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Tour de France<\/a><\/p>\n Introducing our metric on how to decide what to watch: the TV NAP rankings.<\/p>\n Gruber Images<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t been this excited about the first week of the Tour de France since 2014, when I learned the first stage in Leeds that year would go over a climb called the C\u00f4te de Buttertubs. Last year\u2019s opening week was well above average, thanks to a pair of French heroes<\/a>, but the Col du Galibier on stage 4 settled much of the GC too early. This year, I don\u2019t think that will happen. At least not in any significant way.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWake me when we hit the mountains,\u201d this opening week is not. It\u2019s quite clearly designed to have the yellow jersey change hands multiple times, and to put some of the most exciting racers of the modern peloton on show. That means the Classics stars, plus\u00a0opportunistic stage hunters, plus the GC riders looking for a chance to gain a bit of time on rivals. They’ll all be in the mix.<\/p>\n There will be breaks. There will be surprise winners. There\u2019s even a nicely placed time trial so we can get an early taste of what the GC men can do; crucially, it will be more hors d\u2019oeuvre than entr\u00e9e. Tadej Poga\u010dar won\u2019t be able to help himself this first week, but the likes of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert and maybe even Julian Alaphilippe won\u2019t make it easy on him. Thierry Gouvenou, the man who makes the Tour route each year, deserves a raise.\u00a0<\/p>\n This post is for paying subscribers only Already have an account? Sign in<\/a><\/p>\n Did we do a good job with this story?<\/p>\n \n \ud83d\udc4dYep![\"Caley](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/CF_PROFILE-150x150.png\")
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