Blazin' Saddles: 10 reasons why this will be the best Tour de France so far this century

The past eight years have seen eight different riders win the Tour - a sequence that will suite joint favourite Nairo Quintana of Movistar quite nicely, thank you very much.

But even if the diminutive Colombian climber fails to join Chris Froome, Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali in the Tour winners club, this year's Grande Boucle is bound to throw in enough thrills and spills to keep us on the edge of our blazing saddles all the way to Paris.

Such is the innovative route, stellar line-up and general anticipation circling the 102nd edition of the race - like flies hovering over a wedge of pungent Brie - it's not an entirely outlandish statement to say that the 2015 Tour boasts all the ingredients to make it the best this century.

And if you don't believe me here's why...

The Big Four are all there: Last year Quintana skipped the race after his victorious turn in the Giro, while both Froome and Contador crashed out. Twelve months on and defending champion Nibali will have to face all three of his big rivals: a buoyant Contador seeking the second half of a famous double, a confident Froome nearing his peak condition of 2013 and a more experienced Quintana bent on going one better than his runner-up finish in his debut Tour two years back. Prepare for a titanic showdown.

An outsider could triumph: Upsets, incidents and accidents always happen - and should any of the Big Four slip up then there's a slew of riders snapping at their heels. French youngsters Thibaut Pinot, Romain Bardet and debutant Warren Barguil will all be confident of making a splash alongside grizzled veterans Joaquim Rodriguez, Alejandro Valverde and Jean-Christophe Peraud. Throw in spunky American duo Tejay Van Garderen and Andrew Talansky, plus the stalwart likes of Rigoberto Uran, Bauke Mollema, Rui Costa and Ryder Hesjedal, and it's more a question of who isn't there.

The route is a gem: Sandwiched between the only individual time trial and a lumpy team effort, the first phase of the Tour looks like a series of pulsating one-day classics with cobbles, crosswinds and punchy uphill finishes in Belgium and Brittany on the cards. The Pyrenean phase features the towering Tourmalet and brutish Beille, preceding a tough transitional phase across the Massif Central where some of the most intriguing and unpredictable racing could be seen. It all crescendos to an Alpine climax with back-to-back short stages to La Toussuire and Alpe d'Huez that could cause utter devastation.

Cobble carnage: Their inclusion for a second year running (alongside the fact that there are fewer than 14 individual time trial kilometres during the entire race) led to Froome threatening to skip the Tour in favour of a stab at the Giro and Vuelta. Froome obviously relented - but like his rivals he'll be well aware that the world can come crashing down on those six sectors of unforgiving pavé on the road to Cambrai, particularly if it's wet. So bullish on the cobbles last July, Nibali, the newly crowned Italian national champion, will relish this one.

Time bonuses are back: The return of what Sean Kelly endearingly refers to as "bonifications" for the top three riders at the intermediate sprints and finish of stages 2-8 could mean the yellow jersey swaps shoulders a fair few times ahead of the Pyrenees.

Hardly any routine sprint stages: The 'Vueltification' of the Tour means this year includes just two pancake flat stages - one of those is the opening 13.8km time trial and the other the subsequent stage to Zeeland that is expected to be ravaged by crosswinds coming off the North Sea. By my reckoning, there are just three stages between that opening gambit to Zeeland and Paris that should end with a traditional bunch sprint: stage 5 to Amiens, stage 7 to Fougeres and stage 15 to Valence. We all like to see a ding dong sprint finale once in a while but there is such a thing as sprint saturation. Thankfully, this route is one that will favour breaks and baroudeurs.

Green jersey competition spruced up: With more points available to stage winners, the system that saw Peter Sagan net a third consecutive green jersey without winning a single stage last year has been turned on its head. The consistent Sagan will still be one of the favourites, but the likes of Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, John Degenkolb and, most importantly, Alexander Kristoff will all believe in their chances of ending the Slovakian's reign.

Host nation ready to deliver: It's now 30 years since Bernard Hinault last gave France an overall winner - but the belief is growing that, after placing two men on the podium alongside Nibali last July, France can go one better this time round. Pinot, Peraud and Bardet will enter the race full of confidence, Pierre Rolland could revel in being an underdog, while Barguil makes his long-awaited Tour debut. With sprinters Nacer Bouhanni and Bryan Coquard hitting form, the French could be battling on multiple fronts - and a happy home nation usually creates a buzz, enhancing everyone's enjoyment of the world's greatest bike race.

Brits aplenty: If no British riders graced the Giro with their presence in May then things could not be more different for the biggest race on the calendar. Team Sky alone have five Brits in Froome, national champion Peter Kennaugh, Welshmen Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe and England's Ian Stannard (plus a token Irishman in Nico Roche). Adam Yates makes his Tour debut for Orica-GreenEdge alongside twin brother Simon, Alex Dowsett ups his schedule from One Hour to Three Weeks for Movistar, Cavendish will look to add to his 25 career Tour stage wins for Etixx-QuickStep, while MNT-Qhubeka's Steve Cummings makes it 10 British riders on the Tour - equalling a record set back in 1955.

Alpe d'Huez is included: It may not be the prettiest of climbs but it remains one of the most mythical ascents in pro cycling and a showdown summit finish on the Dutch Mountain on the race's penultimate day is one way to ensure excitement mounts right until the very end. Its 21 hairpin bends mirror the 21 stages of the Tour and fans will flock in their droves to see the likely fireworks ahead of the traditional champagne finale on the Champs-Elysees.

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And now for some predictions - based on all riders getting to Paris (which they patently won't do). While I expect at least one of the Big Four to come a cropper in that opening phase of the race, it would be futile trying to pre-empt who and how and why... so here goes nothing...

Overall standings: 1. Quintana, 2. Froome, 3. Contador, 4. Nibali, 5. Pinot, 6. Bardet, 7. Van Garderen, 8. Valverde, 9. Peraud, 10. Rolland, 11. Barguil, 12. Rodriguez, 13. Talansky, 14. Konig, 15. Majka, 16. Uran, 17. Martin, 18. Costa, 19. Mollema, 20. Kreuziger

Green jersey: Kristoff (although Cavendish, Sagan and Degenkolb will push him all the way)

Polka dot jersey: Rolland, Majka or Froome may be wearing it into Paris, but Quintana will take it away - with his maillot jaune.