"The real favorite of the Tour is Chris Froome"

More than a week of racing on the roads of the Tour de France. The runners of the Great Loop have 24 hours to blow, recover and treat small sores. 2nd day of rest in Carcbadonne. Last stop before attacking the Pyrenees with Geraint Thomas in Yellow. Chris Froome is 2nd at 1'39 '' of his teammate. 2 Sky riders will have to beware of Dumoulin and Roglic always in ambush. Not to mention the excellent 15th place overall Belgian Greg Van Avermaet.

Gerard Bulens, RTBF consultant: "The Sky team has demonstrated its supremacy during the pbadage in the Alps.The British have 2 cards to play Thomas on one side and Froome on the other, some opponents were quite low-key or weaker than the Sky team, but we can expect some resistance from Dumoulin and also from from the Dutch team Lotto Jumbo with Kruijswijk and especially Roglic who is always well placed The Slovenian is able to make a good result both in the mountain and in the time trial The Pyrenees are also different from the Alps. should be better suited to the Movistar team, as they will probably be more motivated and closer to home. "

Sky's takeover is not a surprise. This is the presence of Thomas in front of his leader, Chris Froome who surprises.

"The real favorite of this round, it remains Chris Froome, but there are unknowns. For Froome, this is the first time he Tour de France after winning the Giro, so we wonder if he will be able to keep up with the end.For Geraint Thomas, the situation is different.We know he is less qualified to succeed something on a 3 weeks race, but it's an advantage to have a double card to play, especially since the Sky team built around these 2 riders is very strong. "

Despite his track record (The best Welsh result in the Tour is a 15th place), Gerard Bulens believes that Geraint Thomas is able to win the Tour.

"Thomas can win the Tour, but it will be necessary to see how he will manage this last week and the pbadage in the Pyrenees. knows he has often had a difficult time If so, the Tour will be lost and he will finish the race by working for Chris Froome. If he remains at his level, he does not weaken, we will see who is the stronger of the two. But they will be attacked and these attacks will bring more clarity between the 2 leaders of this Sky team. The cards will be rebuffed in the first Pyrenean stage or next Saturday, in the time trial. A time when Dumoulin and Roglic can still fight with the riders of the Sky team. "