It's often a tough task to tell at a glance which teams are doing well at the Tour de France, there are 22 of them going around France, each with their own objectives and strengths.
To keep an eye on how each team is progressing, Cycling Central is running the Zwift Power Rankings during the Tour de France. It's a quick guide from stage to stage of which teams are excelling and which are unlucky or faring poorly.
Rankings are calculated according to a matrix of stage results, jersey standings and a team's ability to race with panache and flair.
1. Deceuninck-Quickstep
Where to start? Julian Alaphilippe was such a delight to watch, his fourteen-day stint in the yellow jersey an enduring story from this year's Tour de France.
The Frenchman attacked Stage 3 to Epernay like he did Strade Bianche, Milano-Sanremo, Fleche Wallone earlier this season, triumphing on a parcours race organisers A.S.O could easily launch a new spring/autumn classic.
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With this stage victory he moved into the yellow jersey, desparately trying to cling to it on the brutal La Planche des Belles Filles Stage 6 finish. Giulio Ciccone was too good that day but Alaphilippe set his sights on winning back what became rightfully his for another 12 days.
On the eve of Bastille Day, Alaphilippe leapt from the bunch with Thibaut Pinot, wresting back control of the maillot jaune, the first Frenchman to wear it on his nation's main holiday since 2014. The surprises continued with an ITT victory on Stage 13, his win not too shocking considering the punchy nature of the course.
So enchanted by its magic, Alaphilippe gripped his PRECIOUS past the final rest day. We all expected him to crack. But before this, it seemed only the elements on the prematurely cancelled Stage 19 could stop him.
It's fair to say, had the race continued, Alaphilippe's time loss to Egan Bernal would number minutes. Atter the race was stopped and the GC calcuations made, his deficit to Bernal was only 45 seconds.
On a modified Stage 20, Jumbo-Visma and Ineos pounded him into the mat further, Alaphilippe burying himself to finish the 2019 Tour de France a respectable fifth, just over two minutes off the podium.
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If the most combative rider award for the entire Tour de France did not exist, race organisers would've made one up to honour Julian Alaphilippe. And he deserves it.
From this grand tour forward, he will not be allowed the leeway to move into and retain the jersey. Plenty predict a grand tour future for Alaphilippe, but for us who like dynamic, non-conservative racing, we hope it is distant.
And his team mates? Elia Viviani didn't factor at all in the final sprint on the Champs-Élysées, his wingman Max Richeze contesting instead and crossing fourth while the Italian came home 18th. This speaks to the commitment of the entire 'Wolfpack' behind Alaphippe's quest despite the GC never being a goal for the team beyond a good showing from Enric Mas.
We'll say it again - non, je ne regrette rien.
Stage 2 - 3rd (TTT)
Stage 3 - 1st (Julian Alaphilippe)
Stage 4 - 1st (Elia Viviani)
Stage 8 - 3rd (Julian Alaphilippe)
Stage 10 - 2nd (Elia Viviani)
Stage 11 - 3rd (Elia Viviani)
Stage 13 - 1st (Julian Alaphilippe)
Stage 14 - 2nd (Julian Alaphilippe)
Stage 16 - 2nd (Elia Viviani)
Stage 17 - 2nd (Kasper Asgreen)
Stage 21 - 4th (Max Richeze)
Current overall and other results:
Final podium in Paris - most combative rider of the 2019 Tour de France
Yellow jersey - 14 trips to the podium (Julian Alaphilippe)
White jersey - 1 trip to the podium (Enric Mas - Stage 13)
5th overall - Julian Alaphilippe
22nd overall - Enric Mas
2. Jumbo-Visma
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The entire team worked towards just one goal - all in for Steven Kruijswijk for GC with a mix of sprint on the side. Years in the making, the team said, four stages and third on the final Paris podium in 2019 the result.
Before George Bennett's nasty crashes on Stage 18, Jumbo-Visma eclipsed the strength of Ineos. Lacking a Bernal or to a lesser extent, Thomas, the team would have a real yellow jersey.
Where this team goes after 2019 is anyone's guess. Dumoulin might be there, if true, who is the domestique, and who is riding the Giro in 2020 - Kruijswijk, Dumoulin, Roglic? Does Bennett want another stint as a grand tour servant? And what happens to Groenewegen, are they ALL in for GC next year?
Until then, the team has Paris.
Best Results:
Stage 1 - 1st (Mike Teunissen)
Stage 2 - 1st (TTT)
Stage 7 - 1st (Dylan Groenewegen)
Stage 10 - 1st (Wout van Aert)
Stage 14 - 3rd (Steven Kruijswijk)
Stage 16 - 3rd (Dylan Groenewegen)
Stage 21 - 2nd (Dylan Groenewegen)
Current overall and other results:
Yellow jersey - 2 stages (Mike Teunissen)
3rd overall - Steven Kruijswijk
3. Team Ineos
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Dave Brailsford said strategy prevailed over chaos, the team overcame individuals. In some ways this is true. The team looked weaker than other years and still pulled a 1-2 and the white jersey.
But it came down to two individuals. Thomas and the prodigious talent of 22-year-old Bernal who, if everything falls right injury and personal life wise, should become the grand tour champion of his generation.
Bernal benefited from the chaos - he was primed for just a 2019 Tour de France domestique position after a planned GC assault on the Giro before crashing in training. A spare leader spot opened up after Chris Froome hurtled towards a hospital room for weeks after a crash during Criterium du Dauphine ITT recce.
The chaos trumping strategy also wasn't foolproof. At one point on Stage 18, it appeared Ineos management was still waiting for the road to decide outright leadership as Bernal waited on a leash until allowed up the road and Thomas for some reason not sitting back with the faves as he should. But it was solved by the following day, barely a blip before Thomas in second overall by the end of Stage 20.
In 2020, like Jumbo-Visma, Ineos faces a good problem to have with the likely return of Chris Froome and Richard Carapaz transferring from Movistar. Was 2018 the last time G will wear yellow in Paris?
Best Results:
Stage 13 - 2nd (Geraint Thomas)
Stage 14 - 5th (Egan Bernal)
Stage 2 - (4th, 5th - Bernal, Thomas)
Current overall and other results:
Yellow - 3 trips to the podium (Egan Bernal)
White - 10 trips to the podium (Egan Bernal)
1st overall - Egan Bernal
2nd overall - Geraint Thomas
4. BORA-hansgrohe
Sagan's record-breaking seventh green jersey. Like three-time former points classification winner Robbie McEwen said, the jersey is painted on. Tour organisers might as well just put the rainbow bands on the arms of next year's green jersey to truly make it his.
This team also get fourth spot because of Emanuel Buchmann's 4th on GC. The German sponsors will be overjoyed.
Best Results:
Stage 1 - 2nd (Peter Sagan)
Stage 5 - 1st (Peter Sagan)
Stage 7 - 3rd (Peter Sagan)
Stage 14 - 4th (Emanuel Buchmann)
Stage 15 - 4th (Emanuel Buchmann)
Stage 16 - 4th (Peter Sagan)
Current overall and other results:
Green jersey - 17 trips to the podium (Peter Sagan)
4th overall - Emanuel Buchmann
5. Soudal-Lotto
Only a road World Championships on a flat sprinter's parcours rivals winning on the Champs-Elysees. Caleb Ewan managed it on debut AND after two stage wins. It took 11 stages before the Aussie finally cracked it, demonstrating the influence of the mind over the physical.
Take a look at his placings in the other stages, a string of podiums. If the green jersey was the points competition of old, Ewan would be Hulking it up himself right about now.
Thomas De Gendt was the first to end the team's two-year dry spell ensuring the riders finally got a party in Paris with the sponsors, Ewan's stage wins the icing on the cake.
(This team does lose points however for the epic trolling - telling media it had to refer to the team by Soudal-Lotto after the race left Belgium, but the team itself only reversing the names on its jersey but none of its other promotional material).
Best Results:
Stage 1 - 3rd (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 4 - 3rd (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 7 - 2nd (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 8 - 1st (Thomas de Gendt)
Stage 9 - 2nd (Tiesj Benoot)
Stage 11- 1st (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 13- 3rd (Thomas de Gendt)
Stage 16- 1st (Caleb Ewan)
Stage 18- 6th (Tiesj Benoot)
Stage 21- 1st (Caleb Ewan)
Current overall and other results:
Polka dot jersey - 15 trips to the podium (Tim Wellens - KOM reign ended Stage 18)
6. Mitchelton-Scott
READ MORE
Mitchelton-Scott posts best Tour yet
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A fantastic Tour adjusting to a shift from GC focus to stage wins so quickly, it was starting to feel like the Aussie squad won a stage every few days.
Best Results:
Stage 5 - 3rd (Matteo Trentin)
Stage 9 - 1st (Daryl Impey)
Stage 12 - 1st (Simon Yates)
Stage 15 - 1st (Simon Yates)
Stage 17 - 1st (Matteo Trentin)
Current overall and other results:
Combativity - 1 trip to the podium (Matteo Trentin - Stage 17)
7. Bahrain Merida
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With the funky cold Shark of Messina focusing on the Giro this year, Dylan Teuns and Nibali himself saved Bahrain-Merida's Tour with stage wins.
Unclear how the wash up of Rohan Dennis' walk out will unfold, but let's face it, Dennis lost 19 seconds to Yves Lampaert over 19kms on a Merida time trial bike at the Tour de Suisse. Can't imagine he was too confident of victory on Stage 13 of the Tour, especially if hit with a skinsuit change two days before and hard not to think of that line in Regarding Henry "I had enough so I said when," if your one job (this year anyway) was to win time trials.
Best Results:
Stage 5 - 4th (Sonny Colbrelli)
Stage 6 - 1st (Dylan Teuns)
Stage 7 - 4th (Sonny Colbrelli)
Stage 9 - 3rd (Jan Tratnik)
Stage 17 - 5th (Dylan Teuns)
Stage 20 - 1st (Vincenzo Nibali)
Current overall and other results:
Combativity - 1 trip to the podium (Vincenzo Nibalit - Stage 20)
8. Movistar
Odd, but entertaining. Let's leave it at that. Oh, yeah and three riders in the top 10. The team has the goods, but no the 'strategy...over the chaos'.
Best Results:
Stage 14 - 6th (Mikel Landa)
Stage 15 - 3rd (Mikel Landa)
Stage 18 - 1st (Nairo Quintana)
Stage 20 - 2nd, 3rd (Valverde, Landa)
Current overall and other results:
Mikel Landa - 6th overall
Nairo Quintana - 8th overall
Alejandro Valverde - 9th overall
9. Groupama-FDJ
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One of the most heartbreaking moments of the Tour came with Thibaut Pinot abandoning the Tour de France on Stage 19. People speak about his typically woeful third week, but the Frenchman looked on song, a freak knee smashing on Stage 17 his undoing.
If you're into 'what-ifs,' hard to see him beating Bernal, but was a strong candidate for second over Thomas. We hope he comes back fitter, faster, wiser, stronger.
This team was impressive (even in the TTT limiting their losses!) including revelation David Gaudu 13th overall while Sebastien Reichenbach finished 17th.
Best Results:
Stage 8 - 2nd (Thibaut Pinot)
Stage 14 - 1st (Thibaut Pinot)
Stage 15 - 2nd (Thibaut Pinot)
Current overall and other results:
13th overall - David Gaudu
17th overall - Sebastien Reichenbach
33rd overall - Rudy Molard
Without stage wins and/or stronger placings on GC, the remaining teams will be ranked based on any podium prizes, breakaways and/or best stage placings:
10. EF Education First
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Rigoberto Uran's 7th overall and various members of the team impacting the race in numerous breakaways - including Australian Simon Clarke - puts the men in pink here.
Current overall and other results:
Rigoberto Uran - 7th overall
11. Trek-Segafredo
Highlights for this team include Porte's 11th place overall and Ciccone's two trips to the podium for yellow.
Best Results:
Stage 3 - 3rd (Jasper Stuyven)
Stage 6 - 2nd (Giulio Ciccone)
Stage 13 -5th (Richie Porte)
Stage 17 - 4th (Bauke Mollema)
Current overall and other results:
Yellow jersey - 2 trips to the podium (Giulio Ciccone)
11th overall - Richie Porte
12. AG2R-La Mondiale
If Bernal wasn't stopped by the weather on Stage 18, the Colombian would be in polka dots too. Romain Bardet clung on to his one consolation from this year's Tour de France. He will come back strong, it was just one of those years, but perhaps he should also consider pulling a Pinot i.e. focus on the Giro and the Vuelta for a year or two.
But would his French team allow it?
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Current overall and other results:
Polka dot jersey - 4 trips to the podium (Romain Bardet - Stage 18,19,20,21)
Combativity - 1 trip to the podium (Alexis Gougeard - Stage 16)
15th overall - Romain Bardet
13. Wanty Groupe Gobert
If we weren't (loosely) bound by our scoring matrix, Wanty would be top of the list. What a Tour from the wild card team. Numerous riders in the breaks including Yoann Offredo and Guillame Martin and Xandro Meurisse took their top 21 positions on GC all the way to Paris.
Best Results:
Stage 6 - 3rd (Xandro Meurisse)
Stage 8 - 7th (Xandro Meurisse)
Current overall and other results:
Combativity - 1 trip to the podium (Aime de Gendt - Stage 11)
12th overall - Guillame Martin
21st overall - Xandro Meurisse
14. Team Arkea-Samsic
Warren Barguil snuck into the top 10 and several riders in breaks.
Current overall and other results:
Combative prize - 1 trip to the podium (Elie Gesbert - Stage 14)
10th overall - Warren Barguil
15. Team Sunweb
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Came down too hard on them in the past few stages despite Nico Roche away yesterday. But looking back on the race, Sunweb may have felt directionless, but still made an impact on the race, forcing, not just making up numbers in escapes.
Best Results:
Stage 2 - 4th (TTT)
Stage 3 - 2nd (Michael Matthews)
Stage 15 - 6th (Lennard Kamna)
Stage 16 - 6th (Michael Matthews)
Stage 18 - 4th (Lennard Kamna)
16. Cofidis
Cofidis' aggression initiating breakaways and a top 20 placing for Herrada and Cofidis finish here higher than expected.
Best Results:
Stage 4 - 2nd (Alexander Kristoff)
Stage 17 - 8th, 10th (Pierre-Luc Périchon, Jesús Herrada)
Current overall and other results:
Combativity - 1 trip to the podium (Natnael Berhane - Stage 10)
20th overall - Jesús Herrada
17. Astana
Unlike Mitchelton-Scott, Astana's shift from GC focus did not result in victory. But with heart and courage, they had riders in the remaining escapes and Alexey Lutsenko managed a high placing on stage 18 (3rd) and a 19th overall. We think that's worthy of this place.
Best Results:
Stage 6 - 9th (Jakob Fuglsang)
Stage 12 - 2nd (Pello Bilbao)
Stage 17 - 3rd (Gorka Izagirre)
Stage 18 - 3rd (Alexey Lutsenko)
Current overall and other results:
19th overall - Alexey Lutsenko
18. CCC (down one)
Constant animation of breaks didn't result in any stage wins, but a few trips to the podium for Greg van Avermaet. Not a great Tour, but not terrible.
Best Results:
Stage 17 - 3rd (Greg van Avermaet)
Current overall and other results:
Polka dots jersey - 2 trips to the podium for GvA to get the KOM jersey
Combativity prize - 1 trip to the podium for GvA (Stage 18)
19. UAE Team Emirates (same)
With two riders in the top 20, UAE loses points because of expectations and lack of flair. Only Aru perhaps met anticipation with a top 14 placing after iliac artery surgery earlier this year. Martin was found a little wanting. The team only made it into a few breaks.
Best Results:
Stage 4 - 2nd (Alexander Kristoff)
Current overall and other results:
14th overall - Fabio Aru
18th overall - Dan Martin
20. Dimension Data (same)
Should've brought Cav.
Current overall and other results:
16th overall - Roman Kreuziger
21. Total Direct Energie
Niccolo Bonifazio finished 3rd on the Champs!!! Riders in several breaks but that's about it.
22 . Katusha-Alpecin
What can we say?
