Fifth in the mountains classification last year, Christophe Riblon rescued what had been a disastrous 100th Tour de France for the home riders by conquering the double ascent of the Alpe d’Huez to claim one of the Tour’s most prestigious ever stages.
His high ranking in the mountains classification, however, owed much to that solitary performance having not targeted the jersey – indeed, this season, he has not racked up a single climbing point in any race he has contested.
His climbing ability is undoubted – a stage win at the Tour of Poland immediately after the Tour proving his Alpe d’Huez success was no fluke.
However, with commitments as a climbing domestique for white jersey contender Romain Bardet, the Ag2r-La Mondiale man is unlikely to be joining day-long breaks on the hilly stages.
