Who Will Win the 2010 Tour de France?
Who Will Win the 2010 Tour de France?
American interest in the Tour de France is waning with the career of their hero, Lance Armstrong. There was a time when everyone in America was wearing one of Lance’s yellow LIVESTRONG bracelets. Kids looked up to him. Americans who barely remember how to ride a bike mentioned him in lists of great American athletes. People actually watched a group of grown men riding around on bikes, on ESPN no less.
Not so much anymore. Whether because of the intrusion of the World Cup or an actual loss of interest in the Tour, it is difficult to find Tour coverage (or predictions) of more than just a few seconds on even the most extended cable networks.
Here, then, are five Tour athletes who have at least a decent shot of being Tour de France winners. Since the Tour de France has a huge pool of competitors and since it seems that every year we report on dozens of guys who have a shot, we’re focusing instead of five fan “favorites”. Will the winner come out of this pool? It is tough to say. The Tour de France is like no other athletic contest in that the winner is just as likely to be a dark horse no-name rider as one of the sport’s stars. A little bit of team analysis, past performances and titles, and good old gut feelings led us to these five riders.
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Brad Wiggins
Never heard of Brad Wiggins? Don’t feel bad; you’re not alone. But we say that Brad Wiggins is a name to watch. He’s an up and comer with a great team backing him up. The Sky team will support the pride of Briton like no other team on the tour will support their leader. When you think of Britons at the tour, you may think of Cavendish, but trust us, the hills will once again take the wind out of Cavendish’ sails. The time trial favors Brad Wiggins in every way, and while riders like Cavendish will go into the trial winded by the past three weeks of hard work, Wiggins will pull through. Why Wiggins? He has so much to prove. He’s new to team leadership, and anyone who knows cycling well remembers Wiggins’ awesome performances at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics. Olympic champions are hard to beat.
Cadel Evans
Australian Cadel Evans comes into the Tour on a strong BMC team. Evans has had plenty of heartbreak with poor teams in the past (look at the close calls in the Tour from 2006-2008 to see how a bad team can stunt a surefire winner) but BMC will not be to blame if Evans doesn’t win big this year. Poor team time trial showings kept Evans from winning all three of those close calls. Don’t let naysayers tell you that Evans never attacks — point them toward the World Championship he won and wait for them to see one of the most beautiful attacks in cycling history. A slow start isn’t a problem for Evans either — he is at his best during week three, another hallmark of Tour winners. A bad Tour last year shouldn’t stand between him, his new team, and cycling glory. As goes his teammate George Hincapie, so goes Evans’ chance at winning it all in Paris.
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador is the Kobe Bryant of cycling. El Pistolero is the total athletic package and the world’s best cyclist right now. He is a natural, making the bike seem like an extension of himself. Contador has always been more than ready to show up the Lance Armstrongs of the world, and the Spaniard is still hands down the best in the business. And doesn’t he know it — if you look up arrogance in the English to Spanish dictionary, you’ll see a picture of El Pistolero with a nasty smirk on his face. Contador is the stereotypical “climber”, a term that Tour enthusiasts use to refer to an athlete who may not start strong but always finishes so. Want a cyclist who performs to the limit during time trials? Contador is your man. Where Contador could fail — stage three on the much hated cobbles. Should Contador see his way through the troubling third stage, go ahead and chalk him into the top three finishers. There’s no cyclist in the Tour that performs better out of the Alps. A glaring downside for Contador that must be mentioned is his team — Vinokourov is a problem in particular. Known as the maverick of the cycling world, “Vino” as his fans (he has fans?) call him will probably act out against Contador at some point. Remember, Team Astana is supposed to belong to Vino, not the arrogant Spaniard.
Frank Schleck
Tiny Luxembourg has much to be proud of in the Shleck brothers. Andy would have been a great pick for this year’s Tour if not for his terrible training accident. No, this year his brother Frank gets our nod for the most likely Darkhorse candidate for champion. Yes, Andy Schleck is the better climber, and climbing is crucial for a Tour victory, but Frank has something that his brother lacks — perfect cycling form. Watch the Tour to see if Andy is providing support for his brother — if you see Andry stepping up to the plate and giving selflessly, get excited about Schleck’s chances. As long as the brothers Schleck cooperate instead of gunning at each other for dominance, a Schleck should end up in the top three at Tour’s end.
Lance Armstrong
You knew he was going to make the list, didn’t you? After again announcing his retirement from professional cycling, Lance Armstrong could just win it all one more time. Lance has a full year of Tour preparation at his back, unless his injury shortened 2009 ride. Remember that Lance cycles mostly from the heart these days, and his heart has been challenged over and over again, both by people who dubt that he has the physical strength necessary to pull off a Tour win and by people who still insist he was guilty of massive blood doping. His rivalry with Spain’s El Pistolero is another motivating factor. Lance Armstrong, age aside, has the ability to rip the leading group up on any given race day. Not a pure climber, not a pure speed man, sometimes Armstrong’s hybrid strengths are the best match for the grueling Tour de France.
If you’re interested in sports, some of the following pages might also be of interest:
- 2010 Tour de France Predictions Discussion
- 2010 Tour de France Predictions at EatSleepBet
- Fantasy Football Tips
- Football Babble
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