So it is that time already, La Grande Boucle is almost upon
us! This is the 99th edition of this resplendent, beautiful, gruelling
and epic race, the biggest race and the greatest price in cycling. This is one
of, if not the most gruelling events in sport, with 3 weeks of lung busting
riding, up and down mighty alpine and Pyrenean mountains, across vast swathes of
French countryside though sun, wind, rain and snow. Almost all the legends of
cycling have done battle in this race, many winning stages or the overall.
This year’s edition is already looking like it will be a
classic edition, one of the most open for a decade and maybe of all time. This
is a course designed to promote epic racing from the days of Merckx, Antequil and
Coppi. This has been achieved in a number of ways. First, carrying on from the
trend established in the last few years, in all the GTs (Grand Tours), the TDF has
replaced some of the usual flat sprinting stages with classic style stages. The
rolling terrain in stages 2, 3, 5 and 7 may well create the opportunities for contenders
to attack early on, with a good chance a breakaway will succeed to win a stage.
In addition, there are 101 km in time trial stages this year, this is roughly
twice the number for the last couple of Tours. Many of the favourites will lose
minutes in these kilometres and therefore will have to attack in the mountains
to regain time if they hope to win/podium/ top 10. There are only 3 mountain
top finishes (MTF) this year, however don’t let this fall you. There is one
more climb this year than last year’s route, which itself considered very
mountainous. New climbs have been added to the route this year, and they look
hard, with steeper gradients than normal for TDF climbs. All of this will help
the climbers. In addition, there are a number of very technical, twisty
descents in this year’s TDF, with stage 16 into Bagnères-de-Luchon finishing at
the bottom of one of these. These could provide a very strong springboard for a
number of the overall contenders to attack, such as Evans and Nibali.
Let us not forgot the other classifications, of which there are three (main ones), the points jersey (Green), the mountains Jersey (red polka dots on white background) and the best young rider (white). I will discuss each of these below. All of these competitions look like they will be fiercely fought for this year, which will provide an even more epic race.
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Let us not forgot the other classifications, of which there are three (main ones), the points jersey (Green), the mountains Jersey (red polka dots on white background) and the best young rider (white). I will discuss each of these below. All of these competitions look like they will be fiercely fought for this year, which will provide an even more epic race.
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The Jerseys
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Above is shown the Yellow jersey (maillot jaune), which will
be the goal for the overall contenders at the end of the three weeks. It is
awarded to the rider with the lowest cumulative time, so the rider who has
covered the course the quickest time at that point in the race. Even to wear
this jersey for a day or two is a great honour in cycling, the Yellow jersey is
often worn by non contenders in the first week of the race. Le Coq Sportif will
be making the jerseys (instead of Nike), for first time in over 2 decades.
The Green (points) Jersey competition, awarded to the rider
who gains the most points (nominally a sprinters Jersey in the TDF). The points are awarded at the end of stages
and a certain point along the road. Last year’s winner Mark Cavendish, will
face stiff competition from Peter Sagan who is in excellent form and who is much
better at climbing than Cavendish. I will discuss other contenders below. It
looks like it will be an exciting completion, with a close end result decided
on the final day very plausible.
The King of the Mountains Polka dot jersey is award to the
rider who gains the most King of the Mountains points. These points are awarded
on the summit of various climbs. The climbs fall into 5 categories, the hardest
of these is the HC category (HC stands for beyond classification), with the
others classed as 1st - 4th, with 1st the
second hardest and 4th the easiest. The category is judged by the
length and gradient of the climb. This points system was changed last year to
favour riders who were better climbers, with more points given to MTF’s, as the
last climb also offers double points this means that the Polka dot jersey is likely to be won by one of
the contenders for the overall.
The White Jersey competition is for riders born in 1987 or
later. It is identical to the Yellow jersey apart from this aspect.
Other
Combativity award/ Most aggressive Rider
Is an award is given to the rider deemed to have been the “most
aggressive” in a stage, which means a rider who has attacked/ been in a
breakaway/ made and big and impressive effort. This award is judged by a panel,
consisting of Journalists, Tour organisers (including some ex riders). The
reward is a cash prize and the honour of having a white race number on a red background
the next day. At the end of a TDF a Super-Combativity is given to the rider
deemed to have been the most aggressive over the three weeks.
Best team
Award to the “quickest” team, this is award daily and at the
end of the TDF. The quickness of the team is decided by adding the times of the
three best riders. Like the Combativity award the best team is shown by race
numbers with black number on a yellow background.
“Lanterne Rouge”
This isn’t an official completion, but is nevertheless one
that is noted, and in its own strange way, prestigious. The Lanterne Rouge is “awarded”
to the last rider in the race. The rider is often remembered and given appearance
money at the after TDF Criteriums, plus sometime extra sponsorship money. There
have been multiple winners of the “Lanterne Rouge” the most recent being Wim
Vansevenant who won this dubious honour three times in a row from 2006 ! It has
also not been unknown for riders to contest this competition.
Souvenir Jacques Goddet
A cash prize awarded to the rider who is the first to the
summit of the highest mountain in that years TDF. This year it will be awarded
on the legendry Col du Tourmalet.
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The Contenders for the General Classification (yellow jersey)
Preamble
I will use the star system that I used in the Giro, with 5
stars being top favourite and 1 star being an outside hope. This time I will
also be putting the range of positions I think the favourite is capable off. Roughly
speaking a 5* rider will be a certain podium/win, 4* a strong contender for
podium and possible chance of winning and a very probable top 5, 3* a certain top
10, 2* a probable top ten and 1* a dark horse for top 10. Given the course this
year, a wide range of skills are need to win/do well in this TDF and bravery
could be very well rewarded.
My, along with a number of other commentators, top
favourite. The main reason for this are the number of time trialling kilometres
in this year’s tour, this is a discipline in which Bradley Wiggins is supreme,
only behind Cancellara and Tony Martin. He will take minutes out of his almost
all his rivals in the time trials. That said Wiggins is not a one trick pony,
he has shown that he is among the best climbers in the world and has the
measure of many of his rivals in this department. He showed in the Tour of
Romandie that he can sprint, and this development acceleration should do him
good in the mountains. He also has a very strong team, who are committed to
helping him win. It is fair to say that Froome and Porte could be considered
possible contenders in their own right. Team Sky showed in the Criterium du
Dauphine, amongst a number of other stage races this year, that they are very
strong. They controlled the Dauphine with an iron grip, setting a strong enough
pace in the mountains to deter attacks. Given all of this Wiggins is a strong
favourite...
But, in sport anything can happen. Wiggins is not without
his weakness, although he has done a good deal to lessen them. For a start an
unfortunate crash, such as last year could ruin his chances. Team Sky haven’t
shown the best tactical ability in the past and this could cause them problems
if they underestimate another contender and don’t mark dangerous attacks (see
Liquigas, Hesjedal and the 2012 Giro for an example of this). Another important
point is that unlike other teams, such as BMC, Sky have split priorities, with
a very strong contender for the Green Jersey in Cavendish. One of the keys to winning
a race such as the TDF is the careful conservation of energy throughout,
avoiding expending energy unless necessary. For Cavendish to have a chance of
winning the Green Jersey, Sky will need to be attentive to his needs. This
means that key riders such as Boassen-Hagen, Kness etc will have to expend
energy on stages that will not decide the overall. In addition it also means
that 2/9 riders will not be at the disposal of Wiggins, with Eisel and
Cavendish poor climbing ability. This could tire the team significantly leaving
Wiggins vulnerable to attacks.
More Wiggin’s specific points are as follows. He is not as
strong a descender as some of his other key rivals. Given the nature of the
course this year, this could prove important. In addition questions have been
raised over his ability to perform at the highest level over the three weeks, a
notable different and more difficult task than over a week. A number of his
rivals excel in the third week of a GT, so this will be important. The final
problem is how good Wiggins is and the course. This means that many contenders
have nothing to lose, and may throw the kitchen sink at Wiggins, with long
range attacks. As we have seen in the previous couple of years, a well placed
long range attack can transform a GT. All of the work will be left to Sky and
Wiggins due to their strength. Wiggins
also has fanatic form this year, dominating the one week stage races.
Summary – Strong favourite, strong climber, very strong TT,
strong team
Pros – strong climber, very strong TT, strong team, good
form
Cons – isn’t strongest descender, will be marked
Predicted final placing –
1st (1-3)
After two close 2nd places in the TDF, Cadel
Evans managed to mount the top step of the podium last year. It was a brilliant
performance, with Evans personally taking the responsibility of chasing down
his rivals, when his team faltered under severe pressure from Evans’s rivals. Evans
had a very strong 2011 season previous to the TDF, winning the overall in Tour
de Romandie and Tirreno-Adriatico. This was a key part of his meticulous preparation
that lead to the excellent form he had in the 211 TDF. 2012 has not been as
strong for Evans, with people thinking that this was not going to be his year.
However Evans put in a recent strong performance in the Criterium du Dauphine,
with second place, riding an aggressive race. He has had time to fine tune his
form, and will have the relatively easy first week of the TDF to do the same. So
he come into this race as a strong favourite.
Evans, is a very strong climber and a very strong time trialist,
in addition he can perform at a very high level over three weeks, getting
stronger relative to his rivals. This last point is crucial as it will limit
his losses (or possible maximise his gains) against Wiggins in the final time
trial, the penultimate stage. He isn’t as strong a time trialist as Wiggins,
but he is not far off, he is a stronger climber and most importantly a much
better descender. Evans skill in descending, could prove crucial, given some of
the technical descents this year, it could aid him in long range attack, or aid
him in stage 16, which finishes on and descent. Evans could plausible take up
to 3 minutes, and at least 30 seconds, out of Wiggins on a descent. All this
said Evans win last year was surprising given his age, this year he is 35,
which will not make his TDF any easier. Riders tend to crack quickly once over their
peak; see Indurain, Merckx and Hinault. It will certainly mean that this is one
of, if not the last, TDF he can hope to win.
BMC are a strong team, but without the fire power of Team Sky
in the mountains. In George Hincapie they have the most experienced (and best)
road captain around, and this will be a great help to Evans attempt to win a
second consecutive TDF. For the mountains Evans has Steve Cummings, Amaël
Moinard and Tejay Van Garderen to aid him, alongside Philippe Gilbert. The team
will have no problem control the race on the flat.
Summary – Good form, good abilities, but may crack given his
age, strong team
Pros – Ability to attack on all key areas of the course,
ability in TT and climbing, fitness over 3 weeks, lack of pressure.
Cons – Age, stiff competition
Predicted final placing – (1-3)
The silent assassin has had a very quite year this season,
with no performances of note. However he has that nickname for a reason. Menchov
has a way of hiding his form until it counts. In fact it probably won’t be
obvious that he is a threat until he has won the race ! Of all the contenders
this year he has the best record, 3 previous GT wins, 2 Vuelta’s and 1 Giro,
and two podiums in the TDF (2nd and 3rd). His record in
the TDF is erratic with either very strong top ten performances or a low
placing (85th and 51st), this makes a prediction of his performance
this year difficult. Should he be in form a top 5 is very probable given the
number of TT kilometres, if not then he will not feature. I would suspect that
he is in form, given the support he has been given from Katusha.
His attributes
as a rider are his very strong climbing, Strong TT and strong recovery, coming
into his peak in the crucial third week. He has a wealth of experience with 15
years as a pro and 9 years near the top. He is old, and conventional wisdom
would have say too old at 34, however Cadel Evans managed it last year, and it
seems that cycling is changing, with riders being able to race at near peak
level into their thirties. His team isn’t as strong as Sky, but is reasonably
strong and will offer good support. He has a couple of climbers at his
disposal, and a number of strong men as domestiques. His big weakness is his
descending, which is aweful and arguably lost him the 2008 TDF.
Summary – A dark horse, either brilliant or awful. Strong
TT, Climbing and performance over three weeks.
Pros – Strong TT, Climbing and performance over three weeks.
Cons – Team isn’t as strong as others, v.weak descending, possibly
form, age
Predicted final placing –
(1-5 or below 20)
Of the same mould as the above three riders, a strong
climber and strong TT rider. It is fair to say that Leipheimer is the best
rider of the last 10 years not to have won a GT. He has come close on a number
of occasions, held back by having to work for another teammate. He has been on
the podium of the TDF, 3rd in 2007, whilst working for Contador who
won that year’s TDF, and in the top 10 on a number of occasions.
I would have put him on the same level as Wiggins if not for
an unfortunate crash in April, which left him with a broken leg. Before then he
was looking like the top favourite, with very strong form, winning the Tour de
San Luis in January amongst other strong performances. He has recovered a good
deal of his form since the crash, with a decent 3rd place in the
Tour de Sussie, his climbing looks strong although his TT performance looked weak
compared to his ability in this discipline and would need improvement to win
the TDF. If he manages to boost his TT performance before the first TT, he will
be a strong contender. His team, OPQS, are very strong, almost, if not as, strong
as Team Sky with amble support on the flat. For the mountains, he has Peter
Velits, who came 3rd in the 2010 Vuelta and is a strong Climber and TT
rider. In fact Velits could be
considered a contender in his own right and would be a good back up option
should Leipheimer crack.
Summary – Is a strong Climber and TT rider, but form is unknown,
recent TT performances suggest form inst good enough to win.
Pros – Is a strong Climber and TT rider, has a lot of
experience, can perform well in GTs, strong team
Cons – form
Predicted final placing –
top 10, could well win/podium
Gesink has been on the verge of greatness for a couple of
years, many had him on the podium of last year’s TDF. He is a very strong
climber, near the level of the Schlecks/Contador, and is decent at TT’s. Rabobank
are a strong team, with Tem Dam, Steven Kruijswijk and Bauke Mollema showing
good recent form, especially in the mountains. Gesink’s recent form has been
very good, winning the Tour of California and putting in a decent performance
at the Tour de Sussie, indicating that he will be peak form coming into the
TDF. The course doesn’t suit him as well as others, and the number of TT’s and
lack of mountain top finishes will be to his disadvantage. He will have to go
out and attack if he is too win this, not an easy task given the strength of
other contenders and Team Sky.
Summary – A strong contender for any TDF course, this course
doesn’t suit him and he will need to gain time on Evans/Wiggins in mountains.
Pros – v.strong climber, strong team, good form
Cons – TT isn’t as strong as others, lacks experience
Predicted final placing –
top 5, could win, podium
Van de Broek is coming into the peak period of his career,
at the age of 29, he has yet to gain a podium in a GT. He has had a number of
good performances in the GT’s with several top 10s. The best result of his
career came in the 2010 TDF with an impressive 4th position. In last
year’s TDF, he crashed leaving him with “a pneumothorax, broken ribs and a fractured
shoulder”, he still managed to take 8th in the 2011 Vuelta, only a month
or two after these injuries. He is a v.good climber, better than Wiggins and
Evans, and can do a good time trial, a discipline he excelled at as a young
rider and which he has been working on. His form is good, with a strong
performance in the TT in the Dauphine, only losing two minutes on Wiggins in 53
km. His climbing looked to be at its usual high standard, with Van de Broek
sticking with the high pace of team Sky with little difficulty. Given that the Dauphine
finished 3 weeks ago, they has been time to improve and fine tune as well.
In Lotto-Belisol he has a solid team, however it is a team
with split priorities, with a number of riders for Andre Greipel for the
sprints. Due to the fact that Van de Broek’s is not a overwhelming favourite
this isn’t as big a problem as it could be as Lotto-Belisol will not be
expected to control the peloton (the field), that responsibility will be taken
by Sky/BMC. That said it leaves him with little support for the mountains, the
only other strong climber being Jelle Vanendert. For early support in mountains
Adam Hansen and Francis De Greef will be good, but I don’t expect them to be
around when the racing gets serious in the mountains.
Summary – Good rider, a climber who can limit his losses in
the TT
Pros – V. good form, V. Strong Climber, improving TT
Cons – TT ability relative to Wiggins, team isn’t the
strongest.
Predicted final placing –
4th (top 10, could well win/podium)
Vincenzo Nibali ****
Vincenzo Nibali is my dark horse to win. I was tempted to
put Nibali higher and be more optimistic about his chances of winning, but I
decided to take a more objective view (Nibali is one of my favourite riders). Nibali
is a good all rounder, strong in a number of areas. His has a good TT ability,
although not on the same level as Evans and Wiggins. His climbing is often underrated,
but he is a very good climber as his results in the 2010 Vuelta (Bola de Mundo),
2011 Giro (Zonclan) and other races shows. The area that Nibali excels in is descending
where he can take minutes out of rivals, given the number of difficult descents
this year this could be key. Another important factor about Nibali, one that
could win him this TDF, is his will to win even if it means taking huge risks. This
can go either way, with it failing in the 2011 Giro de Lombardia and it almost
succeeding in 2012 Liege-Bastogne- Liege he came second). As we saw in the 2011 TDF and 2012 Giro,
making a long range attack can reap a lot of benefits. The course this year
provides ample opportunities for long range attacks/ attacks on descents and
plenty of incentive given the length of the time trials. We saw in the 2011
Vuelta that a decent attack can yield minutes. Nibali also has a good racing
brain, being able to measure his effort and judge a good place to attack. His
weakness is that he can fade into the third week of a GT, which can curtail his
ability to attack.
His season has been in two stages this year. In the early
part of season, from the Tour of Oman in February to Liege-Bastogne-Liege in
April was very good. He won Tirreno-Adriatico, a weeklong stage race, with a
strong performance in climbing and in the TT, losing only 20 seconds to a fully
fit Cancellara in 9 km. If he has this form in the TDF he will limit his losses
to Wiggins and Evans well. He showed
strong performances in race such as the Tour of Oman, Milan-Sanremo and Liege-Bastogne-Liege
among others. The second half of his season has not been as good, with an unmemorable
Tour of California and a relatively weak Dauphine. In the Dauphine his climbing
was relatively poor and his TT not good enough. However, many riders use the Dauphine
as a warm up and there are three weeks for riders to tune their form. If Nibali
has the form of the Dauphine he will not be a factor, if he has the form of the
early part of this season he could win.
In Liquigas-Cannondale he has a strong team, although much
like Lotto-Belisol they have split priorities, with Sagan a favourite for the
Green Jersey and a couple of stage wins. Nibali has Ivan Basso as a super domestique for the
mountains, which will help a lot, especially in combination with Sylwester Szmyd,
the strongest climbing domestique around. In addition Liquigas-Cannondale is a strong
and diverse team, who can wreak havoc on descents/ unusual parts of the course,
see the 2011 Vuelta stage 6.
Summary – Another Dark Horse, if on form and lucky could win
or at least top 5
Pros – All round ability, Good TT, V. Good Climbing, V. Good
descending, Will to win, will to task risks, tactical ability, and ability to
keep his cool.
Cons – recent form not brilliant can have a bad day.
Predicted final placing – top 10, depending on luck could be
win or in top 5.
Samuel Sanchez ****
Sanchez is a rider who has been close to winning a number of
big races in his career, but has never quite managed it, the notable exception being
the 2008 Olympic road race. He has been a threat in the TDF sine his 6th
place in 2008. He has been on the podium
(3rd) once before in 2010, and last year came 5th, his
cause not helped by an unfortunate first week, where he had a number of crashes
and was involved in a incident where he was caught behind a crash in the first stage,
losing 1:14. Sanchez, like Nibali, is a great all rounder, with particular strength
in climbing, Sanchez was last years’ King of the Mountains winner. His TT is
not on the same level as Wiggins and Evans, but is good and he should be able
to limit his losses in the 101 TT km well. He lost 1:30 dead to a on form Evans
in the 42.5 km TT in last year’s TDF, so could be expected to lose around 3
minutes in this year’s TTs. He is a very good descender as he showed in stage
17 of 2011 TDF, with his attack on the descent of the Pinerolo. Given his all
round strength and the course, he could very well win this race, but he will
need to attack to do so.
His team, Euskaltel-Euskadi is both strong and weak, in the
mountains they are strong, and on the flat they are weak, (close to being very
weak). It is a team that thrives in the mountains, with all its riders specialising
in this area. Therefore, if Sanchez is to avoid losing crucial time in the inconsequential
(for the GC) stages of the TDF, he will need to be attentive and stick to the
front of the peloton to avoid being caught out by a split in the field.
Summary – He has all the attributes to win this TDF, if he
attacks to compensate for losses in the TT.
Pros – Strong Climbing, TT and descending, strong GT rider.
Cons – Weak team on flat,
Predicted final placing – 5th (1-7)
Predicted final placing – top 10, no higher than 6th
Frank Schleck ***
With the absence of his brother Andy due to a broken pelvis,
Frank will be the lead rider for Radioshack- Nissan- Trek this year. The course
could not be feasible worse for Frank, with 101 TT kilometres. Frank is poor in
the TT, the comfortably worst of the main contenders (5* to 3*). Schleck can expect to lose a minimum of 4
minutes in the TT’s and could plausibly lose 6-8 minutes. This is a shed load
of time, and this factor alone should rule him out this year....
But, fortune favours the brave, as shown in the 2012 Giro
and the 2011 TDF (incidentally by Andy Schleck). This course is designed to
encourage long range attacks, and due to the course Frank Schleck has nothing
to lose, worst comes to worse he gets a top 20 and can justifiable blame the course.
If Frank Schleck wants any better that a low top 10 he will have to attack on
stages such as stage 16, very hard. This is the only way to take the required time.
Schleck is not helped in this by his poor descending ability which will hamper
his ability to put minutes into his rivals. The only thing to counter this is the
results of his attacks in the Tour de Sussie, however I don’t think these are representative
of Schlecks ability or form and I think he may have been building form for the
TDF/ sandbagging.
However, despite his descending and TT, he was three good factors
that could lead him to do well. The first is supreme climbing, with Contador
and his brother out; he is easily the best climber in the peloton. He can take
minutes in the mountains (at least going uphill) and he will need to. He is a
good enough climber to escape the clutches of Team Sky, with his strong acceleration
and stamina. Secondly, he is in very good form, due to his early exit of the
Giro and the Tour de Sussie. This will have built good form; some have said too
good form, leading to him faltering in the TDF. I do not agree with this, Schlecks
manager, Johan Bruyneel, is the best around and I don’t belief he would waste
his best chance to win the TDF. Thirdly,
he has a very strong team, with Chris Horner and Andreas Klöden good enough in their
own right to be considered contenders. This could help Schleck with an attack,
either long or short range. It also will mean that he will not be isolated and
lose time on the flat.
Summary – Not his
course, but if brave and lucky could pull it off
Pros – Strong climbing, strong team, nothing to lose.
Cons – poor TT and poor descending.
Predicted final placing –
Top 10, but probably not podium unless he pulls off a big attack.
Movistar ** – Juan
Jose Cobo/ Rui Costa
Both these riders have the potential to do well in the TDF, whether
or not they will is another matter. Both will be riding for the Movistar team,
and Valverde is the provisional leader. However things can change quickly in
cycling and should Valverde crack, one of these two would be expected to take
the leadership role. Let’s start with Juan Jose Cobo, he has a decent TT and is
a very strong climber. These attributes won him the 2011 Vuelta, the pinnacle
of his career thus far, beating Chris Froome and Wiggins. He has had a rocky
career, often suffering from depression, which has affect his results. Therefore
his form, especially given his lack of racing this year, is hard to predict. He
could either come in with good form and do well (top 10) or with poor form and not
make the top 20. If he is at his best I think he can do top 5/ possibly make 3rd
, due to the number of TT km in this TDF.
Rui Costa is a perhaps too high at 2* as he has not shown anything
in GT’s before (for overall performance). However he has shown ample talent in stage
races, coming second in Tour de l'Avenir in 2008 and winning the Tour de Sussie
this year. The reason I have included him is due to his form this year, and his
attributes. He has been consistently good this year, notably in stage races, in
the earlier part of the season he took 3rd Overall in the Tour de Romandie and 5th Overall
Volta ao Algarve. Most recently he took a convincing overall win in the Tour de
Sussie. The attributes which helped him to these victories were his decent
climbing and strong time trialling, indeed in Romandie, he only lost 23 seconds over 16 km to Wiggins.
If extrapolated to the TDF, this leaves him losing a mere 2.5 minutes to
Wiggins. If he manages this in the TDF he can podium. His main weakness will be
hanging on in the climbs, as he is not as strong a climber as most of the favourites.
Could very well top 10, if doesn’t have to work too hard for Valverde/
Cobo. Certainly a GT rider for the future.
Rein Taaramäe **
Taaramäe will enjoy the course this year, given the number
of TT kilometres, Taaramäe came 12th in last year’s climbing intensive
TDF, and therefore was just deprived of the white jersey. This year he should
do well in that competition and probably win it. Taaramäe has decent climbing
and good time trialling, which should help him break the top 10 this year. Taaramäe
is still developing as a rider, so could have a breakthrough year.
Predicted final placing – just inside top 10 (give or take 3
places)
Pierre Rolland **
Rolland showed his talent last year, with 10th
place overall and the white jersey. He is a strong climber and a decent TT
rider. His relative lack of strength in the TT and lack of experience may be an
obstacle in breaking the top 5. He will however only get better as he gets
older, could break through this year.
Janez Brajkovič *
Thomas Voeckler *
OPQS – Tony Martin*/ Peter Velits**
RadioShack-Nissan-Trek * – Chris
Horner/ Andreas Klöden/ Haimar Zubeldia
Garmin – Tom Danielson/ Dan Martin/Christian Van de Velde *
Jean-Christophe Péraud*
Nicholas Roche *
Thibaut Pinot *
Jérôme Coppel *
Lieuwe Westra *
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The Contenders for the Points Jersey (Green jersey)
The point that count to the Green jersey, where recalibrated
last year, to favour pure sprinters such as Cavendish. There are two sets of
points avaible on a stage, at the finish and at a sprint point. With Cavendish
and David Brailsford (team Sky head and head of British cycling) stating the Olympics
as a major goal, it is very possible that Cav may leave the TDF before its conclusions
to save form for the Olympics. Matt Goss has stated clearly that he will go
onto the end. Goss is probably the 2nd best sprinter in the world
(behind Cav) and a sprinter that Cav rates. This year we alos see the exciting debut
of the phenomenal Peter Sagan, a much talked about rider who has dominated the
sprints in the races he has been in this year. In addition he is a strong all
rounder, who could plausible go out on the attack on a number of stages, he is
a much better climber than most sprinters. In addition the storng German talent
Marcel Kittle will be making his debut. It will be an interesting completion this
year, let’s take a look at the favourites in more detail.
The undisputed top sprinter in the sport of professional
cycling, he has won everything a pure sprinter can be expected to win, with a
world title, a Milan-San Remo, a TDF green jersey and a large quantity of GT
stage wins to his name (amongst countless other stages in other races/ one day classics).
If all goes to plan he will add the Olympic title to this impressive record. Cavendish,
in top form, is quite simply a bike length (at least) quicker than all the competitors
he has had in the last 4 years. He has had a relatively quite year, with a mere
3 stage wins in the Giro, taking the one day classic Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, and
a number of stages in the Tour of Qatar/Tirreno–Adriatico. He came close to the
points jersey at the Giro, but was piped by one point by Joaquim Rodriguez (the
point jersey in the giro is not a sprinters jersey, but an all rounder’s jersey).
Most recently, his only race between the
Giro and the TDF, he competed in, and won the overall of the Ster ZLM Toer, interestingly
without winning a stage. This is a new skill for Cavendish, consistency to not
lose time and to win a stage race overall, a feat he hadn’t previously achieved,
sacrificing some pure speed for stamina. It will be interesting to see how this
affects his form in the TDF, although the Giro shows he is still quick.
Cavendish will win a number of stages this year; there is
very little doubt of that. Whether this will lead to the Green Jersey or not is
another matter. To win the Green Jersey consistency is needed, and to guarantee
consistency, a sprinter needs a strong team who can mark dangerous breakaways. It
has to be remembered at this point that Team Sky are also going very strongly
for the Yellow Jersey. The last time a team won the Yellow and a Green jersey
was 1997’s effort by Team Telekom. It is a hard achievement and the winner Jan
Ullrich, dominated in a way that Wiggins will not be able to do, beating the second
place rider by just over 9 minutes. There
are positives and negatives in Cavendish’s and sky’s attempt to achieve this
double, which I shall discuss in the next two paragraphs.
Let’s start with the negatives (so we can finish on a positive
note); this year Cavendish’s team have split priorities, looking at the Team,
it seems that Cavendish only has one domestique detailed to his goal exclusively,
Bernie Eisel. The rest are dedicated to Wiggins, or have split roles. This means that chasing down breakaways will
be a harder task, as less fire power is available. In addition, given Cavendish’s
dominance of sprints, other teams may be very reluctant to help, and I doubt
Sky will send riders in the breakaway to force other team to chase. This could
mean that breakaways could succeed, which will encourage more and bigger breakaways.
For Cavendish to win the Green jersey he needs to take big hauls of points in
the flat sprinter’s stages, if he struggles to do this then the Green jersey
will be a more difficult goal. Even if breakaways are caught, the lack of team
support will also hamper his chances to win stages. With HTC (Cavendish
previous team), the team controlled the final few kilometres precisely, delivering
Cav in a perfect position to finish. Sky will not be able to do that this year.
Now Cavendish doesn’t need a lead out to win, he has v.strong bike handling and
race awareness, being able to navigate a charging peloton to find a gap and
win. However this approach has two big inherent problems, both relating to probability,
rather than skill. One, the more riders you are behind the greater the chance
you will be caught behind a crash, and two the more riders you are behind the greater
the chance you will be boxed in. We have seen both of these affect Cav in the
Giro and we have seen Cavendish struggle, resulting in a non-win, from being
out of position in a sprint, with his sprint mistimed leading to another rider
winning. Finally, his form in the Ster ZLM Toer suggested that Cav has lost some
of his trademark blinding acceleration which was crucial to his stage wins, if
this is the case, the green jersey will be wide open with good sprinters such
as Sagan and Griepel winning stages and points. In addition, Cav lost a two
Giro stages he should have conventionally won, this will give the other
sprinters hope. All of the above suggest Cav will struggle.
On the positive side; other teams have very strong sprinters
this year, Liquigas-Cannondale, Orica-GreenEDGE, Lotto-Belisol and Argos-Shimano
(who have based their whole team on their sprinter Kittle) going for sprint victories
and the green jersey. All these teams have sprinters who have done well this
year and they will be motivated and have the belief that they can win TDF
stages. This will be further reinforced by the fact that Cav has been beaten
fair and square this year, which will give them the belief that there sprinters
can win, and therefore, their team will work, controlling the race and chasing
down breakaways. This will work to Cavendish advantage. In addition, these
teams have strong sprint trains, which Cav can latch onto, a skill that Cav is
one of the best at. The fact that Team Sky is also going for the overall also
has benefits, as well as negatives. Teams going for the overall tend to control
the peloton in a stage anyway, not giving too much time to breakaways and keeping
their leaders near the front to protect them in the closing stages of the race.
Therefore, especially with support from other teams, Team Sky will not expend
much more energy than they would otherwise, and most of the burden will fall to
their men for the flat (Sivtsov, Knees and Eisel). Cav will have the supremely talented
Boasson Hagen as a lead out man, a role in which he is very good at, (he could
be a good sprinter in his own right) and this shouldn’t effect Boasson Hagen’s ability
to be strong for Wiggins in the mountains that much. The final point to make in
Cav’s favour is how good he is. He is the best sprinter of all time. He is very
strong in all attributes of sprinting and therefore very versatile and has an unrelenting
desire to win that sees him win on stage many don’t expect. He is simply the
fastest around, and in addition, he is very consistent, has brilliant bike
handling, tactical knowledge and race awareness. He is also now a experienced
rider, with 5 years at the top, and during his time at Team Sky, he has developed
greater stamina and even greater consistency, as shown by his win in the Ster
ZLM Toer. Coming into this TDF he has no pressure; he has won the Green jersey
before, and is world champion. This may lead to the strongest mental state he
has had in his career and therefore the best form of his career, this year
could well be a master class from Cavendish and silence any of his remaining
critics.
Pros – unmatched talent, supreme acceleration, no pressure
Cons – If too dominant will lose out to breakaways, Sky’s
split priorities, recent form in sprint not great (relative to his norm), not
an all round rider (will suffer in hilly/mountainous terrain), lead out train isn’t
strong, could prioritise an Olympic gold medal leaving before the end of TDF.
Peter Sagan has been talked about
as the next big thing in cycling for the past two years with his very strong results. The last three years
Sagan has dominated the sprints in the stage races he has participated in, and
not just in smaller less prestigious races either, he has been very strong in
the most prominent stage races such as Paris–Nice,
Tour de Suisse etc. Sagan has continued this trajectory, with an impressive performance
in his maiden GT, the 2011 Vuelta, with three stage wins, coming 4th
in the point classification (it actually should have been four but due to a
lazy race steward who was at a bar instead of his post he went the wrong way in
the final km of a stage losing any chance of winning the stage). In his debut monument
races this year, he put in very strong maiden performances, with 4th
in Milan – San Remo (best of thr sprinters, he would have won it if had been a
sprint), 2nd in Gent–Wevelgem, 5th in the Tour of Flanders (despite a massive solo
effort to catch the top three who had broken away) and 3rd in the Amstel Gold Race (showing his versatility
as this race finishes on a steep hill top). Sagan has had a supreme season this
year, with the above classics result, plus 4/9 stages in the Tour de Sussie and
5/8 stages in the Tour of California, both against strong competition.
Sagan, as his results from the
above paragraph show, is not actually a pure sprinter, but a very strong all
rounder, with a very strong sprint. He can win all types of sprints, from pure flat
sprints to uphill power sprints and technical twisty sprints. In addition,
unlike a lot of sprinters he is a competent climber, especially on shorter cat.
2-4 hills, he is a brilliant descender and bike handler (check out this video). As the Tour de Sussie showed, he can
put in a very strong prologue (short TT, sub 10 km) performance. All of this
means that he can Hoover up points like no other rider. He can duel with the
likes of Cav for points/stage wins on the typical sprinter stages, he can do a
Thor Hushovd style breakaway on a hilly/mountain stage and can gain points in
the prologue. It is also unlikely that he will lose point by being outside the
time limit, a problem that cost Cav and others 20 points in last year’s TDF. Sagan
will be Cav’s strongest rival by a good margin due to these factors, and we may
even see Sagan beat Cav in a fair and square, pure sprint (on a road that is
straight, flat and wide).
In Liquigas-Cannonadale he has a
decent team to aide him in his quest for the green jersey, with Daniel Oss for
the lead outs, one of the best in the business ( although like Cav he doesn’t actually
need a team). Although like Cav, this team has split priorities, with Nibali
going for Yellow.
The final thing to be said for
Sagan is this. This is his first TDF, the TDF is a race unlike any other ridden
at t furious pace. This may impede Sagan. There again Sagan has tackled every step
up in his career thus far very well.
Pros – V. Good form, versatility in sprints, decent team, supreme
talent, bike handling, strong all round ability including climbs, hunger to win
Cons – Not many technical sprints, many flat, wide and straight
sprints which will favour Cav, probably not able to match Cav, is his first
TDF, young (22) .
Matt Goss ***
Unlike most of his rivals Goss has a team whose main goal is
for him to win stages and win the green jersey, the other goal they have is to
win stages, a goal that will not interfere with Goss’s objectives. Goss has a
hell of a kick (acceleration), which none other than Cavendish respects. As his
win of the 2011 edition of Milan- San Remo shows he is a tough rider, for whom mountains/
hills aren’t a massive problem. Goss can survive stages that most other sprinters
can’t (with the exception of Sagan), which he has a good chance of winning due
to the lack of other sprinters (this wouldn’t be true in Sagan was present).
Goss has stated clearly that he intends to race to the end of the TDF. Therefore
if Cavendish pulls out, this makes him a strong favourite to win the green
jersey. His biggest obstacle in this case would be Sagan. He would have the
same problems that Cav would have against Sagan, except more severe as Goss isn’t
as consistently quick as Cav. I would expect that he would not have the same dominance
as Cav, with Sagan, Kittle, Griepel etc having a good chance of beating him. This
would deprive him of points that Sagan could take off him, although out of all
the other sprinters Goss can minimise this.
Pros – Quick, strong team dedicated to helping Goss, ability
to cope well with hilly terrain.
Cons – Not as good as Cav or Sagan.
André Greipel **
“The Gorilla” has been in fine form this season, with a good
haul of victories (14), the most recent of these in the Ster ZLM Toer, beating
a few of his rivals in the TDF, including the big target Cavendish. His form
coming into the TDF is strong, and I expecting him to win a stage, or at least
get very close. He has a strong team coming into the TDF. Like many of the
other sprinters teams it has split priorities, but unlike others, the balance
seems to be in Greipel’s favour, with at least 5 riders to help him, with only Vanendert
detailed exclusively for Van de Broek (although he could also help Greipel on
the flat). His sprint train is strong, having been drilled throughout the year
in preparation for the TDF. This will all help him in his quest to win a stage.
Greipel is a traditional “power” sprinter, who can use this power to beat Cav occasionally,
especially if the sprint is an uphill drag.
The problem Greipel has is that, although he is consistent,
he is not dominant. If Cav doesn’t pull out then there is little chance that Greipel
can gain enough points to win the Green jersey. Unlike Sagan and Goss, he cannot
before that well in the mountains/in hilly stages and gain points where Cav cannot.
If Cav does pull out then his consistency and power will count.
Pros – Good team, good form, good talent
Cons – Not as good an all-rounder as Sagan/Goss, Not as good
as Cav
José Joaquín Rojas **
Rojas was second in last year’s competition so has a good
claim to be higher than this. However, I have put him lower for a couple of
reasons. Firstly, Rojas isn’t a pure sprinter, more an all rounder with a very
good sprint. His best placing in a TDF stage is 3rd, he cannot
consistently match the likes of Cav in a pure sprint. Secondly, his team
Movistar has in Valverde and Costa, two riders who could win the yellow jersey.
Rojas is a strong rider who would be expected to act as a strong domestique, this
costs valuable energy needed for sprints. All this said, Rojas has the
consistency to win this completion, and before the point allocation changes
would have. He can hoover up points in non sprint terrain and place in top 10
in pure sprint stages. However, given the point allocations and Movistar’s
other priorities I don’t think this will be his year.
Pros – good an all-rounder, good form, good talent, lasts
well for three weeks.
Cons –Not a pure sprinter, strong competition, placing in
pure sprint stages won’t be consistently high enough to gain necessary points.
Mark Renshaw *
Mark Renshaw was Mark Cavendish’s loyal and brilliant lead
out man for three years, contributing to Cav’s superb results through out that time.
Like a number of Cav’s other lead out men, including Greipel, Gerald Ciolek,
Renshaw has decided to start racing for himself and see what he can do as a main
sprinter. Like other riders who have tried to make the transition from lead out
man to main sprinter (such as Robbie Hunter, Julian Dean, Ciolek etc) it has
not been a smooth transition (at least at first). Renshaw, hasn’t had a brilliant
year, often faltering in the sprints. In most sprints he is consistently in the
top 10, but doesn’t have that little bit extra to win. He has had 1 victory
this year, a stage in the Tour of Turkey and a 3rd place in a stage
of the Giro. Due to these performances, he isn’t necessarily the lead sprinter
in his team anymore, with Theo Bos having shown his talent this year. However
for the TDF he will be Rabobank’s main (indeed only) sprinter. I predict that
he will be consistently in the top 10, and may be in top 3 on a couple of
stages. With the form of a lot of the other sprinters, I think he will struggle
to win a stage, but he could do so if lucky. He is a pure sprinter, and is not
a great all rounder. All of these factors will limit his ability to win the
green jersey.
Pros – No pressure, is consistent, has talent
Cons – No team to help, not as good as other sprinters, form
hasn’t been great this year, isn’t strong enough to hunt for points in non sprint
stages.
Tyler Farrar *
Farrar gained his first TDF stage in at year’s edition, a memorable
and emotional win dedicated to his friend the late Wouter Weylandt. Farrar has
been unlucky in his career, having been in the shadow of Cav. He is getting on
for a sprinter as well at the age of 28. Many sprinters tend to lose there “kick”
at around this age (see Tom Boonen) turning into classics specialist, a transition
that Farrar has begun. Farrar hasn’t had a brilliant year, with no individual
wins, and it looks as if his form isn’t good this year (sprinting wise). He may
win a stage if lucky. I don’t think he will have the consistency to mount a challenge
for the Green jersey.
Pros – No pressure, is experienced, could hunt for points in
non sprint stages
Cons – No team to help, not as good as other sprinters, form
hasn’t been great this year, may be past his best
Marcel Kittel *
Kittel is a talented German youngster with the Pro-Continental
(second division basically) Argos-Shimano team. He has ridden a GT before, the
2011 Vuelta, and did well, winning a stage. This will be his first TDF, and he
will be racing against the very best. Kittel has had a good year, with 7 wins,
2 of those within the last month (against the best; Cav, Greipel etc) in the Ster
ZLM Toer. I suspect he has a good chance of winning a TDF stage in this year’s edition,
with consistent high placing (5ht and above). In Argos-Shimano he has a team
which is fully dedicated to helping him win a stage and who have been well
drilled, helping Kittel win numerous stages for the last couple of years. Given
his strength as a sprinter it might be wondered why I have give him such a low chance.
The reason is that the TDF is the highest level, and it will be a big step up. In
addition, Kittel is s pre sprinter who will struggle as the road goes uphill,
this will wear him out for the sprints and stop him going point hunting. Also Kittel
didn’t finish the 2011 Vuelta, the TDF is ridden at a harder pace, so it could
well be the case that he pulls out before the end.
Pros – Is talented, has good form, has a team dedicated to
helping him
Cons – Strong competition, lack of GT experience, pure
sprinter
The Contenders for the King of the Mountains Jersey (Polka dot jersey)
Preamble
The King of the Mountains jersey is one of the hardest to
predict. This is due to the inherent overlap with the overall GC (yellow
jersey) competition. The King of the Mountains jersey is supposed to be a
completion between the best climbers, however if you’re a good climber there is
a chance that you can win the overall. This meant that for the 90’s and 00’s
the competition was often won by a non climbing specialist, usually a plucky
Frenchman prepared to go on the attack everyday to scoop up the points on the
easier mountains. The rules were changed last year to favour the pure climbers,
with many more points given on the final and more difficult climbs (those two
often go hand in hand). Therefore, it is very possible this completion could be
won by one of the overall contenders. However, riders who are strong climbers,
but pose no threat have a definite advantage. So let’s take a look at the
possible contenders ... ( it could very well be the case that it is won by
someone not on this list)
A surprise inclusion in this year’s tour, due to the massive
effort he made in his defence of his Giro title. Michele Scarponi perfectly fits
the ideal description of a top contender for this competition. For a start he
is a very good climber, one of the best in the world. He doesn’t have the
recovery of Hesjedal, and therefore the effort of the Giro will have removed
any real chance of competing for the overall. However he should have recovered
enough to mount a challenge for this competition. In addition he is not a good
enough TT rider to seriously contend for the overall. Therefore he will be
given the freedom to get into breakaways and collect valuable points. He should
also have enough strength to pick up good points on the tough climbs and final
climbs. Scarponi has stated that the KOM jersey is a goal of his, alongside a
stage win (which would almost certainly be in a mountain stage and therefore
help his KOM campaign). In addition Scarponi’s team have no contradicting goals,
looking only for stage wins. In Matt Lloyd they have another climber who can
aide Scarponi, either by help with pacing or snatching points from rivals.
Dan Martin has stated that the KOM is a goal of his. Martin
is a good climber, who took a good mountain stage win against strong competition
in last year’s Vuelta. Martin does well in mountainous stage races and one day
classics. This is only his second GT, due to his longstanding problem with allergies.
Martin will not be viewed as a threat for the overall, so will be given freedom
to get into breakaways. As his team doesn’t contain a major contender, he will
also have a degree of freedom as long as Garmin aren’t holding the yellow jersey/
they are posing a threat in the last week. I have put Martin as second favourite
due to his competition, mainly Scarponi. Martin has relatively little experience
of GT’s, and faded towards the end of the Vuelta, remaining strong throughout a
GT usually requires a few previous GTs in the legs to build stamina. Scarponi
has plenty of experience having won one of the hardest GT’s of the last decade.
Also Scarponi is a better climber, espealiiy over more difficult climbs. The
final point is that unlike Scarponi’s team, Martins team have a couple of
riders who could plausibly win/podium this race. With his abilities, Martin
would be drafted in to help these riders in their goals.
Frank Schleck ***
Schleck will probably not be targeting the KOM jersey,
unless his GC hopes go very wrong, in which case he may try to salvage his Tour
by winning the completion. However, in order to win/podium the TDF he will have
to use his very strong climbing ability, either winning mountain top finishes
or going out on long range attacks on mountain stages. Both of these will lead
to a large accumulation of KOM points, especially with the bias placed on the
final climb.
Samuel Sanchez ***
Samuel Sanchez was last year’s winner of the competition for
very similar reasons to the above. In order to put time into his rival he
attacked in the mountains gaining points. When it was clear he wasn’t going to
podium he went for the KOM jersey, He could win it again for similar reasons.
Random GC contender ***
Nibali, Gesink, Van de Broek etc, all could end up winning
this as a consequence of their GC ambitions.
Others to watch
David Moncoutie
The longstanding Cofidis rider David Moncoutie is a good
climber, who has won the mountains jersey in the Vuelta 4 times in a row, a
record. He is in no way a threat to the GC contenders and will definitely be in
a number of breakaways. He is co leader of his team and will be given freedom
to act as he pleases. He has won a couple of stages in the TDF before.
Sandy Casar
Casar rode well in the Giro, being inside the top 10 at
points (in the mountain stages!), he rode aggressively and well in the
mountains. If he is able to recreate this form and go for the KOM he could win
it.
Random plucky Frenchman
Last year suggested that the days of the random plucky
Frenchman were over, with the pure climbers to regin from now on. But I still
think that a random plucky Frenchman can do it. They will need a bit of luck
and a lot of dedication, however of the GC riders end up splitting the points
between them it could be possible to gain more points by going out on the
attack constantly, collecting points on the way. I guess that if this was the
case an alliance of the French team would be formed to gain some glory for the
homeland .I would expect a rider from one of the French Teams; AG2r, Cofidis,
Team Eurocar, Saur-Sojasun and FDJ to fulfil this role however could be a Frenchman
from another team.
The Contenders for the Best Young Rider Jersey (White jersey)
Preamble
This is the narrowest of competitions, with a mere 21 riders
eligible. In order to be eligible, a rider needs to be boon in 1987 or later. Out
of these 21 only a few have talent as a GC rider, with other specialising in
other areas, or still trying to find out what sort of rider they are. A lot of these
riders will be happy to finish the TDF, let alone win this completion, and
little/no pressure will be put on them. The white jersey completion is a good
chance to see talent for the future, however it is fair to say that it is the
least important of the competitions, and the teams of most of these riders will
have other bigger priorities.
The big favourite in my books, Taaramäe is already an established
rider ignoring his age. He came a respectable 12th in last year’s
TDF, on a course less suited to him than this year’s. The number of TT kilometres
in this year’s TDF will aide him greatly. In addition his big rivals from last
year will not be present in this competition, with Uran having done the Giro
and Pierre Rolland being too old. Out of all of the contenders he has the best
record in the TDF and is one of the best TT riders. In addition his team Cofidis
is largely dedicated to him winning this competition/ doing well in the overall
GC (the two obviously complement each other). If Taaramäe is in a strong GC position,
his team will come to his aide, more than can be said for some of the other
white jersey contenders.
After Taaramäe, Poels is the second most experienced/successful
GT rider. Poels had a decent Vuelta in 2011, gaining 17th place, 11
minutes behind the winner, with an impressive performance on the Angliru. Poels
is a strong climber and a competent and developing TT rider. He is not as
strong in the TT as Taaramäe or van Garderen, but a better climber. Like Taaramäe
he has the benefit of being in a team who don’t have other major objectives
that clash with his. Vacansoleil-dcm will be aiming for stages and for Poels to
gain a good GC place/ white jersey and therefore the team will be at Poels disposal,
to help him if he wishes.
Steven Kruijswijk ***
If Kruijswijk was on Cofidis or Vacansoleil-dcm he would be
the favourite for this competition. He is one of the most talent young riders
around, who already has 3 GT’s in his legs (2 Giros and a Vuelta). In one of
these managed a top 10, (8th in the 2011 Giro). He is a good time
trialist and a good climber and can last over three weeks. Alas for Kruijswijk the
White jersey is not his teams or indeed (officially) his aim this year. If all
goes to plan for Rabobank Kruijswijk will aide Gesink in his attempt to win the
Yellow jersey. If Kruijswijk does gain the white jersey he will be expected to
still give his all for Gesink and not waste energy defending it. However, if Kruijswijk
is lucky he may gain the white jersey in the process of helping Gesink gain the
overall (see Andy Schleck 2008, Yaroslav Popovych 2005 etc). Indeed should Gesink
falter (which is possible) Kruijswijk could find himself going for yellow as
well as white, in this case he would be a strong favourite for the white jersey
given his strength and the strength of his team. Kruijswijk has had a good
season and looked to be in great form in the Tour de Sussie.
Tejay van Garderen ***
Much of the same that applies to Kruijswijk applies to van
Garderen. Van Garderen is a strong rider, who already has two GT’s under his
belt. In addition he has a superb junior record and early pro career; he looks
like a rider who will win the TDF at least once in his career and possibly
dominate it. He is a strong time trialist, and decent climber, although he
tends to crack when the going gets really tough. Van Garderen has had a good
season with 5th in Paris-Nice, winning the best young rider completion,
and forth in the Tour of California, he should come into this race with good
form. Van Garderen would be a favourite if not for his team, and therefore his
role in this race. His BMC team contains the defending champion Cadel Evans,
who looks like he will be very strong. Therefore van Garderen will be expected
to give all his effort to help Evans win, being a key helper in the mountains. He
may find that this leads to him winning the white jersey, but he will face
stiff competition from rider who are the sole focus of their teams (Poels, Taaramäe,
Pinot). In fact his situation is worse than Kruijswijk’s as Evans is a big favourite
and therefore BMC will be expected to do a lot of work, especially if Evans is
going well.
Thibaut Pinot *
Pinot is the youngest rider in the race at the age of 22. He
is a very promising young talent, who has been talked about as a man for the
future by many commentators/ insiders. This is his first GT, so it will be a valuable
experience. The fact that it is his first GT, will make winning the white
jersey harder, especially given the competition he faces. Pinot is a strong
climber and decent TT rider for his age, although he will not be able to match
the contenders for the GC in these disciplines. His team has no conflicting
aims, so he will have support.
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