Who’s Winning the 2017 Tour de France?

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Which rider currently wears the yellow jersey as the leader of the 2017 Tour de France? And who really has the best chance to win the race overall? – By Whit Yost

Stage 6 – Chris Froome

Team Sky’s Chris Froome is still wearing the yellow jersey as the leader of the 2017 Tour de France. Froome finished safely in the peloton on Stage 6, which was won by Quick-Step’s Marcel Kittel.

Who’s Really Winning the Tour?

Froome leads the Tour by 12 seconds over his teammate, Geraint Thomas, and by 14 seconds over Astana’s Fabio Aru, the Italian national champion who won the Tour’s first summit finish on Stage 5. With another flat stage on tap for Stage 6, don’t expect any changes until the Tour hits the mountains this weekend.

Stage 3 – Geraint Thomas (with Froome Closing in)

After three stages, Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas is still wearing the yellow jersey as the overall leader of the 2017 Tour de France. Thomas finished eighth in Stage 3, only two seconds behind the winner, Peter Sagan. As a result, he’ll keep the maillot jaune for another day.

Who’s Really Winning the Tour?

Team Sky’s Chris Froome moved up the Tour’s General Classification, thanks to his ninth-place finish today. He’s now second overall, just 12 seconds behind Thomas, his teammate. Stage 4 is expected to end in a field sprint, meaning we shouldn’t see many changes in the overall standings Tuesday. But Wednesday’s Stage 5 finishes atop the la Planche des Belles Filles, a Category 1 climb that will certainly shake things up.

Stage 2 – Team Sky, With Sagan Looking Strong

By finishing safely inside the main peloton on Stage 2 of the Tour, Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas successfully defended his yellow jersey. That said, Quick-Step’s Marcel Kittel picked up 10 bonus seconds by winning Sunday’s stage in Liège, and now sits just 6 seconds behind Thomas. Tomorrow’s uphill finish in Longwy doesn’t suit the big German, though, so his chances of earning more bonus seconds and possibly the yellow jersey are slim. A better bet to win the stage and possibly take over the lead in the Tour’s General Classification is Bora-Hansgrohe’s Peter Sagan. The world champion sits only 25-seconds behind Thomas and took the yellow jersey early in last year’s Tour by winning a stage with a similar finish. Quick-Step’s Philippe Gilbert is only 1 second behind Sagan and could pull it off as well.

Who’s Really Winning the Tour?

Unless it’s later revealed that his crash had a bigger impact than it appears, there’s still little reason to doubt that Team Sky has the inside track to win its fifth Tour de France. Thomas, Chris Froome, and the rest of the team are clearly in top form. That said, as we’ve seen in the last two days, crashes happen. Even the best riders need a little luck to win the Tour de France—especially during the first week when the peloton is large and the riders are nervous.

Stage 1 – Geraint Thomas and Team Sky

Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas won Stage 1 of the 2017 Tour de France, on only his fifth day of racing since crashing-out of May’s Giro d’Italia. Thomas stormed the rainy 14km individual time trial 5 seconds faster than pre-race favorite Stefan Küng of BMC, and seven seconds faster than his teammate, Vassil Kiryienka. Germany’s Tony Martin, the reigning world time trial champion, finished fifth. Thomas has been one of Chris Froome’s most important teammates during Froome’s three Tour victories. Today, his dedication was rewarded with a stage win and the Tour’s first yellow jersey.

Who’s Really Winning the Tour?

With four riders in the top-10, Team Sky clearly sent a message to those who doubted the team’s collective strength—especially BMC’s Richie Porte. In a pre-race interview, the Australian said he thought that Sky’s team was weaker than in past years, a comment that clearly seems have “poked the bear.” Clearly, Froome and his team are ready for another dominating Tour de France performance, with Froome himself putting more than 30 seconds into Porte, Movistar’s Nairo Quintana, and Trek-Segafredo’s Alberto Contador. We’re only one day into the race, but it’s already looking as if the 2017 Tour de France is Team Sky’s for the taking—again.

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