Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) has been unstoppable(Image credit: Alberto Brevers)
Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) goes clear on the Cipressa(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Vincenzo Nibali (Astana)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
British champion Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) was ahead of the crash in the stage 6 finale and took a convincing stage win after a textbook lead-out from his team(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alessandro Petacchi, Mark Cavendish and Tom Boonen with Omega Pharma-QuickStep directeur sportif Wilfried Peeters.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Peter Sagan (Cannondale)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Peter Sagan gets his own back on Michal Kwiatkowski(Image credit: Sirotti)
Marcel Kittel takes victory on stage 4 of the Duabi Tour(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Marcel Kittel (Giant Shimano) powers to another win(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Marcel Kittel (Giant Shimano) wins stage 2 of the Dubai Tour(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Andre Griepel (Lotto) wins the final stage of the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Andre Greipel wins stage 5 in Qatar(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Paris-Nice podium: Rui Costa, Carlos Betancur and Arthur Vichot(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Carlos Betancur (AG2R) wins the stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Stage 6 winner Mark Cavendish thanks teammate Michal Kwiatkowski for his assistance in the lead-out(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) wins the 2014 edition of Strade Bianche(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) retained the young rider lead(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Geraint Thomas, Richie Porte and Peter Kennaugh (Sky) descending.(Image credit: Alberto Brevers)
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya overall contender Tejay van Garderen (BMC) crosses the finish line of stage 2 in Girona(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
BMC's Tejay van Garderen(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Bauke Mollema and Laurens ten Dams smile for the camera(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Belkin have Robert Gesink and Bauke Mollema as GC contenders.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
FDJ.fr have brought Thibaut Pinot to Tirreno-Adriatico.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Rui Costa congratulates Sacha Modolo on his victory(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) was the best sprinter after 300km of racing(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Schleck brothers, Frank and Andy, are racing together once again(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Andy Schleck (Trek Factory Racing) and Tom Boonen (QuickStep) catch up(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Swiss champion Fabian Cancellara (Trek)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Australian national champion, Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Lotto Belisol) has recovered from a lacerated knee(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
World champion Tony Martin (OPQS) was fourth at 15 seconds from Malori(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Andrew Talansky on the podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Andrew Talansky leads the Garmin-Sharp team.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Lars Boom fractured his elbow in a crash 10km from the finishline(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) dropped his five breakaway companions and tried to win stage 2 alone(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) is building his form after breaking his collarbone in January(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling) leads the mountains classification for another day at Paris-Nice(Image credit: ASO)
Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling) eats some food while on the front of the day's early break(Image credit: ASO)
With 100 days to go until the 2014 Tour de France grand depart in Yorkshire on July 5, Cyclingnews takes a look at how some of the potential headliners have fared so far this season.
Chris Froome (Team Sky): 1st place 2013 For the defending champion Froome, 2014 hasn’t been as smooth sailing as last year with back issues forcing him to miss Tirreno-Adriatico. While there was a repeat win at the Tour of Oman, Froome’s next test is this week at the Volta a Catalunya against some of his main rivals in July.
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo): 5th place 2013 El Pisterolo claimed two tough mountain stages at Tirreno-Adriatico for his first wins of 2014 and looks to be back to his best form. Whether he will be as brutal in destroying the field in July remains to be seen, but the five-time Grand Tour winner is looming large as a real challenger to Team Sky’s dominance of the Tour de France.
Alejandro Valverde (Movistar): 8th place 2013 Movistar may have had Nairo Quintana on the podium last year but in 2014 the team is backing Valverde to deliver the goods. The 2009 Vuelta a España winner has been in blistering form so far this year including three stages and the overall at the Vuelta a Andalucía.
Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky): The 2012 Tour champion is hoping to return to the Tour after a knee injury meant he was not selected for the team last year. Wiggins has said that this may be the last Tour he races and is willing to be a super domestique for his teammate but he could steal a time trial stage.
The sprinters
Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano): four stage wins The first maillot jaune of the Tour in 2013 has continued his winning ways in 2014 and is a favourite to win the first yellow jersey on offer once again. His team may have a different name but the winning combination has continued and Kittel may have had some disagreements with his Giant bike at Tirreno-Adriatico but his steed looks sure to deliver him to stage victories in July.
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Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step): 2 stage wins While Cavendish still managed two wins at last year’s Tour, including the decisive Stage 13, his dominance as the world fastest sprinter was challenged by Kittel last year. With Mark Renshaw leading him out again and Alessandro Petacchi joining the sprint train, Cavendish could take back his sprinting crown in July. His form is slowly building this season and with the first three stages in Britain, the Manx missile will be extra motivated.
Peter Sagan (Cannondale): green jersey winner Having won the last two green jerseys at the Tour, Peter Sagan has proved that although he is not the fastest sprinter, he is arguably the most versatile and canny sprinter in the bunch. Sagan’s next big goal is the Tour of Flanders where he will start as a favourite. After the Classics and the Tour of California, his focus will then turn to the roads of France. The only distraction could be the rumours and negotiations concerning his expected move to a new team in 2015.
