Tour de France 2021 Favourites stage 1: Van der Poel for first maillot jaune

foto: Cor VosThe Tour de France kicks off with a race for punchers. Alaphilippe could send the French into ecstasies by winning the first yellow jersey. But the likes of Van Aert and Van der Poel will also be eyeing their chances... (Slideshow route/profile)

And let’s not forget about Sagan, Matthews and Hirschi…

But, given his impeccable performances at the Tour de Suisse, Mathieu van der Poel is the most likely candidate for the first yellow jersey.

The race comes down to the last 3 kilometres. Without a doubt, the breakaway will be reeled in by then and the big names should come to the fore. Men with dynamite legs, but definitely not the pure sprinters. The finale is too hard for those type of riders.

First, the road goes up at 9.4% for 500 metres before the following 500 metres still rise 8.2%. The route levels out a bit to 6.2%, after which the next kilometre rises at 4%. The last 500 metres are a false flat.

Favourites 1st stage 2021 Tour de France

*** Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Julian Alaphilippe
** Peter Sagan, Michael Matthews, Marc Hirschi, Christophe Laporte
* Alejandro Valverde, Michael Woods, Benoît Cosnefroy, Sonny Colbrelli

Another interesting read: route 1st stage 2021 Tour de France.