Top-level cycling is preparing to welcome the return of some of its brightest stars after the Tour de France. The Deutschland Tour (August 20-24) and the PostNord Danmark Rundt (August 12-16) will feature riders of the caliber of Wout van Aert, Jonathan Milan, and Jasper Philipsen.

Van Aert , fresh from winning the Tour's final stage on the Champs-Élysées, and Milan , who took the green jersey, will be the spearheads of the Deutschland Tour. The German race, which opens with a prologue in Essen, will offer a mix of challenging stages and opportunities for sprinters before the final finish in Magdeburg.

Among the prominent names at the start are the young talent Matthew Brennan, who will partner Van Aert in the Visma-Lease a Bike team, and Tobias Halland Johannessen, fresh from his sixth place at the Tour. The sprinters will also include Kaden Groves (Tour stage winner), Pascal Ackermann, Paul Magnier, and John Degenkolb, while Geraint Thomas will also be among the big names.

In Denmark, however, the last-minute addition of Jasper Philipsen stands out, making his return to racing after the crash that caused him to fracture a rib and collarbone in the third stage of the Tour. The Belgian, who won the first stage of the Grande Boucle wearing the yellow jersey, will face Danish Lidl-Trek stars Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose, as well as other big names such as Arnaud De Lie, Dylan van Baarle, and Magnus Cort.

Also noteworthy is the Arctic Tour of Norway (August 7-10), where Tom Pidcock will be the leading name in preparation for the Vuelta España. He will be joined by riders of the caliber of Dylan Teuns, Eddie Dunbar, and the XDS-Astana duo Ballerini-Scaroni.

A sore point, however, comes from Enric Mas: the Spaniard from Movistar had to end his season early due to thrombophlebitis in his left leg, likely a consequence of his withdrawal from the Tour.

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