After 17 stages, the General Classification battle in this year’s Tour de France couldn’t be more finely balanced! Tensions are beginning to show in the peloton as the temperature soars, with the lead riders hiding their exhaustion, elation, hopes and fears behind poker faces and the season’s oversized mirrored eyewear.

The pressure is on Team Ineos and Infinito R1 Knit-wearing defending champion Geraint Thomas with a 1:35 deficit and threats from every angle. The main GC contenders, including Team Ineos’ “G” and Egan Bernal, and Team Jumbo-Visma’s Steven Kruijswijk (just 12 seconds behind in third) survived the heat and stress of stages 16 and 17, maximising efficiency to save energy for the decisive three Alpine stages.

Going into Stage 18 there are just 39 seconds between positions 2 and 6, with the Movistar Team duo of Mikel Landa and Alejandro Valverde following closely behind, and ready to attack. With Ineos and Jumbo-Visma both caught between the conflicting demands to attack and defend, and that challenge amplified by depleted squads, it’s also a tactical minefield. The main protagonists might not always see eye to eye, but they share a focus:

Ahead of them on today’s 208km Stage 18 are four increasingly high climbs, culminating in the 2,642m Galibier that steepens throughout its 23km and offers bonus seconds at the top before 20km of descent to the line. Then, shorter at 126.5km, Stage 19 is dominated by the single, long HC climb of 2,770m Col de l’Iseran with its steep finale… which could make or break dreams ahead of the uphill finish in Tignes. After that, anyone still in contention on Saturday will face multiple opportunities to attack – or demands to defend – on the 4,450 metres of ascent packed into the 130km of pain to the high altitude summit finish in Val Thorens.

On Sunday’s processional roll-in to Paris, only the final sprint is contested and the GC champion will be toasted with champagne. But who?

The biggest race of all rarely fails to excite, and this year’s edition has already brought thrills and spills for fizik riders, with a lot more potential over the coming stages, with a short time trial before the challenges and opportunities of the mountains that put the finest riders under extreme pressure to produce astonishing, mesmeric performances.

Jumbo-Visma riders have been grabbing the headlines with four stage wins so far. ‘Unlikely hero’ Mike Teunissen surprised everyone by swapping his yellow team jersey for the official ASO shade in the 100th year of the maillot jaune. Following an imperious TTT victory Dylan Groenewegan bossed a chaotic sprint on in Chalon-sur-Saône, and Wout van Aert’s powerful dash to the stage 10 line with his Antares R1 sent shivers up the spine before his nasty crash in the closing stages of the ITT. His brave efforts add another dramatic twist to today’s lumpy 27.2km Individual Time Trial at Pau, where the beautifully poised General Classification battle hots up ahead of the remaining Pyrennean and then Alpine stages.

Team Ineos’ TTT second place set up the good early GC positions for joint leaders Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal. Staying on the right side of stage 10’s sidewind-induced split ensured they go into the ITT in second and third respectively. Even without the absence of some strong chrono-men, “G” would be amongst the favorites to win today. He’s been playing cool with the media but make no mistake, he is immensely proud of the number 1 dossard he earned last July, riding in his super-ventilated Infinito R1 Knit shoes.

Van Aert and his GC lead Steven Kruijswijk are both on form: “If you look back at the Dauphine time trial, I gained time on most of the GC guys… Hopefully I can do the same.” said De Kleerhanger.

 Movistar Team’s joint leader Nairo Quintana is also ready to pounce: “It’s going to be all about going flat out, and there are no other options,” said his director sportive Txente García Acosta. The Lion aims to head into the final two Pyrenees climbing stages in his Infinito R1 Movistar shoes in a position to threaten for the overall, and complete his Grand Tour ‘set’.

Although it’s ‘only’ 117km long, Saturday’s Stage 14 includes a punishing 19km ascent of the iconic Col du Tourmalet – could its summit finish prove instrumental? And who will attack where on Sunday’s 185km mountains stage that takes in the back-to-back pain of the Port de Lers, Mur de Péguère and the Prat d’Albis with another 12km ascent?

With Monday’s rest day to recover, all our riders know they could decide to go full gas on either to make the difference… but the following six stages mix sprints with some increasingly tough Alpine adventures, which those GC contenders will also have in mind when they work out how much, if anything, they could leave ‘in the tank’ in the Pyrenees. They are risks to take, decisions to make and opportunities for glory!

The 102nd Giro d’Italia has served up plenty of talking points in its first 12 stages. After winning the first of three Individual Time Trials in Bologna, Primož Roglič of Team Jumbo-Visma held the first Maglia Rosa until the GC table was shaken up by a breakaway on Stage 6. The Slovenian showed his form again on the second ITT (34.8km into San Marino), moving up to second, 1:50 behind the Maglia Rosa, but importantly with an increased advantage over his main GC rivals, 1:44 to the nearest threat, Nibali.

The overall standings were shaken up on Stage 12, a break triggering splintered groups and some unexpected names hitting the top 10. Roglic is still in second, now more than 4 minutes down – maintaining his advantage over his recognised GC rivals.

STAGE WINS

We saw an impressive win for Richard Carapaz of Movistar Team on Stage 4, the Ecuadorian climber dancing away from a high class breakaway bunch to claim his second Grand Tour stage victory. It was soon followed by a podium on Stage 6 for his team-mate José Rojas who sits in fourth on GC. Both remain dedicated to their Spanish team leader Mikel Landa who has work to do as the climbing starts.

The next day it was the turn of AG2R La Mondiale’s Tony Gallopin to step up on the podium, taking second place from the remnants of a brave breakaway in an exciting finish in l’Aquila. Meanwhile, his team-mate and fellow Frenchman Nans Peters was riding high, third on GC and looking good in the Maglia Bianca of the best young rider until Stage 12’s breakaway and overall reshuffle.

We’ve seen Team Ineos’ young lead duo – Pavel Sivakov and Tao Geoghegan Hart – holding station on the GC despite getting caught in crashes, and their more experienced team-mate Christian Knees making a late break ahead of the sprint finish on Stage 11 into Novi Ligure before 22-year-old Irishman Eddie Dunbar’s brilliant performance to take third place on Stage 12.

NEXT, THE MOUNTAINS

There’s a lot of climbing this week. On today’s Stage 13 the climbing keeps on coming with three hard KOMs, while Saturday’s Stage 14 features five KOMs and a total elevation of 4,000m culminating in the summit finish of Courmayeur.

Sunday’s stage is the longest. Its 237km from Ivrea to the shores of Lake Como includes ascents familiar from Il Lombardia: Madonna del Ghisallo, Colma di Sormano, Civiglio and San Fermo.

Monday 27 May is the second rest day of the 102nd Corsa Rosa, before the climbing continues ahead of the final day’s concluding time trial in Verona.

Clear your diary for Sunday 14^th April, sit back and enjoy the 117^th edition of Paris-Roubaix, comprising 257km and 29 sections of pave covering 54.5km. The ‘Queen of the Classics’ is arguably the most prestigious one-day race in cycling and begins in Compiegne, situated to the east of the French capital, before finishing in the iconic open-air velodrome at Roubaix.

In between the riders face debilitating cobbles with the Troueé d’Arenberg (164.5km), Mons-en-Pévèle (212km) and Carrefour de l’Arbre (242.5km) given five-star status as the hardest and longest of the race. There’s a degree of respite before then with the 29 sectors of pave not beginning until the 97km mark. The biggest crowds of the day are often reserved for sector 5 (Camphin-en-Pévèle, 239.5km) and sector 4 (Carrefour de l’Arbre) where the final attacks are typically made.

Will the biggest cheers be reserved for Philippe Gilbert (Infinito R1 shoes)? The 36-year-old legend made his Paris-Roubaix debut in 2018 and looked strong in the lead group before suffering from hydration issues. Has he learnt his fuelling lesson second time around?

After a strong ride for World Champion Alejandro Valverde at Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, Movistar Team’s hopes now rest on Belgian Jurgen Roelandts’ shoulders. The 33-year-old has been putting in some fine rides in the early part of the 2019 campaign – his first season with the Spanish team – and will relish the lead role, with support from a squad including the experience of Daniele Bennati, 38, and the youth of Jamie Castrillo who has just turned 23.

Team Sky’s attacking intent could come from any number of riders. Dylan van Baarle lit up last Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, forging a four-man breakaway for 20km of the 266km test. Van Baarle was reeled in but dug deep – again – in the final kilometer but lost out in a group sprint. Gianni Moscon and Luke Rowe both have Paris-Roubaix top-10s on their palmares.

Wout van Aert leads Team Jumbo-Visma off the back of an assured Milan-Sanremo, third at Strade Bianche and second at the E3 BinckBank Classic. In his second Roubaix appearance, he’ll look for protection from the experienced Amund Grondahl Jansen and Maarten Wynants.

AG2R La Mondiale has real strength in depth at Paris-Roubaix, specifically with Silvan Dillier and Oliver Naesen. Dillier was the only rider capable of staying with Peter Sagan at the 2018 edition, the two leaders entering the velodrome together before the Slovak pipped the Swiss at the line. Naesen has enjoyed spring, finishing second at Milan-Sanremo and third at Gent-Wevelgem… can the 28-year-old turn them into victory come Sunday 14^th?

The 74^th edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen, to be raced on Wednesday 3^rd April, serves up a familiar mix of cobbles and Flemish hills. The Belgian race starts in Roeselare and finishes 182.8km later in Waregem. In- between, the rides tackle 11 climbs and three stretches of pavé. Notable climbs include the Nieuwe Kwaremont after 80km; the Knokteberg, covered twice; and the 500m (5.7%) Nokereberg, which is the last ascent and is crested 9km before the finish line. On paper, it could play into the hands of Philippe Gilbert (Infinito R1 shoes) or these world-class riders…

Movistar Team’s World Champion Alejandro Valverde (Infinito R1 Iride shoes and 00 Iride saddle) was building form at the recent Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, and lines up for the second successive year targeting Dwars door Vlaanderen in his build-up to the Tour of Flanders on Sunday 7^th April.

Team Sky’s Luke Rowe saw a strong performance at Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem, making the elite 18-man breakaway along with a massive solo effort in the final 50km to bridge back to the leading four. Look out for the Welshman threatening the lead at Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Danny van Poppel leads the Dutch Team Jumbo-Visma off the back of a fine ride at Gent-Wevelgem. The 25-year-old will look forward to an even stronger showing at Dwars door Vlaanderen, ably supported by the likes of Timo Roosen and Amund Grondahl Jansen.

Oliver Naesen (Antares R1 saddle and Infinito R1 shoes) continued his impressive spring with second at Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem to add to his podium at Milan-Sanremo. AG2R La Mondiale’s 28-year-old Belgian will be a strong contender to mount the top step of the podium on Wednesday.

The renamed E3 BinckBank Classic, formerly E3 Harelbeke, takes place on Friday 29^th March and begins 10 days of glorious racing in Flanders. The parcours features 15 punchy climbs – ‘helligen’ – which are mainly concentrated into the second part of the 203.9km route. A number of cobbled section also appear in the latter stages, with increasing frequency in the final 50km, providing opportunities and danger in equal measure. The last 19km are flat, offering other opportunities, as last year’s second-placed Philippe Gilbert (Infinito R1 shoes) discovered – can he go one better this year? An impressive peloton of WorldTour riders line up including…

MOVISTAR TEAM 

Belgium’s Jürgen Roeland’s leads the Spanish team and is assisted by a mainly Spanish cast including José Joaquin Rojas, Carlos Barbero and Jorge Arcas. The 33-year-old has enjoyed a relatively modest start to 2019 but has a style proven to suit this terrain and may go under the radar in his new blue Movistar jersey.

TEAM SKY

Sky has several chances of victory in the form of Luke Rowe, Gianni Moscon, Ian Stannard and Owain Doull. Rowe already has 26 days of racing in his legs so will be physically and tactically primed to challenge. Moscon has far fewer race miles in his legs but will look to improve upon his eighth in 2018. And don’t rule out Doull and Stannard. Doull recorded the best result of his career to date with second at the recent Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, while at 31, Stannard’s strength is suited to the cobbles and climbs of E3.

TEAM JUMBO-VISMA

Three-time Cyclocross World Champion Wout van Aert leads the Dutch team, less than a month after joining. The 24-year-old Belgian’s certainly made an impressive impression, finishing third and sixth at Strade Bianche and Milan-Sanremo, respectively. Also look out for Danny van Poppel if E3 comes down to an albeit unlikely sprint finish.

AG2R LA MONDIALE

Oliver Naesen is one of the race favorites and with good reason. The 28-year-old Belgian finished second at last Saturday’s Milan-Sanremo and third and fourth at E3 in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Naesen (Antares R1 saddle and Infinito R1 shoes) is supported by a strong sextet including 2018 Paris-Roubaix runner-up Silvan Dillier.

COFIDIS

The French ProContinental team will look to the likes of experienced Belgian rider Dimitri Claeys to keep in contention of what’s sure to be a challenging opening to the main cobbles season.

A hugely entertaining 110th edition of Milan-Sanremo – the first Monument of the season – resulted in a thrilling sprint finish, with AG2R La Mondiale’s Oliver Naesen taking second place, fractionally ahead of Team Sky’s Michal Kwiatkowski, who was in search of a second win to match his 2017 victory.

“La Primavera”, the longest race on the WorldTour calendar, saw breakaways and attacks as each team pitted their wits and watts against each other, and against the classic Italian course. Its climbs, culminating in the Poggio just 5k before the finish split the field, but left a tight group of world-class riders – including World Champion Alejandro Valverde of Movistar Team – to battle for the podium places.

A late sprint to the line on the Via Roma saw the 28-year-old former Belgian national champion Naesen, and the former World Champion and current Polish champion Kwiatkowski take second and third, having covered the 291km in 6h40’14”, at an average speed of 43.625kph.

“It’s something unbelievable for me. It’s my first podium at a Monument so it’s something that I will cherish. I was hoping for a podium, but I didn’t expect it. This is not a race that suits me well, but now I’m ready for the cobbled Classics in my home country of Belgium,” said Naesen.

“Of course it’s a good result to be on the podium but when you’re so close to the victory of course you’re thinking if you could have done anything better to win it. It would have been a dream to win today… I’m very happy that Team Sky gave me the opportunity to go for another one,” said Kwiatkowski.

Congratulations to both riders for a superb result after an exciting – and very long – day in the saddle.

World Champion Alejandro Valverde – racing in his Infinito R1 Iride shoes and Antares 00 Iride saddle – was all smiles on the second step of the final GC podium at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. It’s a race the Spaniard has previously won three times – more than any other rider – and as recently as last year.

It was an all-Spanish GC podium at Valencia on Sunday 10 February, with El Bala just 7 seconds off the lead, arriving home safely on the fifth and final stage despite a big crash in the main peloton on the short, fast stage.

Out front though, it was the flying Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen (Arione 00 saddle), showing strong early-season form for Team Jumbo-Visma. Team Cofidis sprinter Nacer Bouhanni had looked good at the start of the sprint but Groenewegen used his wheel to jump Alexander Kristoff and Matteo Trentin in a tight sprint, and send a clear message to his fast-wheel competitors.

As the teams use their season opening races to test and develop form, Valenciana saw podiums from Team Jumbo-Visma’s Tony Martin on the opening ITT, and both Bouhanni and Team Sky’s Ben Swift on stage 2 before Valverde took 2nd on stage 4 as part of his convincing wind-up towards the Classics.

Meanwhile, in southern France it’s chapeau to Team Cofidis’ Christophe Laporte – he won the final ITT stage of the Etoile de Besseges to confirm the GC win, along with the Points competition victory. In the fourth and final stage, Laporte extended his overall lead with a strong time trial performance, despite the difficult conditions caused by intermittent rain in Alès.