NAIRO QUINTANA
STRENGTHS Best climber
on his Tour de France debut
in 2013, the Colombian is
COL, Movistar Team
very much in his element
Tour de France
at high altitude. With seven
appearances: 5
peaks above 2 000m, the
2019 route seems tailor-
made for him. Winner of the
65km Saint-Lary-Soulan
to Col du Portet stage in
the Pyrenees last year, the
Movistar rider proved that
he liked short and dynamic
stages – and the last two
days in the high Alps this
Tour don’t exceed 130km…
WE AKNESSES Although
he insists he’ll be starting
his sixth Tour with the
intention of winning,
Quintana hasn’t exactly
inspired confidence in recent years. After three podium
finishes in his first three appearances (2013, 2015, 2016),
the Colombian has stalled in recent years (he was 12th
in 2017 and 10th in 2018). He will have to abandon the
cautious approach that can border on a wait-and-see
strategy if he is to return to his previous highs.
★ ★ ★
STEVEN KRUIJSWIJK
STRENGTHS A top 10
finisher in five of his last six
Grand Tours, the Dutchman
NED, Team Jumbo-Visma
is Mr Consistency. Now 32
Tour de France
and with 10 seasons in the
appearances: 4
professional ranks in his legs,
Kruijswijk is sure of his ability
and rarely has a bad day. Part
of the Jumbo-Visma team,
where he has a harmonious
racing relationship with
Primoz Roglic, he should
benefit from the Dutch
squad’s solidity in the team
time trial by taking a high
position in the general
classification on the evening
of the second stage.
WE AKNESSES The
consistency that is his
main strength is also an
inherent weakness as, with just two pro victories to his credit,
Kruijswijk is not a born winner. Intelligent as he is in the
management of his resources, he often fails to come to the
fore and take the risks necessary to win. He can sometimes
manage to go against his nature, as was the case on the
Alpe d’Huez stage last year, when he tried his luck with a solo
attack 70km from the finish that was ultimately unsuccessful.
★ ★
EGAN BERNAL
COL, Team Ineos
Tour de France
appearances: 1
★ ★ ★
STRENGTHS Winner
of Paris-Nice in the
spring at the age of just
22, the Colombian is
already much more than
a promising talent. A
gifted climber, solid in
time trials and at ease
on flat stages where
the wind can often be a
pitfall, Egan Bernal has
huge all-round ability
and all of the qualities of
a stage racing specialist.
Fifteenth on his Tour
de France debut last
season, he also seems
particularly impervious
to pressure.
WE AKNESSES
Although coming into
this season Bernal had only a single Grand Tour behind
him, this year he will add another two by doing both the
Giro and the Tour de France. It’s a busy calendar that could
sap the precocious Colombian’s freshness. What’s more,
within Team Ineos, Bernal primary role will be as a super-
domestique for Froome and Thomas in the mountains.
THIBAUT PINOT
STRENGTHS Twice
a Tour de France stage-
winner (Porrentruy in 2012
FRA, Groupama-FDJ
and Alpe d’Huez in 2015),
Tour de France
Pinot knows how to make
appearances: 5
the most of his panache in
the mountains and create
real opportunities. As the
winner of last year’s Tour
of Lombardy, he’s also
become more assured
as a rider. He’s quite
comfortable at altitudes
above 2 000m, so the
towering climbs in the
Alps should prove perfect
for his considerable
climbing talent. What’s
more, unlike in recent
years, the Tour will be his
primary goal this season.
WE AKNESSES The Frenchman abandoned his last
two Tours (in 2016 and 2017) but he does seem to have
matured considerably over the past two years and is
now much more able to cope with race pressure, which
sometimes used to trip him up. However, his consistency
over three weeks does fluctuate, as does his ability to
compete with the best in time trials. ●
★ ★
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