Tour de France: The favorites

Chris Froome has dominated the yellow jersey at the Tour de France in recent years, having won the overall race three times. This year, the 32-year-old Briton is again among the favorites even though he hasn't won a single race in 2017. Froome is at his best in the individual time trials but he is also very strong on the mountain stages.

Once a key domestique for Chris Froome, the Australian has since moved out of the shadow of his former teammate. In the 2016 Tour, Porte was the only other rider who was able to stick with Froome despite mechanical failures and crashes. This year, the 32-year-old has won the Tour Down Under and the Tour de Romandie.

"I am feeling good and I should get stronger in the next few days," the Colombian said recently. The 27-year-old has made it to the podium in Paris three times, but still hasn't made it to the top rung. His strong current form was on display in this year's Giro d'Italia, where he finished second. He will need to ensure that he doesn't lose too many seconds in the individual time trials.

The Frenchman finished 15th overall in his first Tour de France in 2013 and last year the 26-year-old finished second. Badet is well-liked among cycling fans in his home country and their support will provide a little extra motivation for the mountain specialist. The fact that very little of this year's edition of the Tour is made up by individual time trials will work in his favor.

Still going strong at the ripe old age of 37! Valverde was handed a two-year doping ban over his ties to Spanish Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, which expired at the end of 2011. Since then he has had the most success in the classic one-day races. Due to his experience, he does have the potential to make it to the podium, however his real job is to act as a high-caliber domestique for Quintana.

The 32-year-old Dane showed off his excellent current form by winning this year's edition of the Criterium du Dauphine. His best result on the Tour came in 2013 when he finished seventh overall. However, he is not the only member of the Astana team with a shot at winning this year's Tour de France. Having two leading riders has its advantages, but there is also the potential for conflict...

…because Aru, his Italian teammate, also has his sights set on a place on the podium. However, the Astana rider has had injury problems recently and it is an open question whether the 26-year-old mountain specialist will have the energy he needs to stay in contention until the end. He had his best season in 2015, when he won the Vuelta a Espana and finished second in the Giro d'Italia.

The Spaniard has won the Tour de France three times, but he was later stripped of his 2010 title after being found guilty of ingesting a performance-enhancing substance. Since then he has not come close to the podium in Paris and this is expected to be his last Tour de France. The 34-year-old came in just 11th place at this year's Criterium du Dauphine.