The lead up to the 2019 Tour de France has plenty of intrigue, although there’s a vibe regarding the inevitable absence of Chris Froome in the race due to injuries. Most of the attention now falls on the likes of defending Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas, Tom Dumoulin, and Richie Porte, but there are plenty of others with longer odds but with real chances of standing atop the podium in Paris. Read on for three select sleepers for the 2019 Tour de France.
It’s unfortunate that Kruijswijk wasn’t able to finish the Critérium du Dauphiné race due to nagging stomach issues, but at least it’s a health problem that should be long gone once the 2019 Tour de France arrives. Kruijswijk is looking to finish better this time around at the Tour de France, having placed a very respectable fifth in 2018. And don’t think for a second that Kruijswijk isn’t eyeing the top prize at the biggest cycling race of them all, saying that “the podium in Paris,” is what his ultimate goal is this year, per Cycling Pub. Kruijswijk has raced four times in 2019 as of this writing, which includes the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol back in February wherein he finished third in general classification. He was also fifth at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya back in March.
It was not that long ago when Uran went runner-up in the 2017 Tour de France, but he could still be flying in many fans’ radars. For one, he was out of the picture for quite some time this year, as he had to recuperate from a collarbone injury he sustained during the Paris-Nice race last March. He’s made his return to action, though, racing at the Amgen Tour of California last May, finishing 14th in the general classification. Uran has assured fans that he’s now fine following the injury. In an interview with Cycling News last May, Uran stressed that he’s “recovered and ready for this race,” referring to the aforementioned race in California.
Martin can consider himself lucky for not getting involved in the scary crash at Critérium du Dauphiné that left plenty of riders hurt, including Chris Froom, who’s not going to race at the Tour de France this year after sustaining multiple fractures which landed him a trip to the intensive care unit. Martin was only several meters from the crash. Now, Martin’s focus is on forgetting the horror of that accident he witnessed and being as ready as he can for the 2019 Tour de France. Martin finished eighth last year in the general classification of Tour de France and sixth back in 2017. He’s made it to the top 10 of the Tour de France general classification in each edition of the race since 2016, and it looks like he’s going to continue that trend.
