Alaphilippe and Hirschi have to share the Tudor leadership in the Tour de France, Swiss team brings other strong riders too

“As in every grand tour, eight riders will start, united around one clear goal: to win a stage,” the team stated clearly. “To achieve this milestone, the sports directors have assembled a strong and balanced team, consisting of seasoned veterans and promising rookies.”

The main leader in call is Julian Alaphilippe. "Loulou" has won six Tour stages in his career and has also worn the yellow jersey for a considerable time. With the punchy stages in the first week, the 33-year-old Frenchman will be able to get to work immediately, as his team also sees it. “He comes off a good week at the Tour of Switzerland and he will want to show his explosiveness in the hilly stages.”

But it’s not just one leader that's in the picture, as Alaphilippe shares the leadership with Marc Hirschi. The Swiss rider won a stage in 2020 and returns to the Tour de France after a two-year absence. On Sunday, Hirschi narrowly missed out on the Swiss champion’s jersey, as he was beaten in Fischingen by Mauro Schmid of Jayco AlUla.

For the sprints, the Swiss team is counting on Alberto Dainese. “Supported by a strong lead-out train, the Italian aims to win a Tour de France stage and achieve the rare feat of winning a stage in all three grand tours,” said his team. Matteo Trentin will serve as the road captain on duty. The Italian has already participated seven times before, winning three stages.

With Michael Storer, Tudor has a very dangerous contender for a stage win in the mountains. The 28-year-old Australian had a very good spring, winning a stage in Paris-Nice and taking both a stage win and the overall victory in the Tour of the Alps. “He will take the lead in the mountain stages,” the team stated.

Marco Haller has the most Tour experience in the team, as he will line up for his tenth Grand Départ on Saturday. Finally, the Swiss team is also bringing two debutants to the start with Fabien Lienhard and Marius Mayrhofer. Thus, the team has a leader for every type of terrain, all in service of the main goal: a stage victory.

Julian Alaphilippe