Cycling: With Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, two riders seem almost certain to be on the podium in the Tour de France – even though it hasn't even started yet. The challengers of the two top favorites are often forgotten. So today we're looking at all those who could surprise at the Tour de France 2023 - or at least want the last place on the podium in Paris.
A bitter fight for the podium
Within the Tour de France 2023 all expect a duel between jonas vingegaard (Jumbo – Visma) and Tadej pogacar (UAE). But what if neither the Dane nor the Slovenian can build on the expected performance? Which driver could then suddenly slip into the role of favourite? Even if the two top favorites call everything, there is still a place on the podium in Paris. That's why many drivers fight. As the winner of the Giro d'Italia 2022 is ahead of all Jay Hindley (Bora – hansgrohe) to name. But also the Spaniard Enric Mas Nicolau (Movistar), the Frenchman david gaudu (Groupama – FDJ), the Brit Simon yates (Jayco – AlUla) and the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (EF Education – EasyPost) should not be underestimated.
Jai Hindley (Bora – hansgrohe)
Hard to believe but Jay Hindley will ride a Tour de France for the first time in his life in 2023. The Australian has competed in the Giro d'Italia four times and in the Vuelta a Espana twice. He was particularly successful in Italy, finishing second overall in 4 and winning the title two years later. This season he decided not to compete in the Giro because he wants to try his luck in the Tour de France for the first time in his career. He enjoys the trust of his team and can build on a powerful squad. The only question is whether he himself has what it takes and above all the form to actually intervene in the fight for the podium. Because the 2 season has not really gone as planned for him so far. At the Tour Down Under, as well as at the Volta ao Algarve and Tirreno – Adriatico, he missed the leap into the top ten. But he finished eighth at the Tour of Catalonia and fourth at the Critérium du Dauphiné. He's still far from a Pogacar or Vingegaard, but he's steadily improved. And that applies not only to this season, but also to his career. The logical consequence would now be a top placement in the Tour de France 2020.
David Gaudu (Groupama – FDJ)
Anyone who finished fourth overall last year is automatically one of the favorites for the podium in Paris if last year's third overall was absent. But david gaudu has more to offer than that. At 26, the Frenchman is in the prime of cycling. In the shadow of Thibaut Pinot, he learned a lot and matured into a true leader. It also applies to him that he has continuously improved in recent years. If we count all ratings, he finished in the top ten a whopping 18 times this season. Only the dress rehearsal for the tour didn't go perfectly. Because at the Critérium du Dauphiné he only finished 30th. And he wasn't able to finish the Ardennes classics before that either. Nevertheless, he is trusted in the Groupama - FDJ team. In the end, the decision was made not to nominate Arnaud Démare in order to be able to concentrate fully on David Gaudu.
Enric Mas (Movistar)
Also for Enric Mas Nicolau things did not go according to plan at the Critérium du Dauphiné. The Spaniard was only 17. The parallels to David Gaudu in preparation are striking, because he was actually in good shape at the beginning of the season. He finished in the top six at the Ruta del Sol, Tirreno – Adriatico and the Tour of the Basque Country. As with the French, the Spaniard's stove was off when it came to the Criterium via the Ardennes classics. Enric Mas must also hope that he will find his form again before the start of the Tour de France, otherwise this Tour of France will also be a disaster for him. With fifth place like in 2020, a driver can no longer be satisfied with his qualities. At the local Vuelta a Espana he was already 3x overall second. It's time for the big hit in France.
Simon Yates (Jayco – AlUla)
With 14 Grand Tours in his legs Simon yates long an old hand. However, as he is only 30 years old, he will have another chance to finish the most important cycling race in the world on the podium at the 2023 Tour de France. So far, however, the Tour hasn't been his favorite race - at least not when he's been racing overall. In 2017 he finished seventh for the only time in the top ten. A year later he won the Vuelta a Espana and in 2021 he finished third overall at the Giro d'Italia. So he can still do it, as he was able to prove this season. Second in the Tour Down Under and fourth in Paris – Nice, he can look back on a successful start to the season. Stomach problems stopped him in his preparatory race in French-speaking Switzerland. These should probably no longer hinder him in the Tour de France. Rather, his team could become a problem, because there they mainly build on stage wins. It is quite possible that Simon Yates will go hunting for stages again and that he will once again not be very lucky in the overall ranking of the Tour de France.
Richard Carapaz (EF Education – EasyPost)
Also shows very changeable performances Richard Carapaz. Nevertheless, one statistic is particularly impressive: Since 2018, the Ecuadorian has always finished in the top four in at least one Grand Tour. In 2021 he finished third overall in the Tour de France - and it should be again this year. But the 2023 season has not been perfect for him so far. He was able to win the one-day Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes race, but apart from that Carapaz was just lagging behind. 51st in the Tour of Catalonia, a DNF in the Basque Country and 36th in the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is almost surprising that he was chosen by the team management for the Tour de France was nominated. The newcomer to the EF Education – EasyPost team will probably realize quite early on whether he can go for the overall ranking or whether he should rather go hunting for stages.