2014 Tour de France Race Preview
The details of this year's 2014 Tour de France are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The 2014 Tour de France promises to be one of the most wide open editions in recent memory, with no single dominant favourite heading into the race and a host of contenders capable of standing on the top step of the podium in Paris three weeks from now.
The route this year begins in Yorkshire, England, marking a historic grand depart that has generated enormous excitement among British cycling fans still riding the wave of enthusiasm created by Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome in recent years. The opening two stages across the Yorkshire countryside are expected to produce a fast and furious bunch sprint before the race moves to Cambridge and then London, giving the sprinters a chance to shine before the real battle begins on French soil.
Speaking of Froome, the reigning champion arrives at the race under something of a cloud after a difficult spring that included illness and an early exit from the Giro d'Italia. The Kenyan-born Briton remains a serious contender given his extraordinary talent for time trialling and climbing, but questions about his current form mean he cannot be considered the clear favourite he might otherwise have been.
Alberto Contador is many people's pick for overall victory. The Spaniard showed tremendous form at the Giro, winning that race in dominant fashion, and arrives in Yorkshire with momentum and confidence. Successfully completing both the Giro and the Tour in a single season would be a remarkable achievement, and history suggests the physical demands of such an attempt have broken many riders before the final week, but Contador has always been a man to defy conventional wisdom.
Nairo Quintana of Colombia is perhaps the most exciting prospect in the peloton. The young climber from Movistar finished second behind Froome in last year's race and won the polka dot jersey and white jersey in the process. His ability in the mountains is genuinely breathtaking and if the race comes down to a battle on the highest cols, few would bet against him. His weakness, if he has one, is the time trial, where he tends to lose ground to the pure specialists.
Alejandro Valverde gives Movistar a powerful second option and the team could well deploy a twin-leader strategy that puts enormous pressure on rival squads. Valverde is one of the most consistently excellent riders of his generation and has the experience and tactical intelligence to exploit any weakness in the opposition.
Vincenzo Nibali of Astana is another man who cannot be overlooked. The Italian is a genuine all-rounder, capable of time trialling, climbing and descending with equal ferocity, and he has shown repeatedly that he can perform on the biggest stages.
The sprinters will have their moments too, with Marcel Kittel looking to build on a stunning debut Tour last year, while Mark Cavendish will be desperate to remind the world of his speed after a difficult Giro. Peter Sagan will be ever present in the sprint finishes and the intermediate sprints as the Slovak showman hunts for his fourth consecutive green jersey.
The route features a brutally demanding final week with multiple summit finishes in the Alps, including a return to Alpe d'Huez and a fearsome stage to Hautacam in the Pyrenees. There is also a time trial on the penultimate day that could yet prove decisive. Whoever lifts the trophy on the Champs Elysees will have earned it the hard way.
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