No clear Tour de France favourite according to Indurain

Image 1 of 3

Five-time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain has said that this year's race, which starts on June 30, will be one of the most open in recent memory. The Spaniard stated that defending champion Cadel Evans (BMC) sets the standard for the rest of the field, but that he was far from a certainty to win. He also predicted that the key for the main GC contenders will be to stay in touch during the first couple of weeks, especially those who will start the race at less than 100 percent.

"There is no clear favourire for this Tour, but the benchmark will be Cadel Evans, last year's winner. This Tour will be open," Indurain said on Spanish website marca.com.

"There's still time left [before the start] and some riders will certainly improve. In addition, the hardest part of the Tour will come at the end, and until then it will serve as stepping stones towards improving their shape. The same has happened in the recent Giro [d'Italia], where everything was played out in the last week. Many enter the race at 80 percent and improve with the passage of time."