Le Tour review: The Top 10 against my predictions

So the Tour is over and it has been won and lost. What now follow is a collection of articles on a review of the Tour. The winners, the losers and a little bit of analysis. Firstly, a look at the official top 10 (and a few others) followed by a look at my predictions pre-Tour and how wrong I was!

The Final General Classification:

1. Froome (SKY) in 84h 46' 14"
Struggled with illness in the final days and it was the only time he looked beatable, but a superb first week, a dominant display in the Pyrenees, and the strongest team in the race ensured a bad day did not prove costly.

2. Quintana (MOV) @ 1' 12"
A huge talent and without a doubt a future winner. He got stronger as the race went on but on a course in which the Tour was won in each of the three weeks, he was unable to overcome Froome.

3. Valverde (MOV) @ 5' 25"
So much for him fading due to sacrifices in aid of his team-mate. Valverde did help Quintana but he was strong himself and just when you expected it least, he got his first Tour podium.

4. Nibali (AST) @ 8' 36"
A disasterous first week for the reigning champ left him playing catchup throughout. He struggled too in the Pyrenees but came good in the Alps to jump up into the top five, but it was too late, though he did win a stage.

5. Contador (TCS) @ 9' 48"
The Giro-Tour double always seemed like it would be too much for him no matter how sucked into the possibility anyone got. He looked solid through the first week was soon exposed in the mountains and never climbed like his usual self.

6. Gesink (TLJ) @ 10' 47"
A brilliant ride by one of the forgotten young stars of yesteryear. He has faced so much adversity in recent years and so it was great to see him back at the sharp end. Rode extremely well throughout.

7. Mollema (TFR) @ 15 '14"
A consistent top ten. Never featured too much at the front but clearly hung in when others couldn't and achieved his third top 10 finish in-a-row at the Tour.

8. Frank (IAM) @ 15' 39"
Will have been a surprise to many to have finished this high up and for a while it was looking unlikely until on stage 17 to Pra Loup when he got into a break and finished 5min 36sec ahead of the Yellow jersey vaulting himself up from 13th overall to 8th. He rode very well to maintain that placing showing himself as someone who only gets stronger as a three week race goes on.

9. Bardet (ALM) @ 16' 00"
He finished a few places back on last year but this will still be seen a Tour in which the young Frenchman progressed. He had it tough in the first week but came back strong in the mountains, putting on a clinic in descending and winning a mountain stage solo. He was in contention to win the mountains jersey right until the end.

10. Rolland (EUC) @ 17' 30"
Given how well he rode in last years Vuelta perhaps it was unfair to overlook what is still a young rider in favour of the likes of Bardet, Thibaut Pinot and Warren Barguil. Once he knew any hope of a top five was gone he got himself into breaks and tried for stage wins. It didn't work out but he was consistent and deserved the top 10 to remind everyone of his talent.

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Select other Brits, Canadians, Irish, and Sagan!:
15. Thomas (SKY) @ 31' 39"
16. Pinot (FDJ) @ 38' 52"
35. Roche (SKY) @ 1h 54' 8"
39. D. Martin (TCG) @ 2h 3' 37"
40. Hesjedal (TCG) @ 2h 4' 37"
46. Sagan (TCS) @ 2h 14' 55" wins)
142. Cavendish (EQS) @ 4h 12' 5"
159. Tuft (OGE) @ 4h 48' 8"

And how about my predictions:

1. Chris Froome (Finished: 1st)
2. Vincenzo Nibali (4th)
3. Thinaut Pinot (16th)
4. Nairo Quintana (2nd)
5. Tejay Van Garderen (DNF)
6. Alberto Contador (5th)
7. Romain Bardet (9th)
8. Ryder Hesjedal (40th)
9. Pierre Rolland (10th)
10. Rui Costa (DNF)

Other jerseys:
Green: Peter Sagan (1st)
KOM: Pierre Rolland (6th)
White: Nairo Quintana (1st)

So I was actually correct, for once, on who would win the Tour, though I was hardly sticking my neck out in picking Froome. By stage 10, with that tricky first week behind him, it looked a safe bet.

I also done pretty well with my predictions for Contador, Bardet and Rolland. I felt the Giro-Tour double attempt by Contador would be too much, and it was.

Nibali fell a bit short on my guess, doing worse in the first week than I ever imagined. Quintana on the other hand navigated it better than I thought he might and thus was always on the podium come the mountains.

Tejay Van Garderen and Rui Costa failed to finish though it's unlikely Costa would have achieved a top 10 had he remained in the race. Van Garderen on the other hand...

As for Ryder Hesjedal. Well, given his big effort in the Giro, I should have known better. He spent the first week 'chilling' at the back of the peloton. It cost him time and he lost more in the Pyrenees. He was clearly he was setting himself up for a stage win and he came very close with a second place on Alpe d'Huez.

As for the other jersey's: Sagan was as safe a bet as there was in the race, Rolland never really put his nose out for this contest and while I listed Bardet as the white jersey winner (due to me picking him to finish 7th overall) I did so because I failed to realise Quintana was still eligible for it. Had I known, I'd have obviously picked him given I had him at 4th overall, so I'll take that one!