Nine months on, Tao Geoghegan Hart back to 'race rhythm' at Volta ao Algarve

PORTIMAO PORTUGAL FEBRUARY 14 Tao Geoghegan Hart of The United Kingdom and Team Lidl Trek signs prior to the 50th Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta 2024 Stage 1 a 2008km stage from Portimao to Lagos on February 14 2024 in Portimao Portugal Photo by Dario BelingheriGetty Images
Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl-Trek) signs in for start of 2024 Volta ao Algarve, his first race since 2023 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

So many similarities, so many differences: nine months after he last pulled on his race gear, clattered down a team bus stairs and headed for a sign-on. Tao Geoghegan Hart was finally back in business at a bike race, now at stage 1 of the 2024 Volta ao Algarve.

The journey back from the point where Geoghegan Hart lay on the ground mid-way through stage 11 of the 2023 Giro d’Italia nursing a fractured femur to a point when he could race again has been a long one, involving months of rehabilitation. But this February 13 in Portugal’s premier week-long race, he was finally there.

Alasdair Fotheringham

Alasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991. He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one, as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes, ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain. As well as working for Cyclingnews, he has also written for The IndependentThe GuardianProCycling, The Express and Reuters.