{"id":109296,"date":"2026-07-01T17:53:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alvento.cc\/the-monument-tour-de-france-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T14:17:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T12:17:37","slug":"the-monument-tour-de-france-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alvento.cc\/en\/the-monument-tour-de-france-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The monument of the 2026 Tour de France"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”169323″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]Per certi versi la storia che stiamo per raccontare o meglio, quella di cui stiamo per essere testimoni, rischia di essere la pi\u00f9 incredibile degli ultimi anni. The Tour de France 2026, starting in Barcelona on 4 July, will indeed see the very best of the very best on the start line, without any doubt. A level so high it touches the sky and breaks through it. Non manca nessuno per la classifica generale (s\u00ec, ok qualcuno s\u00ec\u2026 ma chi, tra gli assenti, sarebbe stato realmente capace di scombussolare i piani dei migliori? Gall? Pellizzari? Eulalio? Siamo seri\u2026), qualche cacciatore di tappe (van Aert, lo sappiamo, avrebbe dovuto esserci, ma \u00e8 fuori causa per un infortunio), Milan e Magnier, tra i velocisti, che hanno dato battaglia al Giro. For the rest, three weeks to remember are taking shape perhaps also because of the heat, which risks doing more damage\u2026 than hail in a vineyard. Con il punto di domanda su qualche tappa (occhio non solo al caldo, si cercheranno soluzioni e se non sar\u00e0 possibile andare avanti avremo tappe tagliate o chiss\u00e0, persino cancellate, ma anche alla tappa con il Col de Sarenne, uno smottamento potrebbe modificare il finale di una delle giornate pi\u00f9 attese, la penultima).[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”103202″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

THE FAVOURITE<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”109279″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”903200″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”335662″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]Obviously him, the only one, the incredible, the astonishing Tadej Poga\u010dar<\/strong>, who, if he were a superhero, would be one still to be created or invented; there is no kryptonite to beat him, not even himself. It is hard to think he can lose unless because of a crash or illness, despite, as we have said, the strength of the competition. The Martian who comes from Slovenia, fallen to Earth who knows how long ago, is aiming for a fifth Tour victory, to equal Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain and to move definitively beyond Froome (who will remain on four). He has everything to win, the form, the trajectory, the numbers achieved recently, even the team which, despite the absence of Almeida, arrives strong and compact as never before. And indeed, to carry through a programme of this kind, Poga\u010dar does not need a big team but a great team which arrives with every piece in its proper place: the one that was meant to be, unlike what has happened to all his possible rivals, is. There is Isaac Del Toro<\/strong>, who could even finish on the podium and will certainly be the last to stay alongside the Slovenian in the mountains, while Brandon McNulty<\/strong>, Adam Yates<\/strong> and Felix Grossschartner<\/strong> will take turns launching the Slovenian with their rhythm, on the climbs. Tim Wellens<\/strong> will stay by his side as much as he can, but he will also have an important all-round role including trying to win a stage from the break as happened last year. Florian Vermeersch<\/strong> and Nils Politt <\/strong>will instead have the arduous task of carrying the team on their shoulders on the flat, of bringing bottles, of always being ready if there is a gap, if there is an extra glance to give even in phases that seem calm on the surface. The strongest possible team for Pogi is served.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”215518″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

THE CONTENDER<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”109280″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”247499″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”179062″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]Jonas Vingegaard<\/strong> is his first and perhaps only rival. Vingegaard, of whom the numbers experts speak very highly, seems to be producing figures above any of his own previous best. Coming off his victory at the Giro, which allowed him to enter the club of riders who have won all three Grand Tours (see next issue of alvento), he arrives at the Grande Boucle almost light-heartedly, knowing he is the only one who can get close to the Slovenian (beat him? Hmm, that is another matter entirely, it is difficult even just to stay glued to his wheel), but with a slightly battered team that in recent weeks first lost Laporte, then van Aert, and nearly also lost Edoardo Affini<\/strong>. The Italian, who crashed in the time trial at the national championships a few days ago, will be there and will make his contribution on the flat, in the early stages, carrying bottles, while Victor Campenaerts<\/strong> will be the Dane\u2019s shadow as happened at the Giro and last year at the Tour, and may also have licence to try to win a stage from the break. Also crucial on the flat will be the young Norwegian Per Strand Hagenes<\/strong>, making his Grand Tour debut, richly deserved, representing the new wave coming through in the Dutch team, and what a talent! One of the best riders of the season in one-day races, here at the Tour he will have the task of keeping his team-mates out of trouble in the hectic phases, of pulling on the flat, of staying near the front on difficult but not brutal days, a task that instead falls to Bruno Armirail<\/strong>, who will also have an important role in the opening team time trial, and to Sepp Kuss <\/strong>and Davide Piganzoli<\/strong>, especially in the mountains, both coming off a Giro in which the first won a mountain stage with a pipe in his mouth, while the second achieved the first top ten of his career in a three-week race and will be the youngest rider to contest two Grand Tours in a row in the 2000s after having secured a top ten (https:\/\/x.com\/m_mundbjerg\/status\/2069466642682126748). <\/p>\n

Finally Matteo Jorgenson<\/strong> will be Vingegaard\u2019s last man, but a great deal about him still has to be understood. Last year he disappointed enormously in the general classification and, from being a possible decisive factor in the contest, he quickly found himself out of the top positions and personally pursued by Poga\u010dar (or by his close collaborators), guilty of having ended up on the now legendary blacklist of the world champion\u2019s sworn enemies (legendary in the figurative and contemporary sense of the term: a mix of reality and fiction, no one knows whether it really exists, but it is said that there is a sheet hanging in the UAE bus with the names belonging to this list). If he finds the right three weeks he could also ride into the upper reaches of the general classification and try to finish in the top ten, but at Visma they are more interested in the American devoting body and soul to the Danish leader.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”770513″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

THE YOUNG THIRD FORCE<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”109281″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”113161″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”207813″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]The road of the young Paul Seixas towards the Tour de France has been threatened on every side by the unfairness of French journalism and has so far been strewn with setbacks of every kind, including a heavy crash at the Dauphin\u00e9 and various illnesses that have affected some key pieces \u2013 see Riccitello. There has even been talk of internal problems within the team and difficulties in choosing the men to place alongside him at the Tour. In short, for the rider born in 2006 (we repeat, for anyone who has only just tuned in: Seixas is a 2006-born rider, he was born in September, he will turn twenty during the Vuelta) it has been a more complicated build-up than expected, but one that will give him a great deal of experience for the future. Overcoming these difficulties is part of the process. Decathlon CMA CGM is a quality team, but we think it can become even stronger in the coming years: Nicolas Prodhomme<\/strong> will be his shadow in the mountains, with Aur\u00e9lien Paret-Peintre<\/strong> who could sacrifice his personal ambitions (winning a stage) to help his team-mate as much as possible. And for the general classification there is a high-level backup option: Matthew Riccitello<\/strong>, fifth at the 2025 Vuelta, a rider who has everything needed to try to finish in the top ten. Everything except, perhaps, great condition. <\/p>\n

After presenting his team, a few more words (too many, perhaps) on the young Frenchman: I have included him as the \u201cthird force\u201d more out of alignment with the spirit of belonging to the category of Tour de France 2026 analysts<\/em> (read: everyone is putting him there, who am I to think differently?), but in reality Seixas, although from the middle of 2025 onwards he has shown that very few are truly stronger than him, has only something to lose from this Tour de France, do you realise the enormous risk he is facing? Let me explain: the risk, despite the fact he is a very light rider and with his mind elsewhere, in the positive sense of the term; despite being someone who lets pressure slide off him, is that at the Tour he may live through the most difficult days of his cycling life. In France he is already being pointed to as the saviour of the nation. Cycling is already trying to swallow him up, watching him with eyes so wide they seem to exclaim: the strongest rider in the world since \u2026 Poga\u010dar. Come on, really, not yet twenty years old, everything still to prove in a Grand Tour. Then of course, careful, the qualities are there, and they are probably truly those of a third force. But a Tour is also fought on other fronts. Knowing how to endure, knowing how to stay locked in. You also have to take into account how a challenge of this sort can drain you physically and mentally, and there is still a season after the Tour, still a whole career ahead. A deeply fascinating challenge, but one I would gladly have preferred to see at the 2026 Vuelta and then, possibly, from the following Tour onwards. Of course, one thing must also be said in favour of the decision to take him: if he is well \u2013 and he was well until the crash at the Dauphin\u00e9 \u2013 and by well we mean being just below the two favourites in the mountains, having a devilish rhythm in the time trials, and a strong team almost entirely for him, in short, if he is well then perhaps it is better to seize the moment because there is no guarantee next year\u2019s form will be the same, there are too many variables in a sport like cycling. Far too important for this team to want everything, and immediately.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”194212″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

THOSE STARTING BEATEN BUT NOT DEFEATED (Positions 3rd to 6th)<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”109282″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”108156″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”155817″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]And Seixas acts as a link with those riders who will probably fight with him for the podium, or in any case for a high placing in the general classification, starting with the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe duo Florian Lipowitz<\/strong> and Remco Evenepoel. Evenepoel, who, at least on paper, does not begin quite as beaten as the Frenchman from Decathlon. On the contrary, if only because of the experience he has already built up in Grand Tours, then what must happen will happen. Evenepoel\u2019s arrival at Red Bull has raised the bar not only in terms of quality, but also of responsibility and internal competition, so the German team will try once again to seize a podium place, aware that even a third place with one of the two riders \u2013 who, not by chance, are the last two riders to have stood alongside Pogagaard on the Tour podium, Evenepoel in \u201924 and Lipowitz in \u201925 \u2013 would be an excellent result, probably the maximum possible. Evenepoel has declared that he has never gone so strongly, then there is the road, or rather the climbs, and the rhythm set by his rivals. As an Evenepoel believer from the very beginning, something I have never hidden, I hope that for once declarations of this sort do not turn into a boomerang. Red Bull is a high-level team, with Jai Hindley<\/strong> coming off a Giro podium and Mattia Cattaneo<\/strong>, who will be needed in the mountains, but with the Italian also important in the team time trial; with Jan Tratnik<\/strong> extremely useful from day one, above all on the flat, as are the reliable Nico Denz <\/strong>and Tim van Dijke<\/strong>. If the first also has the Giro in his legs, the second completed all his preparation with the Tour working group, with the aim of giving almost exclusively a hand to the team leaders. <\/p>\n

Among the riders who can make the podium, Isaac Del Toro<\/strong> cannot be left out. Only a few weeks ago he set a record: he became the first rider in history to win Tirreno-Adriatico and the Dauphin\u00e9 in the same season. Serious stuff, just as it seems he has improved even further on the long climbs. Watch out for the Mexican, because by staying as close as possible to Poga\u010dar he could create several headaches for anyone aiming at a place on the podium, as well as, should there ever be any need, providing an important diversion to send back any attempts to make the Slovenian despot\u2019s throne wobble.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”437689″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

THE OTHERS (Positions 6th to 10th)<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”109283″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”237414″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”111778″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]A long list, a cornucopia of talents of every kind, from young riders seeking affirmation or redemption to old foxes who have already won Grand Tours. Riders aiming for a placing between fifth and tenth and who, depending on how things unfold, could go beyond every expectation or also disappoint. The step is a short one. Juan Ayuso is perhaps the one with the most potential among them. He left the old road (UAE) for the new one (Lidl\u2013Trek) in the hope that with more room at his disposal the results would improve too. So far his season has been bittersweet, with the high point being his victory at the Algarve ahead of Seixas and Almeida, which suggested great things, then two withdrawals at Paris\u2013Nice and the Basque Country slowed his progression. At almost 24 years old, and after long being considered a wonderkid of world cycling, it is time to show that his legs are moving in step with his ambition. He will be one of the general classification leaders of a Lidl\u2013Trek team that places alongside him Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (for an 8th\u201315th place range) and Derek Gee (like the Dane). Understanding how they will manage three roosters who have already shown they do not particularly enjoy riding for others \u2013 quite the opposite \u2013 will be one of the most interesting themes of the race. A team that, however, could achieve a great result in the Barcelona time trial. Lending support in the mountains there is Carlos Verona, who may also try to win a stage from the break. <\/p>\n

And what if the surprise of this Tour de France were Tom Pidcock? Relative surprise, perhaps, when reading the name, but a major one given the level of the race. The Englishman, leader of Pinarello Q36.5, certainly needs no introduction. In the mountains he appears to have improved even further, and on a one-day effort he is a rider with very few rivals. Over the long distance he may tremble or fade, although it should be remembered that last year he finished on the podium at the Vuelta. Personally, I would rather see him abandon the general classification and put on a show in breakaways, but as things stand today, his ambitions are to try to break into the top five or six of the final standings. More or less the whole team is there for him, even if with licence to attack. Xabier Azparren is useful on the flat, as is Brent Van Moer; Xandro Meurisse, Chris Harper and Damien Howson in the mountains, Quinten Hermans will have his say in punchy finishes, while Fred Wright will throw himself into reduced bunch sprints or into a breakaway on stages that are not too hard. <\/p>\n

Tobias Halland Johannessen, of Uno-X Mobility, is thinking big indeed: he is aiming strongly for the top five, which he came close to last year, missing out by one position and a little over three minutes. The Norwegian team, as usual, will be aggressive, complete and competitive, with Torstein Tr\u00e6en, a rider who could aim for a placing around tenth position, though he will most likely spend himself for his leader; with Anders Halland Johannessen, who will be his twin\u2019s shadow for as long as he can; while Magnus Cort and Anders Skaarseth will bring experience to the Tour, as well as their recent national champions\u2019 jerseys (Denmark and Norway, respectively), helping out everywhere, with the moustachioed Dane, at his final Tour before retiring at the end of the season, perhaps also trying to win a stage from the break by making use of his fast finish.<\/p>\n

Harold Tejada will be the general classification leader for XDS Astana, who at the last moment have been hit by the withdrawal of Fortunato, who had skipped the Giro in order to make his Tour debut but will be absent through illness. The Colombian, who in the mountains will be able to count on the support of Nicolas Vinokourov and Sergio Higuita, could be one of the surprises of the race for a strong overall placing. <\/p>\n

Cian Uijtdebroeks, after difficult seasons, has the chance to show all of his great value with a team that is almost entirely devoted to his cause, though beware that in general Movistar know how to divide the tasks well \u2013 whether they then manage to carry them out is another matter altogether. So, after lighting up the Giro while taking home very little, the Spanish team will try again in France, not only for the general classification but also for stage wins. They have not taken a victory at the Tour since 2019, when Quintana triumphed in Valloire. The Belgian has every card in hand \u2013 quality in the mountains and in the time trial \u2013 to be the one who ultimately comes out on top among the various names listed in order to secure a result around fifth place, which would be the best result of his career. Up to now, hailed with banner-headline fanfare (PREDESTINATOOOO!) for the wins achieved in every youth category, his best result in concrete terms remains eighth place at the 2023 Vuelta, followed by two DNFs (one at the Vuelta, one at the Giro). On his Tour debut, he is one of the names that arouse the most curiosity. <\/p>\n

As for Thymen Arensman, we know everything or almost everything. The Dutch rider of Netcompany INEOS, after fourth place at the Giro, will try to ride for the general classification, but if he does not manage it then he will reinvent himself as he did in 2025, when he won two stages from the break. Without Onley and Rodriguez, the British team will rely in the mountains \u2013 and consequently also in the overall standings \u2013 on Egan Bernal, but above all on Kevin Vauquelin. The Frenchman comes out of the Dauphin\u00e9 a little battered, but he has recovered, it seems, otherwise the team would have left him out as well, and he is aiming to replicate a major result like last year, when he finished seventh overall. The golden rule of these races applies to him too: if he does not have the level for a top-ten placing, we will find him dropped, but happy \u2013 happy in the sense of being ready to seize a breakaway in pursuit of a stage win that, all in all, would delight both the home crowd and me, a great admirer of his. [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”898835″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

THE OTHERS, BUT LESS FANCIED (Positions 8th\u201315th)<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_gallery el_id=”gallery-698177″ medias=”109286,109287,109288″ gutter_size=”3″ single_overlay_opacity=”50″ single_padding=”2″ uncode_shortcode_id=”467290″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”109164″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]Ben O\u2019Connor is looking for redemption after a Giro d\u2019Italia that calling underwhelming would be like celebrating the heroic deeds of one of the greatest riders ever. My view is well known: rather than seeing him struggle, as he did just a few weeks ago on Italian roads, it would be far more interesting and rewarding to find him in a high-mountain breakaway, as happened last year when he won a fine stage on the Col de la Loze, even flirting with the top ten, finishing eleventh overall. That, really, is what one asks of a certain type of rider like him: rather than merely muddling through for a placing that adds little to a career, to see him up the road chasing stage wins from the break. Of course, prize money, team orders and UCI points matter too. Rather than O\u2019Connor, Jayco might perhaps give some thought to Luke Plapp, although the Australian has always bounced off the general classification in Grand Tours and seems better suited to targeting stages, while also making a key contribution to ensure the Australian team can get through the opening team time trial in respectable fashion. <\/p>\n

If we have already touched on Jorgenson, Yates, McNulty, Hindley, Tr\u00e6en and Skjelmose, they are riders who could aim for an overall placing, whether higher or lower between fifth and fifteenth depending on circumstances, but who will mostly serve in support of team-mates targeting the podium or thereabouts. Here, then, is another small group of riders with general classification ambitions. Perhaps not the very highest, but they will try to have their say. <\/p>\n

Jordan Jegat is trying to repeat the fine things he did in 2025, when, through a string of placings, breakaways and determined resistance, he unexpectedly finished in the top ten and revealed himself to the wider world. He will be the leader of a TotalEnergies team that has shown little this season and is aiming above all for the Tour\u2019s breakaways. Jegat, who, to give a sense of how well the French are placed, might end up only the fourth-best Frenchman in the final standings behind Seixas, Vauquelin and perhaps Martinez, whom I will mention shortly, is a steady rider who holds his own in the mountains, in the time trial and even has a turn of speed. He is the classic sort of rider who, if he drops out of contention in the general classification, could very often be found in breakaways chasing a stage win. Because of contractual issues linked to next season \u2013 he is expected to leave his current team, which moreover may not even still exist in 2027 \u2013 he also risked being left at home. <\/p>\n

Michael Storer will try again: will he ride for the general classification as he did at the recent Giro, or, as in 2025 after the Corsa Rosa, will he become a protagonist of the breakaways in the Grande Boucle? Ilan Van Wilder, in the absence of Mikel Landa, who has not recovered in time to be competitive at the Tour, will be Soudal Quick-Step\u2019s man for the general classification, but given the names just mentioned he will struggle to break into the top ten and will mostly target stage wins. Guillaume Martin has set his sights on yet another placing \u2013 in his career he has finished 12 of 14 Grand Tours, always ending somewhere between 8th place at the 2021 Tour and 23rd at the 2017 Tour on his Grand Tour debut \u2013 and he will do so either by getting into breakaways or by hanging on for as long as possible. He is the sort of rider on whom one might wager for a place between fifteenth and twentieth. Alongside him in the mountains are two Cl\u00e9ments, Berthet and Braz Afonso, whom we will also often see on the attack. Worth noting too is the omission of a David Gaudu ever deeper in crisis and short on confidence \u2013 will he seek a change of scene or stop altogether? \u2013 caught in a spiral from which he can no longer seem to escape. <\/p>\n

Richard Carapaz, Ben Healy and Georg Steinhauser lead EF Education-EasyPost. There is no point beating around the bush: the Ecuadorian\u2019s best days are behind him, with seven Grand Tour finishes in the top four, while the Irishman and the German, the latter because of physical problems, do not come into the race off their best season, so it is unlikely to imagine them truly fighting for a place at the very top. Still, it is worth being more precise. One of them knows how to produce something special when you least expect it, and perhaps he can hide in plain sight, avoid being dropped, and suddenly you find yourself dealing with him for a place around fifth overall; another is a diesel who thrives in difficult conditions, and the 2026 Tour, because of the heat, the route and the nature of the competition, promises to suit hard men like Healy; and the third is always on the verge of doing something big in the mountains, perhaps through breakaways, even if for now he has not managed a notable overall placing in the two Grand Tours he has ridden, though he certainly has the potential to do so. In any case, there is no problem for any of the three: they already have a Plan B ready, made up of stage hunting from breakaways or the pursuit of secondary jerseys, perhaps even the polka-dot jersey in Paris. In short, things are rarely dull around them. <\/p>\n

Finally, let us close with Lenny Martinez, who will be one of Bahrain Victorious\u2019s key men and will be supported in the mountains by Damiano Caruso, called back into action after the Giro, Antonio Tiberi, and Robert Stannard, also fresh from the Giro, who will serve as an all-round helper and perhaps at times act as a relay point in breakaways. Martinez has already said that his main objective will be to try to win a stage and perhaps the polka-dot jersey, and that we are unlikely to see him truly involved in the general classification. I have been saying it for years: for the Frenchman, given his characteristics, riding for the overall in a race as demanding in so many ways as the Tour de France is complicated \u2013 the Giro or the Vuelta would suit him much better. On that note, let us hope to see him make his Giro debut next year on Italian roads, because with the level he can produce from time to time he could clean up in the mountain stages. He knows it, the team staff know it too, and so we will probably see him rolling in at the back on the flat stages, or at least on those that do not suit him. Even so, he remains a name to follow closely, because very few have his explosiveness uphill. He lacks consistency, true, but if a few things were to fall into place I would not be so surprised to see him end up around the top ten, with a stage win and the polka-dot jersey: that would be the maximum possible haul, almost sensational. [\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”803527″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

THE MADMEN OF THE SPRINTS<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_gallery el_id=”gallery-6981778″ medias=”109289,109290,109291″ gutter_size=”3″ single_overlay_opacity=”50″ single_padding=”2″ uncode_shortcode_id=”164256″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”293022″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]A festival of bunch sprints, featuring the best in the world, except, alas, Jonathan Milan, who last year, with two stage wins and the final green jersey, salvaged the balance sheet of the Italian expedition and who this year too might have been capable of something similar, even if the competition has grown stronger and he seems to have lost a little in terms of confidence and lead-out support.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>And so, through a succession of sprints \u2014 there should be six, perhaps seven, not too few and not too many, just about the right number in a 21-stage race with two time trials \u2014 and with their lead-out trains, they will go head to head: <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin\u2013Premier Tech), who will be able to count not only on van der Poel, but also on Silvan Dillier and Tim Merlier in the early, controlling phases of the stage, and on Jonas Rickaert and Edward Planckaert in the finales. Not bad at all. The Belgian sprinter exploded out of the blocks last year: a stage win on day one, the yellow jersey, then a crash two days later and abandonment. This year he would like to push his ambitions further down the road, even if in Paris the spotlight will once again fall more naturally on riders like his illustrious team-mate van der Poel. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Tim Merlier: perhaps, pound for pound, the strongest sprinter in the world. Certainly the least young among this group, but also the most elegant and ruthless. At the Tour he has won only three stages so far, unlike Philipsen\u2019s ten, and the idea will be to string at least a couple together. The presence of Jasper Stuyven, added to the reliability and chemistry that this sprint wizard has with Bart Van Lerberghe, as well as the pulling power of Dylan van Baarle, arguably makes the Soudal train the strongest at the start of the Tour. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>But do not say that to Olav Kooij of Decathlon\u2013CMA CGM, who recently claimed his first wins with the French team after a long injury lay-off: three in the space of a month, which brought him to a neat fifty career victories. Now, on his Tour debut, and after taking three stages at the Giro d\u2019Italia across 2024 and 2025, he wants to leave his mark, challenging the very best there is, or almost, as we said, with the help of two formidable little carriages: Dan Hoole, who will drive the pace hard in the finale to bring him into position, and Cees Bol, who will launch him for good and perhaps leave him with clear road ahead to unleash all of his power. Then there is the extra value of Tiesj Benoot, who will help both Kooij keep the speed high and Seixas in the mountains for as long as he can, though much will depend on his condition. If they have brought him, he must be going well, considering he missed almost the entire season and only recently returned with five days of racing at the Tour de Suisse. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Do not say it to Biniam Girmay either that there are stronger sprint trains than that of his NSN Cycling Team. On paper, the Eritrean starts as the fourth force, but only up to a point. As recently as two years ago at the Tour, he had the luxury of beating Philipsen, Pedersen, De Lie and Van Aert time and again, winning three stages and also taking home the final green jersey. He is in excellent shape and neither he nor a train made up of Krists Neilands, whom we will often see in breakaways, Matis Louvel, Lewis Askey, Jake Stewart and Tom Van Asbroeck should be underestimated. If they find the right lines, they could hand every other sprinter some bitter disappointments. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Then there is a step down in level: Mads Pedersen, Lidl-Trek, has neither the outright top-end speed to win pure bunch sprints, nor particularly strong support: alongside him there are really only Mathias Vacek and Toms Skujins, and while the former seems to be rediscovering himself and could often feature in breakaways, perhaps even winning ones, the latter is coming off what may be the worst season of his career. Pedersen could aim for the green jersey and contesting the many intermediate sprints across the stages may end up costing him sharpness in the finales. One thing is certain, though: a rider like him always knows how to put on a show, and we should expect to see him in breakaways as well. Max Kanter, XDS-Astana, will be able to rely on a rather decent little train with Davide Ballerini and Mike Teunissen, both of whom will also measure their own personal ambitions from time to time. Ballerini dreams of a double after winning a Giro stage just a few weeks ago, while Teunissen would love to return to victory at the Tour after that hugely surprising win in 2019, which also earned him the yellow jersey for a couple of days. Kanter himself will mostly be aiming for finishes between fifth and tenth place, much like his fellow German Phil Bauhaus, Bahrain-Victorious, a rider who in the past has taken important wins such as at Tirreno-Adriatico, twice, but in Grand Tours has so far managed only placings, with two second places at the Tour. Here, helped by Kamil Gradek and Vlad Van Mechelen, and to some extent also by Matej Mohori\u010d, he should not go much beyond a few top tens, which with a bit of luck might become the occasional top five. Arnaud De Lie, after a forgettable Giro debut, is trying again at the Tour. In the past he has taken some good placings in this race, but frankly I find it hard to imagine a scenario in which he beats all the riders mentioned above in one go, unless something unusual happens. More interesting, perhaps, would be to see him in stages selective enough for him to fight for victory under different circumstances, but we shall see. His support is more or less non-existent, even if his team-mates will help within their limits, but, as we will see in the next chapter of this long guide, Lotto-Intermarch\u00e9 will be focused above all on getting into breakaways and trying to surprise everyone that way. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Pascal Ackermann, Team Jayco AlUla, now belongs to the past if we are thinking about the very top tier of today\u2019s sprinters \u2013 more a lower-tier name now \u2013 and after a disappointing Giro, though one very much in keeping with his current standards, it is hard to imagine him at the front of the sprints in a 2026 Tour de France. Pavel Bittner, on the other hand, Team Picnic PostNL, could be one of the surprises of the sprint stages at this Tour. Back in 2024, still very young, he won in Seville, at the Vuelta, the most important sprint of his career so far. Last year at the Tour he took a fourth and a fifth place, this year he will want to improve on that, and to do so he has solid support, even if not the very best around. John Degenkolb, Frits Biesterbos \u2013 keep an eye on him because we will see him in breakaways all the time and he could end up battling Veistroffer for the combativity prize \u2013 Niklas M\u00e4rkl and Julius van der Berg will be the little carriages of his train. And while S\u00f8ren W\u00e6renskjold, Uno\u2013X Mobility, is by now a familiar name, a rider capable at times of pulling out monstrous, winning performances even against the very biggest names in the peloton, he will not have many men at his disposal here, with the Norwegian team more focused on helping Johannessen in the mountains. Arvid De Kleijn, by contrast, will need to prove himself at this sort of level. The Dutchman is Tudor\u2019s lead sprinter and he really does have a fine little train available. Marco Haller, Matteo Trentin, Rick Pluimers are a trio capable of combining power, instinct, experience, speed and explosiveness, it will be up to the Dutch sprinter to make it count. De Kleijn also has the raw speed needed to trouble the strongest in a bunch sprint were it not for the fact that he arrives after a long spell of injuries and various setbacks. The three team-mates mentioned above, however, will also have chances to launch personal moves, in breakaways, in reduced sprints, perhaps even in sprints from a fragmented bunch. If Anthony Turgis is the man expected to throw himself into the sprint for TotalEnergies, despite not being a pure sprinter, even if he does occasionally pop up in bunch finishes, then Fernando Gaviria will be the designated fast man for Caja Rural, the team that received a surprising wild card and will make its Tour debut after 27 seasons of existence. Finally, Milan Fretin, helped by Piet Allegaert, Hugo Page and Jenthe Biermans, will be Cofidis\u2019s lead sprinter. Keep an eye on the Belgian, who for several seasons now has been expected to produce a breakthrough in major races against the best in the world. Who knows, perhaps the long wait will finally culminate in a winning sprint at the Tour. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”610684″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

STAGERS<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_gallery el_id=”gallery-69817788″ medias=”109292,109293,109294″ gutter_size=”3″ images_size=”one-one” single_overlay_opacity=”50″ single_padding=”2″ uncode_shortcode_id=”159291″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”477391″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]At the Tour, unlike what we saw in the recent Giro d\u2019Italia, the names are many and varied. From the very best in the world, practically only van Aert is missing, because of injury. The most eagerly awaited rider is, of course, Mathieu van der Poel, who in some extra-luxury version of himself could already have his say on the second day of racing, though he must hope that the general classification men do not overdo things, especially Poga\u010dar and Vingegaard. In any case, there should be plenty of opportunities for him. And there will be chances too for his team-mates, the young Emiel Verstrynge and Ramses Debruyne, who will try to make their mark in breakaways, preferably in the mountains, and perhaps one of the two may even hang on for a good overall placing. Matej Mohori\u010d, who has won three times at the Tour, comes from a couple of underwhelming seasons apart from a few isolated results, and has not won a race since the 2024 national championship: will he manage to break through again? <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>EF will put on a show and, beyond the already-mentioned Healy, Carapaz and Steinhauser, they bring more riders with fire in their blood: the Danes Kasper Asgreen and Michael Valgren are among the highest-quality stage hunters in the race. Both have recently closed a circle full of negative thoughts by winning Grand Tour stages from breakaways. Asgreen did so at the Tour in 2023 and then again at the Giro in 2025, while Valgren managed it at the Giro just a few weeks ago. They will try again, just as Alex Baudin will. He is a recent stage winner at the Dauphin\u00e9 and one of the most anticipated and in-form attackers for difficult finales. Since on the hard, though not hardest, stages he would have to deal with riders such as Poga\u010dar, Vingegaard, Seixas or Evenepoel, it may be wiser for him to target breakaways and go from there if he wants to win \u2013 he is one of the French riders most expected to deliver a stage victory. Finally, Sean Quinn will do a great deal of work for everyone, while Max Walker will be seen in breakaways very often, even on the more transitional days. Bonus: keep an eye on this team for a strong placing in the opening time trial in Barcelona.
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>An almost entirely attack-minded team, Groupama\u2013FDJ are chasing results even beyond Romain Gr\u00e9goire, who remains the guiding star of a squad that this season has collected very little apart from the brilliant rider born in 2003, who is targeting a Tour stage win in the national champion\u2019s jersey. If his condition holds across the three weeks, we will see him at the front again and again, taking the fight to the race. After a dreadful Giro, the French team now race on home roads and they will try, at the very least, to animate the stages before looking to finish things off with Gr\u00e9goire. Quentin Pacher, Ewen Costiou, Cl\u00e9ment Russo and Lorenzo Germani are born attackers and we will see them in breakaways often. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Netcompany INEOS, in addition to looking after the general classification, are also targeting the opening team time trial in a big way, hence the selections of Filippo Ganna and Joshua Tarling, who will also try, if they still have some energy left by then, to win the individual time trial as well, and Tobias Foss, who will be able to use his qualities both in breakaways and by staying close to the leaders in the mountains. Micha\u0142 Kwiatkowski needs no introduction; his selection, yet another for the Tour, gives the team solidity and experience, while Dorian Godon is one of the French riders carrying the highest expectations to try to win a stage, perhaps in a reduced sprint, whether from a breakaway or from the group of the best. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Quinn Simmons is another of the riders most eagerly awaited in breakaways, the kind of rider who never holds back when there is a fuse to light \u2013 explosive, anarchic, at times wildly spectacular. Last year, for a couple of weeks, he looked irresistible, a force of nature, only to end up with relatively little to show for it in the end \u2013 a second place and a ninth place on stages. Lotto\u2013Intermarch\u00e9 are a team whose ambitions are built more on attacking than defending. Lennert Van Eetvelt is unlikely to challenge for the general classification \u2013 before abandoning, he did not manage that even at the Giro \u2013 but he is also unlikely to be able to match the very biggest names in the race on equal terms in the kinds of finishes that suit him best: rolling stages, short climbs, perhaps steep ones, in short the sort of terrain for Ardennes riders more than pure climbers. So he will have to invent the right breakaway, just as Georg Zimmermann, Liam Slock, Huub Artz and Jenno Berckmoes will, all riders in excellent form who could find a stage win by attacking from distance. The one who needs no encouragement in that sense is Baptiste Veistroffer, the archetypal breakaway artist of the last two seasons, capable of grinding out thousands of kilometres in the wind. He makes his Tour debut here with the aim of making himself known \u2013 and loved \u2013 by an even wider public. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Beyond Uijtdebroeks\u2019s general classification ambitions, Movistar are aiming to win at least one stage and, with Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda Pierna, Pablo Castrillo, Einer Rubio, Javier Romo and Jefferson Alveiro Cepeda, they have all the potential to do so from a breakaway in high or medium mountains. Nelson Oliveira and Michel Hessmann, by contrast, will mostly be in support roles. At NSN Cycling Team, Marco Frigo will chase breakaways again and again, while George Bennett will try to hold a place in the general classification for as long as he can; after that, he too will turn to long-range moves, especially on the hardest stages. At Red Bull\u2013BORA\u2013Hansgrohe, meanwhile, Maxim Van Gils is highly anticipated. He will be the free role rider in a team that, as we have seen, has ambitions for the very highest places overall, but will not overlook the chance to take something with the hugely talented Belgian born in 1999. In the mountains, Valentin Paret-Peintre will be among the most eagerly awaited, winner at the Giro in 2024 at Bocca della Selva, but above all at the Tour on Mont Ventoux in 2025. Likewise, Louis Vervaeke, freer than usual from domestique duties at Soudal, may also have his chance in breakaways on the stages with major elevation gain. Team Jayco AlUla will hunt stage wins with a variety of high-level riders, though perhaps more on less demanding stages. Mauro Schmid has a great deal of quality to bring when he attacks and is aiming hard at a win, but he also has enough to help his team-mates, among them Michael Matthews, who comes off extremely difficult seasons because of various injuries. He is no longer a youngster, but he still has the class to win on almost any terrain. Felix Engelhardt, recently crowned German champion, may be a sort of synthesis of both: he climbs well on shorter ascents and has a decent finishing kick. After never really being seen at the Giro, having abandoned in the opening stages, he comes to the Tour looking for redemption. Rounding out Jayco\u2019s selection are two highly experienced Australians, Luke Durbridge and Kelland O\u2019Brien, mostly rouleurs who will help the team, perhaps also by getting into breakaways. Team Picnic PostNL will do what they can, being one of the less competitive teams in the WorldTour \u2013 and they would struggle to be so even among the ProTeams. We have already spoken about their sprinter and his train, so that leaves Warren Barguil, a rider who has been on a clearly downward curve for several seasons and who nevertheless, after a Giro in which determination outweighed his legs, has managed to earn a place at the Tour. He will certainly try, but there are simply too many riders going better than he is. Perhaps, then, the Dutch-rooted team will hope Robbe Dhondt and Frank van den Broek can do more. Both climb well, the first may really introduce himself at this Tour, while the second we already know well. In France he came close to a stage win in 2024, arriving on the finishing straight only to leave the victory to his leader Bardet, and in 2025 he was beaten from the break only by Kaden Groves, in a state of grace that day. There is no point doubting him: he will try and try again this year as well, after finishing a Giro d\u2019Italia with few flashes, third from last overall, a dislocated shoulder in the opening days and a couple of breakaways in the third week. <\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Jonas Abrahamsen<\/strong>, Uno-X Mobility, dalla forza inesorabile quando va all’attacco, un po’ su tutti i terreni (tranne le salite lunghe) \u00e8 tra i pi\u00f9 attesi cacciatori di tappe. Al Tour ha sempre dato spettacolo e lo scorso anno ha pure vinto una tappa, a Tolosa, andando in fuga praticamente dal km 0, battendo corridori come Schmid, van der Poel, van Aert, Ballerini. La squadra norvegese punta alle tappe anche con Anton Charmig<\/strong>, corridore esplosivo e resistente sulle salite di media lunghezza, che di recente ha conquistato la vittoria pi\u00f9 importante in carriera imponendosi, dopo una lunghissima fuga, in una tappa del Delfinato. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>If Aaron Gate, XDS\u2013Astana, at almost 36 years of age, is set to make his Tour debut \u2013 just think, among the 48 debutants in the yellow race he is the oldest, while the youngest is Seixas, and there are almost 16 years between them \u2013 and will look, perhaps with a clever move, to win a stage or place well and bring points to his team, then Alex Aranburu, Ben Thomas and Ion Izagirre are chasing stage victories for Cofidis with great ambition on different kinds of terrain. Aranburu can do a bit of everything, including breakaways on harder days; if he is in a state of grace he is difficult to drop, he is fast as well, and he is one of the best descenders in the peloton. Izagirre will target the mountains \u2013 and he too descends extremely well \u2013 while Thomas is more suited to the moderately easier days. Every so often Cofidis remembers that it is a good team, one of the most traditional in the race, and when that happens it can still land a telling blow. Will that be the case again this year? <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Julian Alaphilippe, for Tudor Pro Cycling Team, certainly needs no introduction. At the Tour he has won six stages, he has worn every jersey, and his narrative arc has been all but complete. We still do not know how many years he has left as a professional rider, but before the inevitable decline \u2013 which I predict every year, only for him to prove me wrong in the end \u2013 I am expecting a fitting final flourish. He may still have one big strike left in him, and there are stages on which to place those hopes. I am waiting for it. Staying in France, TotalEnergies are placing a great deal of faith in Joris Delbove, who is said to be in excellent form after finishing third at the recent national championship behind Gr\u00e9goire and Lapeira. He handles demanding, classics-style terrain well and is no slouch either in a reduced sprint, qualities he shares with Matteo Vercher and Alexandre Delettre, two riders for whom the breakaway is a calling and whom we may well see on the attack often at this Tour, just as we may also with Mathis Le Berre and Thibault Guernalec. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Tour debut for Caja Rural, who, as you have seen, are relying on Gaviria for the sprints, while for the rest we will find them attacking in the mountains. With Abel Balderstone, Sebastian Berwick and Felix Parra, they have riders in great form who could even win from the right breakaway, and who knows, perhaps one of them may even try to hold on in the general classification as well. On the less demanding days they may turn to Jakub Otruba, while on hilly stages they can look for placings with Alex Molenaar, Joel Nicolau and Stefano Oldani \u2013 riders who also have a good turn of speed, are explosive, and, on the right day, can hold their own on short, sharp climbs.<\/span>
\n<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”705971″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

ITALIAN CONTINGENT A BIT THIN ON THE GROUND, BUT THAT IS WHAT THE HOUSE HAS TO OFFER
<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”109284″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”166084″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”175717″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]12 Italian riders at the start is not actually such a low number compared with recent seasons, the quality, on the other hand, is what it is, but it reflects the level of our cycling, which struggles badly to make its mark when the standard becomes the highest possible: if it were a video game, the Tour de France would be cycling\u2019s hard mode. These 12 I have already named, but here I want to go a little more into detail. Filippo Ganna is the biggest name, but what should we expect from him? Netcompany INEOS are bringing him mainly for the contribution he can make to the team cause, team time trials and work for his leaders in race finales, we will see what sort of condition he arrives in for the only time trial on the route, where, however, he will still be one of the two or three main favourites. There is Davide Ballerini, XDS Astana, who won at the Giro just a few weeks ago, then crashed, but recovered, and last year finished second on the final stage in Paris. Very few riders around with his kind of durable sprinter profile are able to improve as a Grand Tour goes on, he always gives it a go anyway, and who knows whether he might pull another rabbit out of the hat, as happened in Naples at the Giro. Lorenzo Germani is an important domestique for Groupama, but he is also someone who knows how to carve out his own space: we would not be surprised to see him trying to win a stage from a long-range breakaway. The same goes for Marco Frigo, perhaps after Ganna, and even more than Ballerini, the most eagerly awaited among the Italian riders. He really is carving out a career for himself as a breakaway specialist, one that has already brought him a top ten at the Amstel this season. You could put a few pennies on him for a stage win and would probably get something back before the end of the Tour: the days for him, a rider who climbs well, does not mind the heat, and loves spending kilometre after kilometre out in the wind, are, on paper, many. If Davide Piganzoli, in the mountains, and Edoardo Affini, recovered after the nasty crash in the national championship time trial, on the flat and in team time trials, will be working for Vingegaard, Stefano Oldani and Matteo Trentin will have their chances. Either by throwing themselves into a reduced sprint or into a breakaway, making the most of their instinct and turn of speed. Mattia Cattaneo, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, shares, with Piganzoli and Affini, the role of domestique for riders with podium ambitions. He will race in support of Evenepoel and Lipowitz, and seems almost like a blend of the two Italians at Visma, being strong in time trials and solid in the mountains, while, finally, Damiano Caruso and Antonio Tiberi will give their contribution to Bahrain Victorious, perhaps helping Lenny Martinez in the mountains or trying their own long-range breakaways in the mountain stages. For Caruso, winning at the Tour would be a career reward and a way of completing the circle, after taking a stage at the Giro in 2021 and one at the Vuelta. For Tiberi, it would be an almost unexpected turning point in a career that seems to have levelled off in mediocrity.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”187358″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

2026 TOUR ROUTE
<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”109285″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”166084″][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”691050″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]They set off from Barcelona, and it will be a grand celebration straight away. The choice, though, has been to do it in a rather particular way: a team time trial, something the Tour has not seen for a few years and which, it is worth remembering, has undergone a significant change, with each rider\u2019s individual time counting towards his general classification, and held in the evening. It could already be a battle for the yellow jersey between Vingegaard, Poga\u010dar, Seixas, and the Red Bull duo of Evenepoel and Lipowitz, but keep an eye on Ineos, who are bringing Ganna for this effort too, or perhaps above all for this effort. The following day, still in Barcelona, things get serious: a stage for explosive riders, a contest between classics hunters and general classification men. The third stage, Granollers to Les Angles, is listed as a mountain stage on the official website. True, there are two climbs above 1,500 metres, but the feeling is that the general classification riders may keep their powder dry, which could open the door for the breakaway. From Carcassonne to Foix, the route once again seems to favour breakaway riders or puncheurs, though it always depends on what the general classification men want to do, while stage 5, the bill to be paid in Pau, this time as a finish town, is the first real chance for a proper bunch sprint. Stage 6 finishes in Gavarnie-G\u00e8dre, but it also takes in the Aspin and the Tourmalet, there is no need to add anything else to describe a Tour that is brutal from the very first stages. The next day in Bordeaux and the day after towards Bergerac, we will probably get the second and third opportunities for the fast men to fight it out in a full bunch sprint. On Sunday 12 July, before the rest day, stage 9 from Malemort to Ussel has one word written all over it: breakaway! <\/p>\n

Stage 10, on 14 July, will be a major celebration in France in the Massif Central with Aurillac to Le Lioran. A hard stage, with seven classified climbs, including Puy Mary-Pas de Peyrol and Col de Pertus. The finish is in Le Lioran, where Vingegaard beat Poga\u010dar in 2024. Stages 11 and 12 should again be for the sprinters, while stage 13, finishing in Belfort with only the Ballon d\u2019Alsace to climb near the end, could tempt a few general classification riders into action, or perhaps split the peloton and lead to a sprint from a very reduced group. The following day it is back to the Vosges, back to the Ballon d\u2019Alsace, but this time alongside other climbs, with the finish at Le Markstein-Fellering after the demanding Col du Haag. A breakaway of strong riders and a fight for the general classification looks likely, just as it does the day after, with one of the toughest finishes of the 2026 Tour, at Brison on the Plateau de Solaison, 11.3km at an average of 9 per cent, already tackled a few weeks ago at the Tour de Suisse. Then comes the rest day before the final week, which opens with the 26.1km time trial from \u00c9vian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains, too short to be the real thing, but that is how it is. A sprint in Voiron, or a breakaway if there are not enough legs left to keep the race under control, and then a classic breakaway stage in the final week with the rolling Voiron to Orci\u00e8res-Merlette, before the most eagerly awaited, and strangest, two days of the Tour: two finishes in the same place, namely Alpe d\u2019Huez. The first day is a chance to smash every climbing record, the second, the penultimate stage of the Tour, with Bourg-d\u2019Oisans to Alpe d\u2019Huez, also gives us the hardest day of the race in pure elevation terms. Croix de Fer, T\u00e9l\u00e9graphe, Galibier, and finally Sarenne before the climb to Alpe d\u2019Huez. Finally, the finish in Paris, which last year gave us a memorable day with Van Aert\u2019s victory. Montmartre is again confirmed as the selection point, and if he is still in the race, it could perhaps be the day for the other Van, namely Van der Poel. <\/p>\n

To follow the stages in detail, with their profiles and the start and finish times, here is the official Tour website: https:\/\/www.letour.fr\/en\/overall-route[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”146560″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]<\/p>\n

ALVENTO STARS<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_lead=”yes” text_color=”color-jevc” uncode_shortcode_id=”211642″ text_color_type=”uncode-palette”]YELLOW JERSEY<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Poga\u010dar
\n\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Vingegaard
\n\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 –
\n\u2b50\u2b50 Del Toro, Seixas, Lipowitz, Evenepoel
\n\u2b50 Ayuso, Riccitello, Pidcock, TH Johannessen, Tejada, Uijtdebroeks, Arensman, Vauquelin, Hindley, Jorgenson, Yates, McNulty, Skjelmose, Carapaz, Healy, Martinez<\/p>\n

GREEN JERSEY<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Philipsen
\n\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Pedersen
\n\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Merlier, Kooij, Girmay
\n\u2b50\u2b50 De Lie, van der Poel, Waerenskjold
\n\u2b50 Turgis, Fretin, Poga\u010dar, Gregoire, Godon, Bittner, Vingegaard<\/p>\n

POLKA-DOT JERSEY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Martinez
\n\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Poga\u010dar, Carapaz
\n\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Vingegaard, Seixas
\n\u2b50\u2b50 Pidcock, Jegat, Tejada, Storer, Vauquelin
\n\u2b50 Lipowitz, Arensman, Evenepoel, Healy, Steinhauser, O’Connor, Verstrynge<\/p>\n

WHITE JERSEY<\/p>\n

\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Seixas, Del Toro
\n\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50-
\n\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Ayuso
\n\u2b50\u2b50 Vauquelin, Uijtdebroeks
\n\u2b50 Martinez, Riccitello[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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