February will mark the start of road racing in Europe with a series of stage races in Spain, France, and Portugal. There will also be gravel races on three continents.

Leading the pack this week is Tadey Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates), who will not start the season in the UAE Tour, but will instead compete in the second edition of the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior and Vuelta a Andalucia to open the 2023 season He decided.

The Slovenian will join Enric Mas (Movistar) and the well-informed Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) on the start line to compete in five hilly stages across Andalusia in the Ruta del Sol. Meanwhile, top sprinters such as Fabio Jacobsen (Soudal-Quick Step) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno X Pro Cycling) will battle it out on two flat stages in Portugal.

Later in the week, the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana will be held. Feminas is a 2. pro women's race with many WWT-level teams competing, and the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var is a three-day race in southeastern France. In South America, the Transcordilleras Rally Colombia, an eight-stage race across three sections of the Andes Mountains, will be held this weekend.

Read on for more information about all the races and Cycling News coverage.

First, take a look at this weekend's main results.

After Monday's Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior, the European stage race will begin in earnest with five hilly stages of the Vuelta a Andalucía, one of Spain's oldest races.

The star-studded field includes superstar Tadej Pogachar, former Giro d'Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart, who had a strong showing in Valenciana, and the trio of Spanish GC contenders Mikel Landa, Enric Mas, and Carlos Rodriguez Ruta del Sol is unlikely to disappoint.

If the Slovenians ride close to their best, they could easily win stages 1-4, but there will also be punchers and climbers who will attack the two-time Tour de France champion.

The first stage has two category 1 mountains, so there is no escape for the riders who want to take the leader's jersey.

Pogachar will also be supported by a strong team featuring former winner of the race Tim Wellens and mountain domestiques Rafal Mica and George Bennett.

The southern Portuguese roads will give top sprinter Fabio Jacobsen a chance to start his race in Europe, as he did last year when he won two stages.

He will be challenged by Alexander Kristoff and Matteo Trentin in the first and third stages with flat finishes.

There are two opportunities for pure climbers at the start line before the final time trial, with the famous finishes of Alto da Foia and Alto de Marhão.

Sergio Iguita and Jai Hindley are among the riders who will be looking to significantly widen the gap on time trial powerhouses Timen Arensmann and Joanne Armedia before the 24km final trial, which starts and finishes in Lagoa.

It will also be interesting to see if home rider and former world champion Rui Costa can continue his great form with his new team, Intermarché Circus Wanty, following his victory in Valenciana.

The women's peloton will next head to Spain for four stages in the 2.pro Setmana CV Feminas.

The official start list has not yet been announced, but in the past six editions of the event, some of the world's best women, such as Annemiek van Fluten twice, Anna van der Breggen, Cecilie Uttrup-Ludwig, and in 2022, Marta Bastianelli cyclists have won the race.

Stages 1 and 2 will give the fastest riders a chance to win, while the latter two stages will be a battle of climbers.

This week, three stages will take place in the Tour du Var in southeastern France, offering a similar course experience to that of Paris-Nice.

The start list has not yet been announced, but top-level climbers such as Nairo Quintana, Thibaut Pinot, and Philippe Gilbert will be on the start line.

Pinot will start alongside French GC hopefuls such as David Gaudoux and Romain Bardet. Outside of France, Hugh Carthy, Esteban Chaves, and Giulio Ciccone are expected.

Stage 3 will start in Villefranche-sur-Mer and will tackle the Col d'Eze and Col de Chateauneuf in the first 54 km.

The eight-day off-road extravaganza in Colombia continues this week. The self-supported bikepacking event features mountain stages up to 4,000 meters in elevation and features some of the biggest names in gravel.

Lawrence ten Dam returns to a field of 60 riders pushing across the Andes mountains.

Data Powered by FirstCycling