1 ALEJANDRO VALVERDE MOVISTAR

At the age of 37, the Spanish rider is not showing any signs of slowing down, with possibly his best ever season. It’s been extraordinary. Not only has he won 11 races, including two Classics and two WorldTour stage races, he has been in the top 20 of every race and stage he has contested, save for the Trofeo Palma at the end of January, which was a bunch sprint.

Wins in the Vuelta a Murcia and Ruta del Sol were no great surprise. He did take some notable scalps in the latter race, including Alberto Contador and Thibaut Pinot, but it was his fifth win in the race in six years. However, he beat a lot of Grand Tour contenders in Catalunya and the Basque Country and it’s interesting that Contador was the runner-up each time. Furthermore, in Flèche Wallonne and Liège, he was unbeatable and confident. He’s now won Flèche four times in a row (five times in total) and Liège four times in total. His invincible form has got excited pundits asking whether he can mount a challenge at the Tour de France. With his team leader Nairo Quintana tackling a complex Giro-Tour double, and the memory of his third place overall in 2015 fresh in his memory, Valverde won’t be lacking confidence, and even opportunity.

Valverde has been in the top 20 of every race he has contested, save one