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: Team Europcar

Team Europcar

Europcar have not been in the Po Tour since 2009 where they lost it due to constant poor results. Since then, they have produced some good results but have been unable to rejoin the ProTour. it is looking like they may next season due to SaxoBank’s poor results but will need to perform well this Tour.

Thomas Voeckler

Voeckler is one of the strongest, most determined riders of all time. Last year he showed he can be a GC contender but is unlikely to follow that up this season. He has had reasonable form- surprising in the cobbled classics and finishing 5th in the Amstel Gold Race. However, more recently he has struggled in the Dauphine and the Route De Sud- finishing neither and not troubling anyone. He needs to find his form and quickly.

Yukiya Arashiro

Arashiro has been on relatively average form this season, getting into a few breakaways but getting no stage wins. He did however finish 11th in the recent Route De Sud, which shows relative promise for the Tour. Arashiro is an okay sprinter but prefers to attack in breakaways and outsprint his companions. One of the finest Japanese riders so far.

Giovanni Bernaudeau

Bernaudeau is a surprise inclusion in the Tour squad in my eyes- as he has not been on great form but has attacked and sprinted okay when neccesary. He isn’t the greatest sprinter but will try and get into breakaways for his team- to give them a chance of stage win.

Anthony Charteau

Charteau is a former winner of the Tour De France polka-dot jersey ( mountains classification) after being an extremely attacking rider in the stages and attempting to hang on in big mountains. He is an okay climber who is currently having his best season since winning the polka dot jersey- winning the Tropicale Amissa Bongo and finishing 3rd in the Route De Sud (which involved the Col De Tourmalet). Charteau will not threaten overall but will likely be given a free role due to Voeckler, Rolland, Kern and Gautier working for each other in the mountains- for GC and stage wins.

Damien Gaudin

Gaudin will be here to work for team leaders Voeckler, Rolland and Kern and maybe attack on the right stage. He is a relatively good time triallist but will not threaten on the TT stages- nowhere near as good as Martin et al. However, he deserves his place in the squad and it will be good experience for the young man.

Cyril Gautier

Gautier is a good young rider who has heaps of potential for the future. He has a decent punch on the climbs and will be hoping to mature this Tour- helping his team in the Mountains and pouncing on any oppourtunity he might get.

Yohann Gene

Gene has made history before- becoming the first Black rider to ever ride the Tour. He has had a relatively good season this year- challenging in the Route De Sud and winning two stages in helping team-mate Charteau win the Tropical Amissa Bongo. Gene is primarily a sprinter who holds his own on the uphill sections. He will probably not challenge to be the first Black stage winner in the Tour but anything is possible.

Christophe Kern

Kern was having the best season of his career before crashing in last years Tour and ruled him out for the rest of that season. This was after an amazing 6th in the Dauphine and winning the French Time Trial Championship. He had found his mountain legs. This season he has failed to recapture his form of last year- demoted to helping Voeckler and Rolland looks likely.

Pierre Rolland

Last years white jersey winner will be hoping to build on his amazing result of last year and go for a top 10 finish again. He will likely be the teams main GC threat as Voeckler is out of form and prefers attacking for stage wins anyway. He has not shown amazing form but finished just outside the top 20 in the recent Dauphine shows okay form that is building for a strong Tour. An outside threat.

Europcar are probably the strongest non ProTour team in the world and will be looking to stake their claim for a place this Tour.