CyclistOpinion: Mens cycling has never been more bleak for fansThe 2024 season has thus far had all the excitement of a funeral procession. Inevitable winners, interminable broadcasts and attritional storylines have made this the toughest season in recent memory to justify your pro cycling fan status. Bluntly, we are in the cycling fan ice age.In the doldrums, mens cycling is crying out for some serious competition, action and drama. We are already four months into the programme for this year and the light at the end of the tunnel is looking dim. With Tadej Pogaar destined for Giro glory and Tour de France competitors in hospital beds, theres little reason to hang up the yellow bunting this summer.While womens cycling has served up a veritable buffet of surprises, the mens calendar is looking a whole lot less fruitful. Whether its one-day races, stage races or Grand Tours, we are stuck with a measly offering of domination, sterilisation and exhaustion from the new post-pandemic cycling paradigm. Related Posts Opinion: Its OK to be bored of the Classics La Vuelta Femenina 2024: Route, how to watch, start list and everything you need to know Opinion: Wout van Aert still has to prove himself in the Classics Tour de France Femmes 2024 route announced ft. Alpe dHuez and a mini Monument Giro dItalia 2024: Stage-by-stage preview and how to watch Classics sans vintage A.S.O./Gatan FlammeThe charming cinematics of the Classics were completely lost this year. In lieu, we bore witness to a dirge of one-man shows.Apart from the last one percent of Milan-San Remo, the Monuments this year have been a snoozefest. Watching Paris-Roubaix felt like a chore and the Tour of Flanders lost its spark. I learnt my lesson by the time we reached the Ardennes. Once Pogaar was away on La Redoute, I switched off and got back to cleaning my apartment and doing the laundry.When either Pogaar or Mathieu van der Poel took to the startline, the end result looked inevitable. These guys are in their mid-to-late twenties now, so theres every likelihood their domination could continue for seasons to come. Maybe Wout van Aert could have saved the day, but as Jos Mourinho once said, If I speak, I am in big trouble.The Giro dInevitabilityA.S.O./Gatan FlammeThe Giro dItalia is normally the iced tea of the cycling calendar. We get eased into Grand Tour sweetness with an intriguing battle between those who are too cool to go to the Tour.In a start list notably lacking in big names this year, Italys Grand Tour seems to have the cycling community puffing out a collective sigh in 2024. A race thats usually a refreshing contrast to the Tour de France looks instead like it will be a test of patience and resilience for the viewer. Be prepared for Pogaar to dart away in the Dolomites and sew up the maglia rosa as early as possible in order to ease his Tour de France preparations.Even in the days of Chris Froome and the Texan we dont talk about anymore, the Giro dItalia offered a chance for some real Grand Tour action free of the sterilised affairs in a Tour de France sanitised by dominant figures and superteams alike.In 2024, we dont even have the prospect of an open battle for pink. Instead, the most exciting part of the Giro is likely to be predicting the second-place finisher behind Pogaar. And whoever it is will inevitably be forgotten about in the future matrix of cycling feats.The prospect of spending three weeks witnessing greatness doesnt do much to motivate the viewer to tune into the Corsa Rosa. Why tune in when you know the winner? Is there really any point?What about the Tour de France?Tim de Waele/Getty ImagesWhile the Giro is set to be a walkover for Pogaar, and a pity party for all behind, the Tour de France doesnt look much rosier either.Remco Evenepoel, Primo Rogli and Jonas Vingegaard are all recovering from injury following the barbaric fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. The chances of seeing Vingegaard even race at all this year now look fleeting given the severity of the crashes he suffered on the Basque roads.With Pogaars odds narrowing by the minute, the Tour de France looks set to return to Pogaar world order. Evenepoel is already considering his 2025 plans, while Rogli is fading into the back of our minds following a disappointing start to his tenure at Bora-Hansgrohe.The promised Tour to end all Tours looks like it has been spoiled by cyclings cruel wheel of fortune. A stunted battle looks imminent, with only the Olympic Games motivating us through this three-week whitewash around France.No more saving gracesTim de Waele/Getty ImagesNormally, we can at least rely on the one-week stage races to dish up a healthy serving of unpredictability. In 2024 form, however, our plate is looking nutrient deficient.If youre struggling to guess who will win the major UCI WorldTour stage races, just choose one of the big riders namely Pogaar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel or Rogli. If its not one of them bringing home the bacon, be sure to namedrop of their luxury domestique-turned-leader types (were looking at you, Matteo Jorgenson and Juan Ayuso).We now live in an era where winning week-long stage races by over a minute has become normalised. This was not the case ten years ago, heck, even five years ago. The old anarchical world of the week-long stage race is lost in the postmodern cycling landscape we find ourselves in.Perhaps we can rely on the Vuelta. The Spanish three-week-long crusade usually fosters a wild-west battle for supremacy. However, in the past three years, this sparkle has been lost. Quite frankly, its the Grand Tour racers afterthought. Maybe the Vuelta will become a rehab race for the walking wounded once again, but the script seems up in the air and unappetising.Fleeting gold medal hopesDario Belingheri/Getty ImagesIts not all doom and gloom. The Olympic Games are returning this summer. A city-centre circuit around Paris will have an unfamiliar look compared to what were used to seeing on the final day of the Tour. Say farewell to the Champs-Elyses and hello to the cobble climb of Montmartre.Cobble climb, you say? Expect to see Van der Poel targeting this with laser-like precision. And he rarely misses when hes locked on target. Alongside a devilish Dutch team, its hard to imagine any scenario where someone else wins.The World Championships in Zrich will try to brand itself as one last hurrah for the 2024 season before we finally put it to bed. However, the Worlds are looking like they could be another scene of a Pogaar crime against our collective humanity. Expect a similar narrative to LigeBastogneLige. Some commentators have already claimed Pogi the gold medallist elect, five months before the racing starts in Switzerland.Get out the violinsDavid Ramos/Getty ImagesWe are on a sinking cycling Titanic. The band is playing as we get sucked into the icy North Atlantic of the 2024 UCI WorldTour calendar.There are few life jackets to save us here, we just have to accept the 2024 season for what it is. Maybe well look back on it and admire all these stout-hearted race wins. Thatll take some time, thats for sure.For now, lets pile into the lifeboats and prepare for the worst. Thank god for womens cycling. Related Posts Opinion: Its OK to be bored of the Classics La Vuelta Femenina 2024: Route, how to watch, start list and everything you need to know Opinion: Wout van Aert still has to prove himself in the Classics Tour de France Femmes 2024 route announced ft. Alpe dHuez and a mini Monument Giro dItalia 2024: Stage-by-stage preview and how to watch The post Opinion: Mens cycling has never been more bleak for fans appeared first on Cyclist.