The winner of the yellow jersey, or the maillot jaune, is won by the rider who has completed the Tour de France in the fastest time. There are no time bonuses in the Tour de France and so riders targeting the general classification (GC) gain no advantage from winning a stage, except the prestige which a stage win brings. However, any serious contenders for the GC need to be consistently at the front to ensure that they don't lose time to rivals. Often, it is in mountain stages that time is lost, as some riders are just stronger than others; also time trials provide an opportunity for good time trialists to put time into their rivals. There have also been instances where riders have been held up by crashes, injured themselves and lost time that way, so it is important for riders to stay out of trouble. In 2013, Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky were in imperious form, but will it be the same in 2013?
Well, it could well be that Team Sky are yet again dominant, but this time it won't be Bradley Wiggins leading the charge, as Christopher Froome has been designated the team leader. Having shown his strength in the 2012 edition of the race, it was clear that if he hadn't been working for Wiggo, he would have been aiming for yellow himself, and so 2013 is the first year he will be entering the race as team leader. It's not as if he hasn't earned the right to, having won so many races this year already, including the Tour of Oman, the Critérium International, the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Going into the Tour de France, he is favourite to win and he hasn't had to face questions over whether he has peaked too soon, as everyone saw how Wiggo was able to hold form last year. Even if something unpected were to happen, there are plenty of other riders who are in good shape, including his loyal lieutenant, Richie Porte.
So, who else is in the frame, then? Alberto Contador would appear to be the biggest threat to Froome, having won all three Grand Tours before, including the Tour de France on several occasions (of course, some of his results were scrubbed from his palmarès after he was found to have a banned substance in his system). Although he hasn't had the string of victories that Froome has, he has consistently been in the fray and finishing in the top ten of major races. He is known for his attacking style and if anyone can put Team Sky under pressure it is Contador. In 2012, spectators were used to seeing Team Sky controlling the race from the front, often shedding rivals, but it might not be so easy this year, although Froome is clearly better able to react to attacks, and to attack himself, than Wiggins.
Another potential contender for the yellow jersey is Cadel Evans, having shown he is still capable of performing at a high level in the Giro d'Italia, finishing third overall. However, he did appear to have a few bad days during the race and his form hasn't always been consistent; plus, he isn't getting any younger. Although he is officially the team leader, he is team mates with Tejay van Garderen who has also been in good form, winning the Tour of California. He won the best young rider classification in the 2012 edition of the Tour de France, and seemed to ignore Evans, the team leader, when he required a spare wheel, which left many wondering who the real leader was. There is always the possibility that BMC could end up working for the youngster, van Garderen, rather than for Evans.
Some people still think that Andy Schleck deserves a mention as a potential contender for the GC, but he hasn't really done anything to show that this is the case. However, he has always been known to come to the fore in the Tour de France, so if he has recovered his physical and mental strength, there is always the possibility he could do something. No doubt, there will be plenty of riders who have been saving there best for the Tour de France and the chance that someone unexpected will shine.
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