Rate it!

5 votes

Eurosport-Yahoo!'s Michael FitzGerald runs the rule over the main contenders looking to be crowned King of the Mountains in this year's Tour de France.

With Michael Rasmussen still getting to grips with his geography, Bernhard Kohl retired and Juan Mauricio Soler's Barloworld team not invited, no rider scheduled to ride this year's Tour de France has ever won the polka dot jersey.

The fight for the spotty jersey is, therefore, as open as it has ever been. Here is a list of the main contenders:

David Moncoutié (Fra, Cofidis) ****

Perhaps the host country's most naturally-talented cyclist, Moncoutié seems to loathe the pressure put upon him by a French media desperate for a hero. A winner of mountain stages in the 2004 and 2005 Tours de France, he received a lot of criticism for his disappointing showing last year. He responded well to win the mountains jersey in the Vuelta a Espana as well as a stage, and looks to be in good form following his win on stage seven of the Dauphiné earlier this month. He said of his Tour ambitions for this year: "I'm aiming for a stage victory, and why not the polka dot jersey?"

Robert Gesink (Ned, Rabobank) ****

Two years ago, Thomas Dekker used to be the great hope of Dutch cycling. Now the name on everybody's lips is Robert Gesink, a tall, rangy 23-year-old, who seems destined to be a Tour contender in the a few years' time. Gesink caught the eye in the Tour of California early last year, and was still riding strong come September when he finished seventh in the Vuelta. Unlucky to lose out to Sergei Ivanov in the Amstel Gold Race this year, and fourth place in the Dauphiné means he is in excellent shape.

Frank Schleck (Lux, Saxo Bank) ***

The older of the Schleck brothers looked to be in a promising position to win the Tour last year, though he was upstaged by a magnificent Carlos Sastre on the Alpe d'Huez. The time he is likely to lose to Astana's big guns in the time-trials mean yellow is a rather remote hope for Frank this year, but if he decides to fix his ambitions on the polka dot jersey, then few have the class to match him.

Sylvain Chavanel (Fra, Quick Step) ***

An all-rounder rather than a natural climber, the popular Chavanel is a rider who loves to attack. His victory in stage 19 in Montluçon last year lifted considerable pressure off his shoulders, and this year he could turn his attentions to the polka dot jersey. Chavanel won't have what it takes to stay with the overall contenders in the Alps and the Pyrenees, so expect to see him in plenty of breakaways.

Remy Di Gregorio (Fra, Française des Jeux) **

At the age of just 23, a genuine challenge for the polka dot jersey may be a little too much for Di Gregorio this year, though his progress has been noteworthy since turning professional in 2005. He won the mountains classification at the Dauphiné in 2007, and will doubtless be given free rein by his team to go for the mountains jersey should he wish.

Andy Schleck (Lux, Saxo Bank) **

While his older brother Frank as well as Cadel Evans looked to be on their limit on the Alpe d'Huez last year, Andy rode with the expression of somebody out on a Sunday afternoon roll round the park, casually cancelling out anyone with the temerity to counter-attack Sastre. Schleck was head and shoulders above everybody at Liège-Bastogne-Liège this year, and should his bid for the yellow jersey fail, he could well pick up the spotty one instead.

Igor Anton (Spa, Euskaltel) *

A pure climber in the typical Basque mould, the diminutive Anton seems in an ideal position to launch a challenge for the polka dot jersey. The 26 year-old is co-leader of the Basque outfit alongside Mikel Astarloza, and he will be allowed both by his team, and by the GC contenders, to attack in the mountains. A lack of races in the early season due to injury may hinder his chances.

Alberto Contador (Spa, Astana) *

Hailed by Astana boss Johan Bruyneel as the best climber in the world, and with increasingly impressive performances in time-trials, Contador is rightly the favourite for the yellow jersey. It's difficult to imagine a situation where he would target the polka dot jersey, though the strength of his Astana team means it's not totally out of the realms of possibility that Contador could win both.

Other contenders: Franco Pellizotti (Ita, Liquigas), Thomas Voeckler (Fra, BBox Bouygues Telecom), Chris Anker Sorensen (Den, Saxo Bank)

Michael FitzGerald / Eurosport