The week before the Tour De France is always an exciting week. However, there seems to be more than the usual pre-race discussions around the biggest bike race in the world.
So which race within a race are you looking forward to…
Pogacar ‘V’ Vingegaard
The battle for the Tour De France general classification should be a real tussle between Pogacar and Vingegaard. While Vingegaard has looked good in the lead up, Tadej Pogacar has been recovering from a fractured wrist which he sustained at Liege Bastogne Liege. However, there are several ‘notable possibles’ who could also figure on the podium, should the two favourites falter. These include; Egan Bernal, Ben O’Connor, Jai Hindley, Enric Mas, Tom Pidcock, Mikel Landa, Richard Carapaz and French hope, David Gaudu.
Cavendish ‘V’ Merckx
Can Mark Cavendish get the win to nudge ahead of Eddy Merckx for the all-time, stage win record? While we got a glimpse of vintage Cavendish brilliance on stage 21 of the Giro D’Italia, will he be able to win against the riders who didn’t ride in Italy, such as Caleb Ewan? With his mix of crafty-ness, experience and speed, you probably wouldn’t bet against him.
MVP ‘V’ WVA
While they are only separated in age by a few months, they are also pretty evenly matched in terms of cycling talent and major wins. The pair have generated a classic rivalry within bike racing. Because their on-going tally of wins is fairly evenly matched, the Matheui van der Poel and Wout van Aert show continues to add fuel to the volatile rivalry between cycling fans from Belgium and the Netherlands.
Pidcock ‘V’ ???
Tom Pidcock’s Tour De France debut in 2022 featured an inspired ride to victory on top of Alpe d’Huez. The fact that he was 16th overall, while supporting leader Geraint Thomas, would point to exciting possibilities from the Leeds rider. Dare we dream of the first English born Tour De France winner…
Van Vleuten ‘V’ Vollering
Last year’s Tour De France Femme provided a real showcase for Netherlands rider, Anniemiek Van Vleuten, to demonstrate her absolute domination in road cycling. The 2023 season has seen Demi Vollering ruling in the Classics, can she get the better of Anniemiek van Vleuten at the Tour De France Femme? This year’s 956k route starts in Clermont-Ferrand on July 23rd, should provide a tough test for the best riders in the world.
