Tour de France | Copenhagen premiere, corona worries and Slovenian duel

The Tour de France is always hectic. A stage win for a rider can save a whole season for a team. Accordingly, there is a risk of mass falls again, especially in the sprint arrivals. The sprinters can hope for mass arrivals on the second and third stage in Denmark. Last year there had been a number of falls at the beginning. It also caught co-favorite Primoz Roglic, who later had to retire. But the drivers also take more risks on the descents. Who wants to lose the tour downhill? There are always dangers from the crowds of spectators. In 2021, Tony Martin was knocked off his bike by a cardboard sign.

The top favorite is again last year’s winner Tadej Pogacar. The 23-year-old, who won the last two editions, was in his usual strong form at his dress rehearsal when he won the Tour of Slovenia. His biggest challenger is likely to be compatriot Primoz Roglic, from whom he snatched the yellow jersey in 2020 in the highly dramatic time trial on the penultimate day in La Super Planche des Belles Filles. Roglic showed that he was well prepared with his victory in the Dauphiné Tour. Welshman Geraint Thomas could also play a good role. The 2018 winner, who is already 36 years old, won the Tour de Suisse just over a week ago.

There is no man for the general classification. The Giro seventh Emanuel Buchmann, who was even fourth overall on the tour in 2019, is not there and should attack again in the fall. Lennard Kämna, on the other hand, will probably start, the German time trial champion had already convinced with the stage win at the Giro. Nils Politt, who arrives in the championship jersey, is in strong form. The man from Cologne had already won a stage last year. Classics specialist John Degenkolb can raise hopes on the cobblestone stage to Arenberg. There is still a question mark behind Maximilian Schachmann after his positive corona test.

The big highlight is the twelfth stage, when it goes up to the cycling Mecca to Alpe d’Huez. With 4750 meters in altitude over the Col du Galibier, the Col de la Croix de Fer and the final climb to the ski station, the king’s stage offers a real climbing experience. Overall Six mountain finishes await the riders. But the tour also has a lot to offer in other respects. On the second and third stages, wind crests on Denmark’s coast could cause surprises. On the fifth stage, which ends at the entrance to the infamous Arenberg forest, that’s what awaits hard cobblestones in northern France.The overall winner should be known no later than on the penultimate day with the 40.7-kilometer individual time trial to Rocamadour.At the start, the first yellow jersey will also be awarded in the fight against the clock over 13.2 kilometers in Copenhagen.

ARD is on the air every day from around 4 p.m. during the decisive phase. Until ARD gets involved, live images can be seen on One and “sportschau.de” on the weekdays before. In addition, Eurosport broadcasts the stages of the tour.