darkhorse

Early favorites:

GC - Wiggins
King of the Mountains - Evans
Green Jersey - Cavendish

My pick:

GC - Wiggins
King of the Mountains - F. Schleck
Green Jersey - Sagan

Who's your pick?

gear

Yellow=Wiggens
Green=Cav
Polka dot =Hoogaland

Hornbiker

Evans as an early favorite for the KOM jersey? Really??? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that won't happen.

Hornbiker

But I guess if I'm going to tease, I should throw out some predictions too.
Yellow: Wiggo (but I prefer Evans)

Green: Hmm. Usually Cav would be a no-brainer, but now that he's lost weight he and Sagan may have more similar strengths (if Cav can indeed get over some smaller climbs). And Sagan's just on a tear. But I'll be boring and say Cav. But I want Sagan!

Polka-dot: This is always a toss up — whoever the peloton lets get away on mtn stages... Hoogerland probably won't make it through the final week of climbing. Too bad F Schleck will go for GC —*KOM would be a better goal for him IMO.

diphthong

gotta wait till all the teams are announced...but i'll be back with a prediction or two in a week.

Keith99

I don't see it either. Nor Frank Schleck.

Not becaseu they are not good enough, but becaseu they are too good. They will not be allowed into a break that grabs the mountian points. Others will.

Of course some chance for either if they suffer a GC disaster early enough.

reef58

Yellow JVB
Green Cav
Polka Sandy Caesar(sp)

slcbob

Wiggo
Sagan
Hoogerland

Farby

Yellow: Evans
Green: Cav
Polka: Hooga

richard_dupp

Yellow: Wiggins (second choice Evans)
Green: Cav (second choice Sagan)
Poky: Frank Schleck (second Hoogerland)

I woulda said Sagan for Green but I think that Cav knows a few more tricks of the trade.

richard_dupp

Good line of reasoning.

diphthong

beware team movistar..valverde will likely be in contention (at least for a while) for the gc and several of the punchy stages and 3-4 of the other riders could contend for the kom. can't lay my finger on just one movistar guy (but likely cobo or arroyo) for kom but i also like van den broeck from lotto. wish for once szmyd could ride the mountains for himself; i'd like to see what damage he could do.

thenomad

The answer is always Jens!




Ok, but really I'd agree with the general consensus so far. I'll need to look a little more at the players though. There's potential for a dark horse I think since team tactics are so set on hanging it all on one or two stages.

ramuntxo

Yellow- Hate to say it but Wiggo
Green- I like Cav but i'm thinking Sagan
KOM- My man Sanchez!

dstrong 

If Wiggo wins, will he be knighted?

darkhorse

I'm playing in a fantasy and have enough to choose between - Hesjedal, Schleck or Levi. Who would give me the most points?

Levi looked good at Tour de Suisse but he doesn't show up every year at TDF.

eddiepliers 

Wow, you guys suck at picking.. Merckx for all three, and best young rider too...

richard_dupp

Whadda you know, Armstrong for all four.

Keith99

Eddy is too old for best young rider.

chasm54

Probably. Everyone seems to be, these days.

reef58

I would rule out Levi. Ryder is likely worn out from the Giro, but he is young. If some put a gun to my head I would say Schleck.

alexfboyle

I would be extremely surprised if Wiggo didn't win the GC.
I think Cav has the sprints in the bag, because he's Cav, and his pride won't let him do any less in the rainbow jersey.
KOM is tricky. I think that the best bet is a GC guy who didn't TT well enough to stay in contention for yellow.

Keith99

I don't see anyone who came in as even a doarkhorse contender dropping enough in the First TT to be allowed into the typical KOM sniper attack, which often get 10 minutes on the field before being pulled back.

The big KOM points are in 3 stages 11, 16 and 17 and these are all mountian top finishes or finishes at the end of the decent.

Now time lost becaseu of a crahs (including just stuck behind, not actaully in it) or some other break in hte field could give enough time.

chasm54

GC: Wiggo
Points: Cavendish
KOM: Danielson (eccentric choice, this, but I don't think he can challenge for the GC, he can certainly climb, and his team will want to come away with something...)

Nick Carraway

Not sure who's going to win, but pretty remarkable that (arguably) the 3 main favorites are from the UK, Australia, and Canada. (Plus Cav for Green, obvs.) Rule Britannia! Hope Big George goes out on a good note.