{"id":797407,"date":"2019-07-07T14:32:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-07T20:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/former-u-s-olympic-cyclist-scott-mercier-dishes-on-2019-tour-de-france-contenders\/"},"modified":"2019-07-07T14:32:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-07T20:32:00","slug":"former-u-s-olympic-cyclist-scott-mercier-dishes-on-2019-tour-de-france-contenders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/former-u-s-olympic-cyclist-scott-mercier-dishes-on-2019-tour-de-france-contenders\/","title":{"rendered":"Former U.S. Olympic cyclist Scott Mercier dishes on 2019 Tour de France contenders"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8393645189762\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-368529-184\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Christophe Ena \/ AP File | AP | 2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, passes the Arc de Triomphe during the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race last July.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas of Britain, wearing the overall leader&#8217;s yellow jersey, passes the Arc de Triomphe during the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race last July.<\/strong><br \/>Christophe Ena \/ AP File | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1.jpg\" alt=\"2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, passes the Arc de Triomphe during the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race last July.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Christophe Ena \/ AP File | AP | 2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates with the flag of Wales on the podium after the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race last July.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas of Britain, wearing the overall leader&#8217;s yellow jersey, celebrates with the flag of Wales on the podium after the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race last July.<\/strong><br \/>Christophe Ena \/ AP File | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates with the flag of Wales on the podium after the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race last July.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Peter Dejong \/ AP File | AP | Italy's Vincenzo Nibali rides during the twentieth stage of the Tour de France cycling race in July 2016.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Italy&#8217;s Vincenzo Nibali rides during the twentieth stage of the Tour de France cycling race in July 2016.<\/strong><br \/>Peter Dejong \/ AP File | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-2.jpg\" alt=\"Italy's Vincenzo Nibali rides during the twentieth stage of the Tour de France cycling race in July 2016.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Lionel Cironneau \/ AP File | AP | Cyclist Chris Froome of Team Sky poses for photographers before a meeting with journalists in Nice, southern France in 2013.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Cyclist Chris Froome of Team Sky poses for photographers before a meeting with journalists in Nice, southern France in 2013.<\/strong><br \/>Lionel Cironneau \/ AP File | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-3.jpg\" alt=\"Cyclist Chris Froome of Team Sky poses for photographers before a meeting with journalists in Nice, southern France in 2013.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Urs Flueeler \/ AP | Keystone | Egan Bernal from Colombia of Team Ineos lifts the trophy after winning the Tour de Suisse at the ninth and final stage, a 101.5 km race with start and finish in Goms, Switzerland, at the 83rd Tour de Suisse UCI ProTour cycling race, on Sunday, June 23.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14\">\n<p><strong>Egan Bernal from Colombia of Team Ineos lifts the trophy after winning the Tour de Suisse at the ninth and final stage, a 101.5 km race with start and finish in Goms, Switzerland, at the 83rd Tour de Suisse UCI ProTour cycling race, on Sunday, June 23.<\/strong><br \/>Urs Flueeler \/ AP | Keystone<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-4.jpg\" alt=\"Egan Bernal from Colombia of Team Ineos lifts the trophy after winning the Tour de Suisse at the ninth and final stage, a 101.5 km race with start and finish in Goms, Switzerland, at the 83rd Tour de Suisse UCI ProTour cycling race, on Sunday, June 23.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse \/ The Aspen Times | Scott Mercier\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Scott Mercier<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/07\/cyclingcolumn-atd-070519-1-5.jpg\" alt=\"Scott Mercier\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports-news\/former-u-s-olympic-cyclist-scott-mercier-dishes-on-2019-tour-de-france-contenders\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports-news\/former-u-s-olympic-cyclist-scott-mercier-dishes-on-2019-tour-de-france-contenders\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">July is hands down the best month of the year: Independence Day, long and warm days, and of course, the craziest, hardest and most exciting sporting event on planet Earth, the Tour de France. The 106th edition of the Tour \u2014 which began Saturday \u2014 covers 3,460 kilometers in 21 days of racing \u2014 176 riders on 22 teams will compete for stage wins and the four fabled jerseys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The yellow jersey of the overall race leader is perhaps the most recognizable jersey in sport. The rider with the lowest overall time wears this jersey and the final winner gets \u20ac500,000. The green jersey goes to the rider who has the most overall points from stage finishes and intermediate sprints and is worth \u20ac25,000. The red and white polka-dot jersey is also worth \u20ac25,000 and goes to the best climber. Finally, the white jersey is worth \u20ac20,000 and goes to the best-placed rider under the age of 26.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This year, the overall winner will most likely be a diminutive climber as there are five mountain-top finishes and only one relatively short individual time trial. Four-time Tour winner Chris Froome suffered a horrific crash during a reconnaissance ride at the Criterium du Dauphine in France last month. He has a compound fracture of his femur, a broken hip, fractured elbow and fractured ribs. These injuries mean he will miss this year\u2019s Tour and his return to racing is in question.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Froome\u2019s absence creates a leadership void not only for Team Ineos (formerly Team Sky), but for the Tour itself. He was the five-star favorite to win a record-tying fifth yellow jersey. In fact, three of the top four finishers from last year will not line up this year with Tom Dumoulin also injured, and Primo\u017e Rogli not racing as he recovers from his failed attempt to win the Giro d\u2019Italia in May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Froome\u2019s absence, however, creates opportunity for other riders. The Tour promises to be an interesting battle between young, aspiring newcomers trying to become the new patrons, and the wily veterans for whom this may be a final shot at the jersey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">The Leading Contenders<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 The generational battle will be front and center within cycling\u2019s version of the New England Patriots, Team Ineos. Geraint Thomas, at 33, is the defending champion. However, he entered the season overweight and out of shape and has only finished three of the five races he\u2019s entered. I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll finish in the top 10 and will be relegated to a support roll by the end of Stage 6. Thomas\u2019 teammate, 22-year-old Colombian Egan Bernal, has been named co-leader for the Tour. Bernal has found a hot streak at the right time. He recently won two important stage races in Paris-Nice and the Tour of Switzerland. Last year\u2019s Tour was his maiden Grand Tour and he finished 15th, while riding in support of Froome and Thomas. He can climb, time trial and is a great bike handler. I think he\u2019ll be the youngest winner since Alberto Contador won his first Tour in 2009.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Jakob Fuglsang: The Dane, who rides for the Astana Team, has had one of the best spring campaigns in years, winning both one-day classics and stage races. However, he has struggled in Grand Tours and I think the climbing in the third week will prove to be too hard. I think he\u2019ll crack the top five but fall short of the podium.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Alejandro Valverde: The London bookies have him at 80:1 odds to win the Tour, and at 39, he would be the oldest winner by several years. However, Valverde is the reigning world champion and reads a race like few others. His sprinting prowess could also see him pick up valuable time bonuses. I think he falls just short, but makes the bottom step of the podium.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Nairo Quintana: On paper, this year\u2019s Tour should suit the Colombian climber from Team MoviStar. He excels in the high mountains, but lately has lacked the explosive power to distance himself from his rivals. This year is tailor made for him, but I don\u2019t think he makes the podium.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Vincenzo Nibali: The winning formula for a Tour victory rarely includes the Giro d\u2019Italia, and the Italian veteran based his season around the Giro, where he finished a respectable second. Nibali is an opportunistic rider and has won four Grand Tours, including the 2014 Tour. However, I think the effort he made in his Giro attempt will hurt him and that final week will prove to be too much.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Thibaut Pinot: The Frenchman is a bit of an enigma. He\u2019s shown flashes of success and finished on the podium of the Tour in 2014, but has struggled since then. The lack of time trials and the plethora of mountains mitigate his weaknesses and play to his strengths. The French have not had a Tour winner since Hinault in 1985, and Pinot is their best chance. I think he climbs back onto the podium, but on the second step.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">Other contenders include Adam Yates, Steven Krujswik, Rigoberto Uran, Mikel Landa, Romain Bardet and Ritchie Porte. The fan favorites are six-time green jersey winner Peter Sagan and last year\u2019s polka-dot jersey winner Julian Alaphilippe. It will also be exciting to see what the 24-year-old Belgian, Wout Van Aert, does in his maiden Tour. The three-time cyclocross world champion has shown that he can sprint and time trial. He promises to animate races for years to come and will be fun to watch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">RED, WHITE AND BLUE<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Only four Americans made the cut this year and they all ride for different teams and have different skill sets. Basalt local Tejay van Garderen rides for the EF Education First team. He\u2019s having a bit of a renaissance this season and finished second in the final Tour tune up at the Dauphine. I think Tejay will have a great race and he\u2019s one of my dark horses to make the podium. Ben King of Dimension Data, Chad Haga of Sunweb, and Joey Rosskopf of CCC are the other Americans in the race. Ben and Chad are both stage winners of other Grand Tours, while Joey will be helping Greg Van Avermaet to win stages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">THE TOUR<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The race is loaded with critical stages that will shape the race. The first real mountain test comes on Stage 6. It\u2019s 160 kilometers long and the finishing climb is seven kilometers at an average gradient of nearly 9%. Riders who lose significant time here will have put themselves at a significant disadvantage. Expect Egan Bernal to try and stamp his authority on the race here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The last week of the race, however, is where the Tour will be won and lost. The only individual time trial is Stage 13. It\u2019s a hilly 27 kilometers of pure agony. If Rohan Dennis, my other dark horse podium pick, has survived the climb on Stage 6, I expect him to take the yellow jersey on this stage. The Colombian climbers will be trying to minimize their losses. This stage also suits American\u2019s Haga and Tejay. Both have a chance at a top-five placing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The mountains loom on stages 14, 15, 18, 19 and 20. Stage 20, the penultimate stage, finishes with a brutal 33-kilometer climb of 1,843 meters (6,046 feet). That\u2019s about 50% more climbing than Independence Pass from Aspen! The riders will be exhausted by then, but those who have conserved energy and with the strongest team can gain significant time on their rivals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Regardless of the outcome, the Tour promises to be exciting and entertaining. I\u2019m especially excited to cheer for my friend Tejay. Hopefully the Gods of the Peloton shine on him this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Good riding!<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">Scott Mercier represented Team USA at the 1992 Olympic Games and had a five-year professional career with Saturn Cycling and The U.S. Postal Services teams. He currently works as a senior financial adviser in Aspen and can be reached at <a href=\"mailto:scottmercier24@gmail.com\">scottmercier24@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">This story is from AspenTimes.com<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports-news\/former-u-s-olympic-cyclist-scott-mercier-dishes-on-2019-tour-de-france-contenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas of Britain, wearing the overall leader&#8217;s yellow jersey, passes the Arc de Triomphe during the twenty-first stage of the Tour de France cycling race last July.Christophe Ena \/ AP File | AP 2018 Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas of Britain, wearing the overall leader&#8217;s yellow jersey, celebrates [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-797407","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-17 15:37:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=797407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797407\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=797407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=797407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=797407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}