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Tour de France 2021: full team-by-team guide

<span>Composite: Getty</span>
Composite: Getty

AG2R-Citroen (Fr)

Mainstays of the Tour since the 90s, transformed this winter with arrival of iconic car company sponsor, departure of long-time leader Romain Bardet and signing of several pricey foreign imports. Ben O’Connor has provided best value so far and Benoît Cosnefroy is one of France’s up and coming names.

Main man Greg van Avermaet. Belgium’s Olympic champion, a big transfer over the winter, won stages and wore yellow in 2015 and 2016. Yet to deliver for his new team.

Team Benoît Cosnefroy, Dorian Godon, Oliver Naesen, Ben O’Connor, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Nans Peters, Michael Schär, Greg van Avermaet.

Alpecin-Fenix (Bel)

Second division pacesetters who punch way above their budget thanks to star rider Mathieu van der Poel, whose Tour debut could be high-octane viewing. But they are about more than him: Tim Merlier, Jonas Rickaert and Jasper Philipsen have ridden strongly all year, with Merlier’s Giro d’Italia stage win the highlight.

Main man Van der Poel. Cyclo-cross star who can switch to road racing to devastating effect. Going for a stage win at least, possibly a tilt at the green points jersey.

Team Sylvain Dillier, Tim Merlier, Xandro Meurisse, Jasper Philipsen, Jonas Rickaert, Kristian Sbaragli, Petr Vakoc, Mathieu van der Poel.

Arkéa-Samsic (Fr)

Second division team who bought in home star Warren Barguil, climber Nairo Quintana and sprinter Nacer Bouhanni but haven’t yet seen a great deal for the investment. Britons Dan McLay and Connor Swift – winner of Breton classic the Tro Bro Léon this year – can win in their own right but should have support roles on this Tour.

Main man Barguil. Breton climber who had a stellar 2017 Tour but has yet to truly kick on; fourth in the French championship looks promising.

Team Warren Barguil, Nacer Bouhanni, Anthony Delaplace, Élie Gesbert, Dan McLay, Nairo Quintana, Clément Russo, Connor Swift.

Astana-Premier Tech (Kaz)

Founded to promote Kazakhstan, but have now expanded with Canadian co-sponsor and a multinational line-up. Good bets for at least a stage win somewhere; Alexey Lutsenko is an outside chance for the time trials, while old lag Jakob Fuglsang had a strong run-in to the Tour.

Main man Fuglsang. Danish former mountain biker who can win hilly Classics such as Lombardia and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He’s tactically astute and a definite candidate for a stage win.

Team Alex Aranburu, Stefan de Bod, Omar Fraile, Jakob Fuglsang, Dmitriy Gruzdev, Hugo Houle, Ion Izagirre, Alexey Lutsenko.

Jakob Fuglsang during the recent Tour of Switzerland.
Jakob Fuglsang during the recent Tour of Switzerland. Photograph: Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA

B&B Hotels-KTM (Fr)

The dream is a stage win for climber Pierre Rolland or sprinter Bryan Coquard, the reality will be figuring in daily doomed escapes. For many WorldTour teams winning a stage equals Tour success, so it’s way harder for the second division squads – but the race does go through Lourdes so miracles do happen.

Main man: Rolland. Eternal attacker whose best days were 10 years ago. Will show in the mountains, but it’s long odds on getting the third Tour stage of his career.

Team Cyril Barthe, Franck Bonnamour, Maxime Chevalier, Bryan Coquard, Cyril Gautier, Cyril Lemoine, Quentin Pacher, Pierre Rolland.

Bahrain Victorious (Bah)

Rocked by manager Rod Ellingworth’s departure to Ineos over the winter, they bounced back with a strong Giro and Dauphiné. Leader Mikel Landa is injured but his underlings can deliver a stage win, or maybe more: Jack Haig, Sonny Colbrelli and Matej Mohoric are all in form, while young Brit Fred Wright is in there for experience.

Main man Colbrelli is the new Italian champion, a strong climber who shines when other sprinters struggle to hang on, so has a chance of the green points jersey.

Team Pello Bilbao, Sonny Colbrelli, Jack Haig, Marco Haller, Matej Mohoric, Wout Poels, Dylan Teuns, Fred Wright.

BikeExchange (Aus)

Australia’s finest look slightly underpowered after Adam Yates’s departure to Ineos. They are out for stages with Simon Yates but also Esteban Chaves, a world class climber on his day, plus they have a former green jersey in Michael Matthews, a good bet if it gets hilly and the pure sprinters are left behind.

Main man Simon Yates. The laconic Lancastrian salvaged third and a mountain stage at this year’s Giro. Strong climbing legs plus good tactical brain and decent sprint makes him the consummate stage hunter.

Team Estaban Chaves, Luke Durbridge, Lucas Hamilton, Amund Grøndahl Jansen, Chris Juul-Jensen, Michael Matthews, Luka Mezgec, Simon Yates.

Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger)

The German team leave out sprinter Pascal Ackermann, but have a formidable line-up led by prolific world champion Peter Sagan, and strong climbers Emanuel Buchmann, Wilco Kelderman and Patrick Konrad. That’s a lot of leaders, but between them they can target stages on all terrains and perhaps get close to the podium.

Main man Sagan. The serial points prize winner is out to make it eight this year. He’s bound to win a stage somewhere, but the green jersey may be more of a challenge.

Team Emanuel Buchmann, Wilco Kelderman, Patrick Konrad, Daniel Oss, Nils Politt, Lukas Pöstlberger, Peter Sagan, Ide Schelling.

Peter Sagan enjoys the moment after the final stage of the Giro d’Italia in Milan in May. The Slovakian will lead the charge for Bora again in France.
Peter Sagan enjoys the moment after the final stage of the Giro d’Italia in Milan in May. The Slovakian will lead the charge for Bora again in France. Photograph: Gian Mattia D’Alberto/AP

Cofidis Solutions Crédits (Fr)

A mix of home grown and imported talent in this long-standing French team backed by a loan company. It’s all about one man: Guillaume Martin can target the top 10 while the rest can make merry in the breakaways. They landed a stage in the Giro and can hope for the same at the Tour.

Main man Martin. Strong climber who has stalled somewhat after writing a book on philosophy and cycling. It’s time he fulfilled his potential.

Team Simon Geschke, Jesús Herrada, Christophe Laporte, Guilluame Martin, Anthony Perez, Pierre-Luc Périchon, Jelle Wallays.

Deceuninck-Quickstep (Bel)

Cycling’s winning machine is targeting a stage and a spell in the yellow jersey for Julian Alaphilippe and a sprint win for Davide Ballerini or comeback man Mark Cavendish, who is now 36 but will work off the back of a sprint-centred squad that can provide the best lead-out in cycling

Main man Alaphilippe. The world champion and very new father is expected to win at least one stage in the opening weekend and ride well in the Laval trial. Luckily he thrives on pressure.

Team Kasper Asgreen, Julian Alaphilippe, Davide Ballerini, Mattia Cattaneo, Mark Cavendish, Tim Declercq, Dries Devenyns, Michael Mørkøv.

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DSM (Ger)

The Germans work a hydra tactic, a different “head” at the front every day, and it functioned brilliantly in 2020 – three stage wins thanks to some perfect tactical riding. They will place riders in the breaks on every hilly day and it should succeed at least once. Brit Mark Donovan gets a first Tour start.

Main man Søren Kragh Andersen. The Dane managed a brace of stage wins last year, but pulling that off again will be a tougher proposition.

Team Tiesj Benoot, Cees Bol, Nils Eekhoff, Søren Kragh Andersen, Joris Niewenhaus, Mark Donovan, Casper Pedersen, Jasha Sütterlin

EF Education-Nippo (US)

Cycling’s marketing dream, clad in lurid pink and making headlines with every radical jersey they wear. There’s real substance here too though, as they have a happy knack of landing prestigious wins with the likes of Stephen Bissegger, Magnus Cort and Rigoberto Urán

Main man Urán. The evergreen Colombian landed a stage and second overall in 2017; he hasn’t hit those heights recently but is coming to the boil at just the right time.

Team Stephen Bissegger, Magnus Cort, Sergio Higuita, Neilson Powless, Rigoberto Urán, Michael Valgren, Ruben Guerreiro, Jonas Rutsch.

Groupama-FDJ (Fr)

A team that is indelibly French, but fields a multinational string of support riders behind its two leaders. With mainstay Thibaut Pinot out with back issues, David Gaudu and sprinter Arnaud Démare will step in, with Stefan Küng targeting the time trial stages.

Main man Gaudu. Breton climber who broke through at last year’s Vuelta with two mountain stage wins, and will have ample opportunity at the Tour.

Team Bruno Armirail, Arnaud Démare, David Gaudu, Jacopo Guarnieri, Ignatas Konovalovas, Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas, Miles Scotson.

Ineos Grenadiers (GB)

The prolific Grand Tour winners field a lineup of galacticos, with Richie Porte, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Richard Carapaz ready to step in if anything happens to accident prone Geraint Thomas. They have the strongest support riders in Jonathan Castroviejo, Michal Kwiatkowski and Dylan van Baarle, and will be expected to win overall. Given their lineup and budget, anything less equals failure.

Main man Thomas. The Welshman won in 2018 but struggled in 2020. His form on such a mountainous course is hard to read but if he can stay upright anything is possible.

Team Richard Carapaz, Jonathan Castroviejo, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Michal Kwiatkowski, Richie Porte, Luke Rowe, Geraint Thomas, Dylan van Baarle.

Great Britain’s Tao Geoghegan Hart holds up the trophy after winning last year’s Giro d’Italia in May 2020. The Londoner is expected to ride in support of Geraint Thomas for Ineos.
Great Britain’s Tao Geoghegan Hart holds up the trophy after winning last year’s Giro d’Italia in May 2020. The Londoner is expected to ride in support of Geraint Thomas for Ineos. Photograph: Luca Bruno/AP

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (Bel)

Belgian squad who went up to WorldTour this year and promptly landed a stage at the Giro. They may not have the pure talent in their ranks to repeat that in cycling’s toughest arena, but they will place riders in the escapes every day. It’s all part of the learning curve.

Main man Louis Meintjes. Unpredictable South African who will fly or flop. He can climb well enough to make the top 10, but don’t put the mortgage on him.

Team Jan Bakelants, Jonas Koch, Louis Meintjes, Boy van Poppel, Danny van Poppel, Lorenzo Rota, Loïc Vliegen, Georg Zimmerman.

Israel Start-Up Nation (Isr)

The big investment in Chris Froome may never mature with the four-times Tour winner still struggling after serious injury. Froome’s place at the Tour was in doubt until the last minute, but Dan Martin – a recent stage winner at the Giro – and Michael Woods are good bets to win on any day in the mountains.

Main man Woods. Former ice hockey player and middle distance runner, the Canadian turned to pro cycling late at 29, but took stages in the Vuelta in 2020 and 2018.

Team Guillaume Boivin, Chris Froome, Omar Goldstein, Andre Greipel, Dan Martin, Reto Hollenstein, Michael Woods, Rick Zabel.

Lotto-Soudal (Bel)

The Belgians field the fastest sprinter in cycling at the moment in Caleb Ewan so it’s a simple plan. Former world champion Philippe Gilbert and indefatigable attacker Thomas De Gendt will show on their chosen days, but it’s all about the flat stages and getting Ewan to the final 200m in the perfect position.

Main man Ewan. The Aussie is targeting stage wins in all three Grand Tours this year, and with a fair wind he will land at least a brace in France.

Team Jasper de Buyst, Thomas De Gendt, Caleb Ewan, Philippe Gilbert, Roger Kluge, Brent van Moer, Tosh van der Sande, Harry Sweeny.

Jumbo-Visma (Neth)

The Dutch squad had a strong spring but went quiet until last weekend when Wout van Aert won the Belgian national title. In Robert Gesink, Steven Kruijswijk, Sep Kuss, Van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard they have one of the strongest climbing units, so if they pull together and Roglic is at his best they are capable of shaking Ineos and UAE.

Main man Roglic. The Slovene fell at the final hurdle last year then bounced back to win the Vuelta. A definite podium contender, hasn’t raced since April, but that doesn’t mean he’s off form. Not by any means.

Team Robert Gesink, Steven Kruijswijk, Sep Kuss, Tony Martin, Primoz Roglic, Mike Teunissen, Wout van Aert, Jonas Vingegaard.

Movistar (Sp)

Movistar have an illustrious four-decade pedigree and always field a raft of good climbers, but recently they’ve not delivered at the Tour. The arrival of Miguel Ángel López and Enric Mas can change this; they have an obvious focus for their domestiques, and evergreen Alejandro Valverde could land a surprise stage win at 41 years young.

Main man López. The pint-sized Colombian took last year’s toughest mountain finish, and has won this year over Mont Ventoux, so is a definite podium candidate.

Team Jorge Arcas, Imanol Erviti, Iván García, Miguel Ángel López, Enric Mas, Marc Soler, Alejandro Valverde, Carlos Verona.

Qhubeka-Assos (SA)

Cobbled together as 2020 closed, Qhubeka were the surprises of the Giro d’Italia, netting three stage wins. The Tour is a tougher proposition, and while they will place riders in the daily escapes, they will struggle to translate that into stage wins, because so many other teams will have the same plan.

Main man Belgian Victor Campenaerts landed a fine Giro stage win and can target both time trials, but it’s not clear if he can hold his form into mid July.

Team Carlos Barbero, Sean Bennett, Victor Campenaerts, Simon Clarke, Nic Dlamini, Michael Gogl, Sergio Henao, Max Walscheid.

TotalEnergies (Fr)

French stalwarts with a long and honourable record now looking short of focus; they lost strongman Alexis Vuillermoz to injury just before the Tour started. Edvald Boasson-Hagen is past his best and Pierre Latour not quite the finished article so it will be the traditional plan: get in breaks, target the mountains jersey, and hope for the best.

Main man Latour. The 2018 Tour’s best young rider took a stage recently at the Vuelta Asturias, but will need a perfect day to back that up in the toughest race in the world.

Team Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Jérémy Cabot, Fabien Doubey, Victor de la Parte, Pierre Latour, Cristian Rodriguez, Julien Simon, Antony Turgis.

Trek-Segafredo (US)

There’s a wealth of talent here. Vincenzo Nibali’s record speaks for itself, Bauke Mollema and former world champion Mads Pedersen can win big when required, and Jesper Stuyven is as strong as they come. They will target stage wins; Mollema on a big day in the mountains looks like the best bet.

Main man Mollema. Ungainly Dutch climber who is always at the front when it matters and picks off the odd big win such as a Tour stage in 2017, and Il Lombardia in 2018.

Team Kenny Elissonde, Bauke Mollema, Vincenzo Nibali, Mads Pedersen, Toms Skuijns, Jesper Stuyven, Edward Theuns.

UAE Emirates (UAE)

Last year, UAE didn’t need to give Tadej Pogacar much support; he flew under the radar then struck hard at the close. There’s no hiding now, so they have invested in strongmen such as Rafal Majka and Marc Hirschi; even so, collectively they still don’t look the climbing equals of Ineos or Jumbo, so it may all depend on “Pog” at key times.

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar celebrates his 2020 triumph. The Team UAE Emirates rider faces a stiff challenge to repeat that feat.
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar celebrates his 2020 triumph. The Team UAE Emirates rider faces a stiff challenge to repeat that feat. Photograph: Thibault Camus/AP

Main man Pogacar. Surprise winner last year, and has backed up extremely well this season. The Tour favourite, but can he match Ineos’s strength in depth if he ends up on his own?

Team Mikkel Bjerg, Rui Costa, Davide Formolo, Marc Hirschi, Rafal Majka, Brandon McNulty, Tadej Pogacar, Vegard Stake Langen.