Tour de France favourites Chris Froome and Richie Porte believe this year&#39;s race will keep fans enthralled right to the end.

With a limited number of high mountain summit finishes and only 36.5km of time-trialling, Australian Porte says the other stages will be a &quot;free for all&quot; that could &quot;turn the race upside down&quot; while Froome insisted it will &quot;favour more aggressive riders&quot;.

Briton Froome is aiming for a fourth Tour title having won already in 2013, 2015 and last year, while Porte, his former Team Sky domestique, is looking to deliver on his strong pre-Tour form.

Throw in the likes of last year&#39;s Vuelta a Espana winner Nairo Quintana, Spanish veteran and two-time former champion Alberto Contador, French hope Romain Bardet and Criterium du Dauphine winner Jakob Fuglsang, and a major battle is expected over the next three weeks.

With 3,540km of racing ahead, starting with Saturday&#39;s 14km time-trial around Dusseldorf, much will happen before the Grand Boucle arrives in Paris on July 23, but Froome&#39;s Sky boss Dave Brailsford believes no-one can afford to simply sit back and wait to see what others are doing.

&quot;It&#39;s pretty obvious that whoever&#39;s going to win this race is going to have to be pretty offensive,&quot; said Brailsford.

&quot;It&#39;s going to be a pretty open and exciting race, one where you&#39;ve got to be on the front foot. It&#39;s not going to be a defensive race, it&#39;s going to be an aggressive race.&quot;

Despite having already won three Tours and having become a father since his last success, Froome insists he hasn&#39;t lost any of the desire that took him to the top in the first place.

&quot;The hunger hasn&#39;t got any less for me, I&#39;m as motivated as ever as I&#39;ve got so much more to race for now,&quot; said Froome, who like Porte is 32.

&quot;This is potentially my fourth Tour de France title I&#39;m here to try to get.

&quot;It&#39;s massive, the challenge is even bigger this year. I feel as if the level of my rivals is even higher, on a difficult course as well.

&quot;I&#39;m here with all the motivation I had before.&quot;

&#39;More than a two-horse race&#39;&nbsp;

Froome and Porte have been taking turns this week to proclaim the other as the race favourite but Porte did admit that he doesn&#39;t feel Froome&#39;s Sky team is the &quot;steamroller&quot; it once was.

&quot;Sky is probably not as strong as it was in the past, but how it affects their tactics I don&#39;t know,&quot; he said.

The Australian warned against focussing on a straight battle between him and his old team-mate, though.

&quot;I don&#39;t think it&#39;s just going to be between Chris and I, there&#39;s so many brilliant bike riders here, you can&#39;t just focus on two guys,&quot; he said.

&quot;It&#39;s more than a two-horse race.&quot;

Certainly, Colombian Quintana will be aiming for overall victory having finished second to Froome in 2013 and 2015 and third last year, when Bardet took second.

He&#39;s changed his preparation this year by riding in May&#39;s Giro d&#39;Italia, believing he performs better in his second Grand Tour of the year than the first.

Contador knows how to win the Tour, although his best years are probably behind him.

His best Tour finish since being stripped of a third win in 2010 for doping was fourth in 2013.

Twice in the last three years he&#39;s failed to finish due to crashes.

Bardet&#39;s entire season revolves around the Tour while Dauphine winner Fuglsang could be a dark horse.

Quintana&#39;s Moivistar team-mate Alejandro Valverde has been the stand-out rider this year, winning the tours of Catalonia, Andalusia, Murcia and the Basque Country, as well as the two Ardennes Classics in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Fleche Wallonne.

He wasn&#39;t at his best in the Dauphine but showed he&#39;s not lost any of his attacking flair as he launched a daring bid for victory on the final stage climb to the finish alongside Fabio Aru, the 2015 Vuelta winner from Italy and another strong outsider.

Bookies reckon it is a two-horse race between multiple champion Chris Froome and Richie Porte, though the nature of stages this years has made it difficult to predict the winner

Tour de France favourites Chris Froome and Richie Porte believe this year's race will keep fans enthralled right to the end. With a limited number of high mountain summit finishes and only 36.5km of time-trialling, Australian Porte says the other stages will be a "free for all" that could "turn the race upside down" while Froome insisted it will "favour more aggressive riders". Briton Froome is aiming for a fourth Tour title having won already in 2013, 2015 and last year, while Porte, his former Team Sky domestique, is looking to deliver on his strong pre-Tour form. Throw in the likes of last year's Vuelta a Espana winner Nairo Quintana, Spanish veteran and two-time former champion Alberto Contador, French hope Romain Bardet and Criterium du Dauphine winner Jakob Fuglsang, and a major battle is expected over the next three weeks. With 3,540km of racing ahead, starting with Saturday's 14km time-trial around Dusseldorf, much will happen before the Grand Boucle arrives in Paris on July 23, but Froome's Sky boss Dave Brailsford believes no-one can afford to simply sit back and wait to see what others are doing. "It's pretty obvious that whoever's going to win this race is going to have to be pretty offensive," said Brailsford. "It's going to be a pretty open and exciting race, one where you've got to be on the front foot. It's not going to be a defensive race, it's going to be an aggressive race." Despite having already won three Tours and having become a father since his last success, Froome insists he hasn't lost any of the desire that took him to the top in the first place. "The hunger hasn't got any less for me, I'm as motivated as ever as I've got so much more to race for now," said Froome, who like Porte is 32. "This is potentially my fourth Tour de France title I'm here to try to get. "It's massive, the challenge is even bigger this year. I feel as if the level of my rivals is even higher, on a difficult course as well. "I'm here with all the motivation I had before." 'More than a two-horse race' Froome and Porte have been taking turns this week to proclaim the other as the race favourite but Porte did admit that he doesn't feel Froome's Sky team is the "steamroller" it once was. "Sky is probably not as strong as it was in the past, but how it affects their tactics I don't know," he said. The Australian warned against focussing on a straight battle between him and his old team-mate, though. "I don't think it's just going to be between Chris and I, there's so many brilliant bike riders here, you can't just focus on two guys," he said. "It's more than a two-horse race." Certainly, Colombian Quintana will be aiming for overall victory having finished second to Froome in 2013 and 2015 and third last year, when Bardet took second. He's changed his preparation this year by riding in May's Giro d'Italia, believing he performs better in his second Grand Tour of the year than the first. Contador knows how to win the Tour, although his best years are probably behind him. His best Tour finish since being stripped of a third win in 2010 for doping was fourth in 2013. Twice in the last three years he's failed to finish due to crashes. Bardet's entire season revolves around the Tour while Dauphine winner Fuglsang could be a dark horse. Quintana's Moivistar team-mate Alejandro Valverde has been the stand-out rider this year, winning the tours of Catalonia, Andalusia, Murcia and the Basque Country, as well as the two Ardennes Classics in Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Fleche Wallonne. He wasn't at his best in the Dauphine but showed he's not lost any of his attacking flair as he launched a daring bid for victory on the final stage climb to the finish alongside Fabio Aru, the 2015 Vuelta winner from Italy and another strong outsider.

Tour de France preview: Less mountain summit finishes favour aggressive riding

Tom&nbsp;Dumoulin&nbsp;won the 100th edition of the Giro d&#39;Italia in sensational style on Sunday to make history as the first Dutch winner of the three-week Italian race.

Sunweb team leader&nbsp;Dumoulin&nbsp;went into the final stage, a 29.3 km time trial from Monza race track to Milan&#39;s landmark Duomo cathedral, 53secs behind overnight leader Nairo Quintana of Colombia.

But the 26-year-old Dutchman, who led the race for nine stage before losing the pink jersey to Quintana on stage 19, secured his maiden grand tour victory after a second-place finish behind stage winner, compatriot and close friend Jos van Emden.

Quintana, the 2014 champion who rides for the Movistar team, finished second overall at 31secs behind with Italy&#39;s two-time champion Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain) finishing third at 40.

It means Quintana, a former two-time runner-up at the Tour de France, has failed in his bid -- stated before the race start in Alghero, Sardinia -- to challenge for a rare Giro-Tour de France double.

Frenchman Thibaut Pinot, who remained in contention for overall victory with a gutsy stage win on Saturday, disappointed in the race against the clock to finish fourth overall at 1min 17sec.

Dumoulin, who finished 17secs behind Van Emden, had to watch nervously as Quintana, wearing the pink jersey and the last to start, completed the final kilometres of his effort into Milan.

But when the calculations showed the Colombian was set to fall short, he jumped for joy.

&quot;It&#39;s crazy, I don&#39;t know what to say,&quot; said&nbsp;Dumoulin, who was initially given a taste for the pink jersey when he wore it for the first time in Apeldoorn last year after victory in the opening stage time trial.

&quot;It&#39;s a dream! When I crossed the line people were telling me I&#39;d won, but as I sat here, I was freaking out.

&quot;It&#39;s incredible. I couldn&#39;t have imagined this, ever. I was strong, I was lucky and everything fell into the place on this Giro.

&quot;Nairo did an amazing race today.&quot;

After the compliment to Quintana, the Colombian&#39;s Movistar team replied in kind on Twitter, saying: &quot;Best man on the course won. On to the next adventure. #VamosNairo.&quot;

Thanks to a Dutch one-two on the stage finish, Van Emden gave the Netherlands a double reason for celebration when he claimed his maiden grand tour stage win with a sensational ride into the Lombardy capital.

&quot;I&#39;m so happy, so emotional,&quot; said Van Emden, who described&nbsp;Dumoulin&nbsp;as a &quot;close friend&quot;.

&quot;I was too many times second and this is a great day for Dutch cycling.

&quot;Tom wins, I win, finally. There are two really happy people inside this tent.&quot;

(AFP)

Dumoulin, who finished 17secs behind Van Eden in the final stage, had to watch nervously as Quintana, wearing the pink jersey, complete the final kilometres of his effort into Milan

Tom Dumoulin won the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia in sensational style on Sunday to make history as the first Dutch winner of the three-week Italian race. Sunweb team leader Dumoulin went into the final stage, a 29.3 km time trial from Monza race track to Milan's landmark Duomo cathedral, 53secs behind overnight leader Nairo Quintana of Colombia. But the 26-year-old Dutchman, who led the race for nine stage before losing the pink jersey to Quintana on stage 19, secured his maiden grand tour victory after a second-place finish behind stage winner, compatriot and close friend Jos van Emden. Quintana, the 2014 champion who rides for the Movistar team, finished second overall at 31secs behind with Italy's two-time champion Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain) finishing third at 40. It means Quintana, a former two-time runner-up at the Tour de France, has failed in his bid -- stated before the race start in Alghero, Sardinia -- to challenge for a rare Giro-Tour de France double. Frenchman Thibaut Pinot, who remained in contention for overall victory with a gutsy stage win on Saturday, disappointed in the race against the clock to finish fourth overall at 1min 17sec. Dumoulin, who finished 17secs behind Van Emden, had to watch nervously as Quintana, wearing the pink jersey and the last to start, completed the final kilometres of his effort into Milan. But when the calculations showed the Colombian was set to fall short, he jumped for joy. "It's crazy, I don't know what to say," said Dumoulin, who was initially given a taste for the pink jersey when he wore it for the first time in Apeldoorn last year after victory in the opening stage time trial. "It's a dream! When I crossed the line people were telling me I'd won, but as I sat here, I was freaking out. "It's incredible. I couldn't have imagined this, ever. I was strong, I was lucky and everything fell into the place on this Giro. "Nairo did an amazing race today." After the compliment to Quintana, the Colombian's Movistar team replied in kind on Twitter, saying: "Best man on the course won. On to the next adventure. #VamosNairo." Thanks to a Dutch one-two on the stage finish, Van Emden gave the Netherlands a double reason for celebration when he claimed his maiden grand tour stage win with a sensational ride into the Lombardy capital. "I'm so happy, so emotional," said Van Emden, who described Dumoulin as a "close friend". "I was too many times second and this is a great day for Dutch cycling. "Tom wins, I win, finally. There are two really happy people inside this tent." (AFP)

Rookie Dumoulin beats Quintana to win Giro d'Italia

Colombian Nairo Quintana retained the Giro d&#39;Italia pink jersey after a 20th and penultimate stage won by Frenchman Thibaut Pinot that saw Dutchman Tom Dumoulin remain in victory contention.

Pinot, of the FDJ team, claimed his maiden Giro stage after dominating a five-man bunch sprint at the end of a thrilling 190 km ride from Pordenone to Asiago that saw Dumoulin&#39;s rivals attack the Dutchman throughout.

Quintana, the 2014 champion, finished just behind Pinot in fifth to retain the race lead with a 39sec lead on Italy&#39;s two-time and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain) and a 43sec cushion on Pinot.

&quot;I&#39;m very happy to win this stage ahead of some of the best riders in this Giro,&quot; said Pinot, who, as the French time trial champion, will confidently target a podium finish in Milan on Sunday.

&quot;I came for a stage victory, which I&#39;m very happy about because it&#39;s always special to win a stage from a grand tour.

&quot;But to win the Giro I will need to have one of the best days of my life on the bike. In any case, I&#39;ll give it everything.&quot;

However Dumoulin, 53secs behind in fourth overall after finishing 15secs behind Pinot,is the overriding favourite for Sunday&#39;s 29.3 km race against the clock from Monza to Milan.

After handing the pink jersey to Quintana on the final summit of Piancavallo to drop to second overall at 38secs on Friday, Sunweb team leader Dumoulin was warned he would be in for a tough, final day in the mountains.

Quintana, Nibali and Pinot kept to thir word with a series of attacks on the final, 14km climb to Foza that preceded a final rolling section leading to Asiago.

But their combined efforts failed to shake the Dutchman, who for the closing kilometres was left in a five-man group containing allies in Bob Jungels (Quick Step), Adam Yates (Orica) and fellow Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek).

&quot;Luckily, I had better legs than yesterday,&quot; Dumoulin said at the finish.

&quot;I absolutely killed myself, but I&#39;m forever thankful and grateful to the help from Bauke Mollema, Adam Yates and Bob Jungels.&quot;

On the 10th stage time trial where he took the pink jersey for the first time in this 100th edition, Dumoulin was over two minutes faster than Nibali and nearly three minutes faster than Quintana.

At the finish, Quintana looked resigned to defeat as he said: &quot;We tried our hardest to take time from him (Dumoulin), but he found some allies.

&quot;We took some time, which is better than nothing.&quot;

Another top performance into Milan on Sunday could see Dumoulin become the first Dutch winner of the &#39;maglia rosa&#39;.

But he added: &quot;We&#39;ll see. It all depends on the legs tomorrow. I&#39;m already very happy it worked out today.&quot;

(AFP)

Nairo Quintana has a lead of 53 seconds going into the last stage of the race, but rookie Dumoulin is favorite to wipe the deficit in tomorrow's time trial

Colombian Nairo Quintana retained the Giro d'Italia pink jersey after a 20th and penultimate stage won by Frenchman Thibaut Pinot that saw Dutchman Tom Dumoulin remain in victory contention. Pinot, of the FDJ team, claimed his maiden Giro stage after dominating a five-man bunch sprint at the end of a thrilling 190 km ride from Pordenone to Asiago that saw Dumoulin's rivals attack the Dutchman throughout. Quintana, the 2014 champion, finished just behind Pinot in fifth to retain the race lead with a 39sec lead on Italy's two-time and defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain) and a 43sec cushion on Pinot. "I'm very happy to win this stage ahead of some of the best riders in this Giro," said Pinot, who, as the French time trial champion, will confidently target a podium finish in Milan on Sunday. "I came for a stage victory, which I'm very happy about because it's always special to win a stage from a grand tour. "But to win the Giro I will need to have one of the best days of my life on the bike. In any case, I'll give it everything." However Dumoulin, 53secs behind in fourth overall after finishing 15secs behind Pinot,is the overriding favourite for Sunday's 29.3 km race against the clock from Monza to Milan. After handing the pink jersey to Quintana on the final summit of Piancavallo to drop to second overall at 38secs on Friday, Sunweb team leader Dumoulin was warned he would be in for a tough, final day in the mountains. Quintana, Nibali and Pinot kept to thir word with a series of attacks on the final, 14km climb to Foza that preceded a final rolling section leading to Asiago. But their combined efforts failed to shake the Dutchman, who for the closing kilometres was left in a five-man group containing allies in Bob Jungels (Quick Step), Adam Yates (Orica) and fellow Dutchman Bauke Mollema (Trek). "Luckily, I had better legs than yesterday," Dumoulin said at the finish. "I absolutely killed myself, but I'm forever thankful and grateful to the help from Bauke Mollema, Adam Yates and Bob Jungels." On the 10th stage time trial where he took the pink jersey for the first time in this 100th edition, Dumoulin was over two minutes faster than Nibali and nearly three minutes faster than Quintana. At the finish, Quintana looked resigned to defeat as he said: "We tried our hardest to take time from him (Dumoulin), but he found some allies. "We took some time, which is better than nothing." Another top performance into Milan on Sunday could see Dumoulin become the first Dutch winner of the 'maglia rosa'. But he added: "We'll see. It all depends on the legs tomorrow. I'm already very happy it worked out today." (AFP)

Giro d'Italia: Pinot wins stage, Quintana stretches lead but Dumoulin favourite to win Grand Tour

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