RIDERS TO WATCH

Aleksandr Vlasov

The Russian climber, 24, won three races in his first season in the top flight and notched up a string of top 10s, including third at Il Lombardia. 11th in the Vuelta shows huge GC potential.

Alexey Lutsenko

His win on stage 8 of the Tour, from an A-list breakaway, showed the Kazakh’s credentials perfectly. Strong and powerful on the flat, but equally able to climb, the 28-year-old is a classic all-rounder.