Who are the biggest hitters in the world’s biggest bike race? Read on to find out who’ll be lighting up the French roads this year
JONAS VINGEGAARD Jumbo-Visma | 26 | Den 2023 wins - 9
Three stage races and two wins before the Dauphiné this year, but what that doesn’t tell you is that he was beaten by a flying Tadej Pogačar at Paris-Nice. Vingegaard couldn’t keep up with the Slovenian in France this March, but at the Gran Camiño and Tour of the Basque Country no one could keep up with the Dane as he recorded three stage wins and the overall in both, including a time trial. Vingegaard might be the best climber in the peloton right now, but he’ll need more than that to top the podium this year.
TADEJ POGAČAR UAE Emirates | 24 | Slo 2023 wins - 12
Tadej Pogačar wants his Tour title back and raced through the early part of the 2023 season as if to punish the peloton for his loss last July. His 19 race days up to and including Liège where he crashed out resulted in 12 wins and he was only outside of the top 10 on five occasions. He is the only rider in the peloton, perhaps in the last 40 years, who can win against anyone, over any terrain and from 50km out. He beat Vingegaard at Paris-Nice with ease and starts the Tour as the favourite.
WOUT VAN AERT Jumbo-Visma | 28 | Bel 2023 wins - 1
No, that’s not a typo. One of the most talented riders of the current generation has only taken one win all season. A long, hardfought CX season seemed to have dulled the Belgian’s speed earlier this year but we expect him to come out all guns blazing for the Tour. His lack of results will have given him all the inspiration he needs to get his Tour prep spot on and having spent the whole of April and May bikepacking and training at altitude away from the spotlight, we expect him to once again light up the race.
MATHIEU VAN DER POEL Alpecin-Deceuninck | 28 | Ned 2023 wins - 2
If you’re only going to take two wins all spring then you might as well make them big ‘uns. That’s what MVDP did, taking the spoils at two Monuments -Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix. Second places at the Tour of Flanders and E3 weren’t bad either. With no racing in April or May this year the Tour peloton needs to start worrying about how hard MVDP is planning on making this year’s race.
TOM PIDCOCK Ineos Grenadiers | 23 | GBR 2023 wins - 2
A win at Strade Bianche followed by a disappointing Tour of Flanders (in part down to a concussion enforced lay-off) followed by an excellent Ardennes campaign confirmed Pidcock is still on the way up, even if he wasn’t as consistent as he’d hoped for. He enjoyed more success during his return to the mountain bike scene and then completed his TdF
