It is lastly right here, the largest race of the lads’s calendar, the Tour de France.
After months of construct up and preparation, the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard will roll out of Florence for a mountainous opening check amongst the hills and medium mountains of Tuscany.
Query marks surrounded the health of Vingegaard coming into the race because of the accidents he sustained in a significant fall within the Spring. Nonetheless, Pogačar revealed that he had suffered his personal pre-Tour setback on Thursday after struggling with a late bout of Covid-19.
Will or not it’s Pogačar? Will or not it’s Vingegaard? Or might the likes of Remco Evenepoel or Primož Roglič be the lads to disrupt the battle between the 2 winners of the final 4 editions of the race.
No matter occurs, there’s certain to be fireworks and watching on at residence you may as well count on the sudden to unfold.
With that stated, listed below are Biking Weekly’s 5 huge predictions for this yr’s version of the French Grand Tour.
Solely two of the ‘huge 4’ will make the rostrum – Adam Becket
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
This was speculated to be the Tour de France of the ‘huge 4’. You understand, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Fast-Step) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) all coming collectively for a titanic conflict. It was speculated to be a Grand Tour like we hadn’t seen for years, the place the final classification was really a tussle between the perfect, and one which was dwell all the way in which to the tip, because of the action-packed closing week and last-day time trial.
It’d nonetheless be, and as a fan and a journalist I actually hope so. Nonetheless, the crash at Itzulia Basque Nation robbed us of this dream considerably. Vingegaard and Evenepoel got here worst off, with the previous not racing since then, and the latter solely participating within the Dauphiné. Evenepoel received a stage there, however didn’t look convincing within the mountains. Roglič was additionally affected, and was not severely injured, however won’t be at his greatest but.
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That leaves Pogačar, off the again of his dominant Giro d’Italia. Dominant barely describes that efficiency, however it must do. Roglič is tenacious, and can keep on with Pogačar for a lot of the race, though I do suspect the UAE man will win total.
Vingegaard and Evenepoel wouldn’t be there in the event that they couldn’t carry out, however I don’t see them making the rostrum. The dream of the Tour for the ages is likely to be useless.
Ben Healy will take the race’s first yellow jersey – Tom Thewlis
(Picture credit score: Getty)
Ben Healy appeared quietly assured relating to simply how far he can go throughout the opening weekend of the Tour once I spoke to the Irishman on Friday.
The 23-year-old is making his debut on the Tour, and has circled stage one within the roadbook as day for him to right away stamp his mark on the race. The lumpy parcours on supply, that includes greater than 3,500 metres of elevation acquire, appears tailor made to a rider of Healy’s strengths, as does stage two to Bologna.
Many are actually predicting on the bottom in Florence that the primary day might ultimately flip right into a battle between the WorldTour’s greatest Classics riders for the stage win and early race lead, whereas the likes of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar mark one another. If this state of affairs performs out, Healy is precisely the kind of rider who can profit from that state of affairs.
The Irishman is a punchy, explosive rider who may have no hassle moving into any breakaway that kinds, and he possesses sufficient of a kick to launch a flurry of assaults on the climbs alongside the street to Rimini which might see him drive a niche. Backed up by riders of the calibre of Neilson Powless, newly topped Italian nationwide champion Alberto Bettiol and Richard Carapaz, something actually is feasible for Healy.
Stage one might see him go down in Tour historical past books endlessly, and what a narrative that may be too.
Mark Cavendish will win not one however two phases – Tom Davidson
(Picture credit score: @sprintcycling)
Earlier this week, my colleague Adam Becket wrote an opinion piece stating that he thinks Mark Cavendish will win one stage at this yr’s Tour, and turn into the only real, all-time document holder with 35. I’m keen to go one step additional: I feel he’ll win two.
The important thing, for me, is in his leadout. The final time Cav went to the Tour piloted by Michael Mørkøv, in 2021, he received 4 phases, at a time when individuals thought his profession had fizzled out. Three years on, his prime velocity’s the identical, Mørkøv hasn’t misplaced any of his nous for sniffing out gaps, and the duo’s telepathic bond is as sturdy as ever. The band is again collectively, and so they’re able to play their biggest hits.
Sure, I concede, the competitors is robust (see: Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud De Lie, Phil Bauhaus, Dylan Groenewegen, Fabio Jakobsen, and many others.), however there seems to be to be as much as eight alternatives for the sprinters. That provides loads of time for Cav to develop into the race, and as soon as he does, I count on him to construct momentum and strike twice – the previous one-two combo, as they are saying in boxing. Sir Cav is able to rumble.
Remco will put on yellow for 12 days – Chris Marshall-Bell
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
I can’t see Remco Evenepoel profitable this yr’s Tour de France, however I can see him carrying yellow for 12 days, solely relinquishing it forward of the ultimate weekend.
The parcours within the opening phases are precisely just like the one-day races he excels in. He’s hinted that he received’t assault from far out, however neither will he cede a lot time within the Italian double-header. I additionally don’t suppose he’ll be broken by stage 4’s crossing of the Galibier as a result of it comes too early within the race for his rivals to essentially flip the screw.
I can due to this fact see Evenepoel being inside 30 seconds of the lead come stage seven’s 25km time trial, after which taking a slender lead within the race throughout the check in opposition to the clock. He’s after on a regular basis trial world champion.
What comes after isn’t tough sufficient for somebody to grab the maillot jaune off him: there’s a really powerful stage within the Massif Central and two days out within the Pyrenees, however neither of them are at excessive altitude (Evenepoel’s weak point) and the GC riders can be conscious of holding their reserves again in preparation for the ultimate week within the Alps.
It’s on stage 19, the queen stage, that I can see Evenepoel’s dream ending, with the ascent of the Cime de la Bonette (2,802m) undoing him after which falling out of the GC image totally come the ending climb of Isola 2000. However a stage win(s) and 12 days in yellow is one thing the Belgian would take initially.
Egan Bernal will show the shock of the race and end on the rostrum – James Shrubsall
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs / Tim De Waele)
We have seen all of it earlier than, many people had mirrored sadly. FIrst Chris Froome, and now Egan Bernal. World-leading Grand Tour riders having not simply their situation however apparently their potential to achieve it in any respect worn out by terrible crashes. Bernal hit the again of a stationary bus on a coaching trip in January 2022, and counted a damaged leg, again and ribs amongst his intensive accidents.
For the previous two years, the Colombian has featured little on the prime of any outcomes. Final season, to his credit score, he completed each the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, clocking thirty sixth and fifty fifth respectively.
However over the winter he seems to have turned a nook. He has ridden six stage races this yr and by no means completed outdoors the top-10 on GC. Certainly, on the current Tour de Suisse – a key Tour de France warm-up race – he was fourth total.
This July he’ll co-lead the Ineos Grenadiers workforce on the Tour de France alongside Carlos Rodríguez – to whom most are wanting as a challenger to the massive 4. The Spaniard has had nice outcomes these days, however Bernal has been extra constant and virtually pretty much as good.
The Colombian is probably not the nailed-on Tour favorite he as soon as was, however he is aware of methods to win the race, each bodily and mentally – key attributes.
One thing just like the previous Egan Bernal – the one that almost all of us assumed we would not see once more – will not be far off. Look out for him this July.
