Tour de France analysis | Who were the biggest flops and standouts in the first week?

Mikel Landa is typically one of those riders who frequently finds himself in such discussions. For the 33-year-old Basque, it's either exceptional performances or disappointment. Unfortunately, it seems to be the latter case this time around, as he currently sits in a disappointing fourteenth place, over nine minutes behind Jonas Vingegaard. However, Landa had a promising spring season, securing second place in the Tour of the Basque Country and third place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. While his performance in the Critérium du Dauphiné was slightly less impressive, there were still high expectations for Landa, making his current results disappointing. "When Pogacar and Vingegaard launch their attacks, it immediately becomes too challenging," Landa himself acknowledged after one of the mountain stages.

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty had high hopes for Biniam Girmay after his impressive performance in the Tour of Switzerland, where he won a stage by outpacing Wout van Aert. They expected him to excel in the bunch sprints during the Tour. However, the reality turned out to be quite different, as the Eritrean rider struggled to make an impact in the sprints. Despite being the winner of Gent-Wevelgem in 2022, his best results in the Tour so far have been an 11th and 19th place, until he finally managed to secure a third-place finish in stage seven. Nevertheless, this may not be enough to salvage his overall performance, disappointing many cycling fans and pundits who had anticipated more from the African powerhouse.

Julian Alaphilippe once again showcased his class by winning the second stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné in impressive fashion. In the Tour de France, the two-time world champion found a course that suited his strengths. With numerous hilly and sprint stages in this edition of 'La Grande Boucle', there were high expectations for Alaphilippe, particularly during the opening weekend in the Basque Country. Unfortunately, the beloved rider had a rough start and failed to make a significant impact in the subsequent stages of the Tour. Soudal Quick-Step and Patrick Lefevere are undoubtedly hoping that Alaphilippe can regain his form and showcase his brilliance once again. As of now, the team finds itself at the bottom of the list in terms of accumulated prize money in the race.

In our yellow jersey preview, Ben O'Connor was ranked fourth in terms of his chances for overall victory. However, the performance of AG2R Citroën Team's Australian rider has been rather disappointing. After nine days of racing, O'Connor currently sits in eighteenth place overall. Prior to the Tour, O'Connor had openly expressed his ambitions of reaching the podium, but it seems those aspirations may need some reevaluation. News has emerged during the rest day that O'Connor will shift his focus to pursuing stage victories in the second and third weeks of the Tour. It remains to be seen if the rider who was initially ranked fourth can achieve success in 2021.

Admittedly, Rigoberto Urán is also aging with each passing day. The 36-year-old Colombian rider from EF Education-EasyPost undoubtedly faces the reality that age can temper expectations. Nonetheless, it is still disheartening to witness the disappointment surrounding a rider who finished as the runner-up in the 2017 Tour de France, especially considering his commendable sixth-place finish in the Tour of Switzerland. Urán has built a reputation for consistent performances and typically secures a spot in the top ten rankings. However, the current Tour has not been kind to him, as 'Rigo' finds himself in a surprising 93rd position in the general classification.

Phil Bauhaus deserves recognition as one of the riders who pleasantly surprised during the Tour. The German cyclist from Team Bahrain Victorious has long been recognized as a prominent figure in the sprinters' realm, but his second and third-place finishes in the first two bunch sprints showcased his exceptional form. In the following sprint stage, Bauhaus once again positioned himself at the front and secured an impressive seventh place. While he has only won one stage this year (in the Tour Down Under), Bauhaus consistently demonstrates his ability to compete among the world's best sprinters.

When it comes to discussing the qualities and versatility of Tom Pidcock, there's little need for explanation. However, the rider who triumphed on Alpe d'Huez last year had a rather variable spring season. Pidcock achieved victory in the prestigious Strade Bianche and secured podium finishes in both the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. However, he experienced disappointment in both the Flemish spring classics and the Tour of Switzerland. While it was expected that Pidcock would excel in the selective stages, few anticipated that he would be in seventh place in the battle for the yellow jersey after nine stages. Well done, Tom!

Prior to the Tour, both team management and Bryan Coquard himself stated that he would not participate in the bunch sprints. The 31-year-old French rider intended to focus primarily on the more selective sprints. However, the reality during the first week of the Tour proved to be quite different, as Coquard actively competed for stage wins in both flat and challenging sprints. Remarkably, he achieved great success, securing top ten finishes four times. Additionally, the determined rider demonstrated an attacking style of racing. As a result, Coquard currently holds an impressive second place in the points classification.

Simon Yates is known for being a dedicated classification rider who can also play a supporting role when needed. Unlike many other riders, there were no high expectations surrounding Yates. Why? Because the 30-year-old British cyclist had not competed since the second stage of the Tour of Romandie on April 26th. Therefore, it was uncertain what his current form would be like. However, Yates quickly proved himself in the opening stages of the Tour, showcasing that he was in good shape. Alongside his twin brother Adam, they managed to break away from the rest of the classification contenders in Bilbao, resulting in a brotherly 1-2 finish. Following the impressive performance, Simon, who serves as the primary leader of his team Jayco AlUla, shifted his focus towards achieving a good overall classification. He has done well in that regard, as he currently sits in a commendable sixth place at the first rest day.

Including Victor Lafay in this list of pleasant surprises may seem obvious due to his victory on day two, but we believe it is a warranted inclusion. After all, even on the opening day, he displayed his competitiveness by contending for the stage win and finishing in an impressive sixth place. In the subsequent stages, the 27-year-old rider from Lyon took a slightly more relaxed approach, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him consistently positioning himself within the leading groups during the second and third weeks of the Tour. From there, he could potentially secure another victory.