Fifth at the Dauphine was a boost but I'm not getting carried away
Thursday 2 July 2015 15:48, UK
On Saturday I will start my second Tour de France and although the experience won't be a new one, it's a special feeling to be back at the sport's most prestigious race.
It has been the main target for my whole year and I have pretty much always known I would be taking part - barring injuries, of course - but to get to this point in good form and health is nevertheless both a relief and hugely exciting.
Last year's race was very much about learning, but this year I go into it with loftier ambitions thanks to a combination of greater maturity and the confidence I have gained from some strong results so far this season.
I finished fifth at the Tour of the Basque Country in April, which spurred me on to finish sixth at the Tour de Romandie in May, and that in turn set me up nicely to finish fifth at the Criterium du Dauphine in June.
I won’t be challenging for the top five at the Tour, but I will be hunting for stage wins. That’s the big goal.
Perhaps if the first week of the Tour was not quite so challenging I could think about going for something like a top 10 or 15 overall, but the truth is that those first nine stages are going to be bedlam and I’m probably going to lose a lot of time both on the cobbled fourth stage and the days that are likely to be hit with crosswinds.
Plus, still only 22 years old, I would be the first to admit that I’m not strong enough mentally to go for the general classification in a three-week grand tour. It’s too soon in my career. Stage wins, however, should be a realistic target. Should.
I don’t think I can beat the likes of Chris Froome and Alberto Contador in a straight shootout on a summit finish, so the plan is to try to get a win out of a breakaway.
It will have to be one of the mountainous stages in the Pyrenees and/or the Alps, but if I can get in a breakaway and the peloton lets us fight it out for the stage win, there is a decent chance I will be one of the better climbers in the group.
The Dauphine was proof of that. It was a genuine surprise to do so well. I went in with the sole intention of building my fitness and ended up holding my own against Froome, Tejay van Garderen and people like that. That bodes well.
Interestingly, my twin brother and Orica-GreenEdge team-mate, Adam, is going into the Tour with pretty much the same remit, which raises the inevitable question of sibling rivalry. If he gets a stage win and I don’t, will I be jealous? No. Not at all. It’s the same as if Simon Gerrans or Michael Matthews gets a victory; I would just be really happy that a team-mate has won.
Some people have also mentioned me potentially going for the King of the Mountains jersey, but like the general classification, that’s not on my radar.
You have to be right up there on every single mountain stage, which would be an immense challenge in itself, and it would also disrupt what I’m trying to do.
The idea is to ride at my absolute maximum on one given day, then recover at the back of the peloton for a few days, and then go full gas again. If I was challenging for the polka dot jersey, I would have to be on top form every single day, which would almost be the same as going for the general classification.
However the race pans out for me personally, I’m confident it’s going to be a great spectacle for the fans. And having ridden up close with pretty much all of the main favourites except Contador over the last couple of months, I’m putting my money on Froome for the win.
He just looked so strong in the mountains at the Dauphine and I think it would take an almighty effort for someone to beat him. I expect Contador to be his main opposition, with Nairo Quintana also pushing hard.
I’m a fan as much as a rider, so I’m really eager to see how it pans out.
Follow every stage of the Tour de France with our daily live blogs, available on our apps and www.skysports.com
