Tour De France 2012 Preview: Yellow Jersey

Yellow Jersey  (* team-mate- only have GC chance if leader struggles)

The yellow jersey is given to the rider who finishes the whole Tour De France in the lowest accumulative time. The rider who wins it has to be a good climber, decent on the flat and a strong time triallist- master of all trades. This year, two big protaganists in Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador miss out on competeing- making the race more wide open. Each of the contenders will be marked out of 15 on climbing, time trialling and team with a mark out of 5 given for form

KEY

35-50= Main Protagonist

20-34= Top 10 contender

19 or lower= No real hope of top placing

Cadel Evans

Climbing Ability 13/15 

Time Trial Ability 12/15

Team 13/15

Form 5/5

Overall 43/50

Bradley Wiggins

Climbing Ability 12/15

Time Trial Ability 14/15

Team 14/15

Form 4/5

Overall 44/50

Vincenzo Nibali

Climbing Ability 13/15

Time Trial Ability 12/15

Team 11/15

Form 3/5

Overall 39/50

Jurgen Van Den Broeck

Climbing Ability 13/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 10/15

Form 4/5

Overall 37/50

Jean-Christophe Peraud

Climbing Ability 9/15

Time Trial Ability 12/15

Team 9/15

Form 1/5

Overall 31/50

Janez Brajkovic

Climbing Ability 8/15

Time Trial Ability 12/15

Team 10/15

Form 4/5

Overall 34/50

Alexandre Vinokourov

Climbing Ability 10/15

Time Trialling Ability 10/15

Team 10/15

Form 1/5

Overall 31/50

Rein Taaramae

Climbing Ability 11/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 8/15

Form 2/5

Overall 31/50

Samuel Sanchez

Climbing Ability 13/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 10/15

Form 2/5

Overall 35/50

Thibaut Pinot

Climbing Ability 10/15

Time Trial Ability 7/15

Team 8/15

Form 4/5

Overall 29/50

Ryder Hesjedal

Climbing Ability 12/15

Time Trial Ability 12/15

Team 12/15

Form 4/5

Overall 40/50

Tom Danielson

Climbing Ability 9/15

Time Trial Ability 9/15

Team 12/15

Form 4/5

Overall 34/50

Denis Menchov

Climbing Ability 13/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 9/15

Form 3/5

Overall 35/50

Michele Scarponi

Climbing Ability 10/15

Time trial Ability 7/15 

Team 9/15

Form 3/5

Overall 29/50

Alejandro Valverde

Climbing Ability 12/15

Time Trial Ability 9/15

Team 10/15

Form 4/5

Overall 35/50

Juan Jose Cobo Acebo

Climbing Ability 11/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 10/15

Form 0/5 

Overall 31/50

Levi Leipheimer

Climbing Ability 11/15

Time Trial Ability 13/15

Team 8/15

Form 4/5

Overall 36/50

Peter Velits

Climbing Ability 10/15

Time Trial Ability 11/15

Team 8/15

Form 3/5

Overall 32/50

Peter Weening

Climbing Ability 10/15

Time Trial Ability 8/15

Team 2/15

Form 4/5 

Overall 24/50

Robert Gesink

Climbing Ability 12/15

Time Trial Ability 11/15

Team 13/15

Form 4/5

Overall 40/50

Steven Kruijswijk*

Climbing Ability 10/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 13/15

Form 4/5

Overall 37/50

Bauke Mollema*

Climbing Ability 11/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 13/15

Form 3/5 

Overall 37/50

Frank Schleck

Climbing Ability 14/15

Time Trail Ability 7/15

Team 13/15

Form 3/5

Overall 37/50

Christopher Horner

Climbing Ability 12/15

Time Trial Ability 9/15 

Team 13/15

Form 3/5 

Overall 37/50

Andreas Kloden

Climbing Ability 10/15

Time Trail Ability 13/15

Team 13/15

Form 2/5

Overall 38/50

Maxime Monfort

Climbing Ability 9/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 13/15

Form 2/5

Overall 34/50

Jerome Coppel

Climbing Ability 11/15

Time Trial Ability 10/15

Team 10/15

Form 3/5

Overall 34/50

Christopher Froome*

Climbing Ability 11/15

Time Trial Ability 11/15

Team 14/15

Form 4/5

Overall 40/50

Pierre Rolland

Climbing Ability 11/15

Time Trial Ability 9/15

Team 9/15

Form 3/5

Overall 32/50

Wouter Poels

Climbing Ability 10/15

Time Trial Ability 8/15

Team 8/15

Form 4/5 

Overall 30/50

There are many riders in with a shout of a top 10 overall but only a handful who have the ability to take the win. I cannot see past Wiggins in his form but Evans, Gesink and Nibali will give him a big challenge

Tour De France 2012 Team Rosters: Movistar Team

 Movistar

Team Movistar ( formed in 1980 as Reynolds) is one of the oldest and most successful teams in the sport. They have achieved 12 GC victories in Grand Tours since their conception with 5 time Tour winner Indurain riding for them in the 1990’s. Now they have 2 former GC winners in Juan Jose Cobo and Alejandro Valverde in their team hoping for Tour success.

Juan Jose Cobo Acebo

Cobo had previously shown an average position in the Vuelta ( a 10th) before winning it last year to the shock of many. Cobo is a very accomplished rider who is a strong time triallist as well as a climber. He distanced Wiggins ( however, Wiggins  is now 50% stronger and in better shape for the Tour), Froome and Mollema on the Angliru- which is incredibly difficult. However, his main downfall is his unprdictability. After his 10th in the 2009 Vuelta was overshadowed by an awful 2010 where he did not score 1 CQ point! Some of this is through injury but most is through to awful form. His form has been almost as bad this season, with no result standing out as average- let alone good! Cobo is a top GC rider. However, that is the Cobo who won the Vuelta. This Cobo is out of shape and will be demoted to helping Valverde challenge than go it alone.

Imanol Erviti

Erviti is a very strong climber who will be key for the success of Valverde this Tour. He has been working hard for his team so results don’t really show how good he is and how hard he works. However, he will have to wait for a day where the peloton takes a day off (like Stage 10 of the 2010 Vuelta) to go for a win.

Rui Costa

As Costa gets older and more experienced, he continues to improve and pose himself as a big threat. Last season he won a stage of the Tour De France and the GP de Montreal but his main successes have come this year. He finished in the top 20 in the 3 Ardennes classics, 3rd in the Tour De Romandie (behind Wiggins and Talansky) and then winning the Tour De Suisse (beating Schleck in the opening mountain stage). Costa was not reguarly renowned as a top TT rider until this years Tour De Suisse where he put in a top draw 8th position. He could be a dark horse for the overall if Cobo and Valverde fail to show. Otherwise, a stage win could definetly be on the cards.

Jose Ivan Gutierrez

Gutierrez’s main strength has always been time trialling so is relishing this Tour with 101km of time trialling involved. He will be unlikely to challenge for victories on these stages but will undoubtedly aim for top 20 placings. On the rolling stages, he will also be utilised to assist Valverde on the earlier climbs and set him up in the punchy finishes. Gutierrez will be a crucial domestique for Movistar.

Vladimir Karpets

Karpets is a rider with a lot of untapped potential. Since winning the white jersey in the 2004, he has failed to grown into a real GC contender and has focused more on good TT performances. He has finished in the Top 10 in Grand Tours but more was expected from when he showed so much promise in early stage races. He has been utilised as a pure domestique this season and (results wise) is undergoing his worst season since going professional. However, he will be given a chance to attack in the Tour unless Valverde or Cobo end up leading the race.

Vasil Kiryienka

Kiryienka is another good time triallist for Movistar who will be aiming to help Valverde and attack for a stage win. He has previously won 2 Giro Stages and come second in a Tour stage in 2010; beaten by Paulinho in a sprint. Kiryienka can climb very well on his day and will hope to hold his form from the Dauphine that brought him 6th.

Ruben Plaza

Plaza is an interesting rider who has finished 5th in the Vuelta before but has no other notable GC results. He is ( again) a strong time triallist who sticks with the climbers in the mountains. He will be given a free role similar to Costa but may help Valverde if he is not feeling into attacking.

Jose Joaquin Rojas

Rojas will be the only sprint threat from Movistar but is an accomplished and a reliable one- being Cavendish’s main threat for the green jersey for most of last years Tour. Despite this, he has never won a Grand Tour stage but that could change this year with him on relatively good form. However, he will have to beat Sagan and Cavendish; which will be no mean feat.

Alejandro Valverde

Back after suspension and riding as well as ever. Winning the Tour Down Under, winning the Ruta del Sol, 3rd in Paris Nice and 9th in the Tour De Suisse show he is riding well and could be on for a Top 10 Tour spot. However, on his time off, he does seem to have lost a little punch on the climbs and a little bit of speed in the time trials. This may have been sacrificed for longevity of climbing but, if Valverde keeps his form; he can threaten.

Movistar have a very strong team which will help Valverde to a high GC position and almost undoubtedly a stage win or two in the process.