Who can stop Chris Froome? A look at the main contenders at the Tour de France

CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP

Only a small group of riders selected between Chris Froome and his fifth Tour de France

Twenty-one stages, 26 challenging climbs through six mountain ranges, three mountain finishes and two timed trials will test the limits of 176 riders. Endurance and skill at the Tour de France, which begins Saturday in the Vendée, along the Atlantic coast.

We watch the main contenders wear the yellow jersey during the last round of Paris:

Chris Froome

Age: 33

Froome is the undisputed favorite to triumph over a fifth record after being cleared of doping by the International Cycling Union on Monday.

British driver born in Kenya aims to join the elite group of Jacques Anqu Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain are the only cyclists who have won five times the largest cycling race

Froome enters the three-week trek of the best victorious race of his career.

READ MORE:
* Froome: "does not bring negativity";
* Pressure on Wada to explain the Froome case
* Froome authorized by the UCI
* Kiwi's eyes win the Tour victory

After his dominating performance to win a fourth round last summer, Froome won both the Spanish Vuelta in September and the Giro d'Italia in May. This makes him the third driver to hold the three Grand Tour titles at the same time and the first to achieve the feat since the Vuelta was moved at the end of the season in 1995.

Key Strengths: ] Confidence and experience of a proven champion, skills for high mountains and time trial, and strong support of Team Sky.

Questioning Points: How does Froome's endurance withstand the overwhelming Giro victory?

CHRIS GRAYTHEN / GETTY IMAGES

The Colombian Nairo Quintana missed the Giro to be cool for the Tour after a bad end of last year

Nairo Quintana

Age: 28

Winner of the Vuelta and Giro, Quintana has planned his season around to win the elusive Tour.

The Colombian has reduced his comp This year, he did not play the Giro to qualify for the Tour after finishing 12th disappointing last year, his worst performance in the five races that 39 he has disputed.

Quintana finished twice behind Froome in 2013 and 2015.

He aims to become the eighth driver to win all three Grand Tours

Main Trumps: An Elite Climber , tied with Froome when he is at the top, he will be supported by a very strong Movistar team that includes Mikel Landa and veteran Alejandro Valverde

Polling Points: Can he take a sufficient advance before the individual time trial, to the penultimate weakness in the races against the clock compared to Froome and other rivals? Or if he wavers early, will Movistar show his hopes on Landa or Valverde?

CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP

] Tom Dumoulin, of the Netherlands, was second in the Giro d'Italia, the main attack race of the Tour.

Tom Dumoulin

Age: 27

Dumoulin won the 2016 Giro and finished second behind Froome in the Italian race this year.

The Dutch rider won two stages of the 2016 Tour, and came dying close to winning the Vuelta in 2015.

Main trumps: A powerful rider who excels in the time trial and rugged terrain

Polling Points: Although it has improved in the mountains, will it be able to challenge Froome and the other? climbers when is important? Will he get enough help from the Sunweb team to face the Sky and Movistar powers?

PETER DEJONG / AP

Vincenzo Nibali is the only man apart from Chris Froome to win the Tour in the last five years.

Vincenzo Nibali

Age: 33

The only man to win Besides the Froome in the last five years, Nibali is also the only other former champion to having driven this year

He joined Froome in this exclusive group of riders who won the Tour, Vuelta and Giro in their career. The Italian won the Milano-San Remo Clbadic in March, but skipped the Giro to prepare for what could be his last realistic opportunity to repeat his victory in the 2014 Tour.

Main Trumps: A champion type field pedigree, proven climbing skills and excellent downhill skills. [19659007] Question: Does he still have the strength to overthrow Froome? Can his Bahrain-Merida team give him the support he will surely need?

CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP

Romain Bardet brings French hopes to end a 33-year wait for a local champion in their big race.

Roman Bardet

Age: 27

France hopes to end A wait of 33 years for a local champion of the Tour based on Bardet

He finished on the podium for the last two rounds and has won the stages of the race in each of the last three editions.

Main Assets: Climbing Skills and Aggressive Attitude

Query Points: Can he improve in the against-the – Individual watch after being defeated last year? And how will Bardet and his AG2R La Mondiale team hold the first Tour team time trial after three years of absence?

IN BRIEF

The peloton can look forward to the 105th edition of the greatest cycling race, a three-week marathon on a 3 351 km course:

Explode: Two flat stages should allow the sprinters to start up against the yellow jersey of the leader of the race – a highlight in the career of any runner.

Starting on the island of Noirmoutier-en-l Ile, the first stage is an introduction of 201 km with gentle gradations to accommodate 22 teams of eight riders in the race, and the second stage provides another opportunity to shine early.

It's great for the spectators as the riders will not hold back by fighting for the lead before one of the favorites can take over. accidents that can affect the chances of the best candidates. [19659007] Tinkering with Time: To spice up the start even more, carrots of 3, 2 and 1 seconds bonus will be offered to the first three riders to reach one kilometer determined in advance on the first nine stages

More conventional time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds will be removed from the overall times of the first three at each normal stage of the race (excluding time trials).

All bonuses may result in:

The third leg is a 35.5-kilometer time trial in Cholet that could allow runners of the weakest teams to fall behind in the overall standings. .

The only individual time trial arrives at the penultimate stage overall places before the riders point their bikes towards the pavements of the Champs-Elysees for the largely ceremonial final phase in Paris on July 29th.

Chained by cobblestones: Most riders hate the new paving stones on July 15 will be to test their bonhomie with 15 paved paths spread over 21.7 km of the 156.5 km route. Arras in Roubaix, next to the Belgian border.

While exciting for spectators, the bumpy ride will be a nightmare for many competitors, especially if the weather is wet or windy. The falls are likely and this stage could put an end to hopes of general victory of the runners

Mountain could: The surviving cyclists will need their day off in Annecy on July 16th before the Tour does not end. Alps for the first of three test stages that could reshuffle the rankings.

The three stages in the Alps present impressive climbs and scary descents, culminating in the impressive ascent of the 21 turns that lead to the famous 1838m high. The Alpe d'Huez ends on July 19th.

Almost half of the climbs will be in the Alps (12), with four in the Mbadif Central and 10 in the Pyrenees, where the Tour will pbad through Spain for 15 km. . Otherwise, this year's Tour is exclusively French

Queen Quaker: The "Queen Scene" this year – the stage that stands out for its difficulty and racial drama – seems to be the 200,5km mountain The stage from Lourdes to Laruns in the Pyrenees on July 27th.

It will be a "last chance for the riders to change the general clbadification", according to race director Christian Prudhomme.

The course takes the pbad of 1490m Aspin, 2.115m of the Col du Tourmalet and 1.709m of the Col d'Aubisque, with a steep descent to Laruns offering a difficult finish for the riders still in the running for the yellow jersey.

– AP