There will be a new winner of this year’s Tour following the withdrawal of defending champion Egan Bernal ahead of stage 17 on Wednesday and it is difficult to look beyond Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic, who is looking to add to his Grand Tour success at last year’s Vuelta a Espana.
Team Effort Key to Roglic Success
Roglic, who is priced at 1/10 to win Le Tour, has been in possession of the yellow jersey since stage nine and he has consistently increased his lead at the top of the General Classification standings, with his advantage currently sitting at 57 seconds following stage 17.
The 30-year-old’s victory at the Vuelta showed he is more than capable of going the distance in the most gruelling of events and he showed no signs of fading when finishing second during Wednesday’s energy-sapping 170km mountain stage, which was from Grenoble to Meribel.
Of course, it is impossible to win a Grand Tour event without the support of a good team and that was particularly on show on Wednesday, as colleague Sepp Kuss stretched out the peloton during the final steep climb, which allowed Roglic to protect and ultimately extend his overall lead on nearest rival Tadej Pogacar to nearly a minute.
Lopez Underlines Podium Credentials
Astana rider Miguel Angel Lopez was the winner of stage 17 and that was not only his first stage victory at a Grand Tour event, but it also moved him up to third in the General Classification standings.
The Colombian certainly has what it takes to sustain his podium position for the rest of the Tour, as he finished third at both the 2018 Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana later that same year.
A genuine assault on Roglic’s lead at the top of the GC standings may be too far for Lopez this year, as he is one minute and 26 seconds behind the Slovenian and priced at 16/1 to claim the yellow jersey, but a podium placing seems a likelihood rather than just a hope for the 26-year-old.
Pogacar to Take Solace With Mountain Success
If anyone is to dethrone Roglic’s push for Tour de France glory this year then it is likely to be UAE Team Emirates rider Pogacar.
There is no doubting the qualities of the 21-year-old, who has already secured two stage victories on this year’s Tour off the back of his Young rider classification success at the 2019 Vuelta.
Pogacar appears to be a Tour de France champion in waiting, but this year may come too soon for the Slovenian, although he could take solace in finishing as King of the Mountains.
In a role reversal, Pogacar is currently three points clear of Roglic in the Mountains Classification, while Lopez is a further 12 points back.
Winning the polka dot jersey would certainly be an achievement for Pogacar and he is priced at 20/31 to do just that, while he is almost certain to be the best Young Rider at this year’s Tour, as he holds a lead of two minutes and 35 seconds in that category from Enric Mas of Movistar.
*All odds correct at time of writing