Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar begins his bid for a fourth Tour de France title on Saturday, seeking to cement his status among cycling's greatest all-rounders, with rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel hoping to find a weakness in his armour.
The race's 112th edition begins in Lille, with Slovenia's Pogacar, who previously triumphed in 2020, 2021, and 2024, aiming to join Britain's Chris Froome in the elite club of four-time winners.
That would edge him closer to the record five titles held by Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain.
The 26-year-old world champion's scintillating spring classics campaign, featuring victories at the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege plus podiums at Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, showcased his versatility and drew comparisons to Merckx and Hinault.
Pogacar's dominance continued at last month's Criterium du Dauphine, where he claimed three stages and overall victory by 59 seconds over two-time Tour winner Vingegaard.
"For sure, this helps the morale and motivation for the Tour because it is the biggest goal of the season. I think it is a mental boost for all the team," he said after his commanding performance.
His sole vulnerability emerged during the Dauphine's 17.4km time trial, where he conceded 48 seconds to Evenepoel and 28 to Vingegaard - a potential weakness with two time trials totalling 43.9km awaiting in this year's Tour.
Denmark's Vingegaard, enjoying smoother preparation than last year when he was recovering from a serious injury, aims to reclaim the crown after finishing over six minutes behind Pogacar in 2024.
The 28-year-old, who won the Tour in 2022 and 2023, suffered a concussion during March's Paris-Nice but rebounded to take second at the Dauphine.
'OPTIMAL PREPARATION'
Vingegaard will be backed by a strong Visma-Lease a Bike team featuring Giro d'Italia winner Simon Yates, 2023 Vuelta a Espana champion Sepp Kuss, two-time Paris-Nice winner Matteo Jorgenson and the versatile Wout van Aert.
"With these eight very strong riders, we believe in the plan we made for the Tour de France. From day one we will have to be there as a team to optimally assist Jonas in the general classification," said Grischa Niermann, Visma's head of racing.
"We have an optimal preparation behind us and with that, we think we can get the best possible result."
Belgium's Evenepoel, who claimed third on his Tour debut last year, underwent surgery after crashing during December training.
The double Olympic champion made a remarkable comeback, winning April's Brabantse Pijl before the Soudal Quick-Step rider finished fourth at the Dauphine, over four minutes behind Pogacar.
Germany's Florian Lipowitz emerges as a potential dark horse after his Paris-Nice runner-up finish and third place at the Dauphine.
The Tour's 3,338.8km route features 52,500 meters of climbing across 21 stages of cycling's ultimate test.