JENS VOIGT PREVIEWS THE 2022 TOUR DE FRANCE

What makes Pogacar so strong?

"He's as strong on the mountain as all or almost all of his competitors. The few riders who can keep up with him uphill are significantly worse than him in the time trial. He almost never falls, hardly ever makes tactical riders and his team is very strong and well balanced.

"I don't see how Pogacar can be beaten if he doesn't do it himself. I think Roglic can still win overall at the Vuelta, but for the Tour I see his team changing to Vingegaard as captain halfway through the race.

After their success at the Giro, what are the chances of BORA-Hansgrohe and Aleksandr Vlasov?

"Three weeks ago I would have said that Vlasov has chances for the podium. But how will he have survived his corona infection? If he coped well, I think third place is quite realistic. The team is clever, they can hold back sometimes - and vice versa unpack the hammer if necessary. Just like they did at the Giro. In addition, they have a lot of riders who can go chasing stages - I think they're capable of more than just one day's victory, because the team is very strong."

Who are the underdogs?

"Two drivers I like are Romain Bardet and David Gaudu. Bardet was very strong in the Giro and very close to the pink jersey until he had to retire. Hopefully he's recovered well now and is hungry and angry. He's been on the Tour podium twice and again an underdog for me.

"David Gaudu, on the other hand, can benefit from the fact that his teammate Thibaut Pinot is more likely to go hunting for stages and could be a very strong helper for him in the mountains. In addition, the Australians Jack Haig from Bahrain or Ben O'Connor (ag2r) are good for a top placement."

The 2nd stage with the bridge over the Great Belt in particular is causing a lot of discussion: What impression did you take away from the on-site visit?

"The course already zigzags along the coast before the final, so no matter where the wind comes from that day, there will be sections with edge wind situations. Almost exactly 20 kilometers before the finish line, it's on to the bridge over the Great Belt - dead straight out onto the open water.

"The windbreak wall on the bridge is only about 1.5 meters high, so it doesn't completely protect the drivers. Depending on the wind direction, the Danish safety authorities will decide whether to drive on the right or left of the two lanes: This way, a driver caught in the wind will at least not end up in the water, but in the oncoming lane."

"The tour boss actually wanted the finish line to be on the bridge, but that's not possible with all the trucks and the podium. So the whole bridge is driven and the drivers come back to the mainland slightly downhill at probably 75 km/h, there are two 90-degree curves waiting on a slightly narrower road, which will also be exciting.

"Then it's only three kilometers to the destination. It's going to be so dramatic that I'm afraid that several favorites for the overall standings will unfortunately lose their chances of getting on the podium that day and there will probably be a number of falls with broken bones."