Racing

Tour de France 2014: King of the Mountains contenders

RCUK looks at the men who could challenge for the polka dot jersey

With their team set for a Tour debut, you can bet IAM Cycling will be keen to show their colours in the break – as they have done in much of the WorldTour races this season.

And Sylvain Chavanel and Mathias Frank, in particular, have showcased their climbing abilities in style this season – placing second and third in the race for polka dot at Paris-Nice for a start.

Strong form, particularly from Frank who would be challenging the world top 20 if he was allowed to score UCI WorldTour points, means one is likely to challenge for GC at the Tour.

Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling) did plenty of attacking at Paris-Nice as he and team-mate Mathias Frank eventually finished second and third in the King of the Mountains classification (pic: P.Perreve/ASO)

But it does not mean the other could not compete for the King of the Mountains, and both are certainly capable of performing each job.

Frank, in particular, has been in hugely impressive form in 2014 – finishing fourth at the Tour de Romandie and second at the Tour de Suisse as IAM Cycling excelled in their home country.

Three-time Tour stage winner Chavanel, on the other hand, has the benefit of experience. Expect them to feature heavily in some capacity during the next month.