 2022, the FIM announced they would be organising the race themselves, with the contract between the FIM and ASO being resigned with immediate effect.

On 15 March 2023, the FIM announced the starting point for the Round of Europe to be in Stockholm, Sweden, and the finish of the last stage to be in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The race included three rest days, on 27 June, 3 July, and 9 July. During these days, bikes received full maintenance for the next stages.

One of the biggest talking points about the stages (excluding time trials) was that they try to avoid highways as much as possible, using local roads wherever deemed possible and save.

Entries
Only 20 drivers, spread over 5 teams and 2 manufacturers, registered for the first edition of the race, which is currently still the lowest amount of entries on any startlist of the Round of Europe. Each team was required to field 4 drivers.

Route and stages
In May 2023, the full route for the Round of Europe was announced, with three time trials, seven flat stages, eight hilly stages, and three mountain stages. The queen stage of this Round of Europe was stage 8, the first mountainous stage, with almost 800 kilometers of racing, which was also the longest stage of the race.

Pre-race favourites
The biggest pre-race favourite of the race was Valentino Rossi, entering a BMW motorcycle with his own team. However, Steven Odendaal from the Yamaha team was also seen as a strong favourite for the general classification, receiving full leadership support from his team-mates. Another notable entry was 2022 FIM EWC world champion Joshua Hook, a team-mate of Rossi. Hook, with his experience in endurance racing, was seen as the third big name in the entry list.

Yamaha bikes were generally seen as favourable over the BMW bikes. However, on the more off-road stages of the Tour, the BMW bikes were expected to handle much better.