Hey There Le Tour Tippers,

Riders to watch in this year’s peloton.

Alberto Contador, 26 - Astana
Having won every Grand Tour he's entered since the '07 Tour, this fiery Spaniard is the best stage racer of his generation* because he's capable of winning TTs and mountaintop stages. But he also has the most complex backstory coming into July.  Even as Contador was previewing this year's key stages (instead of competing in the Giro), no one seemed certain which team he'd be racing those roads with in July--an Astana squad also featuring Levi Leipheimer and Armstrong (who could turn out to be either great support or great rivals), the same team with a new sponsor, or a new team entirely if Astana disbands due to financial difficulties. *The new math: In an interview with Spanish newspaper El País, Contador declared, "My 100 percent this year will be superior to my 100 percent in 2008."

Cadel Evans, 32 - Silence-Lotto
A modern-day Raymond Poulidor, Evans has twice finished second, both times by less than a minute overall. If there's ever a year when he's going to close the deal, it's this one, right?  Cadel was the prohibitive favorite last year against a field lacking all but one of the podium finishers from the previous five Tours, Evans lost to that one guy. He has a suspect team, and his constant grousing doesn't exactly make him an inspiring leader. And as several infamous YouTube meltdowns ("Don't stand on my dog, or I cut your head off!") showed last year, he doesn't always, uh, handle pressure well.
Carlos Sastre, 34 - Cervelo Test Team
Won this little thing the last go-round, and the climber-friendly course this year works in his favor. Sastre is experienced, tactically smart and cool under pressure.   He was seen as a flukey winner—good, but lucky in timing his attack on Alpe d'Huez last year. In signing with the Cervelo squad, Sastre extricated himself from any funky team dynamics with the Brothers Schleck, but now he doesn't have the same firepower backing him. Can Cervelo defend a lead in the high peaks of the Pyrenees and Alps?

Mark Cavendish, 24 - Columbia-HTC
Coming into the final 200 meters of a race, Cavendish is the fastest man in the world right now. When critics said he might be able to win flat sprints but never a Classic with climbs, he blazed to a victory in Milan-San Remo. He won three stages of the Giro d'Italia, then dropped out to recover and concentrate on his main focus: Winning the green jersey, awarded to the best sprinter, in the Tour de France.  In 2008, Cav won four stages of the Tour but couldn't make it all the way to the finish in Paris, which you have to do to claim the jersey. In theory, at least, he'll have to focus less on winning stages and more on conserving his energy to survive the mountainous stages. In practice, the Isle-of-Man native will likely go as hard as he can for stage wins and still try to find the will to finish.

Andy Schleck, 24 - Saxo Bank
Schleck the Younger is equal parts Armstrong, Marco Pantani and Barack Obama, if you're willing to believe the deafening buzz. He can time-trial better than brother Frank and climb better than Cadel Evans—and he rides on a strong team.  Schleck is streaky and prone to bad days, like when he lost nine minutes on Hautacam in 2008. His handling skills need some polish, and he hasn't had to defend a lead in a race of this magnitude. Finally, there's some pressure—although just 24, greatness has been forecast for him for so long that, sooner or later, he has to deliver.

Denis Menchov, 31 - Rabobank
This quietly strong Russian is one of the most underrated multiple Grand Tour winners ever. He's won the Vuelta Espana twice, and this May won his first Giro d'Italia ahead of a viciously fit Danilo DiLuca. He was fourth in last year's Tour (and in 2003 won its white jersey for best young rider.) Menchov is a steady, bend-but-don't-break racer who is adept but not spectacular at time trials and climbing. If the fighting among the favorites becomes volatile enough, Menchov could simply ride his way to a win by doing nothing wrong.  Some experts believe that racers with an understated style like Menchov can succeed in the Giro or Vuelta (which are not always populated with every team's A-list riders), but that when it comes to the no-holds-barred Tour de France, it's the stars with explosive, eye-popping ability who create the big gaps that lead to victory.

Jens Voigt, 37 - Saxo Bank
This 6-foot-2, 170-pound German Tour veteran understands the dynamics of breakaways and solo escapes and, though not as young or fast as much of the pack, is able to exploit situations a couple times a year and pull off a big win. Fans are expecting Voigt to be like a lion among cubs during the two stages that will be run without the race radios that allow communication between riders and the directors.  If teammates Andy or Frank Schleck are in contention for an overall victory, Voigt will likely be put on a leash by director Bjarne Riis and ordered to save his energy to protect (or launch) the Schlecks instead of chasing his own stage win. Also, Voigt's well-known cunning could work against him—everyone is expecting him to do something special in those two stages, so rival teams will be paying so much attention to him that he might have trouble getting away.

David Moncoutie, 34 - Cofidis
He's ready for his breakout performance. The Frenchman was touted for years as the next big star, and showed flashes of brilliance but never put it all together. He won a stage of the Tour de France in 2004, another in 2005 (on Bastille Day, ensuring his place in French cycling legend), the mountains jersey twice in Paris-Nice in 2005-2006, and last in the Vuelta Espana (in which he also won a stage). This year he won a tough climber's stage in Dauphine-Libere. Cofidis is stacked with climbers to support him. He could win the polka-dot-jersey for best new climber and finish in the top five.  He's never seemed to be able to put together consecutive strings of strong rides in the mountains, which a polka-dot winner has to do.

Le Reporter de Magnifique