'Hard to see past' Tadej Pogacar at Tour de France, Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel 'where they need to be' - Adam Blythe
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Updated 25/06/2024 at 12:08 GMT+1
Is Tadej Pogacar the man to beat at the 2024 Tour de France? Eurosport expert Adam Blythe thinks so after being blown away by the two-time winner's dominant form at the Giro d'Italia. Blythe said it's "hard to see past" a Pogacar victory, but calmed concerns about the fitness of GC contenders Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel. "Everyone's where they need to be," he added.
‘Everyone is where they need to be’ – Blythe brushes off Evenepoel worries, tips Pogacar to win Tour
Video credit: TNT Sports
Adam Blythe believes “it’s hard to see past” Tadej Pogacar at the Tour de France, but Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic are "where they need to be" as they battle to reach full fitness for the race climax.
Anticipation is building ahead of the Grand Depart on June 29 in Florence, Italy, where two-time winner Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) is among the frontrunners to claim the yellow jersey.
Double defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) is in a race to recover in time to compete after suffering a series of injuries in a horror crash at the Itzulia Basque Country in April.
Eurosport expert Blythe has tipped Pogacar, who is looking to make it back-to-back Grand Tour victories after his dominant win at the Giro d’Italia in May.
“I think it’s going to be entertaining,” said Blythe on The Cycling Show.
“If Pogacar is anything like what he was at the Giro, even if riders are more on his level, just his dominance and the way he was on the Giro, he’s going to be so hard to see past.
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Highlights: Roglic holds on for overall win as Rodriguez claims dramatic Stage 8 victory
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“But we’re going to be in for a real treat. It’s the Tour. The Tour always throws a spanner in the works, there is always some drama in the first week. It should be an absolute corker.”
Other GC contenders include Primoz Roglic (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep), with the Slovenian coming out on top of their battle at the Criterium du Dauphine.
However, both riders were also involved in the scary crash in the Basque Country and again took knocks in the Criterium, although they were thankfully both able to continue.
Considering the disruption to their respective build-ups, Blythe pointed out that the race itself can be a time for the stars to work their way into full fitness.
“Everyone’s sort of where they need to be. We need to remember that the Tour de France is only three weeks away, but that last week of the Tour de France is the important week, that’s where a lot can change, and that’s five-and-a-half weeks away. That’s a long time still,” Blythe said.
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‘Beautiful’ and ‘quite crazy’ – Roglic sums up what winning Dauphine means
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“If you look at the likes of Remco, he’s maybe not quite on the level yet, but he’s still got five weeks to get there. Two weeks of which will be in the Tour de France, so what will be will be.
“But I think this next three weeks for him especially will be crucial to still build, and for the likes of Roglic to try and build. But they all have to get fresh and get ready for it.”
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Tour de France this summer, with live coverage running June 29 to July 21.
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