Aimee Howarth talks about her sporting hero, Cristiano Ronaldo
Steve Puddicombe on why he thinks Mark Cavendish should win Sports Personality of the Year 2011
The Yorker's sports team says what they would like for Christmas this year
The second blog for The Yorker from the University of York Riding Club
Though it’s difficult to envisage anyone other than Contador or Schleck winning, the race for third place will still be hotly contended. Ivan Basso would seem the man most likely, as last season’s crushing victory in the Giro d’Italia proved that he is still an imposing force in the mountains. But his form this season has been terrible, with his build-up to the Tour hampered by crashes and other setbacks, so he will have to recover quickly to put in a decent challenge.
Another name to watch out for is Robert Gesink. He has in recent years improved gradually, culminating in a 6th place finish at last year’s Tour and a 3rd in this year’s Tour of the Basque Country. Aged only 25, Gesink should improve further this year and be able to stay with the very best climbers, and is also a shoe-in for the white jersey (for best young rider). That is, if he can stay on his bike; the Dutchman has a reputation for crashing at significant times.
Bradley Wiggins surprised everyone two years ago by coming from nowhere to finish 4th, but failed to repeat this success in 2010, as he failed to make the top 20. But victory a few weeks ago in the Critérium du Dauphiné (the traditional warm-up race for the Tour de France) suggests that he may be able to rediscover his 2009 form.
Two-time runner-up Cadel Evans will be looking to challenge also, but though recent years have seen him adopt a new persona as an attacking rider, his ageing legs are likely to struggle in this year’s larger mountain passes. Spaniard Samuel Sanchez has shown his grand tour pedigree in recent seasons, scoring a 2nd at the Vuelta a Espana and 4th at last year’s Tour, and should produce a similar showing this time round.
Green Jersey
This season’s green jersey (the sprinters’ jersey) will be hard to predict, due to alterations in how points are scored. The new system puts much more emphases on the intermediate sprint halfway through a stage, which means sprinters serious about winning the jersey will have to contest twice, rather than just once at the end of a stage.
How serious Mark Cavendish takes winning the jersey will be key, as though he is comfortably quicker than all the other sprinters, he will have to be focused on contesting points where he usually wouldn’t. Norwegian Thor Hushovd is notoriously good at this, and won cannily in 2009 despite not being the fastest sprinter.
Last season’s winner Alessandro Petacchi is still quick despite his age, but has admitted that his form right now is off his best. Cavendish and Hushovd’s teammates, Matt Goss and Tyler Farrar respectively, need also be looked out for, especially the latter who was earlier this season designated team leader for the Tour ahead of Hushovd. But Cavendish will see the green jersey as the one major gap in his palmares, and thus is likely to put his mind to and follow through with victory.
French Hopes
Long gone are the days where France possessed some of the best riders in the world, but at least recently there is promise for at least some degree of success. Last year’s Tour saw an impressive six stage wins, most notably two at the hands of Sylvian Chavanal, who has improved outstandingly recently, and another through Thomas Voeckler, who is enjoying the season of his life and looks good for another stage in.
Perhaps veteran David Moncoutié offers long-suffering France their best hope of success. He has won the previous three climbers’ jerseys in La Vuelta a Espanas, and with this year’s Tour set to be the last before he retires a concerted effort to win their version of the climber’s jersey (the polka-dot-jersey) is likely. Recent months have also seen surprising success in general classements, with John Gadret finishing fourth in the Giro d’Italia and Christophe Kern looking very strong in the the Critérium du Dauphiné. Both are hoping for further success, but it may be that they have peaked this season already.
Predictions: 1) Contador, 2) A.Schleck, 3) Basso
Green Jersey: Cavendish
Polka-dot jersey: Moncoutié
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