Tour De France Prize Money 2016: Payouts, Predictions for Triple Crown Race
The 2016 Tour de France is set to kick off on Saturday, and Astana's Vincenzo Nibali will be looking to follow up his victory in May's Giro d'Italia with his second success here.
Nibali has already tasted victory on home soil this year, and should he top the general classification on July 24, he'll enjoy a €500,000 prize as part of a €1,128,800 purse, per the Tour's official rules. The runner-up will get €200,000, while an individual stage win will garner a prize of €11,000.
Read on for a closer look at what to expect from the race and some predictions as to how it will play out, but first here is a more comprehensive breakdown of the prize money on offer:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| Final Individual General Classification (1st) | €500,000 |
| Final Individual General Classification (2nd) | €200,000 |
| Final Individual General Classification (3rd) | €100,000 |
| Daily Yellow Jersey Prize | €500 |
| Stage Classification (1st) | €11,000 |
| Stage Classification (2nd) | €5,500 |
| Stage Classification (3rd) | €2,800 |
| Intermediate Sprints (1st) | €1,500 |
| Intermediate Sprints (2nd) | €1,000 |
| Intermediate Sprints (3rd) | €500 |
| Final Points Classification (1st) | €25,000 |
| Final Points Classification (2nd) | €15,000 |
| Final Points Classification (3rd) | €10,000 |
| Best Climber Classification (1st) | €25,000 |
| Best Climber Classification (2nd) | €15,000 |
| Best Climber Classification (3rd) | €10,000 |
Nibali's Triple Crown Bid Will End Here
Should the Italian win in France as he did in 2014, he'd be one step away from cycling's esteemed Triple Crown—winning the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Road World Cycling Championships in the same year.
Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche are the only cyclists ever to accomplish such a feat, though. The latter's came way back in 1987, so it doesn't look like a realistic target even for Nibali.
Further, the Italian will be there to help his team-mate Fabio Aru win as his super-domestique rather than go for the win himself. Per Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Gregor Brown of VeloNews), Astana team manager Giuseppe Martinelli said: "Everyone is racing for Astana. Nibali is a helper. We’re not going to the Tour with two leaders. I don’t want any kind of duels."
According to cycling expert Mihai Cazacu, Nibali will stick to the plan:
Though Nibali will effectively end his slim chance of winning the Tour and by extension the Triple Crown, Aru served as his domestique in Nibali's Giro win in 2013, so he'll be returning the favour.
Chris Froome Will Not Win His Third Tour Title This Year
Chris Froome is undoubtedly a serious contender for the Tour, having won it in 2013 and 2015, but he may find it difficult this time around.
This year marks his first attempt at winning it without Richie Porte by his side—the rider who served as his super-domestique on both of his wins and for Bradley Wiggins' Tour win in 2012. Porte is now with BMC Racing and is intent on winning it himself.
Further, there is an emphasis on climbing this year. Per the Tour's official website, the race consists of "one hilly stage, nine mountain stages—including four summit finishes" as well as nine flat stages and two individual time trials.
That will suit Movistar's Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde down to the ground. Tinkoff's Alberto Contador believes the former is firmly in contention to win the Tour, per Cycling News:
Contador himself will also be in the mix, and he's likely to attack early and often, which can wreak havoc on his rivals' plans.
All in all, it will take a monumental effort from Froome to win this year—it might be too much.
A Frenchman Will Win on Bastille Day
Stage 12 will be a significant one for the local cyclists in particular, as it takes place on July 14—the day of the French national holiday Bastille Day.
Further, the route will take the peloton from Montpellier up Mont Ventoux—one of the most iconic climbs in the sport, as the following video reveals:
The holiday often seems to eke out even more effort from French riders anyway, but the slopes of Ventoux will give even more cause for the cyclists to push themselves.
French riders Romain Bardet, Warren Barguil and Thibaut Pinot will likely have their sights trained on a victory here, and there's a strong chance one of them will succeed.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
