Tour de France: The Tour Check: Favourites, possible stage winners and the Germans

On Saturday the 105th edition of the Tour de France starts in the Vendee (from 2 pm in the LIVETICKER). The controversial permanent winner Chris Froome is also part of the team. To find out what his chances of overall victory are and who the other favourites are for overall victory, click here. Also present: The candidates for individual day victories and the prospects of the German participants.

In addition to Chris Froome, there are a number of other riders who have shown themselves strong enough for overall victory in recent years. But if you really want to win the tour, you have to defeat Froome first.

Froome can start the tour after a long back and forth, but a dull taste remains after his positive doping test. Nevertheless, he is once again the first contender for victory. In the last three years he was unstoppable, this year he already won the Giro. It is not to be expected that Froomey could be weakened because of the giro on the tour. Last year he won two big tours in one year with the Tour and the Vuelta. In addition, he again has an enormously strong team in the mountains.

In 2013 he reached the second place in his first tour participation, his overall victory seemed only a matter of time. Victories at the Giro and Vuelta and podium finishes on the Tour in 2015 and 2016 followed, but last year he seemed exhausted in France. Therefore, Quintana completed a reduced racing program this year. Apparently with success: El Condor de los Andes convinced on all the tours he took part in. Quintana is also on the track with few time trial kilometres and with Alejandro Valverde, Mikel Landa and Marc Soler he probably has the best group of helpers at his side. The earlier prophecy could come true. Last year’s Tour fourth-placed Landa could also step in as team captain in the event of an unexpected phase of weakness.

With two podium finishes in the last two editions, he raised French hopes for his first home win in 33 years. He was in good shape at the Dauphine dress rehearsal and finished third. Of the top favourites, however, he has the weakest team. The overall victory will be so difficult, but a new podium position is possible.

The Messina shark was the only one to have broken through Froome’s winning streak on the tour in the last five years. In 2014 he was on the top of the podium – because Froome had dropped out injured. After last year’s tour in favour of the Giro, the focus this year is once again fully on the Tour of France. Especially as the mountainous route with its climbing and downhill skills suits him very well and he has a very strong team in the mountains with Domenico Pozzovivo, Franco Pellizotti and the brothers Gorka and Ion Izagirre. This season, however, he has not yet shown any convincing performances on the tours. Its shape is questionable.

For a long time he was with Sky Edelhelfer, after his change he first reached a fifth place, last year the tour was over prematurely after a heavy fall in a downhill. This year the Tasmanian devil is in excellent shape so far and most recently won the Tour de Suisse. Against the strong climbers he has to lose a lot of time in the team time trial in order to have a real chance of winning.

Page 1: The favourites for overall victory

Page 2: The secret favourites and podium candidates

Page 3: The Sprinters

Page 4: Allrounder and stage hunter

Page 5: The Germans