Tour de France 2009: 5 Burning Questions

The Tour de France is only weeks away, and most of the favorites are putting the final efforts into their preparations for the world's biggest bike race. Most are already in Europe racing or training, while a select few Americans are putting in their final racing and training miles in at home. There are many questions that will be answered once July rolls around, but the below five hold particular interest . . .

1. Can Denis Menchov achieve the Giro-Tour double?

Denis Menchov was dominant in the Giro, taking the long time trial and neutralizing all attackers en route to his first win in the Italian grand tour. Conservative once he had a lead, Menchov nevertheless was the strongest rider in the race, and worthy of being called champion when the race finished in Rome. As usual the Russian came in under the radar and with little fanfare, and with less pressure was able to focus more on riding than the media attention. As the Russian prepares to lead his Rabobank team at the Tour, things may change a bit. He'll be among the top five favorites for the overall, and both fan and media attention is sure to be significantly ramped up. How he handles the pressure will be as important as how he handles the parcours if he is to complete the historic Giro-Tour double. Menchov has a good team coming to France in his support, and providing his form is around where it was at the start of the Giro, he should be in with a good chance for a podium placing, if not the overall win.

2. Who from Liquigas will emerge as the true team leader for the Tour?

The Italian Liquigas team will come to the Tour with a three-pronged GC attack of Franco Pellizotti, Vincenzo Nibali, and Roman Kreuziger. Each is on good form, and all three are capable of becoming the team leader, but none of the have shown themselves to be the obvious choice the lead the team's GC hopes. Pellizotti has the most experience of the three, but he has downplayed his chances for the overall win. Niballi has stated that he wants a top ten, while Kreuziger has remained quiet as he tries to defend his Tour de Swiss title. It will likely end up that the team leader will be the man who is best positioned after the first week, with the two remaining riders slipping into the role of support men. Kreuziger, though still very young, has all the makings of future Tour winner. Whether it will be this year remains to be seen.

3. Can Lance Armstrong really contend for an 8th Tour title?

After having been off the bike for almost three years, Lance Armstrong's comeback has been nothing short of amazing. He was respectable during the early season at the Tour of California before breaking his collar bone in a crash, and although his preparation was behind for the Giro he still managed to impress in the high mountains. Now only a few weeks from the start of the Tour, Armstrong is still training in America. He plans to race the June 21 Nevada City Cycling Classic as his final race before the Tour, and then he'll head to France to co-lead the Astana team with Alberto Contador. Armstrong, of all active riders, knows how to prepare for the Tour. He'll be as good as possible for the start of the race, and it would be unwise to bet against the 7-time Tour champ. Still, there is that other teammate of his Contador . . . . .

4. Can Alberto Contador win the Tour without his team's help?

Alberto Contador is widely accepted as the best stage racer in the world. His Astana team has pledged their support for whomever the best rider is within the team at the Tour though, which could mean that he could lose out on leadership duties if teammate Lance Armstrong is going strong in the three week stage race. Perhaps anticipating a split in unity, Contador helped Alehandro Valverde win the recent Dauhpine Libere, perhaps hoping that he would have the favor returned by the Caisse d'Epargne team come July. Contador is hell bent on winning the 2009 Tour, and he is making provisions to do so even if his own team is against him. Whether Caisse d'Epargne will help him come crunch time though is yet to be determined.

5. Can Mark Cavendish win more than four stages of this year's Tour?

Most sprinters would be satisfied with ONE stage win at the Tour de France, but Mark Cavendish exists above the fold, an elite sprinter among elite sprinters. Columbia's golden boy will come to the Tour on good form after a strong performance in the Tour de Swiss, and he'll try to beat his 2008 tally of four stage wins. The Manxman has pledged to finish this year's Tour, which means he'll have more chances at victory. Still, five stage wins is a tall order even for the world's fastest man.

The Tour de France is always the most exciting time of the cycling season, and 2009 is no different. The plot lines are as intricate as the riders involved, and this year's Tour seems destined to go down in history as one of the most exciting editions ever. If the scenarios above play out as expected, cycling fans should be treated to a multi-layered Tour de France offering not seen in recent memory.