PREVIEW
Tour De France 2013
an interesting dynamic on their hands with Tejay van Garderen threatening to overhaul his team leader just as he did in the 2012 edition having finished fifth overall. It will certainly be interesting watching the team dynamics at work with BMC.
Alberto Contador of Saxo-Tinkhoff is also considered a strong candidate to take the Yellow Jersey and he’ll certainly be one to watch on the mountain top finishes with climbing being one of his strong points. His main support will come in the form of Roman Kreuziger and Nicolas Roche who both had strong showings in the Tour de Suisse which is a very good sign. Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde who
looks a good outside bet for the General Classification will also have his work cut out for him with a team mate that could also challenge for the overall victory in the form of Nairo Quintana. The locals will be pinning their hopes on the young Frenchman Thibaut Pinot with an impressive performance in the Tour de Suisse which will have raised expectations for a French rider to take the General Classification for the first time since 1985. The chase for the Green Jersey for the
Points Classification will also make for some riveting viewing with some of cycling’s most talented riders set to try and out sprint one another at every possible opportunity. The two major names to look out for this year will be Mark Cavendish who needs no introduction having achieved 100 stage wins and becoming only one of 5 riders to have won the points jersey in all three major tours. The other is the young up and comer and winner of last year’s Points Classification in the form of Peter Sagan who has been compared to the likes of Eddie Merckx in terms of raw talent. The young Slovak has quickly carved out a name for
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this year features a great mix of terrain to suit a variety of riders with 21 stages in total and only two rest days for the riders to recuperate!
The route
himself in the peloton with his powerful all round capabilities, impressive winning record and for some outlandish stage victory celebrations. André Greipel and Matthew Goss could also be in the running for the Green Jersey once the peloton makes it into Paris. The battle for the Green Jersey will certainly provide for some fascinating viewing and some thrilling finishes. The route this year features a great
mix of terrain to suit a variety of riders with 21 stages in total and only two rest days for the riders to recuperate! A gruelling task considering that the total length of the race will be 3404km making for a daily average of 162km of racing a day. The breakdown of stage types is as follows: there will be 7 flat stages, 5 hilly stages, 6 mountain stages with 4 summit finishes, 2 individual time
trial stages and 1 team time trial. The 100th edition of the tour is certainly set to tick all the boxes of what a Grand Tour should provide. There are easily ten riders who could throw their hat in the ring for the General Classification and they all look to be in fine form with each having something to prove this year. Added to that there are going to be some very entertaining intra team dynamics, with a few teams having more than one rider capable of challenging for overall victory. The route itself will cover just about every
area of France and will not leave the country’s borders as it has done in the past. The final day will be a massive celebration of the race’s centenary as the riders enter the Champs- Élysées which will temporarily become the largest sporting stadium on earth on Sunday July 21. This will be a celebration of the past but also of the present and the great strides cycling has been making as it looks to shed the more unfortunate associations of the last two decades.
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