1. Jan Ullrich, Germany
It’s hard to trash a guy who’s never finished lower than second in the Tour, but the same maddening consistency that has made the ’97 winner a five-time runner-up raises doubts about his ability to reach the top step again.
2. Tyler Hamilton, United States
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Barring mishap–never a given with Hamilton–this should be the year he lands on the podium, which he just missed last year despite riding the entire race with a fractured collarbone. The Massachusetts native had a great spring with a team tailored for him and at 33, it’s now-or-never mode.
3. Iban Mayo, Spain
This Basque rider surged up the charts with aggressive tactics in last year’s Dauphine Libere tune-up race, then won the event this year, crushing Armstrong by 2 minutes in the time trial up Mont Ventoux. A sensational climber, he is only a fair-to-middling time trialist in the flats.
4. Roberto Heras, Spain
The two-time Tour of Spain winner ditched Armstrong and Postal this season to reprise his role as sole team leader with the new Liberty Seguros team built from the remnants of ONCE.
5. Dark horses
Ivan Basso, Italy: Last year’s 7th-place finisher comes back with a hardy, versatile team.
Levi Leipheimer, U.S.: KO’d in the stage 1 crash last year, he has the all-around talent to challenge for the podium.