Tadej Pogacar is favorite again to win the Tour de France. But there are far more drivers among the favorites than the young Slovenian.
Tadej Pogacar:
In winter, Ralph Denk still had hope. “So I thought, let’s see how he does on cobblestones and wind edges. Maybe he’s vulnerable there,” said the boss of the German team Bora-hansgrohe of the dpa. Then the Slovenian overdriver Tadej Pogacar almost won the Tour of Flanders and Denk knew he could do it too. Pogacar has competed in three tours so far this year and won them all. The 23-year-old also won the Strade Bianche gravel race as a soloist and was among the frontrunners at Milan-Sanremo and in Flanders. Pogacar can really only defeat itself.
Primoz Roglic:
The former ski jumper has been chasing the tour victory for a long time, sometimes landing rough. In 2020, Pogacar drove his compatriot out of the yellow jersey on the penultimate stage. Last year, Roglic fell early, never recovered from his numerous injuries and gave up. The 32-year-old recently won the difficult Dauphiné tour and has the strongest team. He will need them against Pogacar.
Jonas Vingegaard:
The Dane is the crown prince in Primoz Roglic’s Jumbo Visma team. When the star left last year, Vingegaard was on hand. The 25-year-old not only finished second, but briefly outperformed Tadej Pogacar with an attack on Mont Ventoux. No driver had ever managed that before. The start in his native Denmark will inspire him, but at some point the team has to decide between Roglic and Vingegaard.