Camila Vega
On July 17, stage 15 of the Tour de France was run. This means that more than half of the race has already gone by and we are entering the final stretch of the most important race in the world of cycling. That’s why we bring you the 6 favorites to win the 2022 Tour de France, taking into account how the general classification is going.
The 6 Favorite Cyclists to Win the 2022 Tour de France
1. Jonas Vingegaard
In first place is Denmark’s Vingegaard, a Jumbo-Visma rider. He has been in the top 3 of the general classification since stage 6, and since stage 11 he has been following Pogacar’s wheel to prevent him from gaining time on him. To pass Vingegaard, Pogacar must break away and close the time gap between them.
After stage 15, the Dane mentioned: “Primoz[Roglic] and Steven[Kruijswijk] are very important teammates for me. They are two very strong riders, so of course it’s not nice to have lost them today. It’s a disadvantage for us, but we’ll keep fighting until Paris. I have bruises on my left side from the fall. I went down but got up again. I’m a little sore, of course, but that’s the way it is after an accident.”
2. Tadej Pogacar
Of course, defending the yellow jersey is the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Emirates. The two-time Grand Tour champion lost first place overall on stage 11 to Jonas Vingegaard, whom Pogacar says they are tied. Thus, the Slovenian is expected to attack in the following stages to regain the jersey. He is behind Vingegaard by 2’18”.
3. Geraint Thomas
British rider Thomas of INEOS Grenadiers is third in our list. Thomas is among the favorites for the 2022 Tour de France and trails Pogacar by 21 seconds and Vingegaard by 4’56”. The third position, rather than discouraging him, encourages him to push even harder for the lead in the general classification.
This is what he said after today’s stage: “It’s going to be difficult with those two in front [Pogacar y Vingegaard], but it’s good to be ahead of the rest. I’m looking more ahead, but you have to be conscious of what’s behind you. There are three big days in the Pyrenees ahead, but I’ll enjoy tomorrow.”
4. Nairo Quintana
Colombian Nairo Quintana is in fourth place. This runner is chasing his yellow dream, as he calls it. That is, his dream of winning the Tour de France for the first time. On the Col du Granon Serre Chevalier stage, he attacked to finish second on the stage and climbed to fifth overall. He also attacked in the Pyrenees in the hope of climbing and escaping to wear the maillot jaune in Paris. Thus, he climbed to fourth place, 7’53” behind the overall leader.
5. David Gaudu
David Gaudu is in fifth place overall ,7’57” behind Jonas Vingegaard. He is a 25-year-old French rider who climbed to fourth place after stage 16 between Carcassonne and Foix. He is part of the FDJ team and in 2019 and 2021 was in the top 15 in the final overall results of the Tour. This year he has won two stages, one in the Tour of the Algrave and one in the Critérium du Dauphiné.
6. Romain Bardet
In fourth place is Frenchman Romain Bardet, who has been in the top 5 overall since stage 11. The 32-year-old Team DSM rider is 9’21” behind the maillot jaune. He is undoubtedly one of the favorites, but he is also one of those most impacted by Europe’s heat wave, as he has stated multiple times.
