2020 Tour de France Race Preview
The details of this year's 2020 Tour de France are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The peloton rolls into Nice for the start of what promises to be one of the most eagerly anticipated editions of the Tour de France in recent memory. After being postponed from its traditional July slot due to the global pandemic, cycling's greatest race finally gets underway in September, bringing with it an entirely different set of conditions, with cooler temperatures and unpredictable weather likely to play a significant role as the race heads into the mountains.
All roads lead to one question: can anyone stop Egan Bernal? The young Colombian arrived in France as the defending champion following his stunning victory in 2019, but there are serious questions about his form and whether his back issues have fully resolved themselves. His Team Ineos outfit, recently rebranded from Team Sky, will be looking to add yet another yellow jersey to their remarkable collection, though the squad around Bernal looks somewhat thinner than in previous years following the departures of Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome.
The man most expected to challenge is Primoz Roglic of Jumbo-Visma. The Slovenian has been in imperious form throughout the year and arrives as many people's favourite. Sharp, aggressive and an exceptional time trialist, Roglic has shown the consistency and hunger of a rider ready to claim his first Tour title. His teammate Tom Dumoulin, returning after a lengthy injury absence, adds further firepower to what looks like the strongest team in the race.
Thibaut Pinot carries the hopes of the French nation once again, though his record of heartbreak at this race is well documented. The Groupama-FDJ climber possesses the ability to win on any given mountain stage, and if he can stay healthy and avoid the misfortunes that derailed his 2019 campaign, he could be a genuine contender for the final podium in Paris.
Nairo Quintana makes a notable switch to Arkea-Samsic and will be determined to remind the world of his considerable talents after a difficult few seasons. The Colombian climber has the pedigree and the motivation, and the parcours this year, with its emphasis on high mountain finishes, could suit him well.
Defending champion aside, perhaps the most intriguing storyline surrounds Guillaume Martin of Cofidis, the philosophy graduate who writes fiction in his spare time and is quietly building a reputation as one of the more cerebral and capable stage racers in the peloton. He will not win the Tour, but he could be a wonderfully disruptive presence throughout.
The route itself offers an abundance of drama. The race begins along the Mediterranean coast before heading through the Massif Central and then into the Alps and Pyrenees. There are uphill finishes aplenty, a handful of punishing mountain passes, and time trials that will test the resolve of every general classification contender. The final week in particular looks brutal, with back-to-back mountain days likely to decide the outcome before the traditional procession into Paris.
The sprinters will have their opportunities early, and expect Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett, and Wout van Aert to contest those flat finishes with real intensity. Van Aert in particular, riding for Jumbo-Visma, is a man for whom the term versatile seems entirely inadequate, capable of winning on terrain that ranges from flat coastal roads to steep Alpine ascents.
Three weeks of racing, more than three thousand kilometres, and an entire sport holding its breath after months of uncertainty. Whatever happens on the road between Nice and Paris, this Tour de France feels like something the sport genuinely needed.
Get our full coverage of the Tour de France and every race we cover with our mobile app! The apps have over 100 additional exclusive features, including our award-winning Time Machine feature that lets you pause/rewind/replay the entire app to sync with delayed race video, integrated Fantasy Cycling, push notifications, an integrated news feed, live GPS tracking, world-class commentary, and our animated interactive maps and profiles.
