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: Omega Pharma-Quickstep

 Omega Pharma-Quick Step

Omega Pharma-Quickstep had a disappointing Tour De France last year with no challenger for a stage win at all- no real great focus with the only highlight being Kevin De Weert finishing 12th. This year their team is so much stronger and will contend for stage wins and the GC with their team leader.

Levi Leipheimer

Leipheimer shrugged off any rumours that his injury was hindering him in the Tour De Suisse by coming 3rd overall. This came after a 6th in the Tour of California and a win in the Tour De San Luis. He could be a big threat to Wiggins and Evans due to his pute time-trialling speed and his top climbing ability. His TT ability will challenge Evans but  probably won’t beat Wiggins. Leipheimer could be a real dark horse.

Sylvain Chavanel

Chavanel is the current French Time Trial champion and also a good climber on the short punchy ascents. He will really challenge Gilbert on stages such as stage 1 and stage 3 and also contend for a top 10 in the time trials. He will be a big threat here and undoubtedly  ride to his best.

Kevin De Weert

The shining light of Quickstep’s Tour last season- the only rider to get an average result. However, this year he has really struggled to get results and will need a real upturn in form to repeat his 12th of last year. Furthermore, he will likely be a domestique in the mountains to Leipheimer and give him all he has got.

Dries Devenyns

Devenyns is a rider who can climb the hills well but also rides well on the cobbles. However, he can also climb up the big mountains and will be a big help to Leipheimer in the mountains. He may even attack on a stage (like the stage from Pau) where there is a lot of climbing but no summit finish. He may be a shock threat.

Bert Grabsch

Grabsch has been one of the best time-triallist in the world for 10 years. He won the world TT championship in 2008 and has consistently threatened Cancellara since then. He has recently had his German TT championship title taken away from him by Tony Martin (his team mate). He will be a key man on the flat as he can ride at a pace for km after km. A top 20 threat in the time trials and a key man for the sprints and crosswind affected stages.

Tony Martin

Martin took his first World TT championship last season in addition to winning the time trials in the Tour de France and the Vuelta. He has not been as unbeatable this season but has still been a force to be reckoned with- coming 2nd in the Dauphine TT behind Wiggins.  A few years ago he was tipped as a GC threat but this has become a distant past as he just could not last 3 weeks at the front- a one week specialist. Martin will be here to win both time trials and threaten in the prologue. Expect a stage win.

Jerome Pineau

Pineau has not reached the heights of 2008 and has not really threatened in stages he used to. He really needs to find his form (hints of his best in the 4 jours de Dunquerqe). He will definetly attack but I don’t expect much from this Frenchman.

Martin Velits

Martin Velits is a rider who predominately specialises on the flat. He will be a great addition to Martin and Grabsch in the cross-wind stages. This team will excel then. Martin Velits can also time trial but not to the standard of his team-mate. He will  be a good team player.

Peter Velits

After the highs of the 2010 Vuelta where he came second behind Nibali, he struggled at last years Tour- finishing only 18th but getting stronger as it went on. this year, I feel that he will be a join leader with Leipheimer as he has shown he had the ability to threaten the best. He can climb well and his form seems good- winning the Tour of Oman. He did however help Leipheimer in the Tour De Suisse that implies he will be a climbing domestique for Levi.

Omega Pharma Quickstep have an incredibly strong team this Tour and will almost certainly challenge for stage wins and a top 5 GC position.