Baggage and all, Froome is still the clear Tour de France favourite
There is plenty of drama already baked into the 2,082 miles of the Tour de France, from the mountainous sprints to the crashes and inevitable doping allegations. But before the Tour even begins Saturday in Noirmoutieren-l’Île, France, the story sure to dominate the race has emerged.
In a sport in which victors are viewed with cynicism and suspicion, the Tour’s three-time reigning champion, Briton Christopher Froome, will race under such skepticism. Froome tested positive for irregularly high levels of the asthma drug salbutamol last summer. A known asthmatic, Froome denied wrongdoing, and cycling’s governing body, the UCI, dragged its feet to rule on the case for so long that Tour officials discouraged Froome from starting.
But Monday, the UCI cleared Froome of charges, allowing him to participate in the Tour, where he will again be the favourite thanks to his all-around skill in the mountains and on the streets and cobblestone roads. His squad, Team Sky, has two “domestiques” Chris Froome of Britain is a four-time winner of cycling’s Tour de France.
(literal translation: servant riders, those responsible for helping the leader maintain the best position) strong enough to challenge for the yellow jersey if Froome slips.
The Favourites
The clear favourite is Froome, a four time tour champion and winner each of the past three years. Michal Kwiatkowski and Geraint Thomas, both also of Team Sky, could take over as the team’s leader if Froome isn’t at his best. Vincenzo Nibali, from the Bahrain-Merida team, is a top challenger. The Italian nicknamed “The Shark” is one of
seven riders ever to win all three of cycling’s grand tours. Popular Frenchman Romain Bardet will be the home fans’ favourite. He’s finished on the podium each of the past two years.
Riders to Watch
Nairo Quintana from Team Movistar is one of his team’s three co-leaders. If the 28-yearold Colombian doesn’t get off to a hot start, the team manager will look to Mikel Landa and Alejandro Valverde. Team Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin is also looking strong after winning the 2016 Giro d’Italia, openly criticized UCI’s actions regarding the Froome case Thursday. Taylor Phinney, Lawson Craddock, Chad Haga, Tejay van Garderen and Ian Boswell are the only five Americans in the field, but none are title contenders.