We’ve not even touched on the boxing, golf and athletics that fill the sporting calendar.
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It was at this iconic tidal island monastery in Normandy, where the general director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, blew the starting whistle, reports Efe. The Italian aims for success in the upcoming Olympic Games road race, but he should still be a force to be reckoned with in France.
The 103rd edition of the Tour de France cycling competition started on Saturday at Mont Saint-Michel, one of the most popular tourist hotspots in the country.
The battle for the overall race victor and yellow jersey will have been settled, but the other major jersey, the green of the points victor, may still be in the balance.
Instead Froome emphasised the overwhelmingly warm welcome from local fans in his last French race, the Criterium du Dauphine.
The yellow jersey is expected to be worn by a “sprinter” after this initial stage. “It’s about beating the whole Team Sky”, Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), also gunning for the third Tour title that would cement his status as the greatest grand tour rider of his generation, told L’Equipe.
“I have trained to be able to respond to those strong attacks we see from Chris Froome”, Quintana said through a translator.
The influence of his number two in the Astana team, Vincenzo Nibali, will be critical. I’ve definitely made every second of every day count’.
For the Spaniard, who won the Tour in 2007 and 2009, there will also be the small matter of beating Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar), the best pure climber in the world.
Froome was a class above a year ago. A two-time victor of the TDF, back in 2007 and 2009, he then finished fourth in 2013 and 5th in 2015.
Porte has appeared more relaxed in his run to the Tour compared with the Giro last season for which he observed a rigid diet and lifestyle adjustment in the lead-up. “On top of that, I will have a supporting role towards the team helping John in the flat stages and Warren in the mountains”. The emphasis on climbing should suit Quintana, as will the concentration of tough mountain stages in the final week. Proving his all-round ability Rodriguez had already taken the win in the third stage from Antwerp to Huy, a medium-mountain stage.
Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme agreed and announced earlier this week that a series of special measures were being put in place in an attempt to beat anyone contemplating motorized cheating. Dominating this part of the sport is the charismatic Czech Peter Sagan.
The lack of quality in his team may also be a hindrance.
At this point, the favourite will move up the standings but not necessarily take the lead.
Unlike Froome, therefore, Cavendish is by no means the top favourite for Saturday’s sprint.
After the sprinters have the spotlight in the opening four legs, this should be the stage where the race really starts. Throw Andre Greipel into the mix and the battle has well and truly commenced.
He will need no reminding that his countryman Simpson met his death on the climb while pushing his tortured body beyond human limits in a bid to win yellow almost 50 years ago. The last few days of racing in the Haute Savoie region include a mountain top finish, a mountain time trial and a rather long and gruelling mountainous stage to round it off the day before Paris.
The Tour won’t be won here but it could be lost.
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“The goal is to go for a stage win in the sprint stages with a hard finale where some of the fast guys don’t make it to the finish in the front group”.
