Cycling: There are four favorites for overall victory at this year's Tour of France. But with 198 starters, far more podium candidates come into question. Rarely do all the favorites make it through the three tough weeks healthy and in top form – and then the hour of the Tour de France underdogs comes.
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Vincenzo Nibali (Team Astana)
It's almost ironic when Vincenzo Nibali is called an outsider. After all, he has already won every Grand Tour at least once. In May of this year, the 31-year-old triumphed for the second time at the Giro d'Italia. In 2014 he won the Tour de France when Chris Froome and Alberto Contador retired injured, Nairo Quintana did not compete and Richie Porte was not focused on the general classification. With the Giro d'Italia in his legs, it will be very difficult for him to have a say in the Tour victory this year. But his team is strong, Nibali is a fighter and not even bad weather conditions or complicated descents can stop him. You should definitely have the Italian on the bill.
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Fabio Aru (Team Astana)
How strong Team Astana is can be seen from the fact that two drivers can be described as podium candidates. Fabio Aru will only be 2 years old on the 26nd stage of the Tour de France, but he has already achieved a lot in his relatively young career. Last year he was second at the Giro d'Italia and he won the Vuelta a España. It will be his first participation in the Tour de France and he will probably be able to contest the tour as captain. A statement by Alberto Contador after Aru's stage win at the Critérium du Dauphiné shows that the competition is also counting on Fabio Aru: "Of course he's a candidate for the Tour de France".
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Tejay Van Garderen (Team BMC)
The American Tejay Van Garderen has been named as one of the podium candidates every year since 2012 at the latest. So far he has not been able to achieve this goal on any Grand Tour. Twice he finished fifth in the Tour de France. In addition, he was able to win several stages in one-week tours and prove his talent. So far, however, there has been no big hit. Van Garderen is now 27 years old and after three unsuccessful attempts to nominate him as captain, Team BMC have now patched things up with Richie Porte. Van Garderen will therefore have to win the internal team fight first. Despite his stage win at the Tour de Suisse, it can be assumed that BMC will initially rely on Richie Porte.
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Alejandro Valverde (Team Movistar)
When talking about the most successful cyclists after the turn of the millennium, the name Alejandro Valverde should not be missing. The Spaniard has been active since 2002 and has been very successful in both one-day classics and tours. Since 2007 he has finished in the top 8 five times in the Tour de France, but it has never been enough for victory. That will probably not happen anymore either, because in the team hierarchy he is now clearly behind Nairo Quintana. This fact will probably also be decisive in determining whether Alejandro Valverde can make it onto the podium this year. If he has to do a lot of supporting work for Quintana then the competition will probably be too strong. However, if Quintana takes over the yellow jersey very late and Movistar will act with a double lead, then Valverde can slip onto the podium through any tactical constellations.
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Thibaut Pinot (Team FDJ)
Thibaut Pinot is the French fans' best hope again this year. The now 26-year-old's star blossomed in 2012 when he finished tenth straight away at the Tour. In 2014 he finished third on the podium. The French individual time trial champion has already had respectable results this season, winning the Critérium International and winning a stage each in the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Last year he won his first stage of the Tour. In any case, his goal is a top 10 placement, although under certain circumstances he could also have his sights set on the mountain jersey and a stage win.
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Romain Bardet (Team Ag2r)
In the past two years, Romain Bardet finished sixth and ninth in the top 10 overall. At the Critérium du Dauphiné, he proved that he was in good shape for the Tour de France. There he finished second overall behind Chris Froome. His Ag2r team will be fully focused on the overall standings and Bardet can count on notable support in Alexis Vuillermoz and Domenico Pozzovivo. Last year, the Frenchman not only won his first stage of the Tour de France, he was also awarded the red shirt number for the most combative rider in Paris. We can count on his attacks in the mountains again this year.
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Joaquim Rodriguez (Team Katusha)
At 37, Joaquim Rodríguez is the oldest rider with realistic ambitions for a top placing in the general classification. His palmarès is an excellent read. He won the UCI World Ranking in 2010, 2012 and 2013, the Flèche Wallonne in 2012 and the Tour of Lombardy in 2012 and 2013. In total, he has celebrated two stage wins at the Giro, nine at the Vuelta and three at the Tour de France in his career so far. This makes him one of the most successful riders of his generation, although he has not yet been able to achieve his goal of winning a Grand Tour. Eight top 5 placements speak a clear language for his consistency. At his current age, few expect the Spaniard to make it onto the podium this year, largely due to his poor performances of late. In the Tour of the Basque Country he was fifth overall and eighth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It can therefore be assumed that his team Katusha will mainly concentrate on the sprinter Alexander Kristoff.
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Warren Barguil (Team Giant Alpecin)
Warren Barguil is the clear favorite in the junior classification. The 24-year-old Frenchman finished 14th in last year's Tour de France, but finished eighth overall at the 2014 Vuelta. It can be assumed that his team Giant-Alpecin will rely on a double leadership, consisting of him and Tom Dumoulin. At the Tour de Suisse he took third place overall behind Angel Lopez and Ion Izagirre. Depending on how the first week of the tour goes, it would also be conceivable that Warren Barguil only goes hunting for stages or is aiming for victory in the mountains classification.
Many contenders for the 2016 Tour de France podium
In addition to our four top favorites for the Tour victory and the eight outsiders listed here, there are other interesting drivers. Note also the teammates of Chris Froome, Mikel Landa and Geraint Thomas, or the helpers of Alberto Contador, Rafal Majka and Roman Kreuziger. We can also be curious to see how Tom Dumoulin coped with his experience at the Giro d'Italia. Robert Gesink, Daniel Martin, Pierre Rolland, Andrew Talansky and Bauke Mollema are also aiming for a top 10 finish overall. In addition to the hunt for stage wins, one or the other driver could also jump out of the mountain jersey. Either way, an exciting fight awaits us - not only for the tour victory, but also for the places behind it. The top 10 of the Tour de France is an unforgettable accolade for every professional cyclist.
You can find even more information about the Tour de France 2016, the route, the TV broadcast times and much more on our overview page
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