Geraint Thomas is in a great shape. He was runner-up by a matter of seconds at the Tour de Suisse. He was also super strong in the classics earlier this year. Strong on all types of terrain, he said he is ready to fly the flag at the world's biggest bike race.

"Every day is a big day in the Tour de France this year. The first week, with crashes and those sorts of things, you can lose it there, but you can also win it on the penultimate day going up Alpe d'Huez, so I think there is going to be a lot going on every day", the Welsh rider told Skysports. "The cobbled stage will be a really stressful day. Everybody wants to be at the front because there is less chance of being caught up in any accidents. One hundred and eighty bike riders want to be in the front 10, but the road is only so wide and it can get pretty chaotic."

Chris Froome will try to win his second Tour de France. "It is all about keeping Froomey up there at the front and once you are on the cobbles it is not too bad. If Chris did a time trial over them I am sure he would be right up there with everybody else, so it's just about getting him there in the right position, which is the difficult bit."