True climber to win Le Tour?
Five mountain top finishes, only 27 km of time trials. Is it time for a true climber to shine? Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida) will love the route, as well as the French hero Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale). Nairo Quintana (Movistar) will want to prove his worth. And if Simon Yates decides to show up? Team Sky is definitely going to face a hard three weeks.
“The high-altitude aspect of the race is going to be a significant factor,” Chris Froome told the reporters at the route presentation in Paris. “Some riders deal with altitude better than others, especially those who were born and live at altitude, like Nairo Quintana. Those climbs should really suit him. I think that spending a lot of time at altitude will be one of the main parts of preparing for this Tour. Every year I’ve had to adapt and this year is no different. I’ll do all I can to adapt to it and make sure I’m at my best in the mountains.”
“The Tour’s always hard, but there’s a lot of climbing, a lot of altitude,” the 2018 Le Tour winner Thomas said. “There are lots of climbs over 2,000 metres. Generally, I really like them, so I’ll look forward to that. There are a lot of medium mountain stages, so it will need a well-rounded rider and team to win it.”
The 2019 Tour de France will set off from Brussels on July 6 and conclude in Paris on July 28.
