best team tour de france 2022

Tour de France 2022 – Comprehensive team-by-team guide

All you need to know about the team lineups, from the contenders to the riders that could surprise

From AG2R Citroën through to UAE Team Emirates, this is a complete team-by-team guide of all 22 squads and 176 riders taking part in in the 2022 Tour de France , which starts in Copenhagen on Friday, July 1.

All 18 WorldTour teams and the best-ranked ProTeam, Alpecin-Fenix, are automatically invited to the Tour de France this year. Organisers ASO have also designated wildcards to three more French ProTeams: B&B Hotels-KTM, Arkéa-Samsic and TotalEnergies.

Pre-race objectives vary enormously for each Tour team and their respective eight-man rosters reflect that. Some, like Tadej Pogačar ’s UAE Team Emirates and Ineos Grenadiers, are looking for a top general classification result. Others, like Israel Premier-Tech and DSM, are more focused on stage victories. Yet others will be trying for bunch sprints, secondary classifications, time trials or just placing riders in as many breakaways as possible. And some, like Jumbo-Visma, have multiple goals that combine some or all of these possible targets.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that teams’ goals can vary enormously once the Tour is underway and unforeseen developments, like illnesses, abandons or major changes in the GC ranking, affect the race. But there is one factor in common: the Tour de France is the biggest bike race in the world and nobody wants to watch the sun set over the Champs-Elysées on the evening of July 24 without some kind of success in the previous three weeks to their name.

There are plenty of famous faces, in-form riders and new names to watch and discover. We have analysed every team, picking out their leaders and predicting each squad’s hopes and objectives.

For everything else you need to know, read our complete preview of the Tour de France 2022 and our guide on how to watch the race .

AG2R Citroën Team

Team leader: Ben O'Connor Objective: GC and stage wins Rider to watch: Bob Jungels

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The French team return for their 29th Tour de France and set out targeting a third podium finish in nine years through Ben O'Connor . The Australian was a pick-up punt at the end of the 2020 transfer market but has been a resounding success at AG2R, finishing fourth at last year's Tour and quickly becoming their focal point with a new three-year contract.

Expectations were raised but O'Connor, who has had an inconsistent career, showed it was no flash in the pan and has only strengthened his status in the build-up to this Tour. At the Dauphiné, he was the clear 'best of the rest' behind the Jumbo-Visma duo of Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard. With Tadej Pogačar and Ineos Grenadiers also to enter the equation, the podium is a tall order but not out of the question. 

AG2R's squad will support O'Connor but not ignore the prospect of stage wins. Oliver Naesen will be O'Connor's henchman on the flat, in the wind, and especially on the cobbles on stage 5. Likewise Geoffrey Bouchard in the mountains, while Aurelien Paret-Peintre is more of a last-man and back-up GC rider.

The punchy Benoît Cosnefroy will look to attack wherever possible and it's worth keeping an eye on Bob Jungels, whose performance at the Tour de Suisse suggested he could be on his way back to his best after two difficult years of injury. 

Full line-up: Ben O'Connor, Geoffrey Bouchard, Michael Cherel, Benoit Cosnefroy, Stan Dewulf, Oliver Naesen, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Bob Jungels

Alpecin-Fenix

Team leaders: Jasper Philipsen, Mathieu van der Poel Objective: Stage wins Rider to watch: The leaders

The Belgian team make their second Tour de France appearance after last year's blistering debut that saw Mathieu van der Poel win two stages and wear the yellow jersey, plus another stage win for Tim Merlier. It would have been the perfect Tour had Jasper Philipsen converted one of several near misses. 

Philipsen has been given the nod over Merlier for the sole sprinter's slot, and he'll be given a solid lead-out service. That could even include Van der Poel, who set up Merlier's win last year and has ruled himself out of any bid for the green jersey. But while Philipsen is the nominated man for the flat stages, Van der Poel is the star of the team and capable of shining wherever he feels like it.

The cobbled day on stage 5 stands out, as do punchy finishes at Longwy and Lausanne in the first half of the race, while hilly and mountainous breakaways are on the cards and even a shout at the opening time trial in Copenhagen. 

Elsewhere, Alexander Krieger will have extra lead-out responsibility in the absence of the injured Jonas Rickaert, while the likes of Silvan Dillier and Michael Gogl provide horsepower on the flat and rolling terrain.

Full line-up: Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, Michael Gogl, Alexander Krieger, Silvan Dillier, Kristian Sbaragli, Edward Planckaert, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck.

Bahrain Victorious

Team leaders: Jack Haig, Damiano Caruso Objective: GC, stage wins Rider to watch: Matej Mohorič

The Bahrain Victorious team ride the Tour on the back of an eventful appearance last year. They won three stages and the teams classification last year, but also saw their hotel raided by French police in an anti-doping operation.

Matej Mohorič , winner of two of those stages last year, returns as a formidable breakaway threat on the undulating days, while Dylan Teuns can do the same on the more mountainous stuff, as he did into Le Grand Bornand last year.

Meanwhile, they return with bolstered GC ambitions after Jack Haig crashed out with a broken collarbone on stage 3 last year. The Australian returns to the fold but does so alongside Damiano Caruso, who shed off his career-long domestique status with his 2021 Giro podium and has seamlessly settled into leadership life ever since. 

Caruso finished fourth and Haig fifth at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné and both go in on a similar level, in the bracket of riders looking for the top-five and maybe even the podium. They don't have quite the climbing team sent to accompany Mikel Landa at the Giro but the pair can quietly have their say. 

Full line-up: Damiano Caruso, Jack Haig, Matej Mohoric, Luis Leon Sanchez, Dylan Teuns, Jan Tratnik, Fred Wright, Kamil Gradek

BikeExchange-Jayco

Team leaders: Dylan Groenewegen Objective: Stage wins Rider to watch: Michael Matthews

The identity of the Australian team has chopped and changed over the past decade, from happy-go-lucky stage hunters to GC team. For this Tour, they're a sprint outfit, led by Dylan Groenewegen and with serious resources devoted to his success. 

Things might have been a little different had Simon Yates recovered more quickly from the knee injury that wrecked his Giro d'Italia. In his absence, Nick Schultz is the only rider who gives the team a real presence in the mountains.

Groenewegen won four stages of the Tour during his time at Jumbo-Visma and signed for BikeExchange following his ban for the crash involving Fabio Jakobsen at the 2020 Tour de Pologne. He has won five times this season and, even though they've all been in lower-level races, there's a real conviction among the management that he can deliver at the Tour. Luka Mezgec will be his lead-out man, while Jack Bauer, Amund Grondahl Jansen and Luke Durbridge are all capable of mucking in. 

That leaves Michael Matthews feeding off scraps. Once a surefire green jersey contender, the Australian's win rate has dipped dramatically in the past few years. He'll get his chance on the hillier days where Groenewegen gets dropped but will otherwise have to carve out his opportunities in the breakaways. 

Full line-up: Dylan Groenwegen, Michael Matthews, Luka Mezgec, Nick Schultz, Luke Durbridge, Jack Bauer, Amund Grondahl Jansen, Chris Juul-Jensen

Bora-Hansgrohe

Team leaders: Aleksandr Vlasov Objective: GC and stage wins Rider to watch: Max Schachmann

Fresh off their victory at the Giro d'Italia, Bora-Hansgrohe head into the Tour de France with a sharpened focus on the overall classification. That means there's no room for sprinter Sam Bennett , the Irishman who won the green jersey in 2020. Bennett returned to the team this year but has struggled for form and has been deemed surplus to requirements. 

That means the team are getting fully behind Aleksandr Vlasov , who is a legitimate contender for the final podium. 

Vlasov had to leave the recent Tour de Suisse with COVID-19. A lot will depend on how badly he was affected, and how much of his preparation training load has been written off. If fully fit, he's seen by many of his rivals as a podium threat, just below the Pogačar, Roglič, Vingegaard trio in the overall hierarchy. At 26, he's really started to hit his stride this season, with stage race victories at Tour de Romandie and Volta a Catalunya, a podium at Basque Country and a sense of 'what might have been' at Suisse. 

Patrick Konrad and Felix Großschartner provide the climbing support. Lennard Kämna, for all the attention garnered by his turn for Jai Hindley when dropping Richard Carapaz at the Giro, is more of a lone breakaway hunter. Max Schachmann is an all-rounder who can go deep into the mountains but also shine on many stages himself, while Nils Politt is a Classics-style rider for the transition-day breaks. 

Interestingly, Bennett's lead-out man Danny van Poppel has made the cut and could get involved in the sprints instead, with Marco Haller bumped up the lead-out train.

Full line-up: Aleksandr Vlasov, Max Schachmann, Danny van Poppel, Patrick Konrad, Felix Grosschartner, Nils Politt, Marco Haller, Lennard Kamna

B&B Hotels-KTM

Team leaders: Pierre Rolland Objective: Breakaways Rider to watch : Franck Bonnamour

The French team set up by Jérôme Pineau have had a trying season, with question marks over the spirit in the camp. They go into this Tour without an obvious source of success, with no GC outsider and no real sprint option after Bryan Coquard moved to Cofidis. Instead, it's all about the breakaways, and it'd be surprising to seem them miss one between now and the end of July. 

Pierre Rolland won the polka-dot jersey at the recent Dauphiné and will surely be out for more of the same from the start of the race. The Frenchman was top 10 with stage wins at the 2011 and 2012 Tours and, having hinted at retirement, will want to make the most and satisfy the fans' desire for attacks. 

Elsewhere, Franck Bonnamour was awarded the 'super-combativity' prize for his constant breakaway efforts at last year's Tour, and this year while he's looking to stay aggressive the plan is to bring in a more targeted approach by taking on the stages where there is a real chance of success. Alexis Gougeard is also never shy when it comes to a break.

Full line-up: Cyril Barthe, Franck Bonnamour, Alexis Gougeard, Jérémy Lecroq, Cyril Lemoine, Luca Mozzato, Pierre Rolland, Sebastian Schonberger

Team leaders: Guillaume Martin, Bryan Coquard Objective: GC, stage wins Rider to watch: Victor Lafay

The French team clock up their 26th Tour de France appearance, but do so looking to scratch a long and uncomfortable itch. They have not won a stage since 2008. For a respected French team, it's not ideal, especially now they're back in the WorldTour. 

The team are led by the familiar figure of Guillaume Martin , the French philosopher having earned a reputation as a 'yo-yo' man. In his recent Grand Tour appearances he has lost time in the mountains but gained it back by slipping into breakaways, and the only thing stopping him doing that here is if he decides that, after doing the Giro d'Italia, he should focus squarely on stage wins. 

Elsewhere, Ion Izaguirre is a former stage winner and quality campaigner while 26-year-old Frenchman Victor Lafay is an up-and-coming puncher who has come close to a few wins this year and could spring a surprise. 

Pierre-Luc Perichon gets the late call-up to replace sprinter Bryan Coquard, who tested positive for COVID-19.

Full line-up: Guillaume Martin, Ion Izagirre, Simon Geschke, Victor Lafay, Anthony Perez, Benjamin Thomas, Max Walscheid, Pierre-Luc Perichon

EF Education-EasyPost

Team leader: Rigoberto Urán Objective: GC and Stage wins Rider to watch: Alberto Bettiol

Rigoberto Urán has had a slow 2022, scoring a solitary top-10 finish at Itzulia Basque country – where he edged into a paltry 10th on stage 3, and 10th in the GC. It’s not a result that will put him on the radar of the Tour de France’s major GC contenders. Nonetheless, the veteran Colombian remains the highest pedigree climber and the most proven GC campaigner in the EF Education-EasyPost squad, and will likely enter the race as team leader. 

He has company, though. With his fourth place finish at the Tour de Suisse, Neilson Powless could have the potential to crack into the top 10 in the GC, while Ruben Guerreiro showed a decent level at the Dauphiné and an even higher one to win the Ventoux Challenge.

Despite some GC potential, we expect EF Education-EasyPost will be primarily hunting stage wins at this year’s Tour, where breakaways will probably offer the best opportunities. After Alberto Bettiol’s stage victory at last year’s Giro d’Italia, he’s certainly a dangerous rider when in an escape, and will be one to watch on the Tour’s more sedate transition stages.

While Magnus Cort hasn’t made much of a dent in 2022, after his three stage wins at last year’s Vuelta the puncheur will certainly have a Tour stage win on his bucket list, and in the right conditions every chance of getting one.

Finally, Stefan Bissegger is one of only a few riders with a chance of upsetting Filippo Ganna in the Copenhagen time trial.

Full line-up: Rigoberto Urán, Neilson Powless, Alberto Bettiol, Magnus Cort, Stefan Bissegger, Ruben Guerreiro, Owain Doull, Jonas Rutsch

Groupama-FDJ

Team leaders: David Gaudu, Thibaut Pinot Objective: GC and stage wins Rider to watch: Stefan Küng

Groupama-FDJ, the long-running French team run by Marc Madiot, unveiled their Tour de France plans at the start of the year and outlined a leadership trio of David Gaudu, Thibaut Pinot, and Michael Storer . At this point, it seems clear that Gaudu is the main man when it comes to the general classification. 

After two troubled years, Pinot has shown signs he's on his way back to his best – not least with his recent stage win at the Tour de Suisse – but he's surely not ready for a yellow jersey challenge. Still, mountain stage wins and, why not, the polka-dot jersey are realistic ambitions. Storer, meanwhile, has had a mixed year since signing from DSM on the back of his brace of stage wins at last year's Vuelta, and perhaps looks more suited to mountain support and stage hunting. 

There's no Arnaud Démare, so no sprint ambitions. Luxury support comes from puncher Valentin Madouas and rouleur Stefan Küng . The latter is the European time trial champion and in with a shout for the opening stage and penultimate stage, but also produced an astounding climbing performance to finish fifth at the recent Tour de Suisse. 

Full line-up: David Gaudu, Thibaut Pinot, Michael Storer, Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas, Olivier Le Gac, Kevin Geniets, Antoine Duchesne

Ineos Grenadiers

Team leaders: Adam Yates, Dani Martínez, Geraint Thomas Objective : GC and stage wins Rider to watch: Tom Pidcock

Ineos' plans are an area of particular intrigue, and not just because Adam Yates left the Tour de Suisse with COVID-19. Even before that news, there was a sign that they were re-shaping their approach for July. For so long the dominant team with the dominant rider, the British team won seven Tours in eight years but have now run up against a Pogačar-shaped problem. 

With Bernal out due to a long-term injury, they don't have their favourite status of old, with Yates and Martínez drawn together in an open-ended leadership duo. Throw in Geraint Thomas and you have another question mark.

The Welshman has been spoken about as a domestique not even guaranteed of a start but he remains the 2018 Tour winner and, despite lengthy dips in form, has done nothing to suggest he cannot raise his level to a very competitive one when required. He sent that message with victory at the Tour de Suisse and, with Yates' preparation compromised, he has to be part of the leadership conversation, especially with more than 50km of time trialling on the route.

Beyond all that, it appears Ineos may not limit themselves to backing the yellow jersey cause as they have over the past decade. Tom Pidcock and Ethan Hayter are both on the longlist and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that both start. If so, stage wins – and not just those as a byproduct of the GC battle – enter the agenda. Hayter can compete in reduced sprints while Pidcock can do just about anything and his Tour debut would likely not be dull.

Either way, Ineos have spoken about their new adventurous racing style since becoming 'Grenadiers' and we could see it rolled out in the Tour for the first time. 

Full line-up: Geraint Thomas, Dani Martínez, Adam Yates, Tom Pidcock, Dylan van Baarle, Filippo Ganna, Luke Rowe, Jonathan Castroviejo

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert

Team leaders: Louis Meintjes, Alexander Kristoff Objective: GC, stage wins Rider to watch: Taco van der Hoorn

The Belgian team used to be a second-division outfit and earned three Tour invites thanks to Frenchman Guillaume Martin, who's now with Cofidis. They were widely ridiculed when they took CCC's licence to step up to the WorldTour in 2021, but have looked every inch their top-tier status this year. As such, confidence will be high for the Tour. 

There's no Biniam Girmay, the new superstar of African cycling, but they do have a team that can fight on a number of fronts. Louis Meintjes looks to be on his way back after a few years in the wilderness following his back-to-back top 10s at the 2016 and 2017 Tours. He won the recent Giro dell'Appenino and placed sixth at Tour de Suisse, so could certainly have an impact this July. 

Alexander Kristoff is 34 and has seemingly been fading in recent years but always seems to pop up with big wins, as he did at Scheldeprijs this spring. The Norwegian will lead the line in the sprints, while Quinten Hermans has surprisingly been left out of the squad ahead of an expected transfer to Alpecin next year.

Dutch attacker Taco van der Hoorn could be one to watch. He doesn't take many wins but when they do they're nailbiters from the break – see last year's Giro and the Brussels Cycling Classic three weeks ago.

Full line-up: Alexander Kristoff, Louis Meintjes, Kobe Goossens, Georg Zimmerman, Taco van der Hoorn, Adrien Petit, Andrea Pasqualon, Sven Erik Bystrøm

Israel-Premier Tech

Team leaders: Michael Woods, Jakob Fuglsang Objective: Stage wins Rider to watch: Chris Froome

Israel-Premier Tech set out on their third Tour de France and in desperate need of having an impact on the race after two relatively anonymous outings. They're very much in the WorldTour relegation battle, but the recent form of Jakob Fuglsang and Michael Woods will give them hope they can shine on the biggest stage of all and lift themselves out of trouble. 

Fuglsang won the recent Classic Alpes-Maritimes and placed third at Tour de Suisse, while Woods finished second at the former and then won the Route d'Occitanie. The pair have both appeared reluctant to go for a GC bid this time around but stage wins are well within their grasp, while the polka-dot jersey will surely become an ambition for one of them. 

Hugo Houle, Krists Neilands, and Simon Clarke comprise a strong and in-form support unit. Chris Froome , meanwhile, is very much the rider to watch. A four-time winner, he has struggled badly since his massive 2019 injury but has shown glimpses of form in recent weeks. He's done enough to earn his spot but we should find out more about whether he might indeed return to his levels of old. 

Guillaume Boivin and Guy Niv got late call-ups to replace the COVID-positive Omer Goldstein and Daryl Impey.

Full line-up: Michael Woods, Jakob Fuglsang, Chris Froome, Krists Neilands, Simon Clarke, Hugo Houle, Guillaume Boivin

Jumbo-Visma

Team Leaders : Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard, Wout Van Aert Objective : Yellow jersey, green jersey Rider to watch: Christophe Laporte

The Dutch team formerly known as Rabobank have joined the very top echelon of world cycling in recent years but are still searching for their first Tour de France victory. They came agonisingly close through Primož Roglič – three-time Vuelta winner – in 2020, and placed second again last year through the revelatory Jonas Vingegaard, who stepped up once Roglič crashed out.

With Tadej Pogačar a dominant double winner, Jumbo have tweaked their approach for 2022, going in with a leadership duo. Both Roglič and Vingegaard underlined their form with a one-two at the recent Dauphiné, but in order to crack Pogačar they'll likely have to play their cards more creatively. How they do so will be one of the most intriguing narratives of the whole Tour. 

On top of all that, Jumbo-Visma also have Wout van Aert to think about. The Belgian star has had to stifle his personal ambitions in recent years but has still managed six stage wins in three editions, on a wide variety of stages to boot. As such, this year he wants to target the points classification. Whether Jumbo can support a green jersey bid as well as two riders going for yellow is another of those central narratives. 

As for the rest of the squad, it's five support riders. Sepp Kuss and Steven Kruijswijk are the mountain men, while Christophe Laporte will be Van Aert's lead-out and right-hand man. Tiesj Benoot will be expected to do a bit for both camps while Nathan Van Hooydonck – a late replacement for Rohan Dennis – is set to be the engine doing the heavy lifting in the earlier phases of stages.

Full line-up : Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot, Sepp Kuss, Steven Kruijswijk, Christophe Laporte, Nathan Van Hooydonck

Lotto Soudal

Team leaders: Caleb Ewan Objective: Stage wins Rider to watch: Tim Wellens

The Belgian team once again go into a Tour de France targeting stage wins. In 37 starts they have never won the Tour and haven't had a GC contender since Jurgen Van den Broeck in 2012. Andre Greipel flew the flag for a long time but in the new John Lelangue-led era it's Caleb Ewan who leads the way for the third year in a row. 

Ewan won three stages in 2019 and two in 2020 but crashed out on stage 3 last year with a a broken collarbone. At his best he's one of the most dynamic and aerodynamic sprinters in the world and a key breadwinner for Lotto Soudal in their relegation fight. There is slight cause for concern as his lead-out man Jasper De Buyst is injured and Roger Kluge similarly not racing. In their absence Reinardt Janse van Rensburg takes responsibility, while Frederik Frison can also chip in. 

However, there's more of an emphasis on breakaways in Lotto Soudal's plans. Philippe Gilbert will want to make an impact in his final Tour de France, while Brent Van Moer has been touted as a new Thomas De Gendt. Florian Vermeersch can target the cobbled stage and Andreas Kron will look at the hilly ones if recovered from COVID-19.

Finally, Tim Wellens has announced he is leaving at the end of the year but retains a great deal of affection for the team where he has spent his whole career so far. The Belgian remains a top-class attacking rider who can complete the Grand Tour set of stage wins in what is only his fourth Tour appearance.

Full line-up: Caleb Ewan, Philippe Gilbert, Tim Wellens, Andreas Kron, Brent Van Moer, Florian Vermeersch, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Frederik Frison

Movistar Team

Team leaders: Enric Mas Objective: GC Rider to watch: Matteo Jorgenson

Movistar, the Spanish team formed in the 1980s, line up for their 40th Tour de France. They've won it seven times, five of those coming through Miguel Indurain in the 1990s, but haven't done so since Oscar Pereiro in 2006. In recent years, they've been regular winners of the teams classification but have become confused and at times chaotic in their handling of multiple leaders. 

This year, there's far more clarity. Enric Mas will lead the line and shoot for the podium. The Spaniard, a breakthrough runner-up at the 2018 Vuelta, has been a consistent if unspectacular Grand Tour presence since signing in 2020, placing fifth and sixth in the past two Tours, as well as another second at the Vuelta last year. 

While Movistar have not yet unveiled their final line-up, a key rider appears to be Matteo Jorgenson, the US all-rounder who's steadily improving. He's looking to develop into a GC rider and could become the last line of support for Mas, and he could even decide he's not going to throw away time unless he absolutely has to. 

Full line-up: Enric Mas, Carlos Verona, Imanol Erviti, Matteo Jorgenson, Nelson Oliveira, Albert Torres, Gregor Mühlberger, Gorka Izagirre

QuickStep-AlphaVinyl

Team leaders: Fabio Jakobsen Objective: Stage wins Rider to watch : Mattia Cattaneo

The Belgian squad have dominated Tour de France sprints over the years, with the likes of Marcel Kittel, Fernando Gaviria, Sam Bennett, and Mark Cavendish all sweeping up in recent years. The next man up is Fabio Jakobsen , who has been given the nod over Cavendish despite the Manxman winning four stages and the green jersey last year and tying Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins. 

There's no room for sentiment or history at Patrick Lefevere's stable, however, and he has given the reins to the rider he considers the future of his team's sprinting ambitions. You can't argue with the decision on form. Jakobsen has returned from nearly losing his life at the 2020 Tour de Pologne to re-establish himself as one of the fastest in the world, winning 10 times already this season. 

As always, the bulk of the team is devoted to the lead-out, with Kasper Asgreen and Yves Lampaert and, lastly, Michael Mørkøv, widely regarded as the best in the business. Florian Sénéchal is a late call-up for the COVID-positive Tim Declercq , though it's unclear who will replace the Belgian's long stints on the front of the peloton this July.

The big hole in QuickStep's line up is in the shape of the world champion, Julian Alaphilippe, who suffered a heavy crash at Liège-Bastogne-Liège-Liège in April and hasn't been deemed fit enough to make his usual impact at the Tour. Alaphilippe has won several stages, finished top five on GC, and injected electricity into the race over the past few years.

His absence is a major blow for the team and the race, with Andre Bagioli, the Italian puncheur who's taken his spot, having a lot to live up to. His compatriot, the 31-year-old Mattia Cattaneo, has a shot at a top-10 overall place, having finished 12th last year.

Full line-up: Fabio Jakobsen, Michael Mørkøv, Kasper Asgreen, Yves Lampaert, Mikkel Honore, Mattia Cattaneo, Andrea Bagioli, Florian Sénéchal

Team leaders: Romain Bardet, Alberto Dainese Objective: Stage wins Rider to watch: Andreas Leknessund

The Dutch team formerly known as Sunweb have a general philosophy that's both open and rigid. They eschew hierarchy in favour of a collective approach where everyone gets a chance, but there's relatively little flexibility when it comes to individual preferences.

This has divided opinion, with the alarming number of riders looking to leave the team seen by many as a cause for concern. On the road, it has divided their results. The free-flowing Sunweb (as they were then called) of the 2020 Tour were great to watch and hauled in three stage wins, but they were anonymous last year and struggled for much of this season. 

They go into this Tour in typical fashion, an open and exciting line-up, but not without its controversy as Søren Kragh Andersen – not only one of their bigger-name riders but also a native of the Danish Grand Départ – has been left at home. 

In his absence, Romain Bardet returns to the Tour after a year's absence. A GC bid is no priority given he was targeting the Giro and had to pull out when in a strong position, but the Frenchman will want to add to his stage win collection from 2015, 2016, and 2017.

John Degenkolb is on the start list and returns to the cobbles where he famously won a stage in 2018, but Alberto Dainese is the team's lead sprinter. The Italian won a stage at the Giro with a fearsome sprint that suggested a breakthrough, and he will be an outsider but a danger man in the bunch finishes. Elsewhere, Kevin Vermaerke is an exciting young US talent but the Norwegian Andreas Leknessund is already hitting his stride at 23, winning a stage at the recent Tour de Suisse in a solo breakaway. Expect him to go out in search of more of the same. 

Full line-up: Romain Bardet, Alberto Dainese, John Degenkolb, Kevin Vermaerke, Andreas Leknessund, Martijn Tusveld, Nils Eekhoff, Chris Hamilton

TotalEnergies

Team leader: Peter Sagan Objective: Stage wins Rider to watch: Pierre Latour

When it comes to TotalEnergies’ 2022 objectives, it’s hard to look beyond Peter Sagan . Arguably the most exciting riders in men’s cycling, Sagan has had an unfortunate 2022, plagued by illness. The Tour de Suisse gave us a glimpse of Peter the Great at his best when he won stage 3. His positive test for COVID ahead of the final time trial seemed like a predictable kick in his run of bad luck.

However, Sagan returned to win yet another Slovakian road race title on Sunday, an indication he's on track for the Tour. He'll also have loyal lieutenants Daniel Oss and Maciej Bodnar at his disposal. Sagan will target sprints on flat and hilly days, but a record-extending eighth green jersey is complicated by the presence of Wout van Aert. 

There'll be no shortage of breakaway interest for Jean-René Bernaudeau's French team, especially after Mathieu Burgaudeau scooped a stage of Paris-Nice and Valentin Ferron and Alexis Vuillermoz took home a stage apiece from the Dauphiné. Anthony Turgis could certainly be a contender on the cobbles, but he’ll need an early break to separate himself from the fastmen such as Mathieu van der Poel to stand a chance at a win on the pavé.

Finally, there's Pierre Latour, who has so much energy he sometimes doesn't know what to do with it. The Frenchman won the white jersey and placed 13th overall while riding as an AG2R domestique in 2018 and, while his career has faded since, there remains a great deal of talent. 

The experienced and versatile fastman Edvald Boasson Hagen was called up three days out from the start after Cristian Rodríguez fell ill.

Full line-up: Peter Sagan, Pierre Latour, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Alexis Vuillermox, Daniel Oss, Maciej Bodnar, Anthony Turgis, Edvald Boasson Hagen.

Trek-Segafredo

Team leader: Giulio Ciccone Objective: Stage wins Rider to watch: Bauke Mollema

Having taken a third career Giro d’Italia win on stage 15 of this year’s race, Giulio Ciccone is showing excellent climbing form and seems sure to be Trek-Segafredo’s team leader at this year’s Tour de France. Only one year ago he lay in sixth place on the Tour’s second rest day, before crashing out on stage 17 and abandoning the race.

While a GC bid isn’t beyond comprehension, with Ciccone and Bauke Mollema’s proclivity for successful breakaways, individual stage wins in the mountains are Trek’s most likely target.

Milan-San Remo winner Jasper Stuyven and former World Champion Mads Pedersen will both be riders to watch on the cobbles of stage 5 of this year’s race. Both will also be contenders for individual stage wins on fast finishes. For Pedersen, there's the extra motivation of starting on home roads, with a strong short time trial and a fast sprint at the end of a windy day, he'll be going all-in on the Denmark days. 

US debutant Quinn Simmons will no doubt offer good support to both riders on the cobbles, and has shown an appetite for breakaways so far this season.

Full line-up : Guilio Ciccone, Bauke Mollema, Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Quinn Simmons, Tony Gallopin, Alex Kirsch, Toms Skujiņš 

UAE Team Emirates

Team leaders: Tadej Pogačar Objective : Yellow jersey Rider to watch: Brandon McNulty

About as one-dimensional as it gets, the UAE-funded team are here to win the Tour with Pogačar for a third straight year. The rest of the team is entirely at his service, and you get the impression he could do it without them anyway. 

Not that UAE are weak. The criticism they faced last year was unfounded, and in any case they are stronger again this time around. They have added George Bennett and Marc Soler, while Brandon McNulty is another year older and – when not the victim of bad luck – has shown his strength this season. Rafał Majka, who came good last year and has been even better this season, has struck up a great relationship with Pogačar, the pair dominating the recent Tour of Slovenia. It's a super solid mountain unit. 

Beyond that, Mikkel Berg did huge pulls on the flat and in the middle mountains last year and will be pivotal again, while Vegard Stake Laengen is the big workhorse for the early phases. Pogačar is in a league of his own, but he has a team that can provide a platform for a third straight yellow jersey.

Swiss rider Marc Hirschi is a late call-up after Matteo Trentin returned a positive COVID-19 test two days before the race start.

Full line-up: Tadej Pogačar, Rafal Majka, Brandon McNulty, Marc Soler, Vegard Stake Laengen, George Bennett, Mikkel Bjerg, Marc Hirschi

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Patrick is an NCTJ-trained journalist, and former deputy editor of Cyclingnews, who has seven years’ experience covering professional cycling. He has a modern languages degree from Durham University and has been able to put it to some use in what is a multi-lingual sport, with a particular focus on French and Spanish-speaking riders. Away from cycling, Patrick spends most of his time playing or watching other forms of sport - football, tennis, trail running, darts, to name a few, but he draws the line at rugby.

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Tour de France 2022: full team-by-team guide

Our in-depth look at every team, the main riders to watch and the cast of characters racing through France this summer

• Tour de France: stage-by-stage guide

Ag2R Citroën

Stalwart French battlers celebrated for wearing brown shorts who hired a host of multinational talent after their stalwart Romain Bardet left for DSM. This paid off last year when Ben O’Connor won the stage to Tignes and placed fourth overall. Behind the Aussie, however, they lack strength in depth.

Team Geoffrey Bouchard, Mikaël Cherel, Benoît Cosnefroy, Stan Dewulf, Bob Jungels, Oliver Naesen, Ben O’Connor, Aurélien Paret-Peintre.

Main man Ben O’Connor – talented climber who must prove last year’s fourth was no fluke.

Alpecin-Deceuninck

Second-division Dutch squad who punch far above their budget, thanks to the no-holds-barred racing style of Mathieu van der Poel, the most popular cyclist on the circuit. They won two of the first three stages and held the yellow jersey in 2021; this year, they bring sprinter Jasper Philipsen alongside MVDP.

Team Mathieu van der Poel, Silvan Dillier, Michael Gogl, Alexander Krieger, Jasper Philipsen, Edward Planckaert, Kristian Sbaragli, Guillaume van Keirsbulck.

Main man Mathieu van der Poel – a stage win and yellow last year. Great things expected 12 months on.

Arkéa-Samsic

This French division two team has plenty of potential for a stage win, with the former King of the Mountains Warren Barguil, the evergreen Colombian champion Nairo Quintana and the Belgian sprinter Amaury Capiot. The British strongman Connor Swift will support his leaders on the flat and probably infiltrate a break somewhere in his own right.

Team Warren Barguil, Maxime Bouet, Amaury Capiot, Hugo Hofstetter, Matîs Louvel, Lukasz Owsian, Nairo Quintana, Connor Swift.

Main man Nairo Quintana – the 2015 Giro winner is long in the tooth but can still shine in the mountains.

Astana Qazaqstan

The squad flying the Kazakh flag produced one of the worst team raps ever over the winter, and changed the spelling of its name by substituting Qs for Ks. That’s as exciting as this squad gets; they will figure in breaks and hope for a stage win from Joe Dombrowski or Alexey Lutsenko but don’t expect any drama.

Team Joe Dombrowski, Fabio Felline, Dimitri Gruzdev, Alexei Lutsenko, Gianni Moscon, Alexei Riabushenko, Simone Velasco, Andrey Zeits.

Main man Alexey Lutsenko – the Kazakh came a stealthy seventh last year and could make the top 10 again.

Bahrain Victorious

Several potential stage winners here – Damiano Caruso, Jack Haig, Matej Mohoric, Dylan Teuns and Fred Wright – but the big question is whether Caruso can replicate his form at last year’s Giro, where he came second and won a stage. Haig is a talented climber, while Mohoric and Teuns have landed Tour stages in the past, and Wright is due a major win.

Team Damiano Caruso, Kamil Gradek, Jack Haig, Matej Mohoric, Luis León Sánchez, Dylan Teuns, Jan Tratnik, Fred Wright.

Main man Damiano Caruso – consistent Italian climber who finished second in last year’s Giro d’Italia, and 10th in the 2020 Tour.

B&B Hotels-KTM

Flyweight French team whose poor results this season earned them the hairdryer treatment from management recently. That doesn’t bode well for the Tour, where they will figure in breaks and vie for the mountains prize when the big boys aren’t too bothered. A stage win would be a miracle but the race visits Lourdes so they can hope.

Team Cyril Barthe, Franck Bonnamour, Alexis Gougeard, Jérémy Lecroq, Cyril Lemoine, Luca Mozzato, Pierre Rolland, Sebastian Schönberger.

Main man Pierre Rolland. Ageing climber and non-stop attacker who is in decent form and will target the mountains prize.

BikeExchange-Jayco

Australian flagship deep in the WorldTour relegation quagmire, and without top climber Simon Yates. If Dylan Groenewegen can secure a fifth career stage win in a sprint and Michael Matthews gets moving in the hills, they are looking at a good Tour. If either of the pair has issues, however, there is little firepower to fall back on.

Team Jack Bauer, Luke Durbridge, Dylan Groenewegen, Amund Grøndahl Jansen, Christopher Juul Jensen, Michael Matthews, Luka Mezgec, Nick Schultz.

Main man Dylan Groenewegen – Dutch sprinter back from a ban in 2020-21, now flat stage favourite.

Bora-Hansgrohe

Last-minute decision to drop the former green jersey winner Sam Bennett in favour of a full-on GC challenge with dark horse Russian Aleksandr Vlasov – riding the Tour as a neutral – has raised eyebrows, especially as Vlasov is getting over Covid. The decision is inspired by Bora’s perfectly calculated Giro win with Jai Hindley; they are thinking medium term about preparing to launch the Aussie on the Tour. Schachmann, Konrad and Kämna are all capable of stage wins as well as support roles.

Team Marco Haller, Lennard Kämna, Patrick Konrad, Felix Großschartner, Nils Politt, Max Schachmann, Danny van Poppel, Aleksandr Vlasov.

Main man Aleksandr Vlasov. Winner of the Tours of Valencia and Romandie this season, and could well have won Switzerland had he stayed Covid free.

Guillaume Martin is a potential top 10 finisher, while there are several outside hopes for stage wins – Lafay, Thomas, Walscheid – even with Bryan Coquard out due to Covid. Plenty of individual talent for the flat and the mountains but it will take careful management to ensure they work in unison. If there isn’t goal clarity and role clarity, it could all get rather tense.

Team Pierre-Luc Périchon, Simon Geschke, Ion Izagirre, Victor Lafay, Guillaume Martin, Anthony Perez, Benjamin Thomas, Max Walscheid.

Main man Guillaume Martin – consistent French climber who now needs to make the jump from top 10 to top six.

The German team shone in 2020 with three stage wins but fell apart in 2021. Their best chance for a stage win is Romain Bardet, who was a contender in the Giro but dropped out with illness. They have a strong lineup behind the Frenchman, so will target their days and try to ensure they get several riders in the key moves.

Team Romain Bardet, Alberto Dainese, John Degenkolb, Nils Eekhoff, Chris Hamilton, Andreas Leknessund, Martijn Tusvveld, Kevin Vermaerke.

Main man Romain Bardet – French former podium finisher back to his best and looking for a stage.

EF Education-EasyPost

Multiple stage win hopes for America’s finest, beginning on Friday with time trialist Stephen Bissegger. Rigoberto Urán’s past Grand Tour record makes him the nominal leader but Powless is the man in form. Cort nailed three stages in the Vuelta last year while past Giro stage winners Guerriero and Bettiol could also get their chance.

Team Alberto Bettiol, Stephen Bissegger, Magnus Cort, Owain Doull, Ruben Guerriero, Neilson Powless, Jonas Rutsch, Rigoberto Urán.

Main man Rigoberto Urán – it’s five years since the Colombian finished second in the Tour; a stage win will suffice.

Groupama-FDJ

Uber French team run by mercurial Marc Madiot have sidelined sprinter Arnaud Démare and pinned their hopes on young climber David Gaudu backed by the fragile but talented Thibaut Pinot. Half of France will reckon this is a cunning plan to take the pressure off Pinot, finally back at the Tour after a nightmare in 2020.

Team Antoine Duchesne, David Gaudu, Kevin Geniets, Olivier le Gac, Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas, Thibaut Pinot, Michael Storer.

Main man David Gaudu – supported Pinot in 2019 and finally gets his chance.

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert

Belgian squad that has progressed from plucky underdogs to mid-table contenders in four Tours. Quadruple sprint stage winner Kristoff will relish stage two if the wind howls out of the north, while Meintjes has the climbing ability to finish in the top 10 and Van der Hoorn can win out of a break.

Team Sven-Erik Bystrøm, Kobe Goossens, Alexander Kristoff, Louis Meintjes, Andrea Pasqualon, Adrien Petit, Taco van der Hoorn, Georg Zimmerman.

Main man Alexander Kristoff – veteran Norwegian sprinter at his best on tough windy days.

Ineos Grenadiers

Big budget, big ambitions, but it’s hard to see them winning the Tour this year. Their three leaders, Geraint Thomas, Dani Martínez and Adam Yates, are all strong and talented but none of them is a match for Pogacar head to head. They need to catch the Slovenian napping, using their biggest asset – the incredible talent supporting the lead trio. Riders like Filippo Ganna, Tom Pidcock and Dylan Van Baarle can turn the race on its head if brought into play at the right moment.

Team Jonathan Castroviejo, Filippo Ganna, Dani Martínez, Tom Pidcock, Luke Rowe, Geraint Thomas, Dylan van Baarle, Adam Yates.

Main man Geraint Thomas – the last chance for the Welshman but age is not on his side.

Israel-Premier Tech

A stage-hunting lineup for the hilly days, headed by Danish Classic winner Jakob Fuglsang and Canadian mountain man Michael Woods; the others will be tasked with showing their faces in the breaks when they can, while four-times winner Chris Froome’s potential as he rebuilds after his serious crash in 2019 is impossible to read.

Team Simon Clarke, Chris Froome, Jakob Fuglsang, Guillaume Boivin, Hugo Houle, Guy Niv, Krists Neilands, Michael Woods.

Main man Michael Woods – winner of the Route d’Occitanie in mid-June which bodes well for both GC and stages.

Jumbo-Visma

The strongest team in the Tour. They have a host of potential stage winners, the strongest all rounder in the world in Wout van Aert – winner of three stages last year – and two overall contenders in Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard, who came second in 2021 after Roglic crashed out of the race. Can the Jumbo juggernaut flatten Pogacar? Perhaps, but only if all the key men stay in one piece and everyone plays the team game to perfection.

Team Tiesj Benoot, Steven Kruijswijk, Sepp Kuss, Christophe Laporte, Primoz Roglic, Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Nathan van Hooydonck.

Main man Primoz Roglic – Time is running out for Slovenia’s No 2 to finally win the Tour.

Lotto Soudal

The Belgian squad is heavily involved in the relegation battle, they need sprinter Caleb Ewan to add at least a sixth Tour stage to his tally, preferably more. If he flops, Philippe Gilbert remains talented in spite of his advanced age, while Andreas Kron can finish in the top 15. Realistically though, it’s Ewan or the void.

Team Caleb Ewan, Frederik Frison, Philippe Gilbert, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, Andreas Kron, Brent van Moer, Florian Vermeersch, Tim Wellens.

Main man Caleb Ewan – accident-prone Australian who can deliver multiple stages if he stays upright.

Past flirtations with multiple leaders have never worked so Spain’s finest are focussed on one man, Enric Mas, who looks to improve on his fifth and sixth places in 2020 and 2021. It’s hard to see him getting near Pogacar, but if he survives the first five days he will fancy his chances for the podium.

Team Imanol Erviti, Gorka Izagirre, Matteo Jorgenson, Enric Mas, Gregor Mühlberger, Nelson Oliveira, Albert Torres, Carlos Verona.

Main man Enric Mas. Young Spaniard with a good deal to do to match Movistar’s stars of the past.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl

Eyebrows were raised when Mark Cavendish was refused the chance to break Eddy Merckx’s Tour stage win record, in favour of young Dutch sprinter Fabio Jakobsen, the team’s man for the long(er) term. World champion Julian Alaphilippe didn’t make the cut as he is short of fitness following a serious crash, while French champion Florian Sénéchal was called in late for “Tractor” Tim Declercq. Apart from Jakobsen, Italian Mattia Cattaneo will want to build on his 12 th place overall of last year.

Team Kasper Asgreen, Andrea Bagioli, Mattia Cattaneo, Yves Lampaert, Mikkel Honoré, Fabio Jakobsen, Michael Mørkøv, Florian Sénéchal.

Main man Fabio Jakobsen. Dutch sprinter back after a life-threatening crash who is making his Tour debut.

TotalEnergies

The marquee signing Peter Sagan started winning again this June which will have put team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau’s mind at rest. The multiple world champion and Tour points winner will have strong backing from the likes of Daniel Oss, Maciej Bodnar and Anthony Turgis, and if Sagan crosses the line first even once at the Tour, JRB’s decision to splash the cash will be justified.

Team Edvald Boasson Hagen, Maciej Bodnar, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Pierre Latour, Daniel Oss, Peter Sagan, Anthony Turgis, Alexis Vuillermoz.

Main man Peter Sagan – ageing Slovak superstar who may be coming to form at just the right time.

Trek-Segafredo

A multinational multitalented squad, headed by strong Dutchman Bauke Mollema, who climbs like a nodding dog but is a reliable stage winner. Mads Pedersen will figure in the sprints, Jasper Stuyven, Toms Skuijns and Giulio Ciccone are strong riders for a break, while the young American Quinn Simmons is capable of pretty much anything on any terrain.

Team Giulio Ciccone, Tony Gallopin, Alex Kirsch, Bauke Mollema, Mads Pedersen, Quinn Simmons, Toms Skuijns, Jasper Stuyven.

Main man Bauke Mollema – a seasoned, cunning stage hunter who will have chances aplenty in the hills.

UAE Team Emirates

There has been serious investment since Pogacar won his first Tour in 2020 and UAE can now field a team that’s stronger than Ineos, and only behind Jumbo-Visma because they are focused on one individual while the Dutch have three leaders. George Bennett, Rafal Majka, Marc Soler and Brandon McNulty will be a force in the mountains while Marc Bjerg, Marc Hirschi and Vegard Stake Laengen can shepherd the young prodigy on the flat. If they all stay healthy, “Pog” has every chance of sweeping to his third Tour win.

Team George Bennett, Mikkel Bjerg, Marc Hirschi, Vegard Stake Laengen, Rafal Majka, Brandon McNulty, Tadej Pogacar, Marc Soler.

Main man Tadej Pogacar. Flying Slovenian who is hot favourite for a Tour hat-trick at just 23.

The relegation issue

With only the best 18 teams in the UCI’s rankings set to receive a coveted WorldTour licence in 2023 – guaranteeing them entry to major races including the Tour – a raft of squads will start this year’s Tour knowing that a good race will save their bacon and a poor Tour could mean disaster. As of 21 June, there were six teams involved in cycling’s first relegation battle: Israel-Premier Tech, Lotto Soudal, BikeExchange, EF Education, Movistar and Cofidis; Lotto Soudal and Israel-Premier Tech were in the “relegation zone” in 19th and 20th place.

With, for example, 125 points available for 12th overall in the Tour, that could mean in the final week of the race teams may start to become more interested in consolidating their position in the UCI’s team rankings, to guarantee they take home a certain number of points, than in taking risks which might compromise their future. That in turn could make for more conservative racing. What’s certain is that it will be weighing on many minds and putting pressure on riders and management alike.

* This article was amended on 30 June to reflect Alpecin-Fenix’s name change to Alpecin-Deceuninck

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The Team-by-Team Guide to Who Will Win the 2022 Tour de France

From Ag2r to UAE, here are all the ways the 22 teams in this year’s edition will stuff up a chance for victory.

Someone’s gotta win the 2022 Tour de France, right? But that means 175 guys, and 21 teams, won’t. It turns out the Tour is really hard to win. You’ve gotta get everything right for 21 days: no major crashes or injuries; no bonks or bad days; and of course no badly timed mechanical failures except inside three kilometers to go on flat stages, where mechanicals and mishaps do get mulligans.

And not every team in the Tour is here to win it. They understand that the math of ultimate victory just kind of sucks. So they have other objectives: stage wins, other jersey competitions, or just getting in the break. That doesn’t make for a boring race. In fact, it can make it even crazier as some overall contender’s best laid plans get put on their ear by a team that doesn’t even give a damn about Paris. Here are all 22 teams in this year’s race, what they’re here for, and why despite months of training and prep, they’re still gonna manage to ball it up.

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Ineos grenadiers.

Top Riders : Dani Martinez, Geraint Thomas, Adam Yates

Why They’re Here : To bring back the glory days

What To Watch For: Triple threat! Start with Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner who’s freshly back on good form; Yates, fourth at last year’s Tour of Spain; and Martinez, who had his best spring ever, capped by a win at Itzulia Basque Country. Bench? Super deep: from young talents Tom Pidcock and Ethan Hayter to rouleurs like Filippo Ganna and Dylan van Baarle. With the biggest budget in the WorldTour, these guys come to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and they’re all outta bubblegum.

Why They’ll Lose : Unfortunately they may be all outta kick ass too. Ineos is bike racing’s equivalent of an ‘80s super group: went triple platinum, had its own display at Tower Records, sold-out stadium shows everywhere. Now they’re opening for Winger at HairNation in Cleveland. A triple threat GC strategy is what you do when you don’t have a true leader, and they pretty much never work. Thomas is 36, that 2018 Tour win a golden, glorious outlier. Yates? No one is afraid of a Yates. Martinez is intriguing but has exactly one high overall finish in a Grand Tour to his name. Super group? Maybe a really good cover band.

Jumbo-Visma

Top Riders : Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert

Why They’re Here : Revenge for Omi and Opi

What To Watch For : With all the hype around Rog v. Pog, it’s a little astounding that the two top stage racers in the sport have only ever faced off to the finish in two multi-day events, the first being Pog’s come-from-behind stunner in the 2020 Tour. Last year, of course, Roglič was all primed to avenge that crazy loss until he ran into (literally) the infamous fan holding the Opi-Omi sign on Stage One and abandoned later with injuries. That, of course, did open the door for Vingegaard’s debutante ball and van Aert’s Ventoux heroics. More recently, Jumbo was looking good, Billy Ray, with a 1-2 finish by Rog and Jonas at the Criterium du Dauphiné and a pile of stage wins by van Aert.

Why They’ll Lose : Roglič has three straight Vuelta a España titles but Tour Troubles live rent-free in his head. Short of major trouble early, team brass will hold Vingegaard back, and he’s a Good Boy so he’ll comply. Elsewhere, van Aert picked up a mysterious knee injury in training camp, and the whole Tour de Suisse team had to bail with COVID. Just the kind of relaxing few weeks you want pre-Tour.

UAE Team Emirates

Top Riders : All about Tadej Pogačar

Why They’re Here : Win No. 3

What To Watch For : Pog’s first win was via surprise; in taking the lead only in the Stage 20 TT, his team was never tested. Last season it was and passed. Barely. But this offseason was like the scene from The Matrix Reloaded where Neo fights three Agents and stops for a moment to observe, “Hmm. Upgrades.” UAE picked up a bunch of new climber-support guys that significantly boosts team depth. They’re made, and paid, to defend.

Why They’ll Lose : I mean, probably not? But luck has a funny way of evening things out, and the first week of this year’s race holds plenty of chances for the bad kind. Stage 2’s crosswind potential recalls 2020, when Pog lost time on Stage 7 in a similar situation. Stage 5 has cobbles. Roubaix cobbles. Pog has never raced them. He’s a fine bike handler and had fun at the Ronde van Vlaanderen last spring. But Roubaix cobbles are…different.

Outside GC Contenders

Outside of the top three teams, there are several others that have a legitimate shot at a yellow jersey. All have flaws that the Big 3 don’t: they lack depth, or have unproved leaders, or some other issue. Everything has to go right for one of them to get the upset win. But never say never.

Ag2r-Citroën

Top Riders : Ben O’Connor

Why They’re Here : To get on the Tour podium

What To Watch For : A lot of observers wrote off O’Connor’s fourth-place finish last year as a fluke, since it was sparked by a winning break on Stage 9 that gave him big time on the chase. But that ignores the 26-year-old Aussie’s steady rise as a stage racer. He was the best not-Jumbo guy at the Dauphiné, for example. Not only can he climb, he’s durable, with just two DNFs in stage races the past two and a half seasons.

Why They’ll Lose : Three things hold O’Connor back. One: Ineos, Jumbo, and UAE would take Ag2r apart if O’Connor has to defend yellow. Second, almost zero experience on cobbles: his last race on them was six years ago, on Flanders cobbles, not the Roubaix kind. Sure, he reconned the stage, but with Ag2r leaving former Paris-Roubaix winner Greg van Avermaet home, O’Connor loses an incomparable cobbles pilot for a crucial stage where he’s openly praying for dry weather . Last, Rog and Pog don’t fear O’Connor in any TT, much less the 40km monster at the end of this race.

Bora-Hansgrohe

Top Riders : Aleksandr Vlasov

Why They’re Here : To add to that Grand Tour win streak

What To Watch For : Peter who? Bora has moved on from the Sagan era to become maybe the odds-on fave to challenge the UAE-Jumbo-Ineos triumvirate in stage racing (see: Jai Hindley, 2022 Giro d’Italia). Next up: Vlasov, who was scary good at the Tour de Suisse. With climbing support from Max Schachmann, Patrick Konrad, and Lennard Kämna, they could be a sleeper threat.

Why They’ll Lose : In Grand Tours, Vlasov’s either top 10 or a DNF, no in-betweens. After getting COVID at Suisse, his form is a question mark, bold, in 48-point type. And Vlasov—a Russian—in yellow would be a PR disaster for a sport that’s been almost capriciously inconsistent with its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If he takes the lead, the press conferences could be more vicious than the road.

Bahrain Victorious

Top Riders : Jack Haig, Matej Mohorič, Damiano Caruso

Why They’re Here : A sneaky yellow jersey push?

What To Watch For : Bahrain’s my other pick for an outside challenge to Pogačar’s third title. Usually they’re stage hunters at the Tour, and damn good ones too: three last year alone. And they usually have not one, but two riders up high in the overall in Grand Tours. Here it’ll be the Caruso-Haig pair, backed by Dylan Teuns. And there’s always Mohorič for stages if things go pear-shaped early.

Why They’ll Lose : Bahrain can’t close the deal in a GT. Never has. “The road will decide” is a dumb strategy in week three of a Grand Tour, as each co-leader rides for himself. That dynamic could easily play out here, with 34-year-old Caruso, always the lieutenant, looking for that one breakthrough result to cap his career, and 28-year-old Haig looking to confirm that he’s the team’s immediate future. Add to that a pre-Tour police raid , and it’s worth wondering whether Bahrain cracks up well before Paris.

Groupama-FDJ

Top Riders : Thibaut Pinot, David Gaudu

Why They’re Here : A fresh strategy for success?

What To Watch For : Who doesn’t cheer for Pinot? One of France’s best stage racers in a generation, and a disarmingly honest, refreshingly down-to-earth human (his Instagram features pictures of him with his goats as much as racing). And just in time, he’s looking like a threat, with a stage win at the Tour de Suisse. Gaudu got another at the Dauphiné, and they have Valentin Madouas and Michael Storer for support. Could this be Thibaut’s year?

Why They’ll Lose : Nope, it could not. No one has a more complicated relationship with the Tour than Pinot, who’s had more than his fair share of heartache; who could forget that wrenching DNF in 2019 from a freak knee injury, just as he looked ready to rip the race apart? Pinot’s a pure climber, so week one and the final TT will be his undoing. This lineup would be far better off focusing on stage wins, and the team’s been cagey about whether its goals are GC or stages. Good plan.

Top Riders : Romain Bardet

Why They’re Here : A mulligan from the Giro

What To Watch For : Bardet, a serious Grand Tours rider by any measure, was sitting fourth overall at the Giro when illness knocked him out near the end of the second week. The Tour is a second chance, and the form he had at the Giro, combined with the break from not having to go deep in the arduous third week there, could make him a serious threat here.

Why They’ll Lose : Bardet’s best Grand Tour results are behind him. He sucks at flat time trials. DSM isn’t deep enough to support him, partly because they keep losing good riders due to their inflexible management style. To paraphrase Tolstoy, all dysfunctional teams are unhappy in their own way, and DSM—which is leaving Soren Kragh Andersen, one of its best stage hunters, home because he’s switching teams next year—is a particularly miserable outfit.

Surefire Stage Winners

Not every team is here to chase the podium in Paris. Many teams are hunting stage wins, the coin of the realm for non-GC relevance at the Tour. We’ve divided them into two groups. The first consists of the teams that are almost guaranteed to win a stage. In fact, their Tour will be a disappointment if they don’t.

BikeExchange-Jayco

Top Riders : Dylan Groenewegen, Michael Matthews

Why They’re Here : To knock off as many Ws as possible

What To Watch For : The Groenewegen-Matthews tandem has seven Tour stage wins between them, plus Matthews’ green jersey in 2017. They’re the best shots for a stage win, and both have shown encouraging form lately. Past that, Nick Schultz is an outside shot for a climbing stage.

Why They’ll Lose : Their best rider, Simon Yates, is staying home after a mixed Giro campaign. Groenewegen looked to be a breakout star after his 2019 Tour but hasn’t been the same rider since getting DQ’d at the 2020 Tour of Poland for his role in the crash that almost ended Fabio Jakobsen’s career. Matthews is, and remains, a kind of mercurial mess: great talent, constantly top 5 or top 10, but rarely a winner at the Tour, where his last stage win was in 2017.

Intermarché-Wanty

Top Riders : Alexander Kristoff

Why They’re Here : Arrgh! It’s a pirate’s life for us!

What To Watch For : The most recent addition to the WorldTour ranks, Intermarché was supposed to just take up some space in the pack: get in the early break, vie for top fives in sprints, but generally be wallpaper. They didn’t get the memo: 13 wins already this year, including two Giro stages and Gent-Wevelgem. The center is sprinter Kristoff, a four-time Tour stage winner who can Classics a bit too. And then there’s breakaway specialist Taco van der Hoorn, who we love for his never-say-die attitude and because, whenever he’s in the break, we get to think about tacos for hours on end.

Why They’ll Lose : It was a great spring, but reversion to the mean is a bitch. There is no race harsher and more sharp-elbowed than the Tour, and without top riders Biniam Girmay and Jan Hirt (both of whom did the Giro), they’re pretty thin for the biggest race in the world. What about Louis Meintjes? What about him, indeed: likely racing defensively for another 12th place overall.

Alpecin-Deceuninck

Top Riders : Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen

Why They’re Here : Sprints, baby

What To Watch For : Alpecin will give Quick-Step a run for best sprint team this Tour. That starts with Mathieu van der Poel, one of the most phenomenal, unclassifiable riders racing today. Van der Poel can win sprints, can win hilly courses, can handle a bike so beautifully it makes Danny MacAskill cry. He’s here for stages, not the green jersey, so he’ll be aggressive. Philipsen is a pure field sprinter. Can’t climb so much as a ladder, but point him in a straight line and there are few who can beat him.

Why They’ll Lose : Two sprinters? That’s a recipe for a mess. If Alpecin is smart, they’ll back Philipsen in sprints and van der Poel will go for breakaways and the Roubaix stage. But for all his talents and the hype, van der Poel has weaknesses, especially tactics. Philipsen is still searching for that breakout win/season that establishes him as one of the premier speedsters in the pack.

Trek-Segafredo

Top Riders : Bauke Mollema, Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven

Why They’re Here : To win on the hardest of days

What To Watch For : Trek is a deep, experienced team of vets, and has no illusions about going for GC. Mollema just missed stage wins several times at the Giro, but last year’s win on the Tour’s Stage 14 was a virtuoso performance of strength and tactics on a wickedly hard day. That’s Trek’s sweet spot. Whether it’s medium mountain stages for Mollema, bad weather and long grinds for 2019 World Champion Pedersen, or cobbles and crosswinds for classics specialist Stuyven, they’re made for days when other guys just want to get to the finish.

Why They’ll Lose : It’s unknown how well Mollema will go in his second full GT this season. Pedersen is at his best on very long days: 200km plus, lumpy profile, and there simply aren’t many of those at this year’s Tour. Stuyven has always seemed One Big Win from a breakout. But when he gets them, like last year’s Milano-Sanremo, the streak never comes. At 30, he is who he is: talented but not transformative.

Quick-Step-Alpha Vinyl

Top Riders : Fabio Jakobsen, Kasper Asgreen

Why They’re Here : Stage wins galore

What To Watch For : Quick-Step is that friend who always marches to her own beat. They haven’t mounted a real GC attempt at the Tour in years, and they’re not starting now. They’re built for stage wins, starting with sprinter Jakobsen and the best leadout in bike racing, Michael Mørkøv. They’ve won at least one stage every year since 2012, and it’s the surest bet in the Tour that streak continues.

Why They’ll Lose : They’re limping into the Tour, almost literally. Classics star Kasper Asgreen is banged up from a Tour de Suisse crash. World Champion Julian Alaphilippe isn’t here at all, thanks to crash injuries. Plus there’s weird vibes: Yves Lampaert was disqualified from the Tour of Belgium for physically blocking another rider racing for the overall win. And how do you not bring Mark Cavendish to the Tour? If there’s any karma for those two outrages, QS will get goose-egged this year.

Wild Cards and Stage Hunters

One of the unifying factors among these teams is they don’t win that much at the WorldTour. Another is they’re typically among the lower-budget teams, unable to sign the big-name riders who would give them those headline victories. A third: several of them are fighting possible relegation from the sport’s top level. A Tour stage is far from assured, but would also help a lot in that competition.

Top Riders : Enric Mas, Carlos Verona

Why They’re Here : All about avoiding disaster

What To Watch For : As anyone who’s watched their Netflix documentary series The Most Unexpected Day can attest, no one does drama like Movistar. There’s always something going on and this year it’s relegation. New UCI rules will drop the two lowest-point teams out of the 2023 WorldTour, and Movistar—with a four-decade history in the sport—is on the bubble. So look for them to race with a certain desperation. Their best hope is Mas, a top climber. But Verona is in excellent form, and young American rider Matteo Jorgenson bears watching in his first Tour.

Why They’ll Lose : Mas was looking strong at the Dauphiné, but a bad crash knocked him out. Several of their top riders, like Alejandro Valverde, aren’t racing the Tour, which limits their potential. Movistar has never been a sprint team, so they’re mostly confined to breakaway hopes. Movistar has never been big on team cohesion, and if success doesn’t come in the first half of the race, the second could be a slog.

Arkea-Samsic

Top Riders : Nairo Quintana, Warren Barguil

Why They’re Here : To the mountains they must go

What To Watch For : Arkea needs to pick opportunities wisely. Its best shots will be with climbers Quintana and Barguil in the mountains. Both have a track record of success at the Grand Tours, and although Quintana is no longer the GC rider he was 5-10 years ago, he’s also not a guy you let build a big lead before a final climb.

Why They’ll Lose : As is his style the past few years, Quintana started the season hot and then fell off. Back through 2020, he hasn’t won a single race after May. The past 3-4 years Barguil has focused on GC at the Tour, which he really shouldn’t do, because it means he rides defensively when he should be attacking. There are a couple of other outside stage shots on Arkea, like the Classics rider Connor Swift. But they need to race smart, and instead, I expect to see them in every early break, no matter the chances.

Total Energies

Top Riders : Peter Sagan

Why They’re Here : Sagz and breaks

What To Watch For : Sagan’s move from Bora to Total Energies over the offseason basically re-made the team. Sagz doesn’t travel light, bringing three of his Bora teammates (including bestie Daniel Oss) and Specialized as a sponsor. For that, Sagan has given them a stage win at the recent Tour de Suisse, and hopes to add to his 12 Tour stages. Anthony Turgis, second at Milano-Sanremo, is maybe the most underrated Classics rider in the pack and could be a threat for the Roubaix stage.

Why They’ll Lose : If Sagan was supposed to raise TE’s game, it hasn’t worked out so far. Instead, he DNF’d out of Suisse with his third bout of COVID after reportedly fighting off long COVID from his second round with the disease. He hasn’t won a Tour stage in his last two outings. Turgis never seems to quite get over the hump with a big result. This is not a terribly deep team and if Sagan, their center, is not on good form they’ll struggle to adapt.

Lotto-Soudal

Top Riders : Caleb Ewan, Tim Wellens

Why They’re Here : Sprints and breaks

What To Watch For : Ewan, a five-time Tour stage winner, would like a mulligan for his unfortunate crash on Stage 1 of the Giro as he was fighting it out for the win. Wellens, a deeply experienced vet, was excellent at the Belgium Tour, losing the overall only due to foul play by Quick-Step. And in Florian Vermeersch and Philippe Gilbert they have two very good Classics riders, albeit at opposite ends of the age/experience spectrum.

Why They’ll Lose : Lotto’s leadout simply isn’t on par with Quick-Step or Alpecin. Ewan will be forced to freelance. He’s also usually an early DNF in Grand Tours. If he strikes out early, that might be it. For all of Wellens’ experience he attacks at weirdly inopportune moments (called “Wellensing”). Gilbert has a fabulous palmares but hasn’t added much to it the past few years. And Vermeersch, the breakout revelation of last year’s Paris-Roubaix, is almost anonymous this year, including a terrible Classics season.

B&B Hotels-KTM

Top Riders : Pierre Rolland

Why They’re Here : So you’re sayin’ there’s a chance!

What To Watch For : Among “wild cards,” Alpecin gets an automatic invite for leading the sport’s second division. TotalEnergies gets in because Sagan. That leaves B&B, which is in because they’re French. Their best shot is clearly Rolland, three times a top-10 finisher at the Tour and the team’s only Tour stage winner. Rolland, an old school race-by-feel guy, is definitely feeling it right now, barely missing a stage win at the Dauphiné and taking home the mountains jersey. He’s a solid pick for a win on one of those lumpy transitional courses, and there are several chances, including Stages 8 and 9, and 13 and 14.

Why They’ll Lose : Rolland is 35. In 16 seasons, he’s won 12 races, and just once in the last five seasons. Those GC campaigns were a long time ago now. And there’s a lot of pressure on him. This is a thin team, thanks to running on a meager budget compared to WorldTour teams. A stage win would be a fantastic triumph, but the team hasn’t won anything near this level in its six-year existence. Don’t bet on a breakthrough here.

Top Riders : Guillaume Martin, Bryan Coquard

Why They’re Here : To break a long winless streak

What To Watch For : After racing the full Giro d’Italia, Martin is likely at the Tour searching for stage wins rather than the overall. That’s a smart strategy for the peloton’s smartest rider (with a master’s in philosophy, he’s the only WorldTour rider we know of with an advanced degree). A number of medium mountain days are well-suited to him. Coquard, a kind of all-around sprinter/classics guy, could be one to watch for the first week.

Why They’ll Lose : Martin has a knack for getting in breaks that gain a lot of time. But he also sometimes uses his strength at odd, inopportune times. It shows in the results: just seven wins in seven seasons, none on the WorldTour. He’s a good climber, but a stage win will require luck, not just legs. Coquard is a conventionally successful racer with 47 wins, but also none on the WorldTour. Cofidis hasn’t won a Tour stage since 2008, despite being in the race every year. It’s the longest dry streak of any team here, and chances are it continues this Tour.

EF Education First-EasyPost

Top Riders: Rigoberto Uran

Why They’re Here : To get in the break almost every day

What To Watch For : There’s no harder team to puzzle out this year than EF. Uran, a former Grand Tour podium finisher, could be a GC threat. But more likely he's going for stage wins. The roster is built to compete on almost any day: Uran for the big mountains. Ruben Guerreiro for the medium ones. Magnus Cort and Alberto Bettiol for the lumpy transitional stuff. All of them could have success.

Why They’ll Lose : EF had an uneven lead-in to the Tour, with half its roster at Tour de Suisse going out with COVID (including Uran and Bettiol). Guerreiro won the recent Ventoux Challenge, a promising result, but against lesser competition than he'll face here. Cort, maybe the team’s best stage-win hope, hasn’t had the kind of season he hoped for so far. Watch American Neilson Powless, 4th overall at Suisse. With EF on the relegation bubble, they’ll race hard, but as we’ve said elsewhere, desperation often isn’t the best motivation for a victory.

Israel-Premier Tech

Top Riders : Michael Woods, Jakob Fuglsang

Why They’re Here : They got automatic entry. Somehow.

What To Watch For : Another WorldTour team on the relegation bubble, Israel-Premier Tech comes in search of results that will boost them to an assured spot in next year’s top tier of teams. Their best bets are Fuglsang, who turned in a strong Tour de Suisse performance (albeit against a COVID-decimated field) and Woods, who won a stage and the overall at the recent Route d’Occitanie.

Why They’ll Lose : There’s no team that’s mismanaged its roster and budget like IPT, sinking big money into riders whose best results are behind them. Just two riders here are under 30 and most of the rest are closer to 40. Four-time former Tour winner Chris Froome has never recovered from that awful 2019 crash that broke his femur. Woods and Fuglsang have both won lesser races this year, but it remains to be seen if they have what it takes against Tour-level competition.

Top Riders : Alexey Lutsenko

Why They’re Here : To rekindle past glories of Vino 4 Ever!

What To Watch For: Once upon a time, Astana was a feared GC team. Vincenzo Nibali at his mid-decade peak, or the heady Alberto Contador years, these guys were a badass bunch. These days they don’t merit much concern. Maybe Lutsenko get a mountain stage. Maybe Gianni Moscon makes news for something other than being a dick. Maybe I’ll wake up a billionaire tomorrow.

Why They’ll Lose : Because Astana is Team Hot Mess. Lutsenko? Wake me when he’s a legit top-5 threat. Moscon’s barely been seen since flatting out of the Paris-Roubaix lead last fall. And with near-constant issues paying staff and riders, and reported criminal investigations about fraud and money laundering, it’s honestly worth wondering how long this team survives, win or no.

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Filed Under: cycling news , road cycling , Tour de France Tagged With: Alpecin-Deceuninck , BikeExchange - Jayco , Cofidis , DSM , Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux , Lotto Soudal , News , Quick Step Alpha Vinyl , Total Energy , Tour de France

June 28, 2022 by Michael Behringer Leave a Comment

Cycling: 176 riders divided into 22 teams will tackle the 1 Tour de France on July 2022st. We look at all teams and their goals. In the first part we focus on all teams that have a first-class sprinter in their ranks and therefore focus on the mass sprints.

Quick Step Alpha Vinyl

Almost traditionally, the Belgian team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl goes into the Tour de France as a sprint team. With Fabio Jacobsen you have what is currently probably the fastest man in your own ranks. Therefore, one can even afford to leave the newly crowned British Champion Mark Cavendish at home. Two sprinters are just one too many. And so, with Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, they are fully backing the Jakobsen card. With the Dane Michael Morkov he has the best starter in the world at his side and will undoubtedly be the favorite in the bunch sprints. If the section is too difficult for him, the team will go on the offensive itself. But this time without Julian Alaphilippe, because the Frenchman was surprisingly not nominated either. Instead, they rely on a classic team around the Dane Kasper Asgreen, the Belgian Yves Lampaert , the french Florian Senechal, as well as the Italian Andrea Bagioli. For the mountains were the Dane Mikkel Honore and the Italian Mattia Cattaneo nominated.

Prognosis: As always, Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl has a clear plan. With Fabio Jakobsen you will win more than just a mass sprint. On all other stages the motto is: Fire at will! Then the troupe will create groups themselves and compete for daily victories, especially on hilly stages.

Alpecin-Deceuninck

Alpecin - Fenix ​​becomes the Tour de France 2022 Alpecin - Deceuninck. The alignment of the team, however, remains very sprint and classic-heavy as usual. Head of the team is natural Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman will demonstrate his skills on bumpy stages and fight for stage wins. If the section is flat, Sprinter gets Jasper Phillipsen all the support of the team. The Belgian is fast and has already shown that he can do it in important races. The rest of the team will support the two stars and will rarely be allowed to drive on their own account. However, it may be that the Swiss Sylvan Dillier, the Austrian Michael Gogl, the German Alexander Krieger, the Italian Kristian Sbaragli and the two Belgians Edward Planckaert and Guillaume van Keirsbulck receive their freedom in the second or third week. Because it is also unclear this year whether Mathieu van der Poel wants to end the tour at all.

Prognosis: In the Alpecin – Deceuninck team, the roles are clearly divided. If it's flat, you drive for Philipsen. If it's wavy, you drive for Van der Poel. The troops are therefore very predictable, but also strong on their terrain. If you leave this terrain, however, you will hardly see the team. In the mountains, for example, the Belgian team doesn't have much to offer.

Lotto – Soudal

Many fans and pundits were surprised when Lotto – Soudal announced their squad for the 2022 Tour de France. With the Australian Caleb ewan you have nominated the top sprinter, but you don't give him a sprint train. Among other things, the German driver Roger Kluge has to stay at home. The Belgian Frederic Frison and the South African Reinardt Janse van Rensburg will still support Caleb Ewan in the best possible way when it comes to the last kilometers. Otherwise, Lotto - Soudal relies on other stage hunters. The Belgians Tim Wellens, Florian Vermeersch and Philip Gilbert should cause a sensation on undulating terrain and on cobblestones. of Belgium Bren van Moer and Denmark Andrew Kron even bring qualities for the mountains. This means that the team is much more flexible and broader than in previous years - but doesn't that take revenge in the mass sprints?

Prognosis: Caleb Ewan will not have been happy to learn that half the team will not be available to help. Nevertheless, we know that the Australian can do it without a sprint train. Therefore he will be able to win at least one stage. And it won't stop there, because the team can be trusted to go in groups and shoot the thing on almost any terrain.

The French Equipe Cofidis is going two-pronged in the 2022 Tour de France. With William Martin you have a strong climber in your ranks who is aiming for the top 10 in the overall ranking. At the same time, the team management also nominated bryan coquard, who should ensure success in the sprint arrivals. The two Frenchmen each get a few drivers to the side. So will the Spaniards Ion Izagirre, the German Simon Geschke and the two French Anthony Perez and victor lafay mainly take care of Guillaume Martin, while the German Max Walscheid and the French Benjamin Thomas rather have to look after the well-being of Bryan Coquard. At the same time, however, they will all be able to enjoy their freedom from time to time, just as we know from Cofidis in the past.

Prognosis: Bryan Coquard will have a hard time claiming a stage win in this sprinter competition. The same applies to Guillaume Martin, who has already shown at the Giro d'Italia that he can drive very actively, but not very efficiently. A stage win via an early escape seems to be the most likely outcome, no matter which Cofidis pro.

Already at the Giro d'Italia a few weeks ago Alberto Dainese surprised the competition in the mass sprint. The Italian should now repeat the same thing at the Tour de France. DSM provides the German for him John Degenkolb, the danes Casper Pederson and the Dutchman Nils Eekhof away. The four of them should ensure a success in the mass sprint on flat stages. If it gets wavy or even mountainous, the other five professionals are in demand - above all Romain Bardet. The Frenchman is past his best, but was able to impress with excellent performances at the Giro d'Italia. Can he go back to the general classification? Or do you rely on the young Norwegian Andreas Leknessund? It is clear, both these two, as well as the Australian Chris Hamilton and the Dutchman Martijn Tusveld are able to walk in groups and win stages in high mountains. Maybe you even look at the mountain jersey if it doesn't work with the yellow one.

Prognosis: Team DSM does not have the best rider in its own ranks on any terrain, but can still get involved everywhere. It's almost to be hoped that the ambitions in the general classification will be shelved early on so that we can see an offensive team. Then DSM will go hunting for stages and the mountain jersey - and both will then also succeed.

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

In the second WorldTour year, the Belgian team Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux is having a hard time. The top drivers are missing from the squad and the most well-known are also those who simply can no longer reach their old level of performance. alexander kristoff for example, used to be considered a prime candidate for stage wins. Even now he is still capable of a coup, but he is no longer mentioned as one of the favourites. In addition to the Norwegian, the French should Adrian Petit and the Italian Andrea Pasqualon ensure success in the sprints. It is unclear whether the three will work together with a clear distribution of roles, or whether everyone will take turns or even drive at the same time on their own account. One thing is certain: Since success in the mass sprint is unlikely, the breakaway groups will be equipped at the same time. The Belgians are suitable for this Kobe Goossens and the Norwegian Sven Eric Bystrom perfect as an all-rounder. Dutchman Taco van der Hoorn will go in groups on flat stages and hope to pull off another surprise coup. In the mountains you might look at the South African louis meintjes and the Germans George Zimmerman set. But even on this terrain you are certainly not one of the favorites, so that an early escape seems the only way out.

Prognosis: Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux has no choice but to flee every day. If you wait until the final, you have almost no chance. The German fans can hope for a strong Georg Zimmermann, who may celebrate his big breakthrough at the 2022 Tour de France.

Total Energy

It is the first time in many years that Peter Sagan does not start as a favorite for the green jersey in a Tour de France. Although the Slovak recently won a stage at the Tour de Suisse, he is miles away from his former quality. Nevertheless, the team will do everything to make him king in the points classification again. His faithful companions Daniel Oss from Italy and Maciej Bodnar from Poland will also be there for him around the clock in the new team. The same goes for the French Anthony Turgis. The experienced Norwegian should have a relatively free role Edvald Boasson Hagen receive. The rest of the TotalEnergies squad is actually more suited to the mountains, and as a captain, of course Pierre Latour can be identified. The Frenchman will aim to finish in the top 10 in the overall standings. Above all, he can build on his compatriots Alexis Vuillermoz and Mathieu Burgaudeau, who will always be found in groups. TotalEnergies cannot afford to wait until the final climb.

Prognosis: TotalEnergies has set itself high goals with Peter Sagan and Pierre Latour, which they will probably all miss. Peter Sagan will not win the green jersey and Pierre Latour will have a hard time actually finishing in the top 10. Therefore, in the third week at the latest, everything will be done to win the day via breakaway groups in order to save the balance sheet at the Tour de France 2022.

BikeExchange—Jayco

With the obligation of Dylan Groenewegen and the return campaign from Michael Matthews the BikeExchange – Jayco team has realigned itself. While the Dutchman is supposed to ensure success in mass sprints on flat stages, the Australian will be used as captain on slightly undulating terrain. The Slovenian Port of Mezgec is strong enough to support both. However, the rest of the squad will have a hard time putting themselves in the limelight. Nick Schultz is a gifted climber but will go down in this competition. The Australian has to catch the right group on the right day if he is to be able to fight for a stage win in the mountains. his countrymen Luke Durbridge and alex edmondson, and the New Zealander Jack Bauer are strong time trialists and always active in one-day races. You will be like the Norwegian Amund Jansen sometimes go in groups if the road is not too steep.

Prognosis: With a bit of luck, Dylan Groenewegen and Michael Matthews can make the Tour de France a success for the team on their own. However, if these two fail to live up to expectations, the rest of the squad will have to try and save the Tour de France somehow with breakaway attempts. Nick Schultz could finally make his breakthrough and is arguably the team's best hope for that.

About Michael Behringer

Cycling with all its tactics, stage analyses, placements and forecasts are Michael Behringer's great passion. In 1996 he tracked his first Tour de France. Since then he has observed almost every race. His passion for cycling has been with him for over two decades. There is no end in sight.

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Tour de France 2022: Final Teams (Men)

2022 tour de france team analysis from legends bernard thévenet and john wilcockson..

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It wasn’t until countless thousands of raucous Danes clogged Copenhagen’s famed Tivoli Gardens on Wednesday evening to greet the 22 teams of the 109 th Tour de France that we (almost) knew the final composition of all those teams. Covid-19, sickness, injuries, and some marketing decisions prevented a handful of riders from appearing on the stage—they included Team Astana’s Alexandr Riabushenko, who was on his way from Belarus after a teammate tested positive for Covid earlier in the day; UAE Emirates’ Matteo Trentin, another Covid victim, replaced by Swiss hope Marc Hirschi; and the absent-for-the night Bob Jungels of AG2R-Citroën, who’d tested positive but later passed the Tour’s Covid protocol, and Daryl Impey Israel-Premier Tech, who has had to be replaced by Guy Niv. Overnight, Cofidis sprinter Bryan Coquard was another Covid victim and has been replaced by Pierre-Luc Périchon.

The biggest omissions from the expected lineups were those of the Quick-Step team’s Julian Alaphilippe and Mark Cavendish. World champion Alaphilippe expressed his disappointment at not being selected even though he proved his fitness with a strong ride in last Sunday’s 240-kilometer French nationals, his first race back since his horrendous Liège-Bastogne-Liège crash. As for Cavendish, who won the British road title in an impressively aggressive performance, he was denied a shot at becoming the winningest-ever Tour stage winner by a marketing decision (the selection of three Danish teammates because of the Grand Départ’s location) and the presence of Dutch super-sprinter Fabio Jakobsen. Other surprise omissions were the non-selections of AG2R’s 2016 Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet and Alpecin Deceuninck sprinter Tim Merlier, who won the Belgian national title last Sunday.

Despite such absences, the Tour will again be an unforgettable experience for all those involved—riders, team staff, race officials, journalists, sponsors, and spectators. In fact, when the team presentation closed on Wednesday night, after being asked if it were more important for him to win at all costs or have some fun, two-time defending champ Tadej Pogačar opted for the latter, saying, “We’re going to smile until the end.”

So, here’s the final rundown on the 22 teams and their prospects for the Tour’s 21 stages, which start with a time trial on Friday in the Danish capital.

AG2R CITROËN TEAM [ FRANCE ]

Big hopes for o’connor.

Australian climber Ben O’Connor caused a sensation last year by finishing one place away from the podium in Paris, and he has confirmed that result this year by winning a mountain stage at the Tour of Catalonia, taking a victory in the Tour du Jura classic and placing third overall at the Tour de Suisse. He will be ably supported on the climbing stages by the young French riders Benoît Cosnefroy, Aurélien Paret-Peintre and Geoffrey Bouchard; while the experienced Bob Jungels and Oliver Naesen will be there to help O’Connor negotiate the trials of opening week.

AG2R CITROËN TEAM

TEAM LEADER: Ben O’Connor (Aus), 26

SUPPORT RIDERS: Geoffrey Bouchard (F), 30 Mikaël Cherel (F), 36 Benoît Cosnefroy (F), 26 Stan Dewulf (B), 24 Bob Jungels (Lux), 29 Oliver Naesen (B), 31 Aurélien Paret-Peintre (F), 26

BIKE: BMC DRIVETRAIN: Campagnolo WHEELS: Campagnolo

GENERAL MANAGER Vincent Lavenu PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Insurance corporation; French car manufacturer TEAM FOUNDED: 1992

ALPECIN – FENIX [ BELGIUM ]

Stage wins guaranteed.

Led by Dutch phenom Mathieu van der Poel and Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen, this Belgian squad will be fighting for stage wins from the very first day. Van der Poel hasn’t raced since May’s Giro d’Italia—where he wore the maglia rosa the first day and took four podiums—so he’ll be fired up to be as successful as he was in the 2021 Tour, when he wore the yellow jersey for six days. The team’s powerful domestiques will do everything to create openings for van der Poel and Philipsen throughout the opening week. Once into the mountain stages and beyond, Alpecin-Deceuninck will focus on making it into the breakaways.

ALPECIN – FENIX

TEAM LEADERS: Mathieu van der Poel (Nl), 27 Jasper Philipsen (B), 24

SUPPORT RIDERS: Silvan Dillier (Swi), 31 Michael Gogl (A), 28 Alexander Krieger (G), 30 Edward Planckaert (B), 27 Kristian Sbaragli (I), 32 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (B), 31

BIKE: Canyon DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano

GENERAL MANAGER Christoph Roodhooft PRINCIPAL SPONSORS German shampoo producer; Italian innovative design company TEAM FOUNDED: 2009

ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM [ KAZAKHSTAN ]

Stages and polka dots.

The absence of Astana’s most experienced GC riders Vincenzo Nibali and Miguel Ángel López leaves Astana Qazaqstan with no hopes for the podium and puts pressure on Alexey Lutsenko (a Tour stage winner two years ago) and Gianni Moscon (who has yet to fulfill his potential as the next great Italian) to create some surprises. López was starting to find good form in April when he won a stage at the Tour of the Alps, but a thigh injury forced him to withdraw on the fourth day of the Giro, while Nibali made the Giro his final grand tour. This very mountainous Tour might well suit American Joe Dombrowski, who is making his Tour debut after competing seven times at the Giro (with a stage win last year) and four times at the Vuelta a España. Stage wins and perhaps the polka-dot jersey will be as far as Astana will go this year.

ASTANA QAZAQSTAN TEAM

TEAM LEADER: Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz), 29

SUPPORT RIDERS: Joe Dombrowski (USA), 31 Fabio Felline (I), 32 Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz), 36 Gianni Moscon (I), 28 Alexandr Riabushenko (Bls), 26 Simone Velasco (I), 26 Andrey Zeits (Kaz), 35

BIKE: Wilier DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Corima

GENERAL MANAGER Alexandre Vinokourov PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Kazakhstan conglomerate TEAM FOUNDED: 2007

BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS [ BAHRAIN ]

Multiple goals.

Winner of the team classification at the Tour and Vuelta a España last year, Bahrain Victorious will again be keen to showcase its collective strength. For the overall, Bahrain will get behind Italian veteran Damiano Caruso and the up-and-coming Aussie Jack Haig. In his mid-30s, Caruso is riding better than ever since placing second at last year’s Giro, while Haig was fifth overall at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné, his best performance since placing third at the 2021Vuelta, a race he will again be targeting later in the year. Bahrain will also be shooting for stage wins, notably with Dylan Teuns (who this year has won the Flèche Wallonne and a Tour de Romandie stage) and the solid Matej Mohorič (winner of Milan–San Remo).

BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS

TEAM LEADERS: Damiano Caruso (I), 34 Jack Haig (Aus), 28

SUPPORT RIDERS: Kamil Gradek (Pol), 31 Matej Mohoric (Slo), 27 Luis León Sánchez (Sp), 38 Dylan Teuns (B), 30 Jan Tratnik (Slo), 32 Fred Wright (GB), 23

BIKE: Merida DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Vision

GENERAL MANAGER Milan Eržen PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Kingdom of Bahrain TEAM FOUNDED: 2017

B&B HOTELS-KTM [ FRANCE ]

Confirmation for bonnamour.

This second-tier French team impressed everyone in the 2021 Tour when the talented Franck Bonnamour was selected as the most aggressive rider over the three weeks of racing. This year, there will be high expectations on the rider from Brittany, but his team has the resources to help him. By establishing a plan for long-distance attacks with old campaigners Pierre Rolland and Cyril Lemoine, as well as Alexis Gougeard, who relishes a breakaway, they can ensure that Bonnamour doesn’t spread himself too widely but focuses on the stages that suit him. A stage victory is the objective.

B&B HOTELS-KTM

TEAM LEADER: Franck Bonnamour (F), 27

SUPPORT RIDERS: Cyril Barthe (F), 26 Alexis Gougeard (F), 29 Jérémy Lecroq (F), 27 Cyril Lemoine (F), 29 Luca Mozzato (I), 24 Pierre Rolland (F), 35 Sebastian Schönberger (A), 28

BIKE: KTM DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: DT Swiss

GENERAL MANAGER Jérôme Pineau PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Brittany-based hotel chain; Austrian bike company TEAM FOUNDED: 2018

BORA – HANSGROHE [ GERMANY ]

The podium for vlasov.

Following the departure of Peter Sagan, this German team has changed its goals and there are plenty of good reasons to think it will have a great Tour. Aleksandr Vlasov has been outstanding in weeklong stage races this year; he won the Tour of Valencia and Tour de Romandie and was leading the Tour de Suisse before Covid stopped him starting stage 6. This is Vlasov’s first Tour but fourth overall at last year’s Giro shows his potential, and a podium spot in Paris is the target. Also, let’s not forget that Nils Politt, Patrick Konrad. Lennard Kämna and Max Schachmann are all capable of exploits. It would be surprising if this team were to come out of the Tour without a stage win—or perhaps a lot more.

BORA – HANSGROHE

TEAM LEADER: Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus), 26

SUPPORT RIDERS: Felix Grosschartner (A), 28 Marco Haller (A), 31 Lennard Kämna (G), 25 Patrick Konrad (A), 30 Nils Politt (G), 28 Max Schachmann (G), 28 Danny Van Poppel (Nl), 28

BIKE: Specialized DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Roval

GENERAL MANAGER Ralph Denk PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Manufacturer of cooktop, extractor hoods; bathroom faucet producer TEAM FOUNDED: 2010

COFIDIS [ FRANCE ]

Targeting a stage win

For Cofidis general manager Cédric Vasseur, a former Tour yellow jersey, there are twin objectives: to win a stage at last (something the Cofidis team hasn’t done in 12 years) and to confirm the progress of team leader Guillaume Martin, who was eighth overall last year. At the same time, Martin’s prospects will have to be protected in the opening week, especially after he comes off a debilitating Giro where he repeatedly got into long-distance breakaways but picked up just four top 10s. Bearing in mind his steady progress at the Tour and by racing exactly as he knows how the French rider will likely shoot for a mountain stage win rather than focus on the GC.

TEAM LEADER: Guillaume Martin (F), 29

SUPPORT RIDERS: Simon Geschke (G), 36 Ion Izagirre (Sp), 33 Victor Lafay (F), 26 Anthony Perez (F), 31 Pierre-Luc Périchon (F), 35 Benjamin Thomas (F), 26 Max Walscheid (G), 29

BIKE: De Rosa DRIVETRAIN: Campagnolo WHEELS: Fulcrum

GENERAL MANAGER Cédric Vasseur PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Online credit corporation TEAM FOUNDED: 1996

EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST [ UNITED STATES ]

Full of possibilities.

This U.S.-based team could make a mark on the Tour in all kinds of ways. It will once again rely on the consistent Colombian climber Rigoberto Urán for the overall—although American hope Neilson Powless’ recent fourth place overall at the Tour de Suisse confirms his growing reputation in mountainous terrain. The opening time trial is a goal for Swiss specialist Stefan Bissegger; Denmark’s Magnus Cort will aim for the road stages in his homeland; Portugal’s Ruben Guerreiro, after winning the recent Mont Ventoux Challenge, will be looking to repeat the breakaway stage win he scored at the Giro two years ago; and Italy’s Alberto Bettiol will be seeking success in the classics-style stages in northern France. In other words, EF Education-EasyPost is full of possibilities.

EF EDUCATION-EASYPOST

TEAM LEADER: Rigoberto Urán (Col), 35

SUPPORT RIDERS: Alberto Bettiol (I), 28 Stefan Bissegger (Swi), 23 Magnus Cort (Dk), 29 Owain Doull (GB), 29 Ruben Guerreiro (Por), 27 Neilson Powless (USA), 25 Jonas Rutsch (G), 24

BIKE: Cannondale DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Vision

GENERAL MANAGER Jonathan Vaughters PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Provider of language training, cultural exchange & educational travel; multi-carrier shipping ap TEAM FOUNDED: 2005

GROUPAMA – FDJ [ FRANCE ]

Stage wins most likely.

After the big disappointment of Thibaut Pinot’s tearful abandon at the 2019 Tour, and setbacks in 2020 and 2021, this French team has announced its objective to fight for the podium; but stage wins look more likely. To give itself an opportunity in the GC, sprinter Arnaud Démare has not been selected and the team will rely on Pinot, who is back to a very good level after the emotional stage wins at the Tour of the Alps and Tour de Suisse, and David Gaudu, who has scored hilltop stage wins this year at the Tour of the Algarve and Critérium du Dauphiné. They will have good support on the climbing stages from Aussie Michael Storer and Frenchman Valentin Madouas, while Swiss hero Stefan Küng should provide them with great protection through the difficult opening week—after he shoots for the time trial stage victory in Copenhagen. Then we’ll see what happens with Gaudu and Pinot at La Planche des Belles Filles on stage 7.

GROUPAMA – FDJ

TEAM LEADERS: David Gaudu (F), 25 Thibaut Pinot (F), 32

SUPPORT RIDERS: Antoine Duchesne (Can), 30 Kevin Geniets (Lux), 25 Stefan Küng (Swi), 28 Olivier Le Gac (F), 28 Valentin Madouas (F), 25 Michael Storer (Aus), 25

BIKE: Lapierre DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano

GENERAL MANAGER Marc Madiot PRINCIPAL SPONSORS French insurance corporation; Paris lottery TEAM FOUNDED: 1997

INEOS GRENADIERS [ GREAT BRITAIN ]

Highly ambitious.

When a team is used to winning multiple Tours, it’s hard to scale back its ambitions. And with Welshman Geraint Thomas and Colombian Dani Martínez both on good form this season, INEOS Grenadiers will again strive to take a leading role. Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner, won the recent Tour de Suisse in convincing fashion, while Martínez, winner of the 2020 Dauphiné, rode support for Thomas in Switzerland after convincingly winning the difficult Tour of the Basque Country. The British team has so much talent available that Paris–Roubaix winner Dylan van Baarle, climber Adam Yates and Tour debutant Tom Pidcock are all capable of winning stages. For his part, world time trial champion Filippo Ganna is dreaming of taking the yellow jersey on the opening stage in Copenhagen.

INEOS GRENADIERS

TEAM LEADERS: Geraint Thomas (GB), 36 Dani Martínez (Col), 26

SUPPORT RIDERS: Jonathan Castroviejo (Sp), 35 Filippo Ganna (I), 25 Tom Pidcock (GB), 22 Luke Rowe (GB), 32 Dylan van Baarle (Nl), 30 Adam Yates (GB), 29

BIKE: Pinarello DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano

GENERAL MANAGER Sir Dave Brailsford PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Global manufacturer of petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and oil products TEAM FOUNDED: 2009

INTERMARCHÉ-WANTY-GOBERT [ BELGIUM ]

Looking for a stage win.

After a promising start to his Tour career (eighth in 2016 and 2017), South African climber Louis Meintjes had a rough patch but is slowly getting back to the level of his best (14th in 2021). He has improved even more this year by winning his first race in seven years (Italy’s Tour of the Apennines), finishing third at the Tour of Sicily and placing sixth at the more competitive Dauphiné. So a top 10 at the Tour is possible. The Belgian team’s first goal though is to win a stage, which would be great. Intermarché can count on its veteran Norwegian sprinter Alexander Kristoff, winner of the Nice stage in the 2020 Tour. On more rolling terrain, the solid Dutchman, Taco van der Hoorn, winner of a stage at the Giro in 2021, could spring a surprise.

INTERMARCHÉ-WANTY-GOBERT

TEAM LEADERS: Alexander Kristoff (N), 34 Louis Meintjes (SA), 30

SUPPORT RIDERS: Sven Erik Bystrøm (N), 30 Kobe Goossens (B), 26 Andrea Pasqualon (I), 34 Adrien Petit (F), 31 Taco van der Hoorn (Nl), 28 Georg Zimmermann (G), 24

BIKE: Cube DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Newmen

GENERAL MANAGER Jean-François Bourlart PRINCIPAL SPONSORS French supermarket chain; construction company; building materials supplier TEAM FOUNDED: 2008

ISRAEL-PREMIER TECH [ ISRAEL ]

Woods, fuglsang can shine.

Four-time Tour winner Chris Froome goes into this Tour with no real hope of matching the five wins of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Induráin. The whole cycling world admires what the Briton is attempting in his slow return from debilitating injuries, but time is running out. In his place, Canadian climber Michael Woods and Danish allrounder Jakob Fuglsang—who have both had big wins this year—can aim for the top 10. Depending on how things pan out, the team’s ambition to win a stage could be achieved by Woods or Fuglsang. So, chasing stage wins seems like the best plan for Israel-Premier Tech.

ISRAEL-PREMIER TECH

TEAM LEADERS: Jakob Fuglsang (Dk), 37 Michael Woods (Can), 35

SUPPORT RIDERS: Guillaume Boivin (Can), 33 Simon Clarke (Aus), 35 Chris Froome (GB), 37 Hugo Houle (Can), 31 Krists Neilands (Lat), 27 Guy Niv (Isr), 28

BIKE: Factor DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Black Inc

GENERAL MANAGER Kjell Carlström PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Israeli non-profit innovator; Canadian tech innovator TEAM FOUNDED: 2014

JUMBO – VISMA [ NETHERLANDS ]

Roglič seeking revenge.

All eyes will be on Primož Roglič, who keeps missing out on victory at the Tour. Beaten on stage 20 in 2020 and forced to retire after a crash in 2021, the Slovenian will be out for revenge and knows that he can count on a strong team, notably on Denmark’s latest star Jonas Vingegaard (second overall in the 2021 Tour), who will keep his position as the team’s wild card. Wout Van Aert, who is capable of all kinds of exploits, will have his own role to play, but the Jumbo-Visma riders know how to work together, and they have an impressive armada for the whole race with such strongmen as Tiesj Benoot, Steven Kruijswijk and Sepp Kuss. The hope is that everything goes well for three-time Vuelta champion Roglič, who often crashes, but this year he has already won two French stage races (Paris–Nice and the Dauphiné) and prepared for the Tour’s cobbled stage by racing impressively at the Grand Prix de Denain in March.

JUMBO – VISMA

TEAM LEADERS: Primož Roglič (Slo), 32 Jonas Vingegaard (Dk), 25

SUPPORT RIDERS: Tiesj Benoot (B), 28 Steven Kruijswijk (Nl), 35 Sepp Kuss (USA), 27 Christophe Laporte (F), 29 Wout Van Aert (B), 27 Nathan Van Hooydonck (B), 26

BIKE: Cervélo DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano

GENERAL MANAGER Richard Plugge PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Dutch national lottery; Norwegian business software and services company TEAM FOUNDED: 1994

LOTTO SOUDAL [ BELGIUM ]

Ewan dreams of green.

Belgian workhorse Thomas De Gendt is not starting because of Covid, but the oldest Belgian team still has the firepower to support its Aussie sprinter Caleb Ewan, who already has five Tour stage wins to his credit. He’ll be one of the favorites in the bunch sprints and he has also demonstrated his ability in hilltop finishes—like the one waiting at Longwy on stage 6 this year. So the green jersey can be an objective for Lotto-Soudal that hasn’t won the points title since Robbie McEwen claimed it in 2006. This Tour will be the last for superstar Philippe Gilbert, who has good form after winning the Four Days of Dunkirk in May; maybe he can score a final stage win to epilogue his long career.

LOTTO SOUDAL

TEAM LEADER: Caleb Ewan (Aus), 27

SUPPORT RIDERS: Frederik Frison (B), 29 Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (SA), 33 Philippe Gilbert (B), 39 Andreas Kron (Dk), 24 Brent Van Moer (B), 24 Florian Vermeersch (B), 23 Tim Wellens (B), 31

BIKE: Ridley DRIVETRAIN: Campagnolo WHEELS: Campagnolo

GENERAL MANAGER John Lelangue PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Belgian national lottery; manufacturer of sealants, adhesives and foams TEAM FOUNDED: 2012

MOVISTAR TEAM [ SPAIN ]

All for mas.

Alejandro Valverde is not starting the Tour in his final season, so his Movistar team will focus on a double objective: the team classification, as usual, and above all a high GC finish for Enric Mas, its sole leader, who has twice been runner-up at the Vuelta a España. At last year’s Tour, the rider from Majorca finished sixth overall. He’s not yet won a big race and he crashed out of the recent Dauphiné—but if he can regain his best form by the Alps a top five is still within his reach. Mas will be counting on the powerful Gorka Izagirre and Nelson Oliveira for support in the mountains, along with upstart American Matteo Jorgenson on his Tour debut.

MOVISTAR TEAM

TEAM LEADER: Enric Mas (Sp), 27

SUPPORT RIDERS: Imanol Erviti (Sp), 38 Gorka Izaguirre (Sp), 34 Matteo Jorgenson (USA), 23 Gregor Mühlberger (A), 28 Nelson Oliveira (Por), 33 Alberto Torres (Sp), 32 Carlos Verona (Sp), 29

BIKE: Canyon DRIVETRAIN: SRAM WHEELS: Zipp

GENERAL MANAGER Eusebio Unzué PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Mobile phone operator TEAM FOUNDED: 1980

QUICK-STEP ALPHA VINYL [ BELGIUM ]

Jakobsen’s time has come

With Julian Alaphilippe, who crashed heavily at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April, not fully recovered and with defending green jersey Mark Cavendish not selected, Quick-Step will count on its rapid young sprinter Fabio Jakobsen for stage wins. The Dutchman has had a string of 10 victories since the start of the season, including one at Paris-Nice and two at the Tour of Hungary. Although he’ll be making his Tour debut, Jakobsen gained a lot of confidence in winning five stages over the last two editions of the Vuelta, where he also claimed the points title in 2021. He’ll be backed up by teammates who are well drilled when it comes to bunch sprints, particularly the team’s three Danes, Kasper Asgreen, Mikkel Honoré and Michael Mørkøv. Late replacement Florian Sénéchal, who won last week’s French road nationals, will target the cobbled stage 5 in his backyard.

QUICK-STEP ALPHA VINYL

TEAM LEADER: Fabio Jakobsen (Nl), 25

SUPPORT RIDERS: Kasper Asgreen (Dk), 27 Andrea Bagioli (I), 23 Mattia Cattaneo (I), 31 Mikkel Honoré (Dk), 25 Yves Lampaert (B), 31 Michael Mørkøv (Dk), 37 Florian Sénéchal (F), 28

GENERAL MANAGER Patrick Lefévère PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Belgian manufacturer of vinyl windows & doors; laminated flooring producer TEAM FOUNDED: 2003

TEAM ARKÉA – SAMSIC [ FRANCE ]

Quintana seeks redemption.

This second-tier team from Brittany will start with the GC in mind for Nairo Quintana, who’s finding his best form since his last grand tour podium five years ago. The Colombian remains an excellent climber and he’s rarely caught out on the flat stages. He knows how to position himself and won’t be afraid of the traps during the first week. But a new podium remains a long shot so this team must focus above all on trying to win stages with Quintana and Warren Barguil.

TEAM ARKÉA – SAMSIC

TEAM LEADER: Nairo Quintana (Col), 32

SUPPORT RIDERS: Warren Barguil (F), 30 Maxime Bouet (F), 35 Amaury Capiot (B), 29 Hugo Hofstetter (F), 28 Matis Louvel (F), 22 Lukasz Owsian (Pol), 32 Connor Swift (GB), 26

GENERAL MANAGER Emmanuel Hubert PRINCIPAL SPONSORS Banking corporation; business service provider TEAM FOUNDED: 2013

TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE-JAYCO [ AUSTRALIA ]

Sprint wins targeted.

This Australian team will be focusing almost exclusively on the sprint stages. Dylan Groenewegen is dreaming of a win in the road stages in Denmark to go with those he took in the 2018 and 2019 Tours, while Michael Matthews is the equal of the best in the uphill finishes when he’s at 100 percent. With regular team leader Simon Yates not starting, the team’s GC hopes are non-existent, leaving the domestiques to ride hard on the sprint stages and try to instigate breakaways elsewhere.

TEAM BIKEEXCHANGE-JAYCO

TEAM LEADERS: Dylan Groenewegen (Nl), 29 Michael Matthews (Aus), 31

SUPPORT RIDERS: Jack Bauer (NZ), 37 Luke Durbridge (Aus), 31 Amund Jansen (N), 28 Chris Juul-Jensen (Dk), 32 Luka Mezgec (Slo), 34 Nick Schultz (Aus), 27

BIKE: Giant DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Cadex

GENERAL MANAGER Brent Copeland PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Global cycling marketplace; manufacturer of RVs TEAM FOUNDED: 2011

TEAM DSM [ NETHERLANDS ]

A revived bardet.

Team DSM’s GC hopes rest firmly on the shoulders of Romain Bardet, a two-time Tour podium finisher, who has revived his ambitions this year by winning the Tour of the Alps and challenging for the win at a very demanding Giro d’Italia until sickness took him out of the race. This Dutch team is taking a chance by fielding four riders under 25, but Italy’s Alberto Dainese and Norway’s Andrea Leknessund, have won stages of the Giro and Tour de Suisse respectively, while American Kevin Vermaerke is starting his first grand tour at age 21. He will no doubt learn a lot from John Degenkolb—who’ll be aiming for a repeat win over the cobblestones on stage 5.

TEAM LEADER: Romain Bardet (F), 31

SUPPORT RIDERS: Alberto Dainese (I), 24 John Degenkolb (G), 33 Nils Eekhoff (Nl), 24 Chris Hamilton (Aus), 27 Andreas Leknessund (N), 23 Martijn Tusveld (Nl), 28 Kevin Vermaerke (USA), 21

BIKE: Scott DRIVETRAIN: Shimano WHEELS: Shimano

GENERAL MANAGER Iwan Spekenbrink PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Multinational active in nutrition, materials and innovation TEAM FOUNDED: 2005

TOTAL ENERGIES [ FRANCE ]

New start for sagan.

The arrival of Peter Sagan in TotalEnergies general manager Jean-René Bernaudeau’s team has brought a new dynamic to this second-tier French squad. The first week, with the wind, cobblestones and uphill finishes, is perfectly suited to the Slovakia champion’s qualities. After health problems early in the year and coming off a long altitude training camp in Utah, Sagan rediscovered his top form by winning a rolling stage of the Tour de Suisse in June; so the seven-time Tour green jersey has the incentive for another Tour stage win with the help of, notably, Anthony Turgis and Edvald Boasson Hagen, along with his veteran henchmen Maciej Bodnar and Daniel Oss. Pierre Latour, at his best, can do well in the overall classification.

TOTAL ENERGIES

TEAM LEADER: Peter Sagan (Svk), 32

SUPPORT RIDERS: Maciej Bodnar (Pol), 37 Mathieu Burgaudeau (F), 23 Edvald Boasson Hagen (N), 35 Pierre Latour (F), 34 Daniel Oss (I), 35 Anthony Turgis (F), 28 Alexis Vuillermoz (F), 34

GENERAL MANAGER Jean-René Bernaudeau PRINCIPAL SPONSOR Electric and gas utility TEAM FOUNDED: 2000

TREK – SEGAFREDO [ UNITED STATES ]

Shining everywhere.

The first week will be very important for Trek-Segafredo. It has the riders to try something every day, starting with 2019 world champion Mads Pedersen, who’s had a great start to the season and will be inspired to contend the opening stages on home soil, especially the one that starts in his hometown of Roskilde. Classics specialist Jasper Stuyven had a slow start to the year, but he should be strong on all the flatter stages. Then there’s hope for the team’s climbers: Giulio Ciccone, who wore the yellow jersey in 2019, and Bauke Mollema, the stage winner into Quillan last year. As for the others, French veteran Tony Gallopin always rides well at the Tour, while American newcomer Quinn Simmons, the youngest starter in this Tour at age 21, showed in June’s Tour de Suisse that he can perform strongly on any terrain.

TREK – SEGAFREDO

TEAM LEADERS: Giulio Ciccone (I), 27 Bauke Mollema (Nl)), 35

SUPPORT RIDERS: Tony Gallopin (F), 34 Alex Kirsch (Lux), 30 Mads Pedersen (Dk), 26 Quinn Simmons (USA), 21 Toms Skujins (Lat), 31 Jasper Stuyven (B), 30

BIKE: Trek DRIVETRAIN: SRAM WHEELS: Bontrager

GENERAL MANAGER Luca Guercilena PRINCIPAL SPONSORS U.S. bike manufacturer; Italian espresso coffee brand TEAM FOUNDED: 2011

UAE TEAM EMIRATES [ UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ]

Pogačar is well supported.

Two-time defending champion Tadej Pogačar will have a stronger group around him this year, all of them totally dedicated to his winning a third Tour and without any other distractions. He’ll have to come through the first week in good shape and avoid being isolated like he was sometimes last year. As well as climbers Rafal Majka and Brandon McNulty, who were already part of the setup, the Slovenian can count on newcomers Marc Soler and George Bennett in the mountain stages. For the opening week, the team will call on Copenhagen native Mikkel Bjerg for the stages in Denmark, while Marc Hirschi, a last-minute replacement for Matteo Trentin, is still seeking the top form that earned him a solo stage win two years ago.

UAE TEAM EMIRATES

TEAM LEADER: Tadej Pogačar (Slo), 23

SUPPORT RIDERS: George Bennett (NZ), 32 Mikkel Bjerg (Dk), 23 Marc Hirschi (Swi), 23 Vegard Stake Laengen (N), 33 Brandon McNulty (USA), 24 Rafal Majka (Pol), 32 Marc Soler (Sp), 28

BIKE: Colnago DRIVETRAIN: Campagnolo WHEELS: Campagnolo

GENERAL MANAGER Matxin Joxean Fernandez PRINCIPAL SPONSOR United Arab Emirates TEAM FOUNDED: 2017

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Race information

• Date: 24 July 2022
• Start time: 16:45
• Avg. speed winner: 38.85 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 115.6 km
• Points scale: GT.A.Stage
• UCI scale: UCI.WR.GT.A.Stage - TM2022
• Parcours type:
• ProfileScore: 13
• Vert. meters: 748
• Departure: Paris La Défense
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Bikes of the 2022 Tour de France: The best bikes in the world

Another lap of France is upon us, and there have been some exceptionally busy mechanics readying bikes for the best riders in the world. With one of the most exciting Tours about to begin, here is the complete list of what the men's teams will be using in 2022.

> Bikes of the 2022 Women's Pro Peloton

With the start of the 2022 Tour de France here and our excitement levels reaching the height of the Col du Galiber, it's time to take a look at what the teams will be riding for three weeks. Cinq, quatres, trois, deux, un...go!

AG2R Citroën Team: BMC

AG2R haven't changed much from the 2021 season and there's nothing special for the Tour which is surprising for a very French team. If it ain’t broke…

The BMC SLR 01 and TMR are both available to the AG2R Citroën riders, with the former being the all-rounder. Campag fans will be pleased to see the Record EPS Disc groupsets along with tubeless Bora Ultra WTO wheels. The team will use the 45 and 60mm depths mostly, and these are shod with Pirelli P-Zero Race TLR tyres.

Alpecin-Deceuninck 

Deceo...Dekuni...Deceuninck is back as a title sponsor having left Quick-Step. They've been gone just long enough for us to forget how to spell the name but the team has been constantly at the front of races, and it isn't just a one-man show.

Yep, VDP is here and he is aboard his Canyon Aeroad once again. Van der Poel is one of the faces of Shimano so he's riding a SRAM Red eTap...only joking, it is full Dura-Ace for the team, including the groupset and wheels.

But keep an eye out for a new Ultimate. We know they're floating around, but with the flat nature of the opening stages, we're unlikely to see it until the first summit finish.

Arkea-Samsic

Quintana is here and will likely focus on stage wins rather than the GC. Just like Alpecin, they're riding Canyon bikes, so it is the Aeroad and Ultimate for the French squad.

Like Alpecin, the team is also on the latest 12-speed Dura-Ace Di2 with matching Shimano wheels. Interestingly, however, while Alpecin look like they're on tubeless tyres, Arkea's riders seem to prefer tubulars. These are the Continental Competition Pro Ltd. Arcahic Arkea?

Astana Qazaqstan Team: Wilier

> Review: Wilier Filante SLR

Wilier is still providing the bikes and the riders will have the Filante SLR and the 0 SLR to choose between. The bikes have been pictured with Dura-Ace R9100 groupsets, suggesting that Astana aren’t high up on the pecking order for the new stuff . The rear derailleur features a CeramicSpeed OSPW and wheel sponsor Corima has provided some very striking hoops in this pic, though we expect a more standard set to be used for races.

B&B Hotels

One team getting brand new bikes for the biggest race is B&B. Pierre Rolland will be on the hunt for polka points aboard a brand new KTM that we first spotted at the Criterium du Dauphine. 

The bike is an aero meets lightweight design that we've seen a lot of over the past few years. B&B build it up with DT Swiss wheels, a Shimano Dura-Ace 12-speed Di2 groupset and an integrated Vision front end. 

Hopefully we get to see Rolland in full polka dots with a polka dot bike later in the race.

Bahrain - Victorious: Merida

Bike sponsor Merida offers Bahrain - Victorious the Reacto and the Scultura for road stages, and this is another bike in this rundown with the R9200 Dura-Ace groupset. From the pictures that we’ve seen, the team looks to be pretty well stocked with the majority of riders on the new power meter too.

> Review: Merida Scultura V Team

Never mind us looking at the components that the team will be using, you can read our full reviews of both bikes.

> Review: Merida Reacto Team

BORA - Hansgrohe: Specialized

The first of a few teams to be using the Specialized SL7, Bora has been treated to a shiny new paint job, but not a lot else.

The new Shimano Dura-Ace is present, and Roval returns with the Rapide CLX II wheels. Tyres are an interesting one and this is something that we’ll be keeping a close eye on.

> Review: S-Works Tarmac SL7

The Roval wheels have gained a tubeless rim bed, so is a new tyre on the way from Specialized? Time will tell...

Cofidis: De Rosa 

No change for Cofidis. They’re still on DeRosa’s Merak and SK models with the former pictured. Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS Disc groupset takes care of shifting and braking, while an SRM head unit provides all of the rider’s data. Corima offers carbon tubular wheels with Michelin Power tyres. Vision takes care of front-end integration with its Metron bar/stem.

It might be a bit of a mishmash of brands, but we like it a lot.

EF Education-EasyPost: Cannondale 

Skateboard brand, Palace, is back for a collab with a very loud design that was painted by doktorbobby . The EF-EasyPost riders again have the SystemSix and SuperSix bikes at their disposal. Vision continues to supply the wheels and handlebars, while sister company FSA supplies the chainset with powermeter.

> First Ride: Cannondale SuperSix Evo 2020

Prologo saddles and bar tape should keep the riders comfy, and all riders are on the new Dura-Ace.

Groupama - FDJ: Lapierre

The lovely Lapierre bikes of FDJ are back again in a gorgeous navy blue. 

> Review: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Groupset

Away from the looks, the team is using a mix of new and old. Dura-Ace R9200 is present, as are the latest Shimano power meters, but the team is still on the old-style C40 and C60 wheelsets.

INEOS Grenadiers: Pinarello 

The Pinarello Dogma F of Ineos hasn't changed, but the team does have a new TT bike.

> Ineos Grenadiers are racing on disc brakes… finally

Shimano’s latest Dura-Ace is on pretty much every bike, and the team is using the latest editions of the Dura-Ace C40 and C60 wheels.

Just one frameset - the Dogma F - is available to the riders; but as race bikes go, that’s a pretty good one to have.

Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux: Cube 

Quite how neon yellow has made it all the way through to 2022 we’re not quite sure, but it is at least easy to spot.

> Take a closer look at the Cube Lightening C:68X

The bikes of Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux (aaaannnd breathe) are supplied by Cube, with the new 2023 Lightning being the main road race option. The older 11-speed Shimano hints at the team’s status as one of the smaller World Tour setups, but it’s still a bike that we’d be happy to race on.

A CeramicSpeed OSPW system offers the potential for a small wattage saving, while one of the more interesting component choices is the wheelset. German brand Newmen provides the team with three depths of carbon wheels, and while the team was on tubular tyres last season, this bike looks to be a tubeless setup with Continental’s GP5000 S TR.

Israel - Premier Tech: Factor 

Factor’s Ostro VAM is again the bike of choice for the majority of road races that Israel - Premier Tech will be participating in, and the team will continue to use Black Inc wheels and a one-piece handlebar.

> Review: Factor Ostro VAM

4iiii has departed and in comes Rotor as power meter supplier, resulting in new cranksets and chainrings. They even have ‘aero’ chainrings, which must make Alex Dowsett very happy.

SwissStop continues to supply the Catalyst rotors and RS34 disc pads, despite us speculating that ISN may return to Shimano when discussing Chris Froome's opinion on disc brakes again late last year. 

Lotto Soudal: Ridley

While Lotto are sticking with their Ridley Noah and Helium framesets, they’ve made a pretty big move elsewhere... Campagnolo is out and Shimano is in. 

We did see Caleb Ewan and Philippe Gilbert using modified shift lever setups, so the move might make it easier for the riders to shift gears when down in the drops, as Shimano offers its popular sprinter satellite shift buttons.

> Review: DT Swiss ERC 1400 Dicut 35 wheelset

With Campagnolo departing Lotto also needed to find some new wheels to roll on, so in comes DT Swiss with Vittoria providing some lovely tan wall Corsa G2.0 tubulars.

Movistar Team: Canyon 

Movistar can do what it likes with their bikes, just as long as we get another season of the Netflix documentary. Canyon supplies the bikes, including the new Ultimate which we hope to see whel the race goes uphill and the Aeroad for the flatter stuff.

It’s SRAM Red eTap AXS taking care of shifting, braking and delivering power meter data too. That includes some pro-only chainring sizes to make the riders less dependant on the cassette’s 10T cog.

> First Ride Review: Canyon Aeroad CFR

Zipp also continues with the team, offering the 303 NSW wheelset in tubular and tubeless forms. Fizik supplies saddles and bar tape while Continental tyres handle grip.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team: Specialized 

The S-Works SL7 has proven itself at the highest level, and this lovely frameset is decked out in the latest Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset.

> Review: Roval Rapide CLX

While lots of the team use the Roval Rapide aero handlebar, some riders instead opts for a Pro Vibe Superlight bar with the round tubes suggesting that aero isn’t everything for some riders.

Again, we see the Roval Rapide CLX II wheelset feature with the same unmarked Specialized tyres as we saw with Bora.

Team BikeExchange Jayco: Giant 

It's a brand new bike from Giant, but while we think it is a new Propel, we're not 100% sure.

> Review: Giant TCR Advanced SL 0 Disc 2021

The Propel and the TCR are the bikes that riders will be selecting from, and under the fast legs of Dylan Gronewegan, expect to see the new bike netting a win this year's race.

> New Giant Propel to debut at Tour de France

Wheels and finishing kit come from Giant, while Shimano provides the groupset. It’s Dura-Ace Di2 Disc, naturally, though that is an 11-speed crankset in the photo.

Team DSM: Scott 

The new bikes are coming thick and fast now with Scott launching the 2023 Foil earlier this week.

> Review: Scott Addict RC

The new bike is faster, lighter and comfier according to Scott so we'll see if it can help their riders to some decent results. For the mountains, the riders also have the Addict.

Scott’s sub-brand Syncross provides the one-piece handlebar and the saddles. The only deviation from Scott and Shimano are the Vittoria tubeless tyres on the Shimano C38 wheels.

Team Jumbo-Visma: Cervelo 

Jumbo-Visma have been pretty happy since they moved over to Cervelo bikes, and the team still have use of the R5 and S5 models, though the S5 has been updated to take advantage of the latest UCI frame design rules.

The S5 features a proprietary front end and seatpost, but the R5 is a little more traditional and allows you to fit a slightly more standard front end. FSA provides the bar and stems with the R5 using FSA’s ACR headset system to route the cables through the headtube. Most riders on the R5 have been using a K-Force bar and stem for a clean and lightweight setup.

> Review: Cervelo S5

It’s another appearance for R9200 Dura-Ace, and Shimano provides the wheels too. Tyres are the Corsa G2.0.

TotalEnergies: Specialized 

With a certain Peter Sagan joining one of the most classically French teams ever, there were always going to be some big changes. Sagan is a rider of such stature that a brand like Specialized will follow him to whichever team he chooses. 

Like all of the other Specialized-sponsored teams, TotalEnergies is using the S-Works Tarmac SL and we think that this is possibly the nicest paint job of the lot with a lovely red fade.

Away from the paint, the bike has a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, but this is the older 11-speed model. The team uses Ceramic Speed jockey wheels, but not the oversized cage system. The bike above uses the Roval Rapide CLX II wheels and unreleased tubeless tyres from Specialized who also provide the Romin Mirror saddle. A Roval Rapide bar completes a very nice build.

Trek - Segafredo: Take a guess! 

> Review: Trek Emonda

The clue is in the name, and Trek isn’t changing much about the Emonda and Domane bikes but you will find a brand new Madone that features some jazzy aero frame design features.

> Trek releases radical Madone SLR, its “fastest road race bike ever”

You’ll find Bontrager wheels, handlebars, saddles and bar tape along with Pirelli tyres. SRAM has been signed as groupset sponsor for another few years so once again, it’s wireless shifting and hydraulic disc brakes for Mollema and co. We bet he’s delighted...

UAE-Team Emirates: Colnago 

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar has a new bike to play with, but again, we're not sure on the name of this one. The bike is a lightweight design with obvious aero touches and we'd imagine that Pog can make it go quite quickly uphill, downhill and on the flat too.

> Review: Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO 45

Colnago still provides the V3Rs as the main bike for the UAE team and the Tour de France champion has been using disc brakes on and off for a couple of seasons now. With the bike remaining mostly unchanged aside from a switch from Vittoria to Pirelli for tyres, the big question will be as to whether Pogacar makes a permanent jump to disc brakes.

Which one is your fave? Do let us know in the comments... 

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Latest comments.

This was a very good listing of bikes for under 1,000....

Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.

Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..

No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.

What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....

The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...

Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.

My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...

David9694 - you were right!  These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...

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Unveiling the High-Octane Riders Set to Dominate the Sprints at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia

[table-of-contents] stripped

As summer grows ever closer, our focus shifts to the emblematic jerseys of the Grand Tours : the maglia rosa , the maillot jaune , and the maillot rojo —and rightly so. After all, we watch bike races in large part to see who’s going to win, especially when we have such riches as we do these days, with some of the most talented GC riders in generations battling it out on the long course of a Grand Tour.

But what about the green and purple jerseys , those awarded to the leaders and winners of the points classifications, often, though not always, noted sprinters?

These are men and women capable of making unfathomable watts, often after four, five, and sometimes six-plus hours of racing, who are held at bay all day, only to unleash their greatest skills for barely a few hundred meters. They’re often the ones who give us the biggest thrills and the narrowest victories (or defeats).

While we focus on the speed and raw power of sprinters, one thing that’s often overlooked is how well they race; how the best sprinters are often the most patient riders, waiting until the perfect moment to launch their attacks. Theirs is often a game of cat-and-mouse, a strategic battle as much as a power-based one. Given the blazing speed at which these riders can sprint, it’s easy to forget that they’re some of the savviest riders in the peloton.

So, who are they? Let’s take a deeper look at the riders going for those green jerseys and points competitions at the Giro d’Italia , Tour de France , and Vuelta a España this summer.

Men’s Top Sprinters

Jasper philipsen – alpecin-deceuninck.

The young Belgian, once derided as “Jasper the Disaster,” is the best sprinter in the world right now. Possessing the perfect combination of strength, racing know-how, and the patience required to win a bunch sprint, he has to be the favorite heading into any stage suited to sprinters. After a second-place finish at Roubaix , the reigning Tour de France green jersey will head into this year’s Grande Boucle as the heavy favorite to repeat.

Mads Pedersen – Lidl-Trek

Unlike most others on this list, Mads Pedersen is hardly a pure sprinter. Rather, the one-day specialist has shown that he’s most at home when launching attacks from a long way out. In fact, just a few weeks ago, he did something most people didn’t think was possible when he stayed with Mathieu van der Poel for some fifty kilometers in Ghent-Wevelgem , only to outsprint the Dutch superstar in the closing meters. There isn’t a team in the men’s peloton looking quite as strong as Lidl-Trek is right now, so expect Mads to compete for at least a few bunch sprint wins in his scheduled Tour and Vuelta appearances.

Tim Merlier – Soudal-Quick-Step

By the metric of the modern peloton, Tim Merlier is getting a bit long in the tooth. The 31-year-old from Flanders only has two Grand Tour stage wins to his name: one in the Giro and one in the Tour . But, as most of Merlier’s early career was focused on cyclocross racing, he very well could just be coming into his prime. In the last three seasons, Merlier has won the Belgian National Road Race and Brugge-De Panne, and, from 2022 to this year, three-peated in Nokere Koerse. Maybe, like a great sprinter does, he’s waiting until the perfect moment to launch.

Sprinters with something to prove

Mark cavendish – astana qazaqstan.

In 2024, Cav is sitting on the precipice between these two categories. The Manx Missile was coaxed out of retirement not once but twice with the promise of nabbing Eddy Merckx’s longstanding record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. And while his early-season returns have been anything but stunning, we’re talking about the greatest sprinter of all time here. And so, for that very reason, we have to consider Cav, a two-time Tour de France green jersey winner, in the upper echelon here.

Dylan Groenewegen – Jayco AlUla

Groenewegen has five Tour de France stage wins. But four of them came before 2020 and one in 2022. Much of that drought likely has to do with the nine-month ban he received from the UCI after it was determined he caused the crash that put Fabio Jakobsen in an induced coma for two days. Still, Groenewegen has shown form early this season with a ninth-place finish in Ghent-Wevelgem and a few strong stages in Paris-Nice and the UAE Tour.

Kaden Groves – Alpecin-Deceuninck

Groves, the four-time Vuelta a España stage winner and reigning green jersey champion of that race, will likely contest again for several of that race’s sprint stages. Groves has shown a predilection for hilly stages that tend to thin the herd over the course of the day, stages that are becoming increasingly common in the modern Grand Tour.

Arnaud Démare – Arkéa–B&B Hotels

Though he didn’t get any last year, Arnaud Démare has won ten Grand Tour stages: eight in the Giro and two in the Tour . He’s also a two-time points champion in the Giro. And though his spring campaign has been nothing to write home about, he’s an expert at positioning when the bunch really starts charging. Given as much, he should have more than a few opportunities to outsprint the bunch in this summer’s Tour.

Fabio Jakobsen – dsm firmenich PostNL

Like a few others on this list, Jakobsen’s results don’t necessarily match his strength. Easily one of the fastest sprinters in the peloton, Jakobsen will definitely find his way to the bunch in this year’s Giro and Tour, where he’ll try to add to his palmarès, which already counts five Vuelta stage wins. Of course, he hasn’t gotten one of those since 2021, so you either think he’s washed or he’s due.

Dark Horses

Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) - Outside of Mark Cavendish, Sam Bennett is the most decorated racer on this list. His palmarès includes five stage wins at the Vuelta , three at the Giro , and two at the Tour . He was also the Tour’s 2020 green jersey. And though his last two seasons have been hardly spectacular, it’s easy to predict that Sam Bennett could be in the mix for stage wins, especially after he was left off AG2R’s Tour roster last year.

Caleb Ewan (Jayco AlUla) - The man who was once a sure-fire bet to take a Grand Tour sprint stage—he’s won ten in his career—has fallen to the bottom of this pack simply because he hasn’t been able to nab a stage win since the 2021 Giro d’Italia . Of course, he’s still one of the strongest sprinters on Earth and always a threat to take a win, which, over the last three years, he’s been ever so close to. Despite his recent cold streak, Ewan is truly one of the riders you can never, ever count out.

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) - After a historic stage win in the 2022 Giro d’Italia and a third-place finish behind Jasper Phillipsen and Mark Cavendish in stage 7 of last’s Tour de France, the Eritrean rider showed a lot of promise as a Grand Tour sprinter. Now confirmed for the Giro, we hope to see Girmay bring on the heat to the favorites.

Alberto Dainese (Tudor Pro Cycling) - While still early in his professional career, Dainese has already demonstrated his potential as a top-level sprinter and is definitely one to watch. In 2023, the Italian sprinter won two Giro stages and one Vuelta stage.

Women’s Top Sprinters

On the women’s side of the coin, there’s far less separation between the heavy favorites, the maybe-they-could, and the sprinters who might steal a stage here or there. And much of that has to do with the fact that there’s much more parity in general in the women’s WorldTour (which is why we should all be watching a lot more women’s races!). But there is still the cream of the crop and everyone else.

Lotte Kopecky – SD Worx-Protime

You could easily argue that Lotte Kopecky is the strongest bike racer in the world, regardless of gender. Her ability to sustain efforts and grind her opponents into dust behind her is matched only by the likes of Mathieu van der Poel . As she heads into this summer as the reigning Tour de France points champion, all eyes will be on the 28-year-old to rack up more stage wins.

Lorena Wiebes – SD Worx-Protime

It’s no secret that SD Worx is sitting on an embarrassment of riches right now. This is evidenced by the fact that Lotte Kopecky is racing on the same team as Lorena Wiebes , perhaps the strongest pure sprinter in the women’s peloton. The 25-year-old Dutchwoman has won Ronde van Drenthe four years in a row and just added to her palmarès with a Gent-Wevelgem victory last weekend. In a heads-up sprint, Wiebes is as tough as out there is.

Elisa Balsamo – Lidl-Trek

With wins at Brugge-De Panne and Trofeo Alfredo Binda and second-place finishes at Paris-Roubaix , Ronde van Drenthe, and Ghent-Wevelgem , the Italian one-day specialist is having a world-class spring campaign. She’s had a bit of success in stage races, nabbing a pair of wins at the 2022 Giro Donne and another pair at 2023’s Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. But at just 26 years old, Balsamo could be on the precipice of a breakout summer.

Charlotte Kool – dsm firmenich PostNL

At just 24 years old, Charlotte Kool seems to be hitting her prime. She won her first Grand Tour stage in last year’s Vuelta and was fighting for wins in Brugge-De Panne and Ghent-Wevelgem, where she finished second and fourth, respectively. She won the points classification in last year’s UAE Tour and should rack up plenty of points over the course of the summer.

Emma Norsgaard – Movistar

Though Norsgaard’s spring has been inauspicious at best, she’s always a tough out when it comes to sprints. With a pair of stage wins to her name (a Giro stage in 2021 and a Tour stage in 2023), she knows how to win from the bunch. She just needs to find her way to the front and put herself in a position to compete. If she can get there, there’s no doubt she’s got the legs.

Marianne Vos – Visma-Lease a Bike

So long as there’s a bike race, and so long as Marianne Vos is in that bike race, it’s just plain stupid to count her out. To list her palmarès would take all of the space this story has, so just accept the fact that she’s likely to be there at the end, whether the stage calls for a breakaway, a punchy climb, or a bunch sprint. And though she’s one of the women’s peloton’s elder stateswomen at age 36, with recent wins at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Dwars door Vlaanderen , she’s still proving week after week that she can race with—and beat—the best.

Elisa Longo Borghini – Lidl-Trek

Between Mads Pedersen , Elisa Balsamo, and Longo Borghini, Lidl-Trek’s cup runneth over with one-day talent. But to win one-day races, you need to be able to create and sustain attacks, and there are few better in the women’s bunch at that than Longo Borghini. Hardly a pure sprinter, she’ll need to use her well-honed racing acumen if she’s going to take a stage win.

Chloé Dygert – Canyon//SRAM

Dygert is back. After suffering a training setback late last year, stemming from an injury sustained earlier in 2023, Dygert returned to the peloton with a sixth-place finish in Brugge-De Panne. And while she’s known more for her time-trialing acumen than her pure sprint ability, she can put down and sustain boatloads of power. If she and her teammates can put her in the right position, look for the American star to steal a stage here or there.

Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) - This is only Consonni’s second year at the WorldTour level, but she’s shown in recent times that she has the legs and the know-how to go elbow-to-elbow with the best of the bunch. Her best result is arguably a third-place finish in the points classification in this year’s UAE Tour. Look for her to steal a stage win or two (or three) as the summer progresses.

Rachele Barbieri (dsm firmenich PostNL) - For all of the success Rachele Barbieri has enjoyed on the track, she’s had little on the road. Her best finishes in major races are a pair of second-place finishes in stages in the Giro and UAE Tour and two fourth-place finishes in Tour stages. However, anyone who can make the kind of power Babieri is capable of making can and should not be counted out. Look for her to snag a sleeper win at some point this year.

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