Penpix of yellow jersey favourites
Penpix of the yellow jersey favourites for the 98th edition of the Tour de France, to be held July 2-24:
ALBERTO CONTADOR (ESP) SAXO BANK-SUNGARD
Possessing a rare mix of climbing and time trialling skills, Spain's three-time winner is widely regarded as the best stage racer in the world and is regarded as the man to beat. It remains to be seen whether the energy Contador used in winning the title at a brutally hard Giro d'Italia, for a second time, last month will be felt in the crucial, deciding third week in the Alps. Contador is still awaiting a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following a positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol at last year's race. Provisionally cleared, he could end up being banned and losing all the victories he has pocketed since and including the 2010 Tour de France.
ANDY SCHLECK (LUX) LEOPARD-TREK
After finishing over four minutes behind Contador in 2009, the Luxemburger was runner-up by only 39secs in what proved to be a thrilling finale in 2010. With only one time trial this year, held over 42.5 km on the 20th and penultimate stage, and four mountaintop finishes, the climbing specialist has perhaps his best chance of finally getting the Contador monkey off his back. Key to his success will be the support of Leopard-Trek, who have experienced campaigners in Jens Voigt, Stuart O'Grady and Fabian Cancellara. Schleck, who had a mitigated campaign at the recent Tour of Switzerland, would also benefit hfrom dominant performances by mountain pace-setters Linus Gerdemann, Maxime Montfort and Jakob Fuglsang.
CADEL EVANS (AUS) BMC
Like Schleck, Evans has also being beaten to the Tour de France yellow jersey by Alberto Contador, in 2007. A year later the Australian finished runner-up to another Spaniard, Carlos Sastre. In the two years since Evans has failed to get anywhere near the podium. Last year he finished an impressive fifth overall at the Giro d'Italia, but barely a month later Evans crashed early on the Tour, fracturing his elbow and finishing far off a podium place. A comparatively late start to this season was geared towards arriving at the Tour in prime condition, meaning no Giro. Evans has since won the Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour of Romandie stage races, but questions remain: can he keep pace with Schleck and Contador in the mountains, and will BMC provide crucial help and protection when needed?
IVAN BASSO (ITA) LIQUIGAS
Six years after a career-best runner-up place to Lance Armstrong, in 2005, Basso is hoping to be in contention for more of the same. Having won the Giro d'Italia in 2010, barely a year after his return to the sport following a two-year doping ban, the classy Italian has focused his entire season on finally winning the world's most prestigious bike race. Basso's stage racing talents are not in question, however recent showings – at the Criterium du Dauphine he was way off the pace of many other yellow jersey contenders – were put down to injuries from a crash but rumours suggest his condition may not quite be as primed as he would like it to be. Like all the other contenders, keeping enough in reserve for the crucial third week in the French Alps will be key.
ROBERT GESINK (NED) RABOBANK
It has been 31 years since the Tour de France was last won by a Dutchman, Joop Zoetemelk triumphing in 1980, but Gesink, especially on this edition, has a chance of rolling back the years. A specialist climber who can compete with the best in the mountains, Gesink finished sixth overall last year. He will be among the few contenders happy with the comparative lack of time trials and, on paper, he should have at least some support in the mountains from compatriot Bauke Mollema, who was impressive on the climbs of the recent Tour of Switzerland, and Laurens Ten Dam. Gesink finished only 20th overal at the Criterium du Dauphine, but his performances in the mountains caught the eye of many sporting directors who have since tipped him for a top Tour.
JURGEN VAN DEN BROECK (BEL) OMEGA-PHARMA
Van den Broeck might be Belgian and a specialist stage racer, but the similarities with Eddy Merckx end there. That's not to say 'VDB' can't dream of emulating the greatest cyclist who ever lived. A fifth place finish last year gave the world a glimpse of van den Brocke's potential, and a strong showing at the recent Criterium du Dauphine – where, amazingly, he claimed his first major win after seven years as a professional – showed he has the measure of riders like Cadel Evans, Robert Gesink and Ivan Basso. Whether VDB has the tools to fight with Alberto Contador and Schleck remains to be seen. And with both Andre Greipel and Philippe Gilbert contending stage wins early on, the question remains whether Omega-Pharma can support VDB later on when it's needed.
BRADLEY WIGGINS (GBR) TEAM SKY
Two years after a surprise but deserved fourth placed finish with Garmin, Wiggins is back and, if his victory at the recent Criterium du Dauphine race is anything to go by, firing on all cylinders. Previously known for his exploits on the track – Wiggins is Olympic pursuit champion – the Englishman has focused all his efforts this year on fighting for the podium place that he was beaten to late in 2009 by seven-time champion Lance Armstrong. A year later Wiggins was simply outclassed in the mountains, ending all hopes of a podium shot on his debut with Sky. The team are strong candidates for victory on stage two's team time trial, which could put the Londoner within sight of the yellow jersey, but getting it back and keeping it through some horrendous mountain stages will be another challenge altogether.