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2018 Tour de France: The triathlon edition

If the top contenders at the 2018 Tour raced in a triathlon, who would win?

The 2018 Tour de France is set to begin this Saturday, July 7th, in Noirmoutier-en-l’Île. Canadian Cycling Magazine has made its list of the tour contenders, and we are ready to watch some of the best cyclists in the world duke it out for the next three weeks.

But, what if the top tour contenders did a triathlon? Who would win? We will set the distance as a standard Olympic triathlon; a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and a 10 km run. Here are our race predictions (triathlon edition).

  1. Richie Porte: Before becoming one of the best cyclists in the world,  Porte was a rising star on the triathlon scene in Australia. With what we assume to be a pretty good swim, and already a strong TT performer, Porte will get out ahead early and stay ahead.
  2. Primoz Roglic: Roglic is an underdog at this year’s Tour, but he has the potential to play spoiler. Before taking up cycling, Roglic was a ski jumper, a junior world champion ski jumper. After an injury, he started doing triathlons and duathlons, before sticking with cycling. No matter how he performs in the swim, with his power on the bike, and a steady 10 km run, he will make it a close finish with Porte.
  3. Tom Dumoulin: With his large frame, we give Dumoulin the edge over Froome in this edition of the race. His body type leads us to believe he would be a pretty good swimmer with enough training. Plus, his dominance on the TT bike and a massive run stride, Dumoulin will make the podium.
  4. Adam Yates: Though one of the lightest and smallest riders, we believe Yates will make up the deficit after the swim and spin his legs past Froome on the run.
  5. Chris Froome: Despite showing us his running ability two years ago, we just got a feeling he doesn’t have the overall body strength to propel himself in the swim. With a strong TT, he will climb himself back among the leaders but falter in the closing kilometres of the run.

6th to 10th place

  • Rigoberto Uran
  • Roman Bardet
  • Mikaela Landa
  • Vincenzo Nibali

And, sorry Nairo Quintana, but with your small stature and proven lack of ability in the TT, the deficit will be too large for you to make the podium in this year’s triathlon edition of the Tour de France.