This year’s Tour de France once again produced a fantastic edition of the prestigious annual race. It was won by Jonas Vingegaard, who proved too strong for his rivals across the 24 days.
Preparations will have already started by all the leading teams for the 2023. Here is an early look at who some of the main contenders for the maillot jaune will be.
Jonas Vingegaard
If successful in the Tour de France next year, Vingegaard will become the 23rd cyclist in the history of the Tour to win the major race more than once. He will also join some of the greatest names of all time who have also been able to defend their title.
Jonas Vingegaard wins the 2022 Tour de France!
He is the second Dane to win @LeTour. #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/VmSC0XF1Yc
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 24, 2022
As of the 24th of August, the Danish cyclist is the odds-on favorite at -120 in the online betting for the race. He deserves that position in the market, as he showed he has the stamina for the challenge which the tour presents, particularly in the mountain stages.
The Team Jumbo-Visma rider won two of the toughest stages in 2022. He came out on top in the climb from Albertville to Col du Granon (stage 11) and from Lourdes to Hautacam (stage 18). He attacked both of those stages and he was rewarded for his tactics.
At the age of just 25, Vingegaard’s best years are likely to still be ahead of him. He also has the potential to dominate the Tour de France for years to come, just like Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckz, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Chris Froome have all done.
Primoz Roglic
2020 Tour de France runner-up Primoz Roglic has not featured in the last two races, but the Slovenian could be back next year where he would be bidding to go one place better than he did in 2020.
Roglic has had a good year with his cycling results. He won the Paris-Nice race and he was also successful in the Criterium du Dauphine. The former world number one in the road racing rankings is likely to be preparing himself for the challenge ahead next summer.
The 31-year-old is no stranger to Grand Tour victories. He was the winner of the Vuelta a Espana in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Along with his runner-up finish in the Tour de France, he was third in 2019 Giro d’Italia and fourth in the 2018 Tour de France, so he has a lot of experience in major races.
Egan Bernal
If 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal was to return to the race next year and prevail, it would be one of the greatest stories in the sport’s history. Earlier this year, he was involved in an accident on his bike which resulted in the cyclist fighting for his life in hospital.
Bernal has recovered well from his crash and is now targeting a return to the sport. He was linked with an appearance in the Grand Tour event in Spain, but that race just came too soon for the Colombian. The 26-year-old will take part in the Danmark Rundt, where simply competing will feel like a victory for the talented rider.
The two-time Grand Tour winner still has a long road of recovery to get to a position where he feels he can compete in the Tour de France. However, that will be the goal from now until stage one in 2023.
Jai Hindley
Jai Hindley wins the 2022 Giro d’ Italia
The 26-year old Australian banished the memory of his gutting final-stage defeat in 2020 to finish one minute, 18 seconds ahead of 2019 winner Richard Carapaz #Giro
— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) May 29, 2022
As shown in the cycling news, Australian Jai Hindley landed the biggest prize of his career in 2022 when he won the Giro d’Italia. He finished second in the Grand Tour in 2020 and on his first start back in the race, he went one position better.
The Bora-Hansgrohe cyclist has yet to feature in the Tour de France, but after the success he has had in 2022, he will surely be considering a shot at next year. He will be hoping to replicate what compatriot Cadel Evans achieved in France in 2011 by winning the general classification.
Hindley showed his liking for the mountains in the Giro d’Italia, so he is likely to relish the testing stages that the Tour de France offers. With the right team supporting him, he could be a big player next summer.
The 2023 Tour de France will be the 110th edition in history and more details of the stages will be announced in early 2023.
