Few people doubt Tejay van Garderen is a future Grand Tour contender – a former winner of the white jersey at the Tour de France, he certainly has the pedigree.

And on the back of a strong Criterium du Dauphine, where he finished second, perhaps now is the time for him to upset the odds a little and bag his first top-three spot?

The American BMC Racing man can climb, and riding for the world team trial champions he has the chance to earn some seconds on his rivals on that stage as well.

He was one of the star men on Alpe d’Huez in 2013 too, so the penultimate stage, which finishes with the 21 hairpins, will hold no fears for him.

At the Dauphine, he did a great job tailing Chris Froome and attacking late to earn a stint in the yellow jersey – though Froome did eventually crack him on the final weekend.

With that in mind, perhaps three weeks is a still a step too far for a man whom it is easy to forget is still only 26.

It’s a big ask for Van Garderen to get onto the podium overall, but nobody expected Jean-Christophe Peraud and Thibaut Pinot to do so last year.

And Van Garderen does have form on his side thanks to his Dauphine exploits.

His time will come, undoubtedly, but he is very much the dark horse for now. Still, you should never say never.

BMC Racing squad: VAN GARDEREN, Caruso, Dennis, Oss, Quinziato, Sanchez, Schar, Van Avermaet, Wyss.

Form guide

Best Tour de France result: fifth (2012, 2014), best young rider (2012)
Tour de France stage wins: none
Other Grand Tour highlights: Vuelta a Espana – team time trial winner (2010)
2015 highlights: Tour of Oman (second overall), Volta a Catalunya (one stage win), Criterium du Dauphine (second overall).
UCI WorldTour ranking: 31st