Tour de France 2021 - Geraint Thomas or Tao Geoghegan Hart should lead the Ineos charge
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Published 24/06/2021 at 21:07 GMT
Two-time Tour winner and Eurosport expert Alberto Contador says that Ineos are full of talent who could easily take the yellow jersey. However, he thinks two of their riders are best fitted to challenge defending champion Tadej Pogacar and his own tip for the title Primoz Roglic.
Geraint Thomas of The United Kingdom and Team INEOS Grenadiers / Tao Geoghegan Hart of The United Kingdom and Team INEOS Grenadiers / during the 55th Tirreno-Adriatico 2020, Stage 3
Image credit: Getty Images
Eurosport expert Alberto Contador says that Ineos should go into the Tour de France with a plan to back one potential winner - despite having an incredibly strong team with several yellow jersey contenders, including Geraint Thomas and Tao Geoghegan Hart.
"I would be surprised if they didn't choose a clear leader even if they attacked as a block," the cycling legend said.
It's very risky to go into the Tour de France without one or two leaders at the most and during the race the team itself chooses between one or the other.
If the decision was his, he would opt for Hart or Thomas as a team leader.
"Either would be the logical choice to go for a clear leader," he said. "It's true that Carapaz or Porte can also give a leader level - but I think the logical choice would be between Tao and Thomas."
Contador added that he thinks reigning champion Tadej Pogacar will be a genuine threat after his impressive performance last year, during which he won the general, young rider, and mountains classifications - regardless of whether he attacks or rides alongside the UAE-Team Emirates domestiques.
"Having a solid team with him will be very good for him to make demands on Ineos and Jumbo," he said.
A two-time winner of the Tour himself, Contador's tip overall is for one of the other big names.
"[Primoz] Roglic, Pogacar and the Ineos guys are going to fight for the podium," he said. "If I had to choose one of them to win, I think I'd say Roglic, but I don't think he'll have much of an advantage over the others because I see a very evenly matched Tour de France."
And he thinks the time trials will work in Roglic's favour.
The time trials are going to make the favourites have to be at 100% in every stage of the Tour de France because it's easy to lose important time at key moments of the route," he said. "Roglic is a master and I'm sure he's the first to know that he has to be at his best because Pogacar and the others will be watching his every move.
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