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Taking place in Estonia from May 26th to 27th, the professional cycling tour will attract a prestigious gathering of participants. One of the top contenders is undoubtedly the Estonian National Team, led by Norman Vahtra, Karl Patrick Lauk, and Martin Laas, (all of whom have) who have all claimed stage victories in previous editions of the Tour of Estonia. Lauk and Laas have also emerged as overall winners of the tour.

According to Alo Jakin, the sports director of the Estonian National Team, the competition is expected to be fierce, starting with the ATT Investments team led by Mihkel Räim, the winner of the 2019 edition, and Gert Kivistik. "We can certainly expect tough competition, including Romanian rider Eduard Grosu, who won the Tour of Estonia in 2014 and now represents the HRE Mazowsze Serce Polski team.”

Jakin also highlighted Filippo Fortini from the German team Maloja Pushbikers, stating, "I have ridden with him personally, and I know he is an experienced Italian rider with great sprinting skills."

"From the Tartu2024 team, notable names to watch out for are Aus and Pajur. While the number of teams is not extensive, each team has someone capable of making an impact.”

 This year, the Tour of Estonia comes with two stages.

"Without a prologue, the time gaps will be even smaller, and the first stage will start from scratch. The prologue provides an indication of who is in good form and who is not, but the first stage is now essentially a lottery, with the jerseys awarded at the end of it." Jakin believes that many teams will aim to save their energy for the finish of the first stage.

"Our task is to make it difficult for the strong riders. Laas is a 'fast finisher,' but you never know what the weather will bring. As always, the wind is the biggest factor; if there's a crosswind, the entire peloton can easily split apart. We have enough cards to play and different strategies to employ," explained Jakin, expressing his viewpoint as the sports director of the Estonian national team.

Tour of Estonia's race director, Indrek Kelk, is also excited about the upcoming competition, eager to witness the showdown between former Tour of Estonia champions and other talented cyclists. "It's a pleasure to see a significant number of strong Estonian riders at the starting line, particularly highlighting Martin Laas and young talent Romet Pajur, who won the Tartu Rattaralli last year."

"In addition to the Tour of Estonia, the Ladies Tour of Estonia will also take place for the second time on May 27th. We invite spectators to come along and cheer for all the cyclists lining the race route!" stated Kelk.