THE Tour de France has served up some mouth-watering rivalries over the years but the four-way battle teed-up between favourites Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana is one that has cycling fans salivating as the 2015 edition gets under way in Utrecht today.
Froome (Team Sky), winner in 2013, remains the bookies favourite after victory in the Criterium du Dauphine last month, the eight-day stage race traditionally seen as the warm-up to the Tour and a predictor of good form ahead of cycling's blue riband event.
The only dampener on that impressive result - in which the Brit saw off reigning Tour de France champion Nibali (Astana) - was the absence of two of Froome's key rivals for the yellow jersey with Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Quintana (Movistar) plumping to race the Route de Sud instead.
Contador emerged as overall victor in that tussle, with many tipping the Spaniard to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win the Giro d'Italia and Tour in the same year.
This year's route suits Contador's style, but after looking uncomfortable on the cobbles in 2014 the two-time Tour winner will be keen to avoid a repeat on the pave sections during stage four between Seraing and Cambrai which has been dubbed a "mini Paris-Roubaix" by organisers. Contador departed early last year after fracturing his tibia in a heavy crash on stage 10.
Froome, who also abandoned the 2014 Tour after crashing twice on the cobbled stage five, will have the support of the most Brit-heavy Team Sky line-up to date. It includes Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, Peter Kennaugh and Luke Rowe. They are joined by Australian Richie Porte, Ireland's Nicolas Roche, Czech rider Leopold Konig and Dutchman Wout Poels.
It is often said that the Tour is won or lost in the mountains, but never is that truer than in a year that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the polka dot King of the Mountains jersey. There are no less than seven mountain stages and five summit finishes on the 3,360km (2,087-mile) route, which is undoubtedly music to the ears of climbing specialist Quintana.
Runner-up to Froome in 2013, Quintana has designs on becoming the first Colombian to win the Tour. Having skipped the race in 2014 to concentrate on winning the Giro, this could be his year.
The small amount of time-trialling may also play in his favour, although as a light, diminutive rider Quintana will be keen to see the back of the dreaded cobbles on stage four.
Despite winning last year's Tour, Nibali finds himself down the pecking order of the 2015 favourites. The Italian took four stages in 2014, but Froome and Contador crashing out arguably helped bolster his dominant performance.
Nibali looked sublime on last year's cobbled stage and despite far from stellar results earlier in the season, his win in Italy's national road race championships last weekend may indicate he is coming into form at just the right time. Throw into the mix the strong team Astana has built around him and it would be foolish to rule Nibali out as a contender.
Outside the fab four, there are a number of challengers looking to upset the apple cart, including last year's surprise runner-up France's Jean-Christophe Peraud (Ag2r- La Mondiale), winner of the Criterium International in March, and his younger teammate Romain Bardet.
Their compatriot Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), third overall in the 2014 and renowned for his climbing prowess, could be another dark horse. It's been 30 years since a Frenchman won the Tour - Bernard Hinault in 1985 - and many would love to see that dry spell end.
Then there Tejay van Garderen (BMC) who has twice finished fifth at the Tour and was runner-up to Froome at the Criterium du Dauphine in June. Porte, whose chief role will be to support Froome in the high mountains, could be pressed into action should the Sky team leader suffer mishap, with Thomas another contender to fill those shoes should calamity arise.
The other big showdown will come for the green jersey in the points classification. Fortunes have been markedly reversed from 12 months ago when Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep) crashed out of the Tour on the opening stage in Yorkshire, while Marcel Kittel roared to victory.
Cavendish - looking sharp and lean as he took silver at the British National Road Race Championships last weekend - has a full sprint train built around him while German powerhouse Kittel, floored by a virus earlier in the year, failed to be selected by his Giant-Alpecin team.
Defending green jersey holder Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo), an all-rounder rather than pure sprinter, is favourite to retain that title, but with team ambitions built around success for Contador in the general classification he is likely to be left largely to his own devices.
Norwegian Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) has consistently shown he can come up with the goods boasting 18 victories so far in 2015, while Germany's Andre Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) and France's Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) will also be in the chase.
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