Chris Froome primed for fifth title and other key questions ahead of the second week of Tour de France

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  • There has been no shortage of drama in the first week of the Tour de France with sprint battles between young and old, struggles along the cobbles to Roubaix, Chris Froome yet to show his sharpness and Peter Sagan shining in the green jersey once again after two stage wins.

    Here, we take a look at five key questions ahead of the second week of the race.

    Who is in the battle for the yellow jersey?

    Greg van Avermaet is in control of the yellow jersey, holding a 43-second lead over Geraint Thomas, but with the mountain stages of the Tour kicking into gear on Tuesday, the Belgian is likely to drop down the overall classifications.

    Philippe Gilbert, Bob Jungels and Alejandro Valverde complete the top five, with defending champion Chris Froome sitting in eighth – 1 minute and 43 seconds behind van Avermaet.

    At this early stage of the Tour, the General Classification is misleading with many of the riders set to suffer in the mountains this week, providing an opportunity for the likes of Thomas, Froome, Nairo Quintana, Vincenzo Nibali and Tom Dumoulin to show their true climbing potential.

    With Thomas in a great overall position, Team Sky have two GC options as we gear up for a pivotal week of the Tour.

    Is Froome primed for a fifth Tour de France title?

    Froome is still the overwhelming favourite to lift a fifth title, however we have seen little signs of his sharpness yet on the relatively flat stages of the first week.

    A crash on the opening stage in Fontenay-le-Comte could have been a lot worse, but there is no doubt that he will peak in time for the gruelling climbs over the next two weeks.

    The 33-year-old is eighth in the GC, but his work really only starts from Tuesday when the Team Sky star tackles the tough route from Annecy to Le Grand-Bornand.

    Sagan is the man but who are the new sprinters shining?

    Coming into this year’s Tour, Peter Sagan had won the green jersey in five out of the last six Tours – and will most likely seal it for a sixth time later this month.

    But Marcel Kittel and Mark Cavendish – with a mammoth 44 stage wins between them – were also expected to challenge the Slovakian but both have made little impact so far.

    In their absence of form, Fernando Gaviria and Dylan Groenewegen have emerged as rising stars – with two stage wins each and the potential to be threats in the years to come.

    Colombian Gaviria – at 23 – looks like a real gem to contend at future Grand Tours.

    Will we see the cobble stages in future Tours?

    A great watch for fans, but not for the peloton. Stage nine to Roubaix served the Tour too much risk of injury for the riders, with the demanding cobble sections of the route causing GC riders to suffer mechanical issues on the surface.

    Froome, Thomas, Romain Bardet and Rigoberto Uran all suffered falls and loss of time during the stage, with GC contender Richie Porte forced to withdraw from the race due to a broken collar bone.

    The Tour officials need to realise it’s a three-week, 21-stage race, not a one-stage race that places riders in often chaotic circumstances.

    Implementing cobble sections into a stage is a step too far for future Tours, with only 50 per cent of the riders having little to no experience in navigating these dangerous conditions.

    A definite review needs to conducted before the 2019 route is confirmed.

    Is this the end of Mark Cavendish?

    It sounds like a harsh thing to say that we are seeing signs of the demise of a man who has sprinted to 30 Tour de France stage wins.

    But in truth, it has been a torrid week for the 33-year-old Manxman. His Dimension Data team isn’t firing and he looks to have lost that old edge we are so used to seeing light up Tour de France sprints.

    There was signs of life in his legs in stage seven (10th) and stage eight (eighth) when he challenged for the win but faded in the final metres.

    It is clear the ambition is still there, but with only 34 days of racing this year due to injury, his preparation for Le Tour hasn’t been ideal.

    Every year he is a year older, so it is unlikely he will beat Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins with the emergence of younger, quicker riders likes Groenewegen, Gaviria and Caleb Ewan coming through.

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