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The protagonists of the Tour de France 2022: who are the favorites and the outsiders?

The 22 teams and their selections for the Tour de France 2022 have been announced. We know who will be at the start of the 109th edition of the Tour de France in Copenhagen on July 1. But which riders will play a key role? Who can compete for the overall victory? Let's highlight the selections with the favorites and outsiders.

*Please note that the selections may still change due to Covid-19.

1. France AG2R - Citroën Team (8 riders)

Highlighted: Ben O'Connor (Australia) The revelation of the 2021 Tour de France! He finished an impressive 4th in the overall standings. Especially with his impressive victory in the Alpine stage to Tignes and his climbing skills in the Pyrenees, he astonished the cycling world. His team will use him as the leader.

Selection:

Bob Jungels (Luxembourg)

Ben O'Connor (Australia)

Oliver Naesen (Belgium)

Aurélien Paret Peintre (France)

Geoffery Bouchard (France)

Mikaël Chérel (France)

Benoît Cosnefroy (France)

Stan Dewulf (Belgium)

2. Kazakhstan Astana - Qazaqstan Team (8 riders)

Highlighted: Alexey Lutsenko (Slovenia) Last year, he finished an impressive 7th in the Tour classification. Can he achieve another outstanding performance this year?

Selection:

Gianni Moscon (Italy)

Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan)

Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kazakhstan)

Simone Velasco (Italy)

Andrey Zeits (Kazakhstan)

Joe Dombrowski (USA)

Fabio Felline (Italy)

Aliaksandr Riabushen (Belarus)

3. Bahrain Bahrain Victorious (8 riders)

Selection:

Matej Mohoric (Slovenia)

Jack Haig (Australia)

Dylan Teuns (Belgium)

Damiano Caruso (Italy)

Kamil Gradek (Poland)

Fred Wright (United Kingdom)

Luis Léon Sanchez (Spain)

Jan Tratnik (Slovenia)

4. Germany Bora - Hansgrohe (8 riders)

Selection:

Felix Grobschartner (Austria)

Danny Van Poppel (Netherlands)

Aleksandr Vlasov (Russia)

Maximilian Schachma (Germany)

Marco Haller (Austria)

Lennard Kämna (Germany)

Patrick Konrad (Austria)

Nils Politt (Germany)

5. France Cofidis cycling Team (8 riders)

Highlighted: Guillaume Martin (France) At Cofidis, all eyes are on Guillaume Martin. Not surprising, as he finished a respectable 8th last year.

Selection:

Ion Izagirre (Spain)

Guillaume Martin (France)

Benjamin Thomas (France)

Bryan Coquard (France)

Simon Geschke (Germany)

Anthony Perez (France)

Victor Lafay (France)

Max Walscheid (Germany)

6. United States EF Education - EasyPost (8 riders)

Highlighted: Rigoberto Uran (Colombia) The clear leader in the next selection is the 35-year-old Colombian Rigoberto Uran. In 2017, he narrowly missed out on winning the Tour de France.

Selection:

Ruben Guerreiro (Portugal)

Rigoberto Uran (Colombia)

Magnus Cort (Denmark)

Neilson Powless (USA)

Jonas Rutsch (Germany)

Alberto Bettiol (Italy)

Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland)

Owain Doull (United Kingdom)

7. France Groupama - FDJ (8 riders)

Highlighted: Thibaut Pinot (France) Thibaut Pinot, 3rd in 2014, is fully focused on the polka dot jersey and stage victories.

Selection:

Thibaut Pinot (France)

Stefan Küng (Switzerland)

Valentin Madouas (France)

Michael Storer (Australia)

David Gaudu (France)

Kévin Geniets (Luxembourg)

Olivier Le Gac (France)

Antoine Duchesne (Canada)

8. United Kingdom Ineos Grenadiers (8 riders)

Highlighted: Geraint Thomas (United Kingdom) The British Ineos Grenadiers team has had many Tour winners in their ranks, including Bradley Wiggins (1x), Chris Froome (4x), Geraint Thomas (1x), and Egan Bernal (1x). This year, they come with a strong selection with several (dark horse) favorites. The focus is primarily on the experienced 36-year-old Briton Geraint Thomas, the Tour winner in 2018 and runner-up in 2019. Can he still compete for a podium place at his age? Besides Geraint Thomas, Daniel Martinez and Adam Yates are also in the spotlight as outsiders.

Selection:

Daniel Martinez (Colombia)

Tom Pidcock (United Kingdom)

Dylan Van Baarle (Netherlands)

Geraint Thomas (United Kingdom)

Filippo Ganna (Italy)

Luke Rowe (United Kingdom)

Jonathan Castraviejo (Spain)

Adam Yates (United Kingdom)

9. Belgium Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (8 riders)

Highlighted: Louis Meintjes (South Africa) South African climber Louis Meintjes leads the Belgian Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert team this year. In the past, he has achieved 2 top 10 finishes in the Tour.

Selection:

Louis Meintjes (South Africa)

Alexander Kristoff (Norway)

Andrea Pasqualon (Italy)

Taco van der Hoorn (Netherlands)

Kobe Goossens (Belgium)

Adrien Petit (France)

Sven Erik Bystrom (Norway)

Georg Zimmerman (Germany)

10. Israel Israel - Premier Tech (8 riders)

Selection:

Michael Woods (Canada)

Jakob Fuglsang (Denmark)

Hugo Houle (Canada)

Daryl Impey (South Africa)

Krists Neilands (Latvia)

Simon Clarke (Australia)

Chris Froome (United Kingdom)

Guillaume Boivin (Canada)

11. Netherlands Jumbo - Visma (8 riders)

Highlighted: Primoz Roglic (Slovenia) On paper, the biggest challenger to Tadej Pogacar seems to be his compatriot Primoz Roglic. In 2020, it was already a battle between the two Slovenians, and we can expect the same this year. He also seems to have the strongest team with him, including top riders like Wout Van Aert, Jasper Vingegaard, Tiesj Benoot, Steven Kruijswijk, and more...

Highlighted: Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark) If it's not Primoz Roglic, then Jumbo-Visma still has a chance for the yellow jersey with Jonas Vingegaard. The 25-year-old Danish climber surprised everyone last year by finishing in 2nd place after Roglic had to withdraw. As they say, when two dogs fight for a bone, the third one runs away with it.

Highlighted: Wout Van Aert (Belgium) In Belgium, all eyes are on Wout Van Aert. He announced that he is fully focused on the green jersey. He aims to secure his first stage victory in the opening time trial and start the Tour with the yellow jersey. Hopefully, his recent knee injury won't hinder his performance.

Selection:

Steven Kruijswijk (Netherlands)

Sepp Kuss (USA)

Primoz Roglic (Slovenia)

Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark)

Wout Van Aert (Belgium)

Christophe Laporte (France)

Nathan Van Hooydonck (Belgium)

Tiesj Benoot (Belgium)

12. Belgium Lotto - Soudal (8 riders)

Selection:

Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)

Brent Van Moer (Belgium)

Tim Wellens (Belgium)

Caleb Ewan (Australia)

Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (South Africa)

Andreas Kron (Denmark)

Florian Vermeersch (Belgium)

Frederik Frison (Belgium)

13. Spain Movistar Team (8 riders)

Highlighted: Enric Mas (Spain) A steady cyclist who doesn't crack under pressure and exhaustion during major cycling tours. The leader of Movistar finished 5th in 2020 and 6th in 2021. As an outsider, the Spaniard has the potential to compete for a podium spot.

Selection:

Enric Mas (Spain)

Matteo Jorgenson (USA)

Nelson Oliveira (Portugal)

Carlos Verona (Spain)

Gregor Mühlberger (Austria)

Gorka Izagirre (Spain)

Albert Torres (Spain)

Imanol Erviti (Spain)

14. Belgium Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl (8 riders)

Selection:

Michael Morkov (Denmark)

Fabio Jakobsen (Netherlands)

Yves Lampaert (Belgium)

Kasper Asgreen (Denmark)

Mikkel Honoré (Denmark)

Andrea Bagioli (Italy)

Mattia Cattaneo (Italy)

Florian Sénéchal (France)

15. Australia Team BikeExchange - Jayco (8 riders)

Selection:

Dylan Groenewegen (Netherlands)

Michael Matthews (Australia)

Luka Mezgec (Slovenia)

Luke Durbridge (Australia)

Amund Grondahl Jansen (Norway)

Jack Bauer (New Zealand)

Nicholas Schultz (Australia)

Christopher Juul-Jensen (Denmark)

16. Netherlands Team DSM (8 riders)

Highlighted: Romain Bardet (France) Frenchman Romain Bardet, 2nd in 2016 and 3rd in 2017, is aiming for stage wins.

Selection:

Romain Bardet (France)

John Degenkolb (Germany)

Chris Hamilton (Australia)

Andreas Leknessund (Norway)

Martijn Tusveld (Netherlands)

Alberto Dainese (Italy)

Nils Eekhoff (Netherlands)

Kevin Vermaerke (USA)

17. Italy Trek - Segafredo (8 riders)

Selection:

Bauke Mollema (Netherlands)

Mads Pedersen (Denmark)

Jasper Stuyvn (Belgium)

Giulio Ciccone (Italy)

Alex Kirsch (Luxembourg)

Quinn Simmons (USA)

Toms Skujins (Latvia)

Tony Gallopin (France)

18. United Arab Emirates UAE Team Emirates (8 riders)

Highlighted: Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) The undisputed top favorite for the overall victory is Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian is only 23 years old but already a two-time Tour winner in 2020 and 2021. With his excellent climbing ability, time trial skills, and explosive power, he is the man to beat.

Selection:

Brandon McNulty (USA)

Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia)

Rafal Majka (Poland)

Marc Soler (Spain)

George Bennett (New Zealand)

Vegard Laengen (Norway)

Mikkel Bjerg (Denmark)

Marc Hirschi (Switzerland)

19. Belgium Alpecin - Deceuninck (8 riders)

Selection:

Jasper Philipsen (Belgium)

Mathieu Van Der Poel (Netherlands)

Silvan Dillier (Switzerland)

Michael Gogl (Austria)

Alexander Krieger (Germany)

Edward Planckaert (Belgium)

Kristian Sbaragli (Italy)

Guillaume Van Keirst (Belgium)

20. France Team Arkéa - Samsic (8 riders)

Highlighted: Nairo Quintana (Colombia) The 32-year-old Colombian Nairo Quintana may be feeling the years, but we shouldn't count him out just yet. With victories in the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, a second place in the Tour in 2013 and 2015, and a third place in the Tour in 2016, he's a cyclist who knows how to tackle grand tours. Can the Arkéa-Samsic team leader still make an impact this year?

Selection:

Nairo Quintana (Colombia)

Warren Barguil (France)

Lukasz Owsian (Poland)

Hugo Hofstetter (France)

Matis Louvel (France)

Maxime Bouet (France)

Amaury Capiot (Belgium)

Connor Swift (United Kingdom)

21. France B&B Hotels - KTM (8 riders)

Selection:

Alexis Gougeard (France)

Pierre Rolland (France)

Luca Mozzato (Italy)

Jérémy Lecroq (France)

Cyril Lemoine (France)

Cyril Barthe (France)

Franck Bonnamour (France)

Sebastian Schönberg (Austria)

22. France TotalEnergies (8 riders)

Selection:

Peter Sagan (Slovakia)

Pierre Latour (France)

Daniel Oss (Italy)

Alexis Vuillermoz (France)

Maciej Bodnar (Poland)

Mathieu Burgadeau (France)

Anthony Turgis (France)

Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway)

Source: Sporza, Wielerfits.nl