The Tour de France has been won by riders from Great Britain on six occasions split between three individuals.
Chris Froome has been the most successful British cyclist, having won the competition four times between 2013 and 2017. Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas also won a single edition of the event on either side of Froome’s domination.
Since Thomas won in 2018, Britain has endured a five-year winless drought in the Tour de France. This is unlikely to change heading into the 2024 competition.
However, several impressive cyclists from Britain have the potential to position themselves amongst the frontrunners this year. With Tom Pidock an uncertainty after injury earlier this year, here’s a look at the next leading British riders that will head to France in June.
Adam Yates
Adam Yates is, without doubt, Britain’s greatest hope in the headline event of the year due to his vast experience on the tour.
He will enter the Tour de France for the eighth time this year and is regarded as one of the top five competitors. In online betting, he is offered at 17/1 to achieve Tour De France glory, which suggests he will at least be involved near the front of the pack.
Fans can better understand the odds this year through Paddy Power’s bet calculator, which includes all bet types and formats.
Yates ⚔️ Yates#TDF2023 | @AdamYates7 🏆 pic.twitter.com/a7Tznt8FKC
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 1, 2023
This year Yates will compete for a second-straight place on the podium, and Jonas Vingegaard’s injury will have boosted his chances. He finished third behind the Dane and Tadej Pogacar in 2023, and this time around, he may have ambitions of ending the British Tour de France drought.
Simon Yates
While Adam Yates is by far Britain’s greatest hope at the Tour de France, his twin brother Simon Yates still represents one of the nation’s top riders set to travel across the channel.
He is offered at odds of 50/1 to win the competition, suggesting he cannot plausibly dream of the ultimate success like his brother can.
Simon Yates reflects on “unbelievable” achievement @lavuelta & “an astonishing year for British cycling”. Credits national system, lottery funding, pro team. Says “there will always be doubters” re doping in cycling but adds “it’s a completely different sport to those years ago” pic.twitter.com/QPj5F5ZJRw
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 17, 2018
The lower-ranked Yates brother has winning experience on the Grand Tour from the Vuelta a Espana back in 2018, and last year finished in fourth place on the French leg of the tour. However, his form in 2024 has suggested he is not prepared to compete at the front of the Tour de France.
Yates finished 57th in the Vuelta a Catalunya in March and only broke into the top 20 in one of the stages. He is far from his best at present, which means that at the biggest event of the year, he should simply be aiming to finish the entire tour with a respectable ranking.
Ultimately, Britain’s hopes will be pinned on the Yates brothers this year. Adam has a serious chance of impacting the front of the competition, while Simon will be aiming to secure the third top-10 Tour De France finish of his career.
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