Cycling: The Tour de France and cycling in general are very different from other sports. There's a lot more than just one winner here. Not only Chris Froome (Sky) will have left Paris after the three-week Tour de France with a smile on his face. However, some drivers also had to accept disappointments. Introducing them - the 5 winners and 5 losers of the 2017 Tour de France.
Tour de France 2017: The big winner is Rigoberto Uran
The second is the first loser. There is hardly a more nonsensical expression. Because even if Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac) didn't win the Tour de France, he is undoubtedly one of the biggest winners of the last three weeks. The Colombian has been considered a potential Grand Tour winner for years, but he hasn't really been able to show it lately. His star rose in 2012 when he finished the Giro d'Italia in seventh place and won the junior classification. In the same year he secured the silver medal at the Olympic Games. In the two years that followed, he even finished second in the Tour of Italy. After that it went downhill. Only now was he able to get back to his old level of performance in the Tour de France. He won the ninth stage and was less than a minute behind Chris Froome at the end of the three weeks. Rigoberto Uran is to be expected again.
The other winners: Kittel, Matthews, Barguil & Boasson Hagen
Anyone who wins five stages in the Tour de France must definitely be counted among the big winners. Even if Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) unfortunately did not reach the finish in Paris, he was able to put his stamp on the tour. After his fall on the 17st stage the race was over for him and the dream of green was over. So you could call him the tragic hero of the 2017 Tour de France. One man's sorrow is another man's joy, because instead he was allowed Michael Matthews (Sunweb) drive in green to Paris. After two stage victories and many active participations in intermediate sprints, the Australian also deserved it. As does his teammate Warren Barguil (Sunweb) who also snagged two stages and won the mountain jersey. A huge comeback celebrated Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data). The Norwegian announced his victory at the 19st stage and two second places in bunch sprints. Finally!
The Tour de France jury is the big loser
There is no need to call a single rider the big loser at this year's Tour de France. Because the jury nominated itself for this title. In several cases, the Tour de France jury namely not a good picture. Already after fourth stage the jury went with the Disqualification of Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) on a confrontational course with experts and fans. Despite an objection from the team and plenty of TV evidence, the World Champion's suspension was pushed through. The fact that a Frenchman - namely stage winner Arnaud Démare (FDJ) - became the favorite on green can at best be described as coincidence. The fact that Dimension Data - sponsor of the team of crash victim Mark Cavendish - acts as a sponsor of the Tour de France also has a nasty aftertaste. The tour only harmed itself. The fact that some stages later fines and time penalties were imposed on various drivers, but were then withdrawn, fits in very well.
The other losers: Quintana, Pinot, Greipel & Bouhanni
In addition to the jury of the Tour de France, we were also disappointed by a number of well-known drivers. Above all, the two actually very strong classification drivers Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Thibaut Pinot (FDJ). Before the season, both pros wanted to cause a stir at the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. Ultimately, neither of them won a Tour. At the Tour de France, it wasn't even enough to win a stage. This actually speaks a positive language in relation to clean cycling, but they could have shown us something more. This also applies to the two sprint stars André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) and Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) to. In normal form they should at least be able to stand up to Marcel Kittel. But nothing has been seen in the past three weeks. In the end, Greipel and Bouhanni even lost to Démare and Groenewegen. That can happen, but the job of the sprinters is to win stages. So their teams Lotto Soudal and Cofidis are now unsuccessful.
