Image from here.
You can't have a list of Tour de France (TDF) contenders without mentioning Alberto Contador. Even though Contador is still on Team Astana, Astana isn't the same team. With the majority of the riders jumping ship to Team Radioshack, Contador is left with a team he's only ridden with for 1 season. The TDF is a team sport. You need your teammates to defend the lead, set pacelines, bring you water, etc... You can't win the maillot jaune by your self. It'll be interesting to see if Contador can rally the troops to defend his title.
I'm not going to lie. I hope Armstrong wins it all. To show all the haters that he is legit. But, I have to be realistic. He's more likely to place in the top 10 then podium. This year's TDF is stacked with very strong riders on well built teams. Team Radioshack is no exception. Having pulled 8 riders from the 2009 Astana team, the Lance train will be a force to be reckon with.
The 10 other riders to look out for, compiled by Cyclingnews.com are:
Andy Schleck - Saxo Bank
Bradley Wiggins - Sky
Frank Schleck - Saxo Bank
Christian Vande Velde - Garmin-Transitions
Roman Kreuziger - Liquigas
Ivan Basso - Liquigas
Cadel Evans - BMC
Michael Rogers - HTC-Columbia
Denis Menchov - Rabobank
Carlos Sastre - Cervelo Test Team
Read more here.