![]() ![]() Sagan, too, will be angling for one final coup at the Tour. Without the “Wolfpack” leading him out, Cavendish will have a rough go, but as everyone agrees, never count out Cavendish. Throughout the Giro, he was forced to freelance the sprints and even counted on former teammate Geraint Thomas from Ineos Grenadiers to lead him out in Rome in the Giro’s final stage. Granted, Merckx also won mountain stages, time trials, and a record-tying five yellow jerseys, yet Cavendish’s track record even if his Tour wins all came in bunch sprints cannot be discounted.Ĭavendish victory during the Giro d’Italia last month is a preview of what he’s likely going to face during the Tour de France. Tied with Eddy Merckx at 34 stage victories, the 38-year-old sprinter needs one more stage win to set an all-time Tour stage-win mark. All three were central characters in every narrative of the Tour over the past decade or more.Įach will be chasing one last hurrah on cycling’s biggest stage.Ĭavendish, of course, is racing for history. Peter Sagan, Mark Cavendish, and Thibaut Pinot are all expected to race their final Tour. Some of the peloton’s biggest names will be racing their final edition of the “grand boucle,” and the race will serve as a three-week-long parade for riders who marked a generation. Last dance: Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan, Thibaut Pinot, Greg Van Avermaet This season’s been a long goodbye for Peter Sagan. Up until now, luckily he’s never seriously been injured, and no one knows how a rider will react on the comeback trail. Pogačar will also be racing into the unknown during this Tour. ![]() The climb-heavy course also favors Jonas Vingegaard. One or two percentage points off peak form is often the difference between victory and the top-5. ![]() Though he’s never far from top fitness, and even though the forced training break due to injury came at a time when he was going to have some down time after lighting up the classics anyway, any injury stop can have some unforeseen implications. Perhaps less worrisome but still a concern will be Pogačar’s form at arrival. Steering, climbing, descending, and braking put tremendous pressure on the hand and wrist, and the lumpy first week will quickly reveal if Pogačar will have any race-threatening difficulties. Doctors will be cautious not to put Pogačar in a dangerous position, but the steep and rough Basque Country hill country is far from an ideal way to start the Tour. The biggest question mark is whether or not he can handle the punishing stresses of racing. Pogačar is back on the road for training, and team trainers told Velo’s Jim Cotton that they expect the Slovenian, still only 24, to be able to bounce back from the injury. It’s all but certain Pogačar will race, but doubts linger both about how his broken hand and wrist suffered at Liège-Bastogne-Liège will impact his ability to race, and of his overall fitness. Yet one month out of the Tour, there are major question marks on which version of Pogačar will show up in Spain’s Basque Country. The route, on paper at least is tailor-made for the two-time winner. On paper, this Tour de France looks like UAE Team Emirates might have had a hand in designing the course. (Photo: DAVID PINTENS/Belga/AFP via Getty Images) Questions about Pogačar: Which version will show up? Pogačar’s been unbeatable this season until injury cut his spring campaign short. Here are five story lines that will make the 2023 Tour stand out: 1. The 2023 Tour starts July 1 in Bilbao, and ends July 23 in Paris. Teams’ fortunes ride on being at the start line, riders sacrifice for months to be at the razor-thin line in the quest for elusive form, and a stage win, a spell in the yellow jersey, or a spot on the top-three final podium on the Champs-Élysées can catapult anyone into the stratosphere. Every July, the sporting world turns its gaze to France. The yellow jersey brings the mystique and prestige to engage the world’s media once each summer. Riders and teams are putting the finishing touches of their months-long quest to be “Tour thin,” and are bracing for elite men’s cycling’s biggest and most prestigious stage race.Įvery-day sports fans know it. It’s showtime, and the 2023 Tour de France is only one month away. The spring classics are already gathering dust in the history books. The Giro d’Italia is in the rearview mirror. ![]() Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! ![]()
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