EXPERT OPINION

What’s your podium?

Froome. I’m hoping that Dumoulin will be close enough, even notwithstanding the dearth of TT kilometres, that Froome has to be as tactically adventurous as he was in the 2018 Giro, but that won’t be Plan A. My heart says Bardet or Pinot for third, but my head says it’ll probably be Thomas or Bernal.

Who else wll be in the top 10?

Kruijswijk and Quintana should grind their way round. Pinot is due a good Tour, Adam Yates and Dan Martin will be the focal points of their teams’ GC challenges. Fuglsang is having a great year and some weird kind of cycling journalism muscle memory makes me think Richie Porte should also be up there.

Who will be the surprise GC package?

Bora-Hansgrohe have got a few young stage racers on the verge of coming into their own. Emanuel Buchmann and Patrick Konrad could quietly make the top 10. Pierre Latour will be on domestique duty, but is worth a top 10.

Which sprinter will dominate?

Dylan Groenewegen is solid as a rock. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t pick up at least two stages. Gaviria is more sparkling, but also inconsistent, though if he and Alexander Kristoff can work out which stages suit whom, they’re a formidable double act.

Who will win the other jerseys?

Even a Sagan as undercooked as the one we’ve seen this year should still win green. Bernal will win white, and won’t be far off the yellow. Alaphilippe looked like he enjoyed being last year’s King of the Mountains, and I imagine he’ll enjoy being this year’s as well.

What do you think of the route?

The Planche des Belles Filles and Saint-Étienne stages look gnarly. The big mountain stages will cement the GC, however. They’re set up for the strong teams, are all backloaded and favour catenaccio rather than long-range enterprise, though I’d love to be proved wrong.

What will be the tactical narrative?

The strength in depth of Ineos will be the central, unavoidable fact. They arguably have three of the top five or six grand tour riders in the world.

What else are you looking forward to?

Fingers crossed for a soap opera at Ineos as Froome and Thomas’s inner chimps realise that this might be each rider’s last chance of a Tour win.