Carlos Rodriguez (INEOS Grenadiers)
It's quite simple: the Spaniard has taken part in four Grand Tours in his career and has never finished outside the Top 10. He was fifth in 2023 at the Tour de France with a magnificent stage win in Morzine, and seventh in 2024.
There's no doubt about it, he knows how to manage his effort over three weeks, and once again showed his form in the preparatory races, with Top 10 finishes at the Tour de Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine.
His weakest point is his team, as he will only have Thymen Arensman to rely on in the mountains, although Geraint Thomas, who is at his last Tour as a rider, can be counted on to give support. But while he is in the prime of life, he has the weapons in his hands in terms of sheer level to finally score a first podium in a Grand Tour.
Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe)
Discovered in an obscure Austrian continental team, his progression curve is astonishing. He started out as a teammate in the mountains, but revealed himself with a third place in the Tour de Romandie in 2024. A happy accident? Absolutely not, because a few months later, he revealed himself for good in the Vuelta a Espana, finishing in seventh place despite having worked to help Primoz Roglic to victory!
Weak point: Roglic, who will still be around at the ripe old age of 35. He may have won the Vuelta, but his limitations in the Grande Boucle and his powerlessness against the aforementioned trio are well known. Has the time come to hand over power? We don't know what Red Bull's strategy will be, but will the team have the guts to favour the German if the Slovenian quickly shows his limitations?
Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)
He, too, made his mark on the Grand Tours last year in Spain. Often preceded by high hopes, he failed to realise them, until a fifth place in the Vuelta 2024. A result that undoubtedly unlocked something, as he is coming off a spring in which he dominated Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel to win the Amstel Gold Race!
Weak point: His team, too, as Lidl-Trek is clearly built around Jonathan Milan, to favour the Italian sprinter's green jersey ambitions. Apart from Quinn Simmons, there's no one with any real ability in the mountains. At least he won't have to bear the brunt of the race, but he'll have to hope he doesn't have a bad day.
Ben O'Connor (Team Jayco AlUla)
It was in the Tour de France that he announced himself to the world in 2021, with a fourth-place finish, boosted by an unforgettable solo victory in Tignes after a breakaway. A pattern he repeated in the last Vuelta to finish second, in the midst of an exceptional end to the season with a silver medal at the Worlds.
Weakness: His fourth place in 2021 was somewhat circumstantial, but he failed to confirm his form on French roads. Dropping out in 2022, 17th in 2023 despite having a decent team around him, that's not much, and he also took some big hits in the mountains two years ago. And he isn't necessarily well supported either, even if Eddie Dunbar will logically be his lieutenant of choice.
Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL)
Last year, he came to learn about the Grande Boucle. But he seems to have turned a corner in recent months. Steadily improving since the start of the season, he impressed during the Tour de Suisse, being the only rider capable of following Joao Almeida in the mountains, which earned him a fine victory on the queen stage and a third place overall.
Weakness: Isn't he still a bit green? 22 is the age at which Pogacar won his first Tour de France, but the Briton isn't made of the same metal. On the basis of his form, he seems primarily a Top 10 contender, but the Grande Boucle has never been short of revelations, and he seems a perfect client for that.
Nevertheless, he'll probably have to find his own way.
Lenny Martinez(Bahrain - Victorious)
He is one of the great hopes of French cycling who wanted to take a step forward by signing for a foreign team. He has already proved himself at World Tour level this season, with stage wins in Paris-Nice and the Dauphine, and a second-place finish in the Tour de Romandie. With the support of the public and a mountainous course, why not hope for a big performance?
Weakness: Already 39 days of racing in 2025. And that showed in the Dauphine, where he won the final stage despite already being well out of contention for the yellow jersey (38th overall). Will he have the physical strength to compete for a top-five finish? Not to mention the internal competition from Santiago Buitrago, 10th last year. Will he settle for a battle for a stage win, or even for the polka-dot jersey?