ITV.com/tour have asked a host of cycling experts - writers, reporters, bloggers and editors - to predict podium placings for this year's Tour and how the race might unfold
Ned Boulting, ITV4 reporter
1. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank)
2. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek)
3. Robert Gesink (Rabobank)
I predict this Tour will be wildly unpredictable until we reach the Pyrenees, after which the race will begin to take a recognisable shape. I think the French teams and the Dutch outfit Vacansoleil will be aggressive, mounting attacks and certainly going for the yellow jersey on Stage 1. Team Sky will also throw everything at the race in the first few days. Something really unexpected could happen, like in 2004 when Thomas Voeckler grabbed the maillot jaune and defended it for ten days. But when the mountains arrive, Alberto Contador will take control.
Matt Rendell, ITV4 reporter and cycling writer
1. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek)
2. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank)
3. Robert Gesink (Rabobank)
This will be held against me, I know, but here it is: Andy Schleck to win, Contador to suffer a loss of form of Cadel Evans proportions at some stage in the Tour, and Robert Gesink, Bradley Wiggins and Samuel Sanchez to hoover up the pieces between them. Schleck remains angry about 'Chaingate' and his legs will be much fresher than Contador's.
William Fotheringham, Guardian/Observer cycling correspondent William's Twitter
1. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek)
2. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank)
3. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team)
I can see a waiting game among the favourites until the Alps in the final week. Contador will have a bad day somewhere. Andy Schleck and Evans will ride consistently, but Schleck will have the edge on the two final summit finishes. Evans and Contador will fight back in the last time trial - but it's not long enough to make much of a difference.
I think Wiggins has a good chance of leading the race early on, given Sky's strength in the team time trial, but he will fade in the last two mountain stages. Philippe Gilbert is going to take a stage win or two in the first week and will be up there later on as well. As for the green jersey it's impossible to predict, but I suspect Thor Hushovd will have the edge on Cavendish because there will be intermediate sprints he can take and Cav' can't.
Pete Geyer, cyclingfans.com
1. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank)
2. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek)
3. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team)
Contador to win, Schleck second and Evans third. A superior team gives Schleck the advantage in the Stage 2 TTT and in staying out of trouble through Stage 11. The race changes dramatically from Stage 12: six high mountain stages and the lone Individual Time Trial (42.5km) feature in the final nine stages before the last stage into Paris. Contador is the proven winner of Grand Tours and dominated this year's Giro d'Italia. Schleck got close in 2010 and Evans appears to be back but if Contador improves on his sub-par 2010 Tour form, he will be tough to beat. Sanchez and Gesink are among those who could sneak onto the podium. 2010 Giro winner Ivan Basso is the big unknown.
Simon Richardson, Deputy Editor, Cycling Weekly
1. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek)
2. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank)
3. Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky)
It's hard to see past Schleck and Contador for the overall as they are so much stronger than anyone else in the mountains, so third place is the place that's really up for grabs. I’m going with Wiggins out of patriotism, but the battle for third could be the real spectacle as there will be up to six riders competing for it.
Stephen Farrand, Online Production Editor, Cyclingnews.com
1. Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek)
2. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard)
3. Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Cervelo)
The race might be soured by Contador's ongoing Clenbuterol case but I think it could still be a great race. Contador will have to dig deep to win after winning the toughest Giro d'Italia for years, while Andy Schleck will have to step up and prove he has what it takes to win the Tour. The route is both original and traditional, promising drama right from the off and weeks of sub-plots that only professional cycling can provide.
I'm curious to see how Mark Cavendish performs on the often difficult sprint finishes and I can't wait for the final week that celebrates the centenary of the Alps in the Tour de France. Bradley Wiggins seems back to his best but will that be enough to beat Cadel Evans, Ivan Basso, Robert Gesink, Jurgen Van den Broeck and Christian Vande Velde? We'll find out on July 24.
Luke McLaughlin, ITV.com/tour Editor
1. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank)
2. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek)
3. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team)
Plenty of people have backed Andy Schleck to prove himself this year but I can't see him overpowering Alberto Contador in the mountains. Contador may have the effects of a gruelling Giro d'Italia in his legs, but he is built differently to any other cyclist on the planet and his superior climbing ability will win him a fourth Tour de France. Whether he'll still be champion after his Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in August remains to be seen. Evans has the experience, the form and the hunger to push Contador and Schleck all the way.
To go out on a limb - I suspect Cavendish could win Stage 1 and defend the yellow jersey until the mountains, as long as HTC-Highroad compete in the team time trial on Stage 2. There may be a climb to the finish line on Stage 1 but as Cav said, he's won on harder and been dropped on easier. If HTC can put him in position everything is up for grabs, although Breton Thomas Voeckler and the widely-tipped Philippe Gilbert will take some beating. Cavendish has his heart set on winning on Mont des Alouettes and he'll do everything he can to achieve it.
Gavin Brown, Assistant Sports Editor, Metro
1. Alberto Contador (Saxo-Bank)
2. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek)
3. Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
This is a podium which could well be reconfigured in the courts a few weeks later. If that's the case, we may end up with Andy Schleck winning and Evans rounding out the top three. Wiggins will be top six at best, Cavendish will win green and I predict at least one high-profile positive doping test.
James Thomas, bicycledesign.net
1. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard)
2. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek)
3. Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)
I think it is a safe bet to pick Contador to win. I believe we will see the first Giro d'Italia/Tour de France double since Marco Pantani won both races in 1998. With six high mountain stages and four summit finishes, the race is sure to be won in the mountains. As last year I believe Andy Schleck will be the only rider who can stick with Contador when he takes off on the climbs, so he is my pick for the second place. A prediction for third place is tough. Certainly, Evans can't be counted out, but I am going to go out on a limb and pick Levi Leipheimer of Team RadioShack for the last spot.
Lyne Lamoureux, podiuminsight.com (@podiuminsight)
1. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard)
2. Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team)
3. Robert Gesink (Rabobank)
There is no question that Contador will win the 2011 Tour de France. On the strength of his experience and strong Dauphine performance, Evans will edge Robert Gesink for second. Gesink will benefit from having a very strong supportive team to claim his first Tour de France podium.
Steve Wynn, LovingTheBike.com
1. Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard)
2. Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky)
3. Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack)
Contador to win. The uncertain nature of the case for and against Contador makes him an uneasy choice for the podium but recent displays of supremacy in the Giro d'Italia and his absence from the Dauphine and Tour de Suisse mean he is likely to be keen as mustard to get another win under his ASO belt. After a disappointing 2010 Tour due to self-confessed over training, 'The Modfather' Wiggins has shown he is on track for a strong July after victory in the Criterium Dauphine. With support from Chris Horner et al in the mountains, the metronomical consistency of Leipheimer means he must be closely shadowed to ensure he doesn't slip under the GC radar.
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