Home
The third and last of this years big three weeks Tours starts on Saturday.
The TdF is the major cycling event and is the middle of the annual three Tours, so it effects the form of teams and riders for the Giro and Vuelta that 'bookends' it.
It's physically difficult to be competitive at a Tour and be competitive again on the next Tour just five or six weeks or so later, so often you will get lesser 'star' cyclists in the Vuelta or riders who may have crashed out early from the TdF or rode the Giro and skipped the TdF in order to be in best shape for the Vulta - and indeed the two favourites for this years addition are such cases - Roglic who pulled out of the TdF after an early crash and Bernal who won the Giro and sat out the TdF.
Hard to choose between the two of them right now, the last time they rode in a Tour against each other was last years TdF where Roglic lost it on the last days Time Trial to Pogacar, with Bernal pulling out halfway through with a reported bad back?
Both cyclists have excellent teams to support them - maybe even one of them may well be in contention themselves if something happens to their team leader - they are that good.
Outside the two teams Jumbo-Visma and Ineos there really isn't too many in with a great shout. The Spaniard Mikel Landa certainly has the talent and is capable of winning - no doubt about that - and his wingman Caruso came second in this years Giro but the rest of his team may not be match the Jumbo and Ineos juggernauts.
The British interest (apart from Ineos's Tom Pidcock who won gold at Tokyo but is really only riding this his first Tour for experience) is Hugh Carthy who can climb with the best of them.
If you want an outside bet, apparently Rigoberto Uran is quoted at 70-1. He's a genius but blows hot and cold and his odds reflects the reality of his chances but he is certainly capable in my opinion to finish high in the top ten if not even on the podium if he lasts the full three weeks.
As usual the Vuelta will be going up loads of mountains and anything can happen on those!
Should be fun.
The TdF is the major cycling event and is the middle of the annual three Tours, so it effects the form of teams and riders for the Giro and Vuelta that 'bookends' it.
It's physically difficult to be competitive at a Tour and be competitive again on the next Tour just five or six weeks or so later, so often you will get lesser 'star' cyclists in the Vuelta or riders who may have crashed out early from the TdF or rode the Giro and skipped the TdF in order to be in best shape for the Vulta - and indeed the two favourites for this years addition are such cases - Roglic who pulled out of the TdF after an early crash and Bernal who won the Giro and sat out the TdF.
Hard to choose between the two of them right now, the last time they rode in a Tour against each other was last years TdF where Roglic lost it on the last days Time Trial to Pogacar, with Bernal pulling out halfway through with a reported bad back?
Both cyclists have excellent teams to support them - maybe even one of them may well be in contention themselves if something happens to their team leader - they are that good.
Outside the two teams Jumbo-Visma and Ineos there really isn't too many in with a great shout. The Spaniard Mikel Landa certainly has the talent and is capable of winning - no doubt about that - and his wingman Caruso came second in this years Giro but the rest of his team may not be match the Jumbo and Ineos juggernauts.
The British interest (apart from Ineos's Tom Pidcock who won gold at Tokyo but is really only riding this his first Tour for experience) is Hugh Carthy who can climb with the best of them.
If you want an outside bet, apparently Rigoberto Uran is quoted at 70-1. He's a genius but blows hot and cold and his odds reflects the reality of his chances but he is certainly capable in my opinion to finish high in the top ten if not even on the podium if he lasts the full three weeks.
As usual the Vuelta will be going up loads of mountains and anything can happen on those!
Should be fun.