Looking At 2021's Tour
As soon as the last rider had crossed the finish line on the Champs Elysees last year we were thinking about Le Tour 2021 and the battles that were going to unravel. So now the teams are picked, riders are riding their last training rides and the anticipation is unbearable.
This year's Tour is, as ever, looking like it's going to be jam packed with nail biting drama. There will be the continuation of last year's battle between Rog & Pog, whilst Ineos come with one of the most stacked GT teams we've seen in years. Thomas, Carapaz, Porte and Tao Geoghegan Hart are all worthy of grand tour wins in their own right.
Elsewhere the sprinters are just as exciting. Sagan continues to chase his illustrious 8th Green Jersey, whilst Cav makes his unexpected return to the Tour after some excellent early season form.
The French will be watching Alaphillipe like a hawk, whilst the Dutch will be setting their hopes on Mathieu Van Der Poel wearing the Yellow Jersey for at least one day.
All this comes with a brutal opening few stages in Brittany where we could see fireworks from the get go. This year's Tour is really shaping up to be the best in a while.
We had a team huddle and got all the hot tips for this year’s Tour De France from our TdF adicts:
Matt - Geraint Thomas
A rider who is always lurking and ready to win at any time! If he can keep upright then he’s a hot tip for this years tour. Ineos' team are arguably their strongest ever, so you would be silly not to pick a rider from their roster. I had the privilege of riding Geraint's 2020 F12 and if it's as fast as it made me feel then he’s going to be flying. You can read my blog on the F12 here and check out the last remaining Ineos frames we have in stock here.
Max - Primoz Roglic
After the disappointment of last year's tour and getting so close, Primoz will be fired up to go for the win this year. With a great start to the season he’s going to be right up there in the GC. Jumbo Visma are again filled with cycling royalty, Wout Van Aert, Steven Kruijswijk and Sepp Kuss to name just a few, on their day any of these riders could win a stage. The Cervelo S5 Discs they ride have always been a favourite of mine, the space age handlebars really are at the cutting edge of aero design, check out our stock of the S5 frames here.
James - Tadej Pogacar
As reigning champion Tadej Pogacar is going to be beaming with confidence. Can he follow up last year's performance? I think he can! Not the strongest team in the peloton but with his smart riding he could use the bigger teams to pull him around France to the victory. He suited the yellow jersey last year, so if we don’t see him in it at least once this time round I'd be very surprised. We currently have this Colnago V3RS Frame, the bike that propelled him to victory last year.
Josh - Mads Pederson (Sprints)
The big Dane is a favourite of mine at any race. He looks classy on a bike and is always ready to attack on his Trek Madone SLR. There is a strong field of sprinters this year so it will be tough, but I think he’s got it in him to get over the line first. The Madone is a stand out bike in the peloton, check out this Project One SLR we have in stock currently.
Hazel - Simon Yates
A home favourite for the tour, and he has a strong team behind him. They may not be one of the big favourites but this could play into their hands, letting the big guns do all the work and then pouncing just at the right time. Simon Yates is always there in the final selection in the high mountains so I look forward to seeing him attack off the front. Another bonus is those lovely Bianchi bikes they ride, the Celeste is an iconic colour, check out our Infinito XE.
And that’s it, the mountains await. In the end there will only be one winner!
