After the frenzy of the NBA Finals, it’s now time to shift our attention to the biggest dance in the universe, the Tour de France. Sorry, without purple and gold in the NBA Finals, there was really nothing to enjoy. But I’d like to congratulate my good friend, Architect Bryan “Lebryant†Donasco, for sticking it through thick and thin for his man, Mr. James. If there is anyone I know who has suffered enough because of his total admiration of James, it’s Lebryant!
So forward to the Tour. A lot of fans will be experiencing a lack of sleep in the next 3 weeks due to the time differences here and in Europe, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s ok.As I have written the past few weeks, there are only two real contenders here, Chris Froome of team SKY and Alberto Contador of team SAXO-TINKOFF. Froome came close to winning the Tour last year and the Vueltaa Espana in 2011 and I believe that this Tour is his to lose. He has a well-oiled machine, which reminds me of the old US Postal/Discovery Channel days, which can control the race for three weeks.
Froome’s main rival, Contador, has won two Tours and stripped of another after testing positive for PED’s. But if the tune-up races were to be used as a guide, he was simply outmatched by the superior talent of Froome and his team.
Cadel Evans, Tejay van Garderen, Andy Schleck, and the rest of the usual suspects can take advantage of any situation that may occur but I doubt if they have the strength to topple the Brit or the Spaniard.
However, I have a dark horse, and that’s Rui Costa of team MOVISTAR. This Portuguese rider has shown that he can climb and can ride against the clock but he has never been tested in the grand tours. So, if someone can pull a surprise, Costa is my man.
For the sprinter’s green jersey, it will be a toss up between Mark Cavnedish, Andrei Greipel and the newest darling of cycling, Peter Sagan. Of the trio, I’ll go for Sagan. He can climb and can sprint. Last year, Sagan won the green jersey by a very wide margin.
The Wiggins intrigue
We all know by now that the defending tour champ, Bradley Wiggins, won’t be defending his crown due to “knee problemsâ€. Of course, it’s everybody’s knowledge that the team has anointed Froome to lead the team based on talent, potential and ability, which he has in greater amount than Wiggins at this point.
Last week, Wiggins added gas to the fire when he said that he was not prepared anymore to make sacrifices to make another run at the Tour at the expense of his family. He will also not be riding in the Vuelta, instead, he will focus on his home tour, the Tour of Britain and the World Championships. While the story may seem to appear that Wiggins has realized that his win was a fluke, it could also mean that he won’t be with team SKY next year. When you’re paid as a CEO, then your job is not to clean the floors.
Definitley, Wiggins will ride the Tour next year, but for another team. There are struggling teams with deep pockets who’ll believe that aWiggins in their line-up would mean a sure invite to ride the Tour. Remember, it’s only the Tour that can give a bang for the buck in terms of media mileage for the teams.