Tour de France is gearing up nicely

As the Tour de France starts to heat up, our correspondent looks at what makes the exhausting cycling race so great. Will Spain's Alberto Contador once again get the better of Lance Armstrong? And what's it like for the journalists who cover the event?

Reuters

The 2010 Tour de France is the 10th that I am covering. What seven-time winner Lance Armstrong has described as the world’s greatest bike race is without doubt one of the most gruelling sporting events, not only for the riders but also for us journalists.

Each rider has to be prepared to cycle an average of 200 kilometres every day in wind, rain, stifling heat and, sometimes, icy cold. They have to climb up steep mountains - sometimes several times in the same day - and this year they had to cycle across long stretches of treacherous cobblestones.

Journalists like me who cover the Tour spend most of our day in the car. We drive an average of 300 kilometres - most of them on country roads following the course - before being able to settle down and actually report on the day’s stage.

It’s hard work. Stephen Roche, who in 1987 became the first Irishman to win the Tour, once told me that he found it more tiring following the event in a car than taking part on a bicycle.

So who could win this year’s 97th edition, which is due to end in Paris on 25 July? It’s still far too early to tell, but the main favourite is last year’s winner Alberto Contador of Spain. Contador first won the Tour de France in 2007 and since then he's gone from strength to strength.

He and Armstrong rode for the same team, Astana, in last year’s race and it was no secret that they did not get on. This year Contador is still with Astana but Armstrong has created his own team called Radio Shack.

The American, who is almost 39 and who has said this will be his last Tour, stands a good chance of winning. But he is 11 years older than Contador and knows that his age is now against him.

As Armstrong is less physically powerful, he is sure to take advantage of any unexpected weaknesses in Contador’s strategy and use his teammates in an effort to pull off an eighth victory.

Contador and Armstrong are not alone, however. There is also Cadel Evans, the Australian rider who came 29th in last year’s race and who has done consistently well in the mountain stages since his first Tour back in 2005.

Then there’s Andy Schlek. He may have lost his brother Franck in stage three of this year’s race but he's a strong mountain climber. Schlek did particularly well in the Alpe d’Huez stage in the 2008 Tour and, despite a disastrous start this year, he has fought his way back and is now up there with a chance of victory.

One person who is unlikely to win, but who is sure to once again shine in this year’s race, is Britain’s Mark Cavendish. The cheeky, insolent rider from the Isle of Man sprinted home to win four stages in 2008 and six stages in 2009 - including the final one in Paris.

Cavendish has had a difficult start this year but that does not mean that he won't soon amaze Tour fans with his zest for stage wins.