Riders’ parade in Düsseldorf
Almost 730 years ago, the children of Düsseldorf turned cartwheels to celebrate the independence of the city after the battle of Worringer in 1288. Another wheel-related parade took place in the historical city center on the occasion of the teams’ presentation of the 104th Tour de France as the 198 riders expected to start the race on Saturday were invited to ride their bike in the middle of the crowd after being introduced on stage. The opening ceremony was organized on the Burgplatz nearby the Rhine River and hosted by former German Tour de France stage winners Marcel Wüst and Jens Voigt. Düsseldorf is the German capital of fashion and it appears that the fashionable color of the Tour de France cyclists’ jerseys this year is white…
Richie Porte returns the favorite’s role to Chris Froome
Following Wednesday’s press conference in which Chris Froome named Richie Porte as the hot favorite of the Tour de France, the Australian hit back at the Brit. “He has won the Tour de France three times and there’s no reason why he can’t win a fourth one”, Porte declared. “He’s the defending champion, I’m not. But it’s not gonna be between Chris and me. This Tour is more than a two-horse race. We’ve got a hard course to deal with. There are only three mountain finishes and two time trials but it’s not an easy lap around France. Even the two stages in the Massif Central can turn the race upside down. My season has gone well so far but the biggest race and the biggest goal of the year are coming now. My goal is the podium in Paris and we’ve got the right team to achieve it.”
Orica-Scott to race for GC for the first time
Taking part in the Tour de France as the only Australian team since 2012, Orica-Scott is openly targeting the overall classification for the first time, following their unexpected fourth place with Adam Yates last year. “We’ve raced as opportunists for the past five years but for the first time we aren’t coming to the Tour with a pure sprinter”, sport director Matt White explained. Esteban Chaves and Simon Yates are reunited as co-leaders after they finished third and sixth at the Vuelta a España last year. “I fell in love with cycling by watching the Tour de France on the couch with my father”, first timer Chaves declared ahead of the inaugural time trial in Düsseldorf. “To be on the start line is already a triumph. The Dauphiné was a bit of a shock for me as I hadn’t raced in Europe for eight months [after he became the first Colombian to win a monument with the Tour of Lombardy]. I’ve been sidelined by a knee injury but we are ready, not just Esteban but the whole team. A target for us will be the white jersey for Simon.” “We had a good Vuelta together”, Yates echoed. “This is my third start at the Tour de France but it’s my first time riding for GC here.”
