Best of the rest
Best of the rest
The leading sprint contenders will face stiff competition from the dark horses too, not least three men more than capable of winning stages even if the green jersey may remain a step too far.
Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) would have been among the sprinting favourites but a bad crash at the French nationals put his Tour in doubt.
Even though the Frenchman is still going to be racing his home Grand Tour – one of the main reasons he joined Cofidis in the winter – the effects of his injury remain to be seen.
If he can recapture the form which saw him win two stages at the Criterium du Dauphine, he may still be a contender.
Former team-mate and rival at FDJ, Arnaud Demare, will be keen to improve on a nightmare race in 2014, when he failed to pick up a stage win after a series of crashes.
With Bouhanni sat at home, Demare – selected in his place – failed to take advantage, and as such is yet to prove he belongs with the top tier of sprinters.
Another rider originally seen as a likely green jersey contender, Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEDGE) is not challenging for the classification according to his team.
That may change with some early sprinting success, particularly on the uphill finishes he loves, but for now the Australian – who has the versatility to compete for green one day – is likely to have to wait.