Chris Froome’s Top 10 Tour de France contenders

by Chris Froome, narrated by Daniel Benson

Chris Froome may not have made it onto Israel-Premier Tech’s Tour de France team, but the four-time winner will still be following the action as he races through Italy and France, and what better rider to chat to? Escape collective to discuss his tips for the top 10 overall.

Froome has put three heavyweights on the podium: he beat Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) to beat defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe), who finished third in Nice. Here they are – and the other contenders – in the order in which Froome rates his chances.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

My absolute favourite, considering everything that has happened in the last few months, is Tadej. Even though he has just finished a Giro and knows first hand how tough it is, he still has what it takes to win the Tour. He can be in top form, but what struck me was how well he handled the Giro. If you compare it to my win in 2018, I had to fight for the whole three weeks and just managed to turn the tables in the last few days, while Tadej had the situation completely under control. I don’t want to say he was riding within himself, but he basically set the pace every day on the climbs.

After winning the Giro, he still has a physical and mental challenge to overcome because the double victory is a huge challenge. On a physical level, the month of May, when the Giro takes place, is the most important preparation period for riders who want to prepare for the Tour de France. Most teams do their altitude training camps at that time, but when you’re riding in the Giro, you’re dependent on the pace of the race. You don’t take rest days as part of training and you dig yourself a hole by riding in a Grand Tour. Again, my case was different because (the 2018 Tour) was my fourth Grand Tour in a row and I was mentally and physically exhausted. I was out of shape and not as fresh before the race, but the way Tadej rode the Giro was very different to what I went through. He dictated the pace and everyone was waiting for him to attack. He has done everything on his own terms and I think he is in the perfect position to compete in this year’s Tour, especially given that his main rival is not in top form.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Jonas is the two-time defending champion and you can never write off a rider of his caliber. He knows how to win the Tour but given what happened in April and his crash, there are certainly a few question marks over his form. He hasn’t ridden since his crash in (Itzulia) Pays Basque and just looking at the injuries that resulted from that, you have to be aware of the state his body might be in. He had a collapsed lung and I had that in 2019 when I crashed in the Dauphiné. I can speak from personal experience how hard it is to come back from that. It’s not just the time you’re off the bike but also that it hurts to be able to breathe normally for months, so I can’t even imagine how he managed to prepare for the Tour with an injury like that. Hats off to him but it must have really affected his preparations. Despite that, I still think Jonas is my second best pick.

It’s worth noting that I think Tadej probably has the edge when it comes to supporting the team. I don’t think the UAE has ever had such a strong team for the Tour. (João Almeida, (Adam) Yates and (Juan) Ayuso would all be hoping for a top 10 in the normal world, so having three GC guys helping you on the Tour is a pretty good place to be. It remains to be seen how much bad luck Visma has this season.

Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Third place for me is Primož. He is one of the most cunning and crafty riders I have ever raced against and he has incredible resilience, which is a very important factor when you want to challenge for the top three in a Grand Tour. He won the recent Critérium du Dauphiné and although I know he showed a little weakness on the last stage, I still think he will climb to another level again in the Tour de France. He hasn’t really raced a lot this year so I think this week of racing in France has done him a lot of good. He would certainly be my first candidate to complete the podium and he is just a top-class rider. He is also supported by a very impressive team. We saw how strong (Aleksandr) Vlasov was at the Dauphiné and then when you add Jai Hindley into the mix, that is a really competitive core for the mountains.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)

I know a lot of people would see Remco Evenepoel either fourth or higher, but I’ve gone with American rider Matteo Jorgenson. I think he’s a possible card for Visma in the general classification, and he was really on top form at the Dauphiné earlier this month, where he finished second overall behind Roglič. We’ve really seen him make huge progress this year, and I know he doesn’t have the same Grand Tour experience as some of the riders on this list, but I think you have to consider the dynamics in these circumstances. Visma has had a lot of bad luck this season, but Jorgenson has almost always been consistent and successful. Of course, the team will go into the Tour de France with Jonas as their best and most protected rider, and Sepp Kuss can’t be ruled out, but Jorgenson is a rider we should all keep an eye on this July.

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step)

Remco is number five for me. He is clearly world class and has a Vuelta a España title in his palmarès, but he has never ridden the Tour de France and that is a big factor for me. In such a strong field, it is still a bit of an unknown for the young Belgian. What we saw at the Vuelta last year, when he exploded in the second half of the race, is still fresh in people’s minds, so I would put him in the mid-pack of the general classification riders. I can certainly see him riding a fantastic first half of the race, but the challenge will be whether he can maintain that consistency in the back part of the race. His performance at the Dauphiné was pretty indicative of that too, as he came out flat out, smashed the TT to get a decent lead and then lost the race in the mountains. For me that is a bit of a question mark and he is not guaranteed a podium finish. It is within his capabilities, but only if he is up to the challenge of keeping his promise from last week.

Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates)

It’s a bit tricky but I have Adam Yates in sixth. It’s tricky because he definitely has the calibre and ability to be at the top of the general classification but the question is how much support Tadej needs on the climb. Adam might be forced to stop at crucial moments and that might mean he loses time but I reckon he’ll always be there until the final kilometres and if Tadej attacks then Adam will be there with the other general classification riders. Adam looked really relaxed in Switzerland where he won the general classification but so much depends on how much effort he has to put in as a domestique. In a way the more dominant Tadej is the higher up the general classification Adam could end up. You also have to remember that UAE Team Emirates are not going to the Tour to get top ten in the general classification. If that happens then that’s great but they’re going to the Tour de France to win the yellow jersey and nothing else will matter.

Alexander Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe)

Many of the general classification teams go into the Tour de France with multiple options and multiple cards, and I don’t think Bora-Hansgrohe is any different. Vlasov was in the top 10 at the Dauphiné, but if he hadn’t ridden for Roglič, I think he would have been fighting for the top 5 or even higher. Bora can call on Vlasov if something happens to Roglič, but I also believe he is consistent enough to be up there at the front when the yellow jersey group is down to the last few riders. He has finished in the top 10 in every stage race he has competed in in 2024, and I can see that trend continuing at the Tour.

Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers)

I’m a big fan of Carlos. I know he was fifth last year, but I think the field is stronger this year and that might make it a bit more difficult to be a replacement in 2023. What I like about Carlos is how quickly he has matured as a rider. He joined Ineos shortly after I left, but I can already see his class and potential when it comes to WorldTour racing – I think I’m not alone in that respect. He’s still very young, but he’s also taken on a lot of responsibility and that’s not an easy thing for a young rider in such a big team. In Switzerland he was fourth and seemed to be on the rise, which is an encouraging sign.

Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)

Egan has shown this year that he is back on a new level as he continues his comeback from that horrific crash a couple of years ago. I think we could see Bernal close to the level he was in 2019 and from the outside it looks like he has corrected and worked on many of the issues that were holding him back. It really looks like it is working out for him this year. I don’t think he will fight for the top three but I can imagine Ineos coming with a team full of depth and Egan taking advantage of that. There are a few guys I missed in the top 10 – riders like Enric Mas for example and Simon Yates and David Gaudu (Note: Gaudu was diagnosed with Covid-19 after this interview. – Editor’s note), but that’s simply because I’m running out of places, but there are just so many riders in the race. When you have such a strong field, you just have to draw the line somewhere.

Derek Gee (Israel – Premier Tech)

I don’t think I could complete my list without including Derek. Nobody really thought he could make the podium at the Dauphiné but after doing the last training camp with him before the Dauphiné it was clear that he was flying. I’m not sure he’ll try to race in the general classification but I think he’s got both the form and the potential to do it. His numbers in camp were incredibly impressive and if you look at the Giro last year he was regularly in consecutive breakaways trying to take stage wins. Don’t forget he did that on the really tough mountain stages and then went out and backed it up the next day. That showed me he’s got what it takes to race in the general classification, he just needs to hone his skills and get a bit more experience.

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