They were Vismar, Ineos, UAE, and the Red Bull Bora Team.
Based on their rosters alone, these were the teams most likely to contend for the overall title.
As for the Quick Step Team, although they had Evenepoel, their lineup of support riders was no match for these other four teams.
If they tried to control the pace at the front, their leader would likely be without a single helper after just a few stages.
"Look at the state of the race right now, Jimmy.
The four teams at the front of the main peloton right now... the strength of their rosters has to be the most balanced we've ever seen, wouldn't you say?
Honestly, at the start of the season, I thought the favorites for this year's Tour de France would still be UAE and Vismar going head-to-head—
but now that we're actually at the Tour de France, we can see that's no longer the case.
