Having assessed the green and white jersey contenders, later this week they’ll be a look who can win the race. But even if all three pieces list plenty of protagonists there’s a much wider cast of characters. So here’s a look at the 22 teams and some of their riders who might shine in breakaways.
Tour de France: Who Will Win The White Jersey?
It’s said the mark of a champion is to win the Tour de France at your first go. Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault are amongst those who came, saw and conquered from the start. But that’s the exception and the majority of Tour winners are like fine wines that take time to age and mature. You can be born with talent but it has to be worked on, weaknesses addressed and tactics learned.
While a future champion serves their apprenticeship the best young rider competition is a useful staging post and prestigious line for the CV. However a look at the past winners suggests the white flower of youth rarely blooms into a Tour de France winner. Here’s a brief analysis of the contenders, the rules and the history of this jersey.
Roman Kreuziger’s Passport Delays
Several riders had passport problems before the Giro but of the travel kind and could not get a visa for the start in Belfast. Now Roman Kreuziger has passport problems of the other kind with the UCI questioning his blood values and he’s now been suspended by his Tinkoff-Saxo team and won’t ride the Tour de France.
This post isn’t about doping. Instead it’s about procedures and probabilities so apologies if you wanted something scandalous and bloody. What’s happened and what’s coming next?
2014 National Championships Summary
After a busy weekend of racing here is the table of the men’s and women’s national road race champions for 2014.
The Strangest Race of the Year
The UCI is set to bring in new rules restricting the size of a team in a race to eight riders. Grand Tours could keep an exemption for nine riders but it means teams of no more than nine in a race. Everything is different this weekend with the strangest races on the pro calendar, the national championships and in France FDJ will field a team of 26 riders.
Tour de France: Who will win the Green Jersey?
Froome and Contador might be this summer’s duel but hopefully their rivalry is a slow story that develops over three weeks. The more immediate clash will see the sprinters in action from Stage 1 onwards. Here’s a look at the sprinters, the points competition and the likely green jersey wearers.
Film Review: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist
You might know the story of Marco Pantani: an early sensation in the mountains and then injuries, race expulsions, humiliation, absence from the sport and then his lonely death in an out of season beach resort. But here’s a documentary film to tell the story? Does prior knowledge spoil the film? Not necessarily because it’s a well-told tale featuring archive footage alongside new interviews and narration from his family, journalists and peers.
Tour de France Guide
Stage profiles and summaries, rules, prizes, jerseys, TV listings, the unmissable stages, a downloadable calendar plus the shocking image of Pierre Rolland in full polka dot shorts and jerseys. Go to inrng.com/tour.
Managing the UCI’s Conflicts of Interest
The storm about Chris Froome’s TUE saw the rider catch most of the headlines but behind it is really a tale of UCI procedures. This blog’s been questioning whether the UCI really followed WADA’s guidelines while the Journal Du Dimanche was also suggesting that Sky benefited from preferential treatment because UCI President Brian Cookson’s son Oliver works for Team Sky. It’s an embarrassment that’s easily addressed.
Pro Cycling’s Sponsorship Crisis
For once a genuine international brand was buying into pro cycling as a means of marketing but once it got the chance to quit, Belkin exercised a break clause. The team is now scrambling for a replacement sponsor and to hold onto its core riders.
Is this a sponsorship crisis or should we confront the fact that pro cycling isn’t a vehicle for an international marketing campaign?