Cycling: The Tour de France 2020 seems open like never before. With Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas, 5 of the 7 last tour winners are missing. We introduce you to the favourites.
Primoz Roglic: Suddenly he's the top favourite
If we look back two years, we would have the name Primois Roglic (Jumbo – Visma) certainly not on the bill. But anyone who followed the restart after the Corona break cannot avoid the Slovenian. The former ski jumper drove the competition to the ground. He won the Tour de l'Ain. And honestly, the same would have happened at the Critérium du Dauphiné if he hadn't fallen. It's not just his successes that speak for him, the manner in which he wins is particularly impressive. Without recognizing any effort, he simply left the best climbers in the world standing uphill. In addition, there is an enormously strong team Jumbo – Visma. So who should stop Primoz Roglic? The only counter-argument is the Slovenian's early form. Can someone who already dominates the races at the beginning of August achieve their best performance by the end of September? Actually, this is rather unlikely - and that's exactly what this one does Tour de France 2020 so exciting.
Egan Bernal: The defending champion is under pressure
Actually, the now 23-year-old should be completely relaxed and content. Egan Bernal (Ineos) won the last year Tour de France as the first South American. His internal team competitors - Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas - were not nominated for the 2020 Tour de France. The Colombian enjoys the sole captaincy. But that could be a problem. Because now the eyes are only on him. As the clear number one in the team and as the defending champion, all spectators expect another triumph. Can Egan Bernal withstand the pressure? One thing is clear: the lack of a flat time trial is to his advantage and just a few months ago he seemed almost unbeatable in the mountains. If Roglic's shape curve goes down and Bernal goes up, the tour victory is only about him.
Thibaut Pinot: The whole of France is keeping their fingers crossed for him
"If he had made it to Paris, he would have won the Tour de France." This sentence about Thibaut Pinot (Groupama – FDJ) comes from Tour winner Egan Bernal. We all remember the stirring scenes when Thibaut Pinot tearfully climbed into the Groupama – FDJ team car. His disappointment was obvious and almost every spectator suffered with him - and with a whole nation. Because the French are still waiting for the next local tour winner since Bernard Hinault in 1985. This triumph is now so long ago that almost no active professional cyclist was in the world at that time. It is all the more tragic that Thibaut Pinot, probably the strongest driver, had to give up injured last year. Everything should be better this time. The 30-year-old finally wants to achieve the really big triumph. Thanks to the lack of a time trial, the course seems made for him. If he has timed the build-up perfectly, anything is possible.
Tadej Pogacar: Hardly anyone has him on the bill
Only since 2019 is Tadej pogacar (UAE) active as a professional cyclist. He left a lasting impression right in his first races. Since then, the Slovenian has improved almost every month. The culmination? 3rd place and two stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana last year. At the 2020 UAE Tour, he won a stage and finished second overall. Tadej Pogacar is rightly named as a co-favourite, even if most experts do not count him among the top favourites. But that could play into his hands.
Emanuel Buchmann: Only the fall raises doubts
Of course you can Emmanuel Buchman (Bora – hansgrohe) are not missing from the list of top favorites for the tour win. Since Jan Ullrich, the chances for the Germans have not been so great. The development of Emanuel Buchmann leaves no other conclusion, so to speak. Since 2019 things have been going uphill at a rapid pace. This season he won the Trofeo Tramuntana before the Corona break. He also presented himself in top form at the Critérium du Dauphiné. Tour winner Egan Bernal left the Ravensburger mostly. He kept up with Primoz Roglic for a long time. The only question is how well Emanuel Buchmann recovered from his fall and whether his form was not endangered as a result. If everything fits together perfectly, Emanuel can hop onto the podium and possibly even fight for the tour win.
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