By Bruce Hildenbrand
Photo: Bruce Hildenbrand
The Tour de France awards four major jerseys to the riders. The yellow jersey needs no explanation, but there are also the green (sprinter's), polka dot (climber's) and white (best 25-and-under rider) jerseys. Who will be sporting a cool tunic in Paris? Read below.
Before Operacion Puerto, the Spanish doping scandal that was shelved in late 2006 but re-emerged with more evidence against more riders in April, there were four favorites for the yellow jersey. Ivan Basso was at the top of everyone's list which, unfortunately, included Operacion Puerto as well as the Tour de France. Basso has resigned from the Discovery Channel team; he will not ride the Tour and his career is in serious jeopardy.
Another of the Tour favorites, 27-year-old Alejandro Valverde--who bested Armstrong at the mountaintop finish in Courchevel in 2005--was also linked to Operacion Puerto. However, nothing has been proven and the Spaniard will be looking to improve on his first two appearances when injuries--a knee injury in 2005 and a broken collarbone in 2006--put paid to his chances. With much-improved time trialing skills and an incident-free ride, Valverde is a definite podium contender.
Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov has been on the podium at the Tour (2003) and won his first grand tour at the Vuelta a Espana last year. If the road goes up, expect the 33-year-old Team Astana rider to attack. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Vino can time trial with the best of them but, as with his climbing, he needs to be more consistent. If he can avoid a "jour sans"--French for "bad day"--he is a likely podium finisher, and with a little luck could win the whole thing.
Team CSC's Carlos Sastre is one of the few pure climbers also to be a threat for the overall. Time trialing is usually the Achilles heal of the lightweight mountain goats, but the 32-year-old Spaniard is good enough against the clock to limit his losses and remain a contender. Fourth place in both the Tour and Vuelta last year, look for him to be at the head of affairs in the mountains.
Levi Leipheimer is the lone American capable of battling for the yellow jersey. With Basso gone, the role of team leader is squarely on the shoulders of the 33-year-old Montana native. This season, Leipheimer showed he was the strongest rider in America's two biggest stage races, the Tour of California and the Tour de Georgia. He has demonstrated he can win major European stage races, with victories in the Tour of Germany in 2005 and the Dauphine Libere in 2006. Can he make the next step and climb onto the Tour podium? Consistency will be the key.
Andreas Kloden has finished on the podium at the Tour twice (second in 2004, third in 2006). But, like Leipheimer, he may be relegated to super-domestique duty for his more capable teammate Vinokourov. If Vino cannot maintain consistency, the German may get the opportunity to ride for himself.
Spaniard Alberto Contador is only 24, but he rocketed to the front of the pro peloton with wins at Paris-Nice and Castilla y Leon. He would be considered for the overall title--except he rides for Johan Bruyneel's talent-laden Discovery Channel squad. Normally, Contador would be a super-domestique for team leader Leipheimer, but team director Bruyneel has given him the green light to go for stage wins.
Former mountain bike racer Cadel Evans has been skirting greatness for the past several years, including two top-10 finishes in the Tour. A very strong climber, if he can take his time trialing skills to the next level, a Tour podium isn't out of the question for the Predictor-Lotto rider.
Team T-Mobile's Michael Rogers is a three-time world time trial champion and has won smaller stage races, indicating that the potential is there for a high Tour finish. He cracked the top 10 for the first time in France last July, surprisingly based more on his climbing than his time trialing. If he can put both skills together for three weeks the Australian definitely has a shot at the podium.
Who will wear the green?
The green sprinter's jersey signifies the best rider based on daily sprint finishes. As such, it rewards consistency rather than wins and requires that the wearer somehow survive the mountains to claim the prize.
Tom Boonen is one of the fastest finishers in the pro peloton and every year is the odds-on favorite for the green jersey. Unfortunately, he has yet to see the finish line in Paris. Can he avoid injury and scale the Alps and Pyrenees to claim his first ever green jersey? If he has a successful spring campaign, the pressure may be off to perform, but if things don't go well at the Classics, look for him to ride as never before.
Australian Robbie McEwen claimed his third green jersey in 2006, where the cagey Predictor-Lotto rider won three stages and finished high up when it counted against his rivals. McEwen can win in a host of finishing situations, but more importantly, he also knows how to suffer over the mountains to get to Paris.
Thor Hushovd wore green in 2005. The Norwegian is capable of winning in a pack or from a small breakaway, and has worn the yellow jersey of race leader on several occasions as well. The affable Credit Agricole rider won the final stage into Paris last year and is one of the favorites to repeat in green in 2007.
Dots for the best climber
The mountains, or polka dot, jersey identifies the best climber in the Tour. Points are awarded on categorized climbs; the harder the climb, the more points up for grabs. Traditionally, this is the least competitive of the three major jerseys, and selecting favorites is horribly difficult.
In the past two Tours, Michael Rasmussen has used audacious solo breakaways to build the foundation of his polka dot jersey ambitions and it has paid off. The Dane's aspirations for a high overall placing has restored some lost prestige to a jersey usually worn by a rider who goes out early on an opportunistic escape and has no desire to contest the overall title.
Showing promise
The white jersey signifies the best rider in the Tour aged 25 or younger. Americans Greg LeMond and Andy Hampsten have both worn this jersey into Paris.
The overwhelming pre-race favorite to don the white tunic is Discovery Channel's Contador. The lanky Spaniard should be able to hang in the mountains long enough for team leader Leipheimer to place high in the hills. Hopefully, he will be given the green light by the team to give full effort in the time trials. Because Contador is clearly a Tour rider of the future, it is important for his development that he learns how to ride a complete race.