The Slovenian is the big favorite in the Tour. © ANSA / GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

Tour de France: The favourite against all

The Tour de France is just around the corner and starts on Saturday with the first stage in Florence. In the battle for the yellow jersey, there will probably be no way past Tadej Pogacar.

June 27, 2024

From: apa

The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar starts the Tour de France in Florence on Saturday as the top favorite. The 25-year-old has had an outstanding season and has the strongest team with his UAE team. In addition, not all of his main competitors are in top form. It is quite possible that Pogacar will therefore want to make things clear early on in the demanding opening race in Italy and the first mountain stage in France.

"The Tour will be over in three or four days. Pogacar will soon shake everything up and take out Vingegaard. If I were him, I would do that to make sure Vingegaard can't get back to his best form," Groupama team boss Marc Madiot told L'Equipe. The defending champion Jonas Vingegaard had to take a forced break of several weeks in the spring due to injuries sustained in a crash. In addition, he has lacked racing toughness since April.

Jonas Vingegaard was slowed down by an injury. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

In addition, the Dane, who won ahead of Pogacar in 2022 and last year, does not have the best possible helpers at his disposal in his injury-plagued Visma team this time. Sepp Kuss (Corona) was also a bitter last-minute drop-out. If Vingegaard is not competitive, Matteo Jorgenson (USA) could step in as captain.

With the Giro success behind him

Pogacar, on the other hand, is perfectly prepared after his dominant triumph in the Tour of Italy in May. The last time the double of Giro and Tour was achieved was in 1998, during the EPO heyday, by the Italian Marco Pantani. "Fortunately, I can say that the preparation since the Giro has gone very well. We are in a really good position as a team and we can't wait to get going and hope to fight for the win and put on a good show," said Pogacar.

His main rival will probably be fellow countryman Primoz Roglic. After an injury in April, the veteran won the Dauphine Criterium in early June for his team, which is now known as Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, but the Tour has been very unlucky for him recently. Four years ago he was close to victory, but was literally slapped and caught by Pogacar in the last mountain time trial. In 2021 and 2022 he had to give up after crashes and injuries.

Jai Hindley (left) and Primoz Roglic in the new Red Bull jersey. © APA/afp / KERSTIN JOENSSON

Last year there was no place for him in Team Jumbo alongside captain Vingegaard.
This time, however, Roglic is the sole leader. With Alexander Vlasow and Jai Hindley, he has strong helpers in the mountains. Marco Haller is supposed to provide Roglic with the best possible protection on flat terrain. "In terms of breadth, few teams are as well positioned as we are," emphasised RB sporting director Rolf Aldag. However, his team is not as good as Pogacar's Emirates men Adam Yates, Juan Ayuso and João Almeida.

Remco Evenepoel, who was also injured in the spring and has recently been ailing, also wants to be at the front of the pack in his Tour debut. The Belgian has so far repeatedly shown weaknesses in the high mountains. Carlos Rodriguez also wants to at least make it onto the podium; the young Spaniard has very good co-captains in the Ineos team with former Tour winners Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal.

Remco Evenepoel wants to impress on his first tour. © ANSA / Manuel Bruque

If he is spared from falls and illnesses, Pogacar will probably be able to celebrate his third victory after 21 and 3.500 in the yellow jersey on July 2020 in Nice after 2021 km. The Tour will exceptionally not end in Paris in its 111th edition due to the Olympic Games that follow, and the start in Italy is also a first.

A final time trial

The highlights of the "Great Loop" include several mountain stages with the Col du Galibier (4th stage) or the Cime de la Bonette (19th/2.798 m), a time trial in the vineyards of Burgundy (7th) and the gravel sections around Troyes (9th) that everyone fears. The last few days in the Maritime Alps are also very demanding. And the final mountain time trial to Nice promises to be a spectacle right up to the end. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin), his arch-rival Wout van Aert (Visma) and the sprinters around Mads Pedersen (Lidl) will certainly provide such a spectacle on individual stages.