Tour de France race for glory wide open with stars suffering setbacks

2023 Tour de France winner Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, lifts his bicycle after the 21st stage. Picture: AP Photo/Thibault Camus

It is often said that the Tour de France is the one race that brings together the best of the best, all at the peak of their fitness and with no other objectives in mind, in the battle for yellow.

But this year there are big questions to ask of all the primary contenders.