“We have a very balanced team, so we will be able to challenge on all types of stages”. He is one of the big guns who will be hoping to fare well in the 37.5-km undulating time-trial in the 13th stage where he can gain time on Contador and Quintana. The German giant will be hoping to add to his previous eight Tour de France stage wins, and will have plenty of confidence going into the race, following points classification wins in the Tour of Dubai and the Volta ao Algarve. Insiders predict the Tour’s peloton will split into echelons already on the first day on Saturday (July 2) as it races from Mont-Saint-Michel to the coast at Utah Beach.
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The 103 edition of cycling’s most famous race, the Tour de France, will be decided by just 143 seconds and will see Chris Froome come out on top, according to spread betting company Sporting Index.
The Australian joined the American WorldTour team after racing four years with Sky, including on all three winning Tour teams with Bradley Wiggins and Froome. “Although his rival Chris Froome will start with a stronger all-round team, the Spaniard has proved time and again that he has the race craft and guts to beat anybody”. Challenging him for the top spot will be recent Giro d’Italia victor from Astana Pro Team, Vincenzo Nibali. After finishing second in the 2012 TDF and first in 2014 with the largest winning margin in 17 years, this man is a definite contender. The Colombian climber, Niaro Quintana is another threat to yellow. We have a strong team here with a good lead-out and the atmosphere is great at the moment.
Van Garderen also placed fifth overall twice.
But if the mountain stages represent golden opportunities to win the Tour, the possibility of losing it comes as soon as this weekend’s opening brace of stages in rural Normandy. Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez took the stage victory the day after Polish rider Majka, in another mountain top finish.
French climbing specialists Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot surely have circled this stage for special attention.
“Protecting the Tour de France is the most important thing”. Dominating this part of the sport is the charismatic Czech Peter Sagan. He also has what his team manager Dave Brailsford described as “potentially the strongest team on paper”. He is the undoubted favourite to take the jersey again in 2016. As always the man nipping at his heels is British rider Mark Cavendish.
Froome is the defending champion and also won in 2013. Throw Andre Greipel into the mix and the battle has well and truly commenced.
Security will be tight with about 23,000 police deployed and special forces ready to intervene amid concerns the race could be targeted after 130 were killed in last November’s coordinated Islamic attacks on Paris.
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 second time trial, in the Alps, will be the Tour’s first mountain time trial since the 2004 ascent of l’Alpe d’Huez.
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The Tour won’t be won here but it could be lost. But given the Briton’s colossal win rate in past Tours – by far the Tour’s most successful sprinter, only Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx have more stage victories than Cavendish in the race’s 103-year-history – it would be more than unwise to rule Cavendish out, too.
