Analysing Jumbo-Visma’s 2021 Tour de France squad
Just after the so-termed ‘killer wasps’ of past year’s pre-Tour de France establish up, Jumbo-Visma have been a quieter drive in the peloton this time close to. With the two star names of Primož Roglič and Wout van Aert obtaining not raced given that April, the Dutch squad is absolutely much less hyped-up than in 2020.
Even so, they are still as robust as at any time, with pretty much all their massive names heading to Brest future week for an additional shot at Tour glory. This time there’s no broken shoulder for Steven Kruijwsijk, and no knee injury for Mike Teunissen.
All the key climbing names and road captains sort section of the squad, barring Tom Dumoulin, who will target the Olympics after using many months away from racing at the get started of 2021, and George Bennett, who raced the Giro d’Italia.
Bennett’s absence is one of only two changes from the 2020 squad, alongside with Amund Grøndahl Jansen, who moved to BikeExchange in the winter. Talented all-rounder Jonas Vingegaard will make his debut in the workforce, which if not has 34 Tour appearances amongst them.
Sepp Kuss, Robert Gesink and Tony Martin full the group, which appears to be like to when once again be amongst the strongest at the race, and 1 of a vanishingly little team of squads who can declare to match up to the strength of Ineos Grenadiers. Read through on for our assessment of Jumbo-Visma’s 2021 Tour de France squad.
- Age: 31
- Tours raced: 3rd
- Very best final result: Second in 2020, 3 phase wins
For the 3rd time, the Slovenian heads up Jumbo-Visma’s Tour de France squad with the yellow jersey in his sights. Last yr, he was the quantity one particular favorite for achievement at the delayed race, nevertheless this time all around he’ll share that status with his compatriot, and the only male who could finest him, Tadej Pogačar.
Although final summer months we realized that Roglič was in major sort following profitable a phase at the Critérium du Dauphiné and crashing out of the race direct, this time his standing is in essence a whole unknown. The 31-year-previous hasn’t raced at all due to the fact Liège-Bastogne-Liège back again in late April, so there is certainly definitely no way to gauge his kind forward of the race start off in Brest.
He did, of course, get three stages at Paris-Awesome and the in general at Itzulia Basque Country previously in the year, so we know what type of amount to expect when he does return to the peloton. There is the ‘issue’ that riders who miss the classic pre-Tour heat-up races never tend to earn in July, though that’s for the reason that Tour contenders typically race them.
Once all over again, it appears to be like Pogačar will be Roglič’s primary opposition in July, however the moment yet again the Dutch squad glimpse much better than UAE Team Emirates. As well as battling the 22-12 months-outdated and the assembled could of Ineos, Roglič will also hope to stay clear of the finish-of-race fades he has tended toward, most notably in that devastating remaining time trial last year.
- Age: 26
- Excursions raced: Two
- Finest end result: 20th in 2020, two phase wins
The Belgian, Jumbo-Visma’s second chief, is another rider who hasn’t been in motion for in excess of two months. Van Aert’s picture complete victory at Amstel Gold Race back in mid-April was his past race, so, like Roglič, we have minor notion about his variety in advance of the Tour.
Van Aert, of system, set in a star flip at final year’s race, profitable two dash phases and participating in an astonishing turn as a mountain domestique en route to a major 20 finish that no person experienced envisioned.
This 12 months, he looked all established to combat for the yellow jersey more than the opening two stages uphill finishes in Brittany, but he has tempered expectations in the develop-up to the race right after an appendectomy in late May and resulting loss of schooling time.
Nonetheless, even if an early yellow jersey is a less most likely prospect than it after was, if Van Aert can arrive at top type in the course of the opening 7 days – forward of the pay a visit to to the Alps on phases 8 and 9 – he can at the time all over again be a real contributor when the highway angles up.
A environmentally friendly jersey bid seems significantly less probably nevertheless, even with 8 flat dash phases on the menu. Van Aert undoubtedly has the expertise and speed for it, but the combination of doing the job for Roglič, and the decline of training subsequent the restoration from his appendectomy make that seem a distant prospect this July.
- Age: 34
- Excursions raced: Five
- Most effective outcome: 3rd in 2019
Final year, Kruijswijk was established to be element of a leadership triumvirate along with Roglič and Dumoulin, and the year before he was a workforce leader on the podium in Paris. In 2021, the 34-yr-previous will definitely be totally committed to performing for the Slovenian.
Kruijswijk is element of the squad which the group locked in all the way again in January, though since then his benefits have not been at all eye-catching. 29t
h at Paris-Pleasant, 22nd in Catalunya, 21st at Romandie and 15th at the Dauphiné are his 2021 outcomes so considerably, a significantly cry from 3rd at Andalucía, fifth at Catalunya and sixth at Romandie two many years ago.
Even now, the Dutchman will be a very important section of Roglič’s support squad and will certainly be one of the final guys left with the workforce leaders in the higher mountains, if not the last gentleman. He would probably be the rider to phase up should really anything at all befall Roglič, however you would feeling that the ambition would be a prime 10 finish relatively than a repeat of his 2019 podium.
- Age: 26
- Excursions raced: Just one
- Best final result: 15th in 2020
Kuss’ stock has only risen considering that this time very last yr, with the Coloradan getting moved from having a stage get and top rated 10 at the Dauphiné to actively playing a critical purpose in Roglič’s second location at the Tour and then his 2nd victory at the Vuelta a España months later.
This 12 months he appears to be to be bang in kind for the Tour at the time all over again, also. The pure climber’s value will not likely grow to be completely evident right until about the halfway place of the race, but sixth-positioned finishes on two of the closing trio of mountain stages at the Dauphiné confirmed he is back again around his best.
Kuss’ benefit to the crew is so substantial that he was verified in the Tour squad months in the past and it would not be a shock if he was just one of the only non-Ineos domestiques still left in the GC team before the key contenders get started to assault.
The Tour will be the fifth Kuss has raced along with Roglič, becoming a member of Kruijswijk (fifth), Martin (sixth), and Gesink (sixth) as an seasoned and effectively-gelled crew all over the chief. Whatsoever problems Jumbo-Visma encounter at the Tour, a lack of conversation or being familiar with shouldn’t be amid them.
- Age: 24
- Tours raced:
- Ideal final result: N/A
Vingegaard is the only man on the crew who wasn’t component of the squad declared again in January. The 24-yr-previous comes in for Dumoulin, who was originally down for the Tour in advance of his layoff.
The Dane is an interesting young rider who turned professional with Jumbo-Visma in 2019, making his Grand Tour debut at final year’s Vuelta. This year he has a summit stage get at the UAE Tour to his identify alongside with two phases and the in general at Coppi e Bartali. A fantastic spring was capped by having second guiding Roglič at Itzulia.
He’s in great form now, way too, possessing concluded seventh in the Dauphiné time trial and taken second at the ultimate summit complete at Les Will get. He’ll get valuable number of chances, if any, to journey for himself at the Tour, but he could quite perfectly be a critical cog in the Roglič equipment. Major items lie in wait for Vingegaard.
- Age: 35
- Excursions raced: Nine
- Very best result: Fourth in 2010
Gesink is just one of the two principal road captains on this expert staff, with fifty percent the squad aged around 30. With 9 Excursions beneath his belt, he is the second-most seasoned gentleman on the staff and a crucial guidance rider for the mountains.
He was the moment a Grand Tour contender himself, of system, with 5 top 10 finishes under his belt, but is now comfortable in that mountain domestique function. He’s not as powerful a climber as the likes of Kuss or Kruijswijk any more, but his expertise – and his pacesetting – are nevertheless a must have.
- Age: 36
- Tours raced: 12
- Finest final result: 35th in 2009, five phase wins
The 4-time environment time demo winner has transitioned virtually completely into a domestique role given that becoming a member of Jumbo-Visma again in 2019. The German veteran is a rival to Deceuninck-QuickStep’s Tim Declercq for time spent on the front of the peloton, paying out several hours undertaking the significantly less glamourous do the job of major the way and regulating the hole to the split.
Each individual GC-focussed staff demands an ‘engine room’ of a rider like Martin, another person who is satisfied to handle the race scenario for hours on conclude. Thanks to the UCI’s new regulations on riding positions, he won’t be powering along with his arms draped in excess of the bars as he was very last yr, but he’ll be up there on the entrance, of that there is no question.
- Age: 28
- Tours raced: Two
- Greatest consequence: A person phase get
The Dutchman missed past year’s Tour thanks to a knee personal injury sustained in a crash at a July training camp, but he is back again this time all around, two many years on from the stage victory in Brussels which noticed him have on yellow for two days.
He will come again with just 13 days of racing in his legs throughout the Tours of Hungary and Romandie, owning experienced a further year-altering crash at a coaching camp in February. He was declared for the Tour squad the month before, and is an additional danger for the sprints alongside Van Aert – two fastmen becoming a vanishingly uncommon sight in modern, GC-focussed squads.
