The Yellow Jersey.

GO TO: My Analysis of all the teams, including a complete list of riders.  The Green Jersey

The Yellow Jersey is awarded to the man who completes the course in the fastest time. Whoever is leading at the end of each stage wears the yellow the next day. There are no longer time bonuses awarded for stage wins and intermediate sprints (they were removed three years ago).

Last years results for the Yellow Jersey or General Classification (GC) as it is known:

1	Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana	85:48:35
2	Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank	0:04:11
3	Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana	0:05:24
4	Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream	0:06:01
5	Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank	0:06:04
6	Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana	0:06:42
7	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas	0:07:35
8	Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream	0:12:04
9	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas	0:14:16
10	Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux	0:14:25

2010 sees 3 men competing who have won the yellow jersey in the past:
Sastre (2008)
Contador (2007/09)
Armstrong (1999-2005)

Add to that the riders who have finished 2nd:
Evans (2007/08)
Kloden (2004/06)
A. Schleck (2009)
I. Basso (2005)

and those that have finished 3rd:
Menchov (2008)
Leipheimer (2007)
Basso (2004)
Vinokourov (2003)


We also have the White Jersey (youth classification) winners from the last 8 years:
Ivan Basso (2002)
Denis Menchov (2003)
Vladimir Karpets (2004)
Yaroslav Popovych (2005)
Damiano Cunego (2006)    
Alberto Contador (2007)    
Andy Schleck (2008/09)


This is a super field, I really think the best in the last 5 years - we should be in for a great race.


The big question is can anyone beat Alberto Contador?

The Yellow Jersey Contenders.

Alberto Contador.
Astana
Major Wins.
2007/09 Tour de France
2008 Giro d'Italia
2008 Vuelta a España
2007/10 Paris - Nice
2005 Setmana Catalana
2008/09Vuelta al País Vasco
2007/08/10Vuelta a Castilla y León
2009 Spanish Time Trial Champion

Tour de France Stage Wins: 4

One of only 5 men to have won all 3 grand tours (France Italy and Spain) and he had achieved this at the ripe old age of 25. He is the best stage racer and grand tour racer in the world bar none.He has started in 5 grand tours and won 4 of them.  He wins on mountains and he wins Time Trials.  He has won the worlds best 1 week race -Paris Nice - twice, including this year and basically wins everything he sets his mind to.
We all knew he was the best climber in the world, but last year he showed us he is among the best Time Triallers in the peloton, certainly of the GC contenders.  Last year he had the strongest team with Lance, Leipheimer and Kloden but they are on Radioshack this year.  I thought the team did nothing for him last year, they worked for the team rather than Contador, they worked to get Lance on the podium if anything. Contador only attacked twice in last years tour - on stage 7 to Arcalis, the first summit finish he attacked the GC group. Make no mistake he could have won that stage and put himself in yellow but with queries on Astana leadership and 2 weeks of riding to follow meant that he did just enough to jump into second and leave himself 6 seconds adrift of Italian Rinaldo Nocentini. He then attacked on the second summit finish, stage 15 to Verbier and won the stage, taking yellow and destroying the hopes of, well, everyone really. At the final summit finish on Mount Ventoux he rode defensively and just marked Andy Schleck, he never ever looked under pressure. To me he could have won this race by a long way if he chose to grind his opponents (read: team mate L Armstrong) into the ground.

So how does the might of Saxo Band and Radioshack bring Contador undone?  They will not beat him in the hills and if they try it might backfire, he looks like he could just ride off on everyone. They wont take time off him in the TT. So it will be left to the cobbles and the flat lands in the first weeks to try and get some time off him.  Whilst he does not have a team of stars, Vinokourov is a weapon with a mountain of experience who will help in the hills, Noval is a pure climber who has been on the Tour winning team three times (twice with lance, once with Contador), Hernandez is experienced in the mountains and the rest are serviceable. The other teams would want to get organised and try and break him early, because if he is not already in the lead, he will win stage 17 on the Tourmalet and put everyone out of their misery.

Poor tactics, a crash or something really extraordinary are the only way Contador is going to get beaten.

Prediction: 1st



Andy Schleck
Saxo Bank
Major wins
2009 Liege - Bastogne - Liege
2nd place 2009 Tour de France
2nd place 2007 Giro d'Italia

Tour De France Stage Wins: 0

The younger of the Schleck brothers has 2nd placings in Grand Tours to his name.  He also has a few white jerseys in the cupboard as the youth classification winner of both this and the Italian tour.  He will win a Tour de France - the only query is when.  In the 08 TdF Andy basically had one bad stage, failed to eat and drink properly and cost himself a massive chunk of time. Otherwise he would have probably been top 5. He has repeatedly shown over the last two years that he is probably the only GC contender who can climb with Contador. He is a classic winner last year and is at home riding on cobblestones and with crosswinds.  The experience of O'Grady, Cancellara, Voigt and his brother (all who have won stages and worn the leaders yellow jersey before) and 09 stage winner Nicki Sorrenson will mean that Andy will be given every opportunity to beat Contador, he will always be int he right place at the right time, whether he can beat him in the hills remains to be seen.  Saxo Bank have Bjarne Riis, the Best brain in cycling managing the team, he is a master tactician and gets results.  There are big rumours that the Schlecks are leaving to form their own team next year with major sponsor Saxo Bank are leaving cycling. Riis will want to win this again.  They are the best team who are so well suited to stage racing and one day classics, so look for the big plays the cobbles in stage 4.

Any might be the man most suited to go with Contador in the hills, but i don't think he can beat him.

Prediction: 2nd

Lance Armstrong

Radioshack
Major wins
1999-2005 Tour de France
2002/03 Dauphiné Libéré
2001 Tour de Suisse
1996 La Flèche Wallonne
1995 San Sebastián Classic
1993 World Champion

Tour De France Stage Wins: 22

So after the big comeback last year where he rode on the same team as Alberto Contador, Lance returns to France with his own team. He is the greatest Tour de France rider of all time, the cancer survivor, the world champion, the philantropist. I am sure he is here to win, but Lance is also here to promote cancer awareness, his bike and helmet will always be different to those of his teammates and he will stand out. He is going to get heaps of air time and he is going to promote his cause again. Can he win the Tour de France? On exposed form probably not. I thought his final time trial at the Tour of Switzerland a few weeks ago was poor. He was solid all the way through the race and went into the final stage (a time trial) as fave for overall honours.  The old Lance would have devoured that situation, but his TT was not up to his old standards (not even in the top 10) and overall he finished 2nd to Frank Schleck.  But we never saw him attack in the hills last year on the TdF, he was just hanging on, doing enough.  I think this year it might be different, this is his only goal and he has announced he will not be back next year. Lance has been on the same team as Contador and should know his strengths and weaknesses, he will be looking to exploit them anyway he can. He talks up a rivalry between him and Contador, but it is one sided - it gets his name in the media though.  The Spanish champ is humble and gracious, has self belief and is not being intimidated.  Lance has a very experienced team with old heads Kloden, Leipheimer, Horner and Popovych, add team manager Johan Bruneel (manager of 8 TdF winners) who is a master tactician and this group will go a long way to putting Lance on the podium again.
Win? I doubt it - But never write off a champion.

Prediction: 3-5

Frank Schleck
Saxo Bank
Major Wins

2006 Amstel Gold race
2009 Tour de Luxembourg

2010 Tour de Suisse

Tour de France Stages:2

In the 2008 edition Frank wore the yellow going into the big showdown on L'Alpe d'Huez. If his Team had not decided to send Sastre up L'Alpe d'Huez first he may well have come out the winner. Frank was wearing yellow at the start of the stage, Sastre attacked up the big hill first, the plan was that when the big guns caught Sastre half way up, Frank (who won up L'Alpe d'Huez in 2006) and Andy would then attack, Frank would extend his margin and ride off with the yellow jersey. Funny thing was they never caught Sastre, the rest is history. Finished 5th overall there and then 5th again last year.  Had a good year so far, won the Tour of Switzerland, 2nd in the Tour of Luxembourg, solid in the one day classics.  Such a good climber, he will be riding in support of Andy but could go top 5 again.

Prediction: 3-6

Ivan Basso
Liquigas

Major Wins
2006/10 Giro d'Italia
2002 TdF White Jersey

Tour De France Stage Wins:1

Ivan the terrible. Once the great hope of Italian cycling, the man who most tested Lance in his final years and always seen as the man most likely to take his crown when he retired.  Lance did retire, Basso was favourite for the race in 2006, but then came Operation Puerto, Basso never tested positive for anything, but he admitted he had the intention of using blood doping, it was seen as an attempt - he was withdrawn from the 2006 Tour and suspended at the end of the year. After two years on the sideline he returned, top five finishes at the Giro and the Vuelta last year before a fantastic win in this years Giro.  He and his team mates tore apart the Giro this year, his victory up the Zontalan climb was memorable, he left everyone in his wake including the top 5 at the time Evans, Sastre, Cunego, Arroyo, Vinokourov. Then they did the same on stage 19, he dismantled all the favourites on the Motirolo, climbed into Pink and never looked back.  He has a strong climbing team and the reduced time trialling is in his favour.  Last years revelation, former world Under 23 champ Roman Kreuziger returning as well as the experienced Szmyd and Bellotti. Unfortunately we wont see Vincenzo Nibali who is focusing on the Vuelta after his 3rd place at the Giro or Peter Sagan who has taken all before him this year in his first year of professional racing - he is only 20.  Back to Basso.  He has the talent and the support to be in the race for a long way when the mountains come.  This team is always focused on the Giro as their primary objective, however this year i think they might give Le Tour a red hot go.

Prediction:4-6

Cadel Evans
Team BMC

Major Wins
2009 World Champion

2006 Tour de Romandie
2010 La Flèche Wallonne
2nd place Tour de Frace 2007/08

Tour de France Stage Wins: 1


A new team, a new chapter in the Cadel Evans story.  He has a stronger team with him this year, but not by a whole lot.  Lots of experience with Hincapie, Kroon and Burghart but when things get vertical I think he might be on his lonesome again.  Cadel was in great form early season with a fantastic win in La Flèche Wallonne over Contador, he led the Giro for a while before an injury got the better of him. Cadel is always going to be there in the mountains but not taking time off the Contadors and Schlecks, he lacks their explosive acceleration. The one long  flat time trial is certainly in his favour against a few of these. He has been more attacking this season and certainly doing justice to the rainbow jersey.

Prediction:4-6

Alexander Vinokourov
Astana
Major Wins
1999 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
2001 Deutschland Tour
2002/03 Paris-Nice (2002, 2003)
2003 Tour de Suisse
2003 Amstel Gold Race
2006 Vuelta a España
2005/10  Liège–Bastogne–Liège

2010 Giro del Trentino


Tour de France Stage wins: 3


The enigma returns for his 6th TdF, some 7 years after finishing on the podium.  Vinokourov started Astana as his team, with his backers from Kazakhstan after he received no support from T-Mobile when he was there (i think he could have beaten Lance in 2005 but his own team mates, working for Ulrich, chased him down in breaks, he rode the race by himself and was still 5th overall.).  He then was suspended for blood doping in 2007 leaving Contador to come in to Astana and later on Armstrong.  Now he is back, winning races and although 37 years old has the experience to assist Contador and win stages.  He is a freak, he is exciting, unpredictable and does things his way.  He has said “Of course I will ride 100 percent for Alberto in the Tour de France to help him win, He said part of the reason he stayed with this team is that I can help him.It was a dream for me before, but now its over”. His assistance in the hills and in the harder flat stages will be invaluable, but give him half a chance and he will go for glory with a stage win - i bet he gets one.

Prediction: 5-10

Brad Wiggins
Sky
Major Wins
nothing of note on the road
Track
6 x World Champion.
2 x Olympic Gold Medals

Tour de France Stage wins:0


A revelation last year with 4th placing in this race. A fantastic TT rider but has shown that he can climb as well. Will get able support from Gerrans & Lokvist.    I think this years edition is stronger than last, he is not an unknown any more either.  Surprised even himself last year and with a preparation solely focused on this race, could be a big player. Look for him to be sticking in the mountains and trying to win the races against the clock.

Prediction: 5-10


Levi Leipheimer
Radioshack

Major Wins
2007/08/09 Tour of California
2006 Dauphiné Libéré
2009 Vuelta a Castilla y León
3rd 2007 Tour de France

Tour de France Stage wins:1

Leipheimer is a great all rounder, a brilliant rider against the clock, very strong with out being explosive in the mountains.  He is a stage winner in the Tour and also in the Vuelta, he has actually been on the podium in both races (2nd in the Vuelta 2008 behind Contador, 3rd in the tour of France 2007 - behind Contador).  Crashed out last year, his focus is on helping Lance, but along the way that means he will be finishing high up and he gets into the top 10 on that effort again.

Prediction: 5-10


Denis Menchov
Rabobank
Major Wins
2005/07 Vuelta a España
2009 Giro d'Italia
2004 Vuelta al País Vasco

Tour de France Stage wins:1

Came into this last year off the a great win the the Giro, that went nicely with his 2 wins in the tour of Spain. He is a 3 time Grand Tour winner who has finished 3rd here in 2008. He can climb, he can time trial. But he is getting old and his results this year have not been fantastic.  Also not in his favour is that Rabobank have the great dutch hope Robert Gesink riding. He has a huge reputation and if he is ahead of Menchov, Denis might find himself riding in support.  Solid squad though, at his best Top 5 but this is a strong field.

Prediction: 5-10

Roman Kreuziger
Liquigas
Major wins
2004 Junior World Champion
2008 Tour de Suisse
2009 Tour de Romandie

Tour de France Stage wins:0

This youngster was 2nd and 3rd in the White jersey the last two years behind Andy Schleck. He has had good results to start this year, won the Giro di Sardegna and 3rd in Paris-Nice. He and Basso will be a formidable team in the Mountains and Kreuziger is a very good time trial rider. He did not ride the Giro like Basso and with fresh legs i think he will make his presence known, top 10 again for this rising star.

Prediction: 7-10

Michael Rogers
Columbia - Highroad
Major Wins
2004/05/06 World Time Trial Champion
2003 Tour of Germany
2002 Tour Down Under

2010 Tour of California
2010 Vuelta a Andalucia

Tour de France Stage wins:0

The forgotten man of Australian Cycling, a 3 time world champ who is an elite rider. 3 years ago he was the virtual leader on the road during stage 8 (ie. if they had of stopped the race then and there he would have been wearing yellow) but a crash and a broken collar bone ended that. Last year he missed because of illness. He was 9th in 2006 as team leader for T-Mobile. Last year rode as a domestique.  This year he finds himself with a support crew that whilst solid, will be more focused on wining Cavendish green. Tony Martin is the best of them as an assistant, Adam Hansen and Maxime Monfort can be called upon but ultimately he is going to be alone when the attacks come high up in the Pyrenees.Still, i think he can possibly return to the Top 10.

Prediction: 8-12

Carlos Sastre.
Cervelo test team
Major Wins
2008 Tour de France


Tour de France Stage wins: 3

The 2008  winner, a man who has always been consistent in the mountains (has won mountain stages on all 3 grand tours) but a good time trialler and does not have a great team like he used to. Was injured in the Giro and i think father time is catching up with Carlos.  Will be isolated in the hills but can fight. Possible top 10.

Prediction: 8-12



Samuel Sanchez 
Euskaltel - Euskadi
Major Wins
2008 Olympic Road Race
3rd 2007 Vuelta d Espana

Tour de France Stage wins:0

He was 6th in the 2008 tour then missed last year. Has placed in the Vuelta, multiple placings in spring classics, Olympic Gold. An all rounder who is a very good climber, on his day can almost stay with the best of them, problem is consistency and he wont be able to sneak away to gain time like he has in the past, he will be marked. He is the best descender in the world though, so on the stages with the long descents look for him to be making up time there.  He has support from up and comer Igor Anton who has been in great form, might just be that the team looks to the future though and gives support to Anton.   The men from Euskaltel - Euskadi dont do flat stages, all 9 will be there for climbing, break aways and when they are in the pyrenees it will be action stations as the team hils from the Basque region. Much stronger field this year but if he continues good results can figure in top 10 again.

Prediction: 8-14


Robert Gesink
Rabobank
Major Wins
nothing of note.

Tour de France Stage wins:0

Gesink has a mountain of ability.  DNF last year in his first attempt but this year will be riding with the hole orange army behind him.  The great white hope of dutch cycling he is a fantastic climber and a solid TT rider.  It remains to be seen if he can go with the big guns.  If he is out of contention look for a stage win and riding in support of Menchov, but if he is going well as the hype would have us believe he can, then he could figure in the top 10.

Prediction: 10-14


Damiano Cunego
Lampre
Major Wins
2004 Giro d'Italia
2004/07/08 Giro d'Lombardia
2008 Amstel Gold Race
2006 Tour de France White Jersey

Tour de France Stage wins:0

At 22 he won the Giro, he was White Jersey winner at Le Tour in 2006. Last year he crashed when ranked 14th and had to abandon. At this years Giro he just was not good enough. He seems to be a one day specialist now who is thereabouts on the big tours and hunting for stage wins.

Prediction: 12-16

Christian Vandevelde.
Garmin - Slipstream
Major Wins
2006 Tour de Luxembourg

Tour de France Stage wins:0

I think he slipped under a lot of peoples guards when he finished 4th in 2008 on the back of some good climbing efforts and a solid TT. Big fall last year in the Giro but bounced back with 8th overall in support of Wiggins.  Should be team leader here, has a reduced amount of TT where he excels but could sneak into the top 10 here as he is a consistent all round performer.

Prediction: 10-14

Andreas Kloden
Radioshack
Major Wins
2000 Paris - Nice
2000 Vuelta al País Vasco
2008 Tirrenno-Adriatico
2nd overall 2004/06 Tour de France

Tour de France Stage wins:1

A very strong all rounder who has twice stood on the podium, Kloden will find himself working hard, chasing down attacks and looking after his team mates and getting into break aways to try and nullify them. Just being there will result in a high finishing position, should go top 10 again.

Prediction: 8-12

Luis Leon Sanchez
Caisse D'Epagne
Major Wins
2005  Tour Down Under
2007 Vuelta a Mallorca
2009 Paris-Nice
2009 Tour Méditerranéen
2010 Circuit de la Sarthe2008/10 Spanish Time Trial Champion

Tour de France Stage wins:2

With Valverde not riding, Sanchez will be team leader. Great all rounder, but when the hills get steep its a bit much for Luis Leon.  Has a great team of climbers to help him, he can time trial and so will be in contention.  I think Top 10 is realistic but will drop time on the big guns in the Pyrenees.

Prediction: 8-14


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The Summary

I am fairly confident Contador will win baring misfortune and that A. Schleck will be 2nd overall.
Armstrong should be 3rd or 4th with his own team this year, F. Schleck can improve on 5th last year.
After that it is very very competitive. Lots of very good bike riders.

We care in for a cracking race.

The Teams

• Astana
  
  1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa)
  2 David De La Fuente Rasilla (Spa)
  3 Andriy Grivko (Ukr)
  4 Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Spa)
  5 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz)
  6 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa)
  7 Benjamin Noval Gonzalez (Spa)
  8 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita)
  9 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz)
  
  Of course Astana has race fave Contador, whilst he lacks the big names of last year still has a great support cast for the mountains
  Yellow / Overall: Contador
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Contador, Hernandez, Navarro, Noval, Vinokourov.
  Stage Wins: Contador, Vinokourov
  
  Team Saxo Bank
  
  11 Andy Schleck (Lux)
  12 Matti Breschel (Den)
  13 Fabian Cancellara (Swi)
  14 Jakob Fuglsang (Den)
  15 Stuart O'Grady (Aus)
  16 Fränk Schleck (Lux)
  17 Chris Anker Sørensen (Den)
  18 Nicki Sörensen (Den)
  19 Jens Voigt (Ger)
  
  Very very strong team with a lot of former stage winners and riders who have worn Yellow.
  Yellow / Overall: A. Schleck, F. Schleck
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Schleck& Schleck, Fulsang, N.Sorenen
  Stage Wins: Cancellara, both Schlecks, N.Sorenson, Voiggt, O'Grady
  
  Team Radioshack
  
  21 Lance Armstrong (USA)
  22 Janez Brajkovic (Slo)
  23 Christopher Horner (USA)
  24 Andreas Klöden (Ger)
  25 Levi Leipheimer (USA)
  26 Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz)
  27 Sergio Paulinho (Por)
  28 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr)
  29 Grégory Rast (Swi)
  
  Lance brings a team with one focus - to win the tour.  Very stong team with riders such as Leipheimer, Horner, Kloden, Popovych and Brajkovic all good enough to be leaders in lesser teams.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Armstrong
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Brajkovic, Armstrong, Leipheimer, Kloden - everyone
  Stage Wins: Lance, Leipheimer, Brajkovic.
   
  
  Sky Professional Cycling Team
  
  31 Bradley Wiggins (GBr)
  32 Michael Barry (Can)
  33 Steven Cummings (GBr)
  34 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa)
  35 Simon Gerrans (Aus)
  36 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor)
  37 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe)
  38 Serge Pauwels (Bel)
  39 Geraint Thomas (GBr)
  
  Apparently they are going after the big prize, so a team to support wiggins, but they will want exposure in their first year, a number of guys who could win stages, star youngster Boasson-Hagen, Gerrans, Flecha, Lovkist.......
  
  Yellow / Overall: Wiggins
  Green/ Sprints: Boasson-Hagen
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Gerrans, Flecha, Wiggins,
  Stage Wins: Wiggins, Gerrans, Hagen, Lovkist
  
  
  Liquigas-Doimo
  
  41 Ivan Basso (Ita)
  42 Francesco Bellotti (Ita)
  43 Kristjan Koren (Slo)
  44 Roman Kreuziger (Cze)
  45 Alexander Kuschynski (Blr)
  46 Daniel Oss (Ita)
  47 Manuel Quinziato (Ita)
  48 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol)
  49 Brian Vandborg (Den)
  
  Quality with dual Giro winner Basso returning and World U23 champ and top 10 finisher here Kreuziger
  
  Yellow / Overall: Basso, Kreuziger
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Basso, Kreuziger, Smyf, Belotti
  Stage Wins:Belotti, Basso, Kreuziger
  
  Garmin - Transitions
  
  51 Christian Vande Velde (USA)
  52 Julian Dean (NZl)
  53 Tyler Farrar (USA)
  54 Ryder Hesjedal (Can)
  55 Robert Hunter (RSA)
  56 Martijn Maaskant (Ned)
  57 David Millar (GBr)
  58 Johan Van Summeren (Bel)
  59 David Zabriskie (USA)
  
  Lost wiggins but have Vande Velde for the GC, Farrar a great sprinter and miller and zabriskie will always give 100%
  
  Yellow / Overall: Vande Velde
  Green/ Sprints: Farrar
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Vande velde
  Stage Wins:Farrar, Millar
  
  Française des Jeux
  
  61 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra)
  62 Sandy Casar (Fra)
  63 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra)
  64 Anthony Geslin (Fra)
  65 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra)
  66 Anthony Roux (Fra)
  67 Jérémy Roy (Fra)
  68 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus)
  69 Benoït Vaugrenard (Fra)
  
  They will ride in support of Le Mevel who was 10th last year. Young Aussie Wes Sulzburger gets a start and the likes of Sady Casar are always opportunistic.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Le Mevel
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Di Gergoiro, Casar
  Stage Wins: Casar, Sulzberger
  
  Team Katusha
  
  71 Vladimir Karpets (Rus)
  72 Pavel Brutt (Rus)
  73 Serguei Ivanov (Rus)
  74 Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus)
  75 Robbie McEwen (Aus)
  76 Alexandr Pliuschin (Mda)
  77 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa)
  78 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel)
  79 Eduard Vorganov (Rus)
  
  A 38yo Robbie McEwen is back , but no Pozzato. Solid and chasing stages.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Karpets, Rodrigez
  Green/ Sprints: McEwen
  Polka Dots / Mountains: take your pick
  Stage Wins:McEwen, Karpets, Ivanov, Rodrigez
  
  AG2R La Mondiale
  
  81 Nicolas Roche (Irl)
  82 Maxime Bouet (Fra)
  83 Dimitri Champion (Fra)
  84 Martin Elmiger (Swi)
  85 John Gadret (Fra)
  86 David Le Lay (Fra)
  87 Lloyd Mondory (Fra)
  88 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita)
  89 Christophe Riblon (Fra)
  
  Roche has a growing reputation, last year Nocentini wore Yellow but has missedmuch of 2010 with a broken leg. El jersey
  
  Yellow / Overall: Nocentini
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: nil
  Stage Wins: Roche.
  
  Cervelo Test Team
  
  91 Carlos Sastre (Spa)
  92 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa)
  93 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr)
  94 Jeremy Hunt (GBr)
  95 Thor Hushovd (Nor)
  96 Andreas Klier (Ger)
  97 Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu)
  98 Brett Lancaster (Aus)
  99 Daniel Lloyd (GBr)
  
  Missing their best 1 day rider Hausler, but well serviced by Sastre and Hushovd.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Sastre
  Green/ Sprints: Hushovd
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Sastre
  Stage Wins:Sastre, Hushovd
  
  Omega Pharma-Lotto
  
  101 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel)
  102 Mario Aerts (Bel)
  103 Francis De Greef (Bel)
  104 Mickael Delage (Fra)
  105 Sebastian Lang (Ger)
  106 Matthew Lloyd (Aus)
  107 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa)
  108 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel)
  109 Charles Wegelius (GBr)
  
  Van Den Brock will lead ut did so last year without much affect. Land and Llyoyd are solid as is Aerts
  
  Yellow / Overall: Van Den Brock
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Lloyd, Van Den Brock
  Stage Wins: Lloyd, Aerts, Van Den Brock
  
  Team HTC - Columbia
  
  111 Mark Cavendish (GBr)
  112 Bernhard Eisel (Aut)
  113 Bert Grabsch (Ger)
  114 Adam Hansen (Aus)
  115 Tony Martin (Ger)
  116 Maxime Monfort (Bel)
  117 Mark Renshaw (Aus)
  118 Michael Rogers (Aus)
  119 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr)
  
  This team was mighty in the sprints, they chased down everything and delivered Cav to the right spot time after time. That will be their objective again here but Rogers will go for top 10 with good support from Tony Martin.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Rogers
  Green/ Sprints: Cavendish
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Rogers
  Stage Wins:Cavendish, Martin
  
  BMC Racing Team
  
  121 Cadel Evans (Aus)
  122 Alessandro Ballan (Ita)
  123 Brent Bookwalter (USA)
  124 Marcus Burghardt (Ger)
  125 Mathias Frank (Swi)
  126 George Hincapie (USA)
  127 Karsten Kroon (Ned)
  128 Steve Morabito (Swi)
  129 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita)
  
  Cadel will be looking for a bit more help than he used to get, but its stil not that great. Honest peformers like Hincpaie, Kroon, Burghart and ex World Champ Ballan.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Evans
  Green/ Sprints: Ballan
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Evans
  Stage Wins:Evans, Ballan
  
  Quick Step
  
  131 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra)
  132 Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa)
  133 Kevin De Weert (Bel)
  134 Dries Devenyns (Bel)
  135 Jérôme Pineau (Fra)
  136 Francesco Reda (Ita)
  137 Kevin Seeldrayers (Bel)
  138 Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel)
  139 Maarten Wijnants (Bel)
  
  No Tom Boonen, no sprinting. look for these guys to be having a fair crack at the stages in belgium though.
  
  Yellow / Overall: maybe Seeldrayers
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Barredo
  Stage Wins:Chavenel
  
  Team Milram
  
  141 Linus Gerdemann (Ger)
  142 Gerald Ciolek (Ger)
  143 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger)
  144 Roger Kluge (Ger)
  145 Christian Knees (Ger)
  146 Luke Roberts (Aus)
  147 Thomas Rohregger (Aut)
  148 Niki Terpstra (Ned)
  149 Fabian Wegmann (Ger)
  
  Gerdemann and Wegman are solid, Ciolek can sprint a bit and Aussie Luke Roberts makes his tour debut - he is a world, olympic and commonwealth champ on the track, could provide a bit of speed and competition in the sprints.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Gerdeman
  Green/ Sprints: Ciolek, Roberts
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Gerdeman
  Stage Wins: Ciolek, erdeman
  
  Bbox Bouygues Telecom
  
  151 Thomas Voeckler (Fra)
  152 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn)
  153 Anthony Charteau (Fra)
  154 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra)
  155 Cyril Gautier (Fra)
  156 Pierre Rolland (Fra)
  157 Matthieu Sprick (Fra)
  158 Sébastien Turgot (Fra)
  159 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra)
  
  This team only goes one way - break aways. Voeckler is a breakaway master, he has won stages and slipped into yellow in 2004. Fedrigo has won 2 stages and might go chasing KOM points
  
  Yellow / Overall: nil
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Voekler / Fedrigo
  Stage Wins:Voekler / Fedrig0 - they will all be trying.
  
  Caisse d'Epargne
  
  161 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa)
  162 Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Por)
  163 Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa)
  164 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa)
  165 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr)
  166 Christophe Moreau (Fra)
  167 Mathieu Perget (Fra)
  168 Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa)
  169 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa)
  
  Team Leader Valverde is not here, l, ader goes to Sanchez. well supported by some good climbers and stalwarts, pity 2008 KOM Soler broke his leg in the Dauphine.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Sanchez
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Sanchez,
  Stage Wins:Sanchez
  
  Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne
  
  171 Rein Taaramae (Est)
  172 Stéphane Auge (Fra)
  173 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra)
  174 Julien El Farès (Fra)
  175 Christophe Kern (Fra)
  176 Sébastien Minard (Fra)
  177 Amaël Moinard (Fra)
  178 Damien Monier (Fra)
  179 Rémi Pauriol (Fra)
  
  No focus, just hoping to get in escapes.
  
  Yellow / Overall: nil
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Moinard
  Stage Wins:Dumoulin, Moinard
  
  
  Euskaltel - Euskadi
  
  181 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa)
  182 Inaki Isasi Flores (Spa)
  183 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa)
  184 Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde (Spa)
  185 Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa)
  186 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa)
  187 Amets Txurruka (Spa)
  188 Iban Velasco Murillo (Spa)
  189 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa)
  
  They Climb. Sammy Sanchez would like to go top 10 no doubt, Egoi Martinez was 2nd in last years KOM, Txurruka has been voted most combative in the past.
  
  Yellow / Overall: Sanchez
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Sanchez, Martinez, everyone!
  Stage Wins:Sanchez, Martinez.
  
  Rabobank
  
  191 Denis Menchov (Rus)
  192 Lars Boom (Ned)
  193 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa)
  194 Juan Manuel Gárate Cepa (Spa)
  195 Robert Gesink (Ned)
  196 Koos Moerenhout (Ned)
  197 Grischa Niermann (Ger)
  198 Bram Tankink (Ned)
  199 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned)
  
  Fantastic team that has some real talent. Menchov and Gesink will lead them in the chase for yellow, but Lars Boom is also talked about as a future star, Freire is a superstar sprinter.
  
  
  Yellow / Overall: Menchov, Gesink
  Green/ Sprints: Freire
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Menchov, Gesink
  Stage Wins:Freire, Gesink, Boom, Menchov
  
  
  Lampre-Farnese Vini
  
  201 Damiano Cunego (Ita)
  202 Grega Bole (Slo)
  203 Mauro Da Dalto (Ita)
  204 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita)
  205 Danilo Hondo (Ger)
  206 Mirco Lorenzetto (Ita)
  207 Adriano Malori (Ita)
  208 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita)
  209 Simon Spilak (Slo)
  
  They will be chasing stage wins, i think Cunego knows he cant win this race.
  
  
  Yellow / Overall: Cunego
  Green/ Sprints: Petacchi
  Polka Dots / Mountains: Cunego
  Stage Wins:Petacchi, Cunego
  
  Footon-Servetto
  
  211 Eros Capecchi (Ita)
  212 Jose Alberto Benitez Roman (Spa)
  213 Manuel Cardoso (Spa)
  214 Arkaitz Duran Daroca (Spa)
  215 Markus Eibegger (Aut)
  216 Fabio Felline (Ita)
  217 Iban Mayoz Echeverria (Spa)
  218 Aitor Perez Arrieta (Spa)
  219 Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa)
  
  Not sure how this team got a gig ahead of a few others, but they are here. Very inexperienced with Iban Mayo not the same Iban Mayo who won stages on all the grand tours in the early 90s and subsequently was done for drugs.
  
  Yellow / Overall:
  Green/ Sprints: nil
  Polka Dots / Mountains:
  Stage Wins:
  
  

The Green Jersey

Malliot Vert

Hushovd and Cavendish have a chat after the infamous 'incident' on stage 13 TdF 2009.

Cavendish was disqualified from the sprint and lost 13 points. Hushovd ended up winning the title by 10 points.

The battle for sprint supremacy does not always go to the best sprinter or fastest man in the peloton. Last year Thor Hushovd only won the one stage, the same as Oscar Freire the year prior. It goes to the most consistent sprinter, the one who is always consistently in the finish - but you have to be able to collect points on the harder stages and although Cavendish won 6 stages last year, he was beaten for the prize as Hushovd collected points on intermediate stages and at check points mid stage.
After the drama of last year we see the return of Aussie stalwart and three time green jersey winner (2002/04/06) Robbie McEwen. 2007 winner Tom Boonen is out though. 

How The Points Work
In every stage, the first finishers are awarded points for the Overall Points Classification. The stages are divided into several types: individual time trials, flat stages, undulating stages and mountain stages. There are also intermediate sprints during each stage.

A rider has to complete the Tour in order to be ranked in the Final Points Classification.
FLAT STAGES
1st 35 points, then 30,26,24,22,20,19,18,17 etc all the way down to 1 point for 25th place

INTERMEDIATE STAGES
1st 25 points, then 22,20,18,16,15,14,13,12 etc all the way down to 1 point for 20th

MOUNTAIN STAGES
1st 20 points, then 17,15,13,12,10,9,8 down to 1 point for 15th

TIME TRIALS
1st 15 points then 12,10,8,6,5,4,3,2,1 down to 10th.

and the riders............




Mark Cavendish
Columbia - HTC
Major Wins
4 Stages 2008 Tour de France
6 Stages 2009 Tour de France
2 Stages 2008 Giro d'Italia
4 Stages 2009 Giro d'Italia
2009 Milan - San Remo
2005/08 Madison World Champion (track)


In 2009 Cavendish was beaten in a sprint finish just once. He won every single other sprint finish he contested, the final count was close to 30.  He is a freak with a team and a lead out man (Renshaw) that delivers him to the right spot every time.  The lead out train has been hurt by the loss of Hincapie, although they have been winning races with Greipel. Cavendish has said he only has 2 objectives in 2010: The Green Jersey and the World Champs.  There is no faster man in a sprint, you can be sure that he will win more stages than anyone else.  But he needs to be craftier and stronger on the non sprint stages if he wants the Green Jersey.   But I think he has learned his lesson and will be better than ever.  (more Cav here)


Prediction: 1st



Thor Hushovd
Cervelo Test Team
Major Wins
1998 U23 World TT Champion
2006 Gent-Wevelgem
1 Stage 2001 Tour de France
1 Stage 2002 Tour de France
1 Stage 2004 Tour de France
1 Stage 2005 Vuelta a España
2 Stages 2006 Tour de France
1 Stage 2006 Vuelta a España
1 Stage 2007 Giro d'Italia
1 Stage 2007 Tour de France
1 Stage 2008 Tour de France
1 Stage 2009 Tour de France
Points Classification 2005/09 Tour de France
Points Classification 2006 Vuelta a España

Thor - The God of thunder. The big Norwegian has picked up stages in all but two Tour de Frances since 2001 - amazingly he did not win a stage in 2005, the year he won the Green Jersey. He has been in good form this year with a second in the Paris-Roubaix. His best Team mate Heinrich Haussler is out after knee surgery but anohter Aussie in Brett Lancaster will provide him with great lead outs.

Prediction: 2nd




Oscar Freire
Rabobank
Major Wins
1999/01/04 World Road Race Champion
2004/07/10 Milan-Sanremo
2005 Tirreno-Adriatico
2008 Ghent-Wevelgem
2 Stages 2000 Vuelta a España
1 Stage 2002 Tour de France
1 Stage 2004 Tour de France
2 Stages 2006 Tour de France
3 Stages 2007 Vuelta a España
1 Stage 2008 Vuelta a España
1 Stage 2008 Tour de France
Points Classification 2008 Tour de France

One of only 4 men to have won 3 World Championships, he also has 3 Milan - San Remo wins to his credit. Throughout a career of injuries, Freire remains one of the most talented sprinters in the world. In 2008 he won just a single stage but was regularly top 3 and fought and scrapped for every point he could, he was there on the bunch sprints, the undulating days with uphill kicks and he does it pretty much on his own. He is not going to get much help from his team but that will not bother him. He is often overlooked, but Freire will pop up and win a stage somewhere, he picks them up regularly on the tours of France and Spain and you don't wins monuments like Milan - San Remo or world champs without being very strong all round. He will be in the finish of just aboout every stage because he is able to climb over some of the obstacles others can not. He will rely on his experience and road craft to try and beat Cavendish and pick up points at every opportunity, watch for him on the intermediate stages.

Prediction: 3rd /4th

Tyler Farrar
Garmin - Slipstream
Major Wins
1Stages 2009 Vuelta a Espana
2 Stage 2010 Giro d'Italia

A fast sprinter and the only man to beat Cavendish last year (see right in stage3 of the Tirreno- Adriatico). Will be well supported by his team mates, he has Julian Deane and Robbie Hunter who are both very fast to lead him out - he is a pure sprinter tho will will keep Cav on his toes -  But I doubt he will be beating him.

Prediction: 3rd / 4th

Le Tour de France - 2010

Here we are again, that time of year when the worlds greatest annual sporting event takes place.

This race is getting bigger and every year. The organisers have been continually tweaking the format, created brilliant stages and taken a tough stance on drugs. As a result we have had carefully constructed stages and with changes such as the removal of time bonuses things have been very tight - just ask Cadel Evans.  This year the Team Time Trial has been removed (again) and we have cobbled stages for the first time in years.  The race also marks the 100 year anniversary of the first mountain climbs in the tour so the route pays homage to that with some historic climbs.

The Route.

Starting in Rotterdam on July 3rd the Tour moves from Holland to Belgium and into France by the end of stage 4

This year the tour features:

2 Individual Time Trials (8.9km prolouge and 52km stage 19)
9 Flat Stages
4 Intermediate Stages
6 Mountain Stages (3 hill top finishes)

The year we again see a reduction in the amount of time trials.  With no Team Time Trial and only 61km of ITT it is the shortest amount of time trialing in the tour since World War II. Race organiser Christian Prudhomme is working to negate the advantage of the strong time trialers and reduce the gaps between the competitors - it really will come down to team tactics on the flat and intermediate stages and who is strongest in the mountains.

The first week of the Tour de France rarely sees major, race-deciding time gaps created between the overall contenders. But this year things could be very different because of the inclusion of cobbles on stage three in northern France and Belgium. Last year we saw the carnage that wind can bring to the peloton when Lance almost helped himself to a yellow jersey.  This year we go through the flat windswept Netherlands with thin roads that caused multiple falls int he Giro, then a sojourn into Belgium that will see the riders tackle cobble stones.

The Tour riders will have to race over a total of 13.150km of cobbles divided into seven sections, most of which are squeezed into the final 30km of the 213km stage from Wanze in Belgium, to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut. The stage finishes at the entrance to the legendary Forest of Arenberg section of cobbles that is used in Paris-Roubaix. Cobbles break bikes and break hearts.  Some overall candidates will be advantaged (Schleck) and others you would think you be at a disadvantage (Contador).

As Robbie McEwen has said "At Paris-Roubaix there is a natural selection of the rider who actually wants to ride on the pave and who knows how to ride on it. Then in the race there's the natural selection of the race too. At the Tour we'll have the classics riders wanting to win the stage, the overall contenders trying to make sure they don’t lose time and then all their domestiques, some who won't have a clue about the cobbles, doing everything they can to help them. It's going to be carnage."

You can be sure that this will be a first week different than normal.
 

The cobble stones awaiting the riders on the 2010 Tour.

As i said before the organisers have designed course that celebrates 100 years of 'high' mountains in Le Tour.

Back in 1910, when Tour director Henri Desgranges sent his assistant, Alphonse Stienes, to check out the climbs in the Pyrenees, it was mid-winter and the roads were choked with snow. Stienes crossed the Tourmalet, but on foot, late at night and when the search party found him the next morning and brought him to safety, he reported back to Desgranges that the climb was perfectly passable.

The first ever mountain stage was a 289km romp from Perpignan on the Mediterranean Sea to Luchon, including the Col du Port, Col du Portet d'Aspet and Col des Ares. After a rest day, that was followed by the 326km stage from Luchon to Bayonne on the Atlantic Ocean crossing the Col de Peyresourde, Col d'Aspin, Col du Tourmalet and the Col d'Aubisque. These four passes were nicknamed the "Circle of Death". Given the conditions of the roads and bicycles at the time, the named seemed completely appropriate.
Race organizers were interested in to see if any racer could ride over all four passes. Their question was answered when 1910 winner Octavio Lapize appeared near the top of the final climb, the Aubisque, pushing his bike. He famously shouted 'assassins' at the race organizers witnessing his plight.


To pay homage to those first two mountain stages, the race organizers have included all the critical elements of those historic routes. For 2010, stage 15 includes the Portet d'Aspet and the Col des Ares, but also adds the difficult Port de Bales before the fast, downhill run into Luchon after 187km of racing.
Stage 16 crosses the "Circle of Death" and finishes its 196km course in Pau. This is a supremely difficult stage, but it is 58km from the top of the Aubisque to Pau. Unless this stage is ridden at a moderate tempo, it is not likely that the overall contenders will have many teammates to neutralize any breakaways. Cooperation among competitors will most likely be required if anybody dangerous does get up the road.
These two stages highlight four tough days in the Pyrenees during the last week that will most undoubtedly shape the 2010 Tour much like the final week in the Alps in 2009. The upside is that those alpine stages last year provided almost endless drama and were in stark contrast to the first two weeks which could best be described as 'tactical.'  The early part of this years race should ensure that things heat up early.

The Competitors

Seven time winner Lance Armstrong saddles up again against dual winner and heir apparent Alberto Contador . Then there are the Schleck brothers Andy and Frank who worked so well against Astana last year. Andy went close but has returned this year with the race as his primary focus.  They are joined in the field by past TdF winner Carlos Sastre as well as multiple podium finisher and dual Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso (returns after a four year absence), dual Vuelta a Espana winner, Giro d'Italia winner and past podium finisher Denis Menchov, World Champion and twice runner up Cadel Evans, Andreas Kloden (who has also finished second here twice) Triple world TT champ Mick Rogers, past podium finishers Alexander Vinokourov and Levi Leipheimer, last years revelation Brad Wiggins and a host of young guns like Kreuziger, Nibali and Gesink looking to make their mark.

Mark Cavendish is set to resume hostilities with Thor Hushovd who won the green jersey in controversial circumstances last year, and Tyler Farrar who has been the in form sprinter this year to date.


Over the next week, Mattopia will preview all the teams, the leading contenders for each jersey, the Aussies and of course we will have a stage by stage preview with results.

Check back daily as the build up to the tour begins!

The Re-Launch......... (here comes Le Tour!)

So those of you who actually read (or have read in the past) this web site will know that it started life as a Tour de France blog which was transferred from another forum where it had run for years.  Although initially aspiring to be nothing other than a TdF blog, boredom got the better of me and Mattopia became a fairly uninspiring and very irregular sports blog.

But........

It is Tour de France time and we are back!  No longer will these pages be filled with the drivel, dribbles and dreams of a bored and slightly deranged want to be journalist, it will just be a cycling blog. We lazy contributors have moved on, the garbage has gone (almost) and we are dedicated to making this the premier Tour de France blog. (and bike racing in general - they do have bike races all year you know.)
Well the best one that you read anyway.

So from henceforth we will return to our roots, we will cover the classics and the grand tours (with a TdF focus) and of course this years world champs from Australia.  So come one, come all, tell your friends and your family. Tell all those cycling experts who exclusively follow the Tour and no other cycling for the rest of the year. Let them know that we are the best source of news, views, opinions and reviews - and we are more than happy to let anyone take the credit for our hard work, so you can appear like to be a veritable walking encyclopedia on European cycling.  A slightly cynical encyclopedia never the less but an good one!

Follow Mattopia on Facebook or Twitter (soon).

The 2010 Tour de France Preview starts............

Now.