5 Predictions for the 2023 Road Racing Season

The road racing season starts January 15 and 17, 2023 in Australia. There are 10 months of racing in the WorldTour calendar. Here are five questions and predictions for the upcoming season. They also have eight riders they think might be breakout stars to watch.

Cavendish has been linked to Astana, but there's no official contract announcement yet. He's 38 when the 2023 Tour rolls out of Bilbaõ, Spain for its Grand Depart. If he's on the start line, bet on him to get win No. 35.

Van Vleuten won Liege-Bastogne-Liege last year and was World Road Champion. She won the Giro d'Italia Donne and the inaugural TdF Femmes. Van Vlieten plans to retire at the end of this season.

Van Aert needs to win Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix to be considered a serious contender for the Tour de France. He has a good team depth with Jumbo-Visma, which added Dylan van Baarle over the off-season.

The Women's WorldTour is packed with major races and fan interest grows every year. The biggest challenge may be managing the growth of the sport. There are 30 races on three continents and only six of 15 teams will start the Tour Down Under this year, so the team roster sizes lag behind the men's peloton. Better calendar organization and financial support would help solve the challenges.

Ineos Grenadiers had a down year in 2022. It didn't win at least one Grand Tour for the second time since 2011. Geraint Thomas and Richard Carapaz were the team's best stage racers. Egan Bernal is recovering from a crash. Thymen Arensman is a transferable talent.

There are always new faces on the podium in road racing. It takes time for riders to adjust to the WorldTour season. Here are 8 established pros we expect to take a big step up this year.

Shirin van Anrooij is in her third WorldTour season. Silvia Persico won her biggest win last fall at the Ceratizit Challenge. Maike van der Duin will join Canyon-SRAM for 2023. Veronica Ewers is 28 and will be entering her second full World Tour season in 20th. She was a collegiate soccer player before she started cycling.

Fred Wright, Andrea Piccolo, Olav Kooij, Matteo Jorgenson and Magnus Sheffield are predicted for the 2023 Road Racing Season. They are all promising young riders. Ineos Grenadiers will be looking for production from all corners. They will try to make the most of their opportunities. It is the fourth season for Matteos Joggen with Movistar. Magnus is still only 21. He won Brabantse Pijl last year. His team will look for success. The team is looking to replace Alejandro Valverde. This is a good opportunity for him.