Volta do São Paulo   

One of the most prestigious Brazilian races on the OCM calendar, The Volta do São Paulo starts in Latin America's biggest city. Home to around 20 million people, São Paulo's streets are usually clogged with traffic. But for a brief moment once a year, the cars and buses make way for bicycles, and the road is finally able to breathe.

The peloton begins with an opening procession on the Praça da Sé, in front of the ...

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One of the most prestigious Brazilian races on the OCM calendar, The Volta do São Paulo starts in Latin America's biggest city. Home to around 20 million people, São Paulo's streets are usually clogged with traffic. But for a brief moment once a year, the cars and buses make way for bicycles, and the road is finally able to breathe.

The peloton begins with an opening procession on the Praça da Sé, in front of the city's cathedral, before making its way through the Japanese neighborhood of Liberdade and along Avenida Paulista, Brazil's financial heart.

The race only truly begins as the riders head north-east and finally leave the city, heading towards the hills and mountains of São Paulo State.

None of these climbs will truly punish the peloton, as the riders never climb above 1000 metres, however there are a number of short, sharp ascents that will surely test the riders abilities and create gaps in the peloton.

As they head into the penultimate climb, any rider wanting to win this will be hoping for some encouragement as they pass through the town of Bom Sucesso (a Portuguese expression for wishing success on someone), before attacking the final climb into the small city of Monteiro Lobato.

Named after Monteiro Lobato, a well-known children's author, this peaceful mountain town with a population of just over 4000 is a far cry from the smoke and noise of the race's start in São Paulo. But the winding, technical roads into the city are sure to separate the best riders.