The front page of l'Equipe set the tone and it was the talk of the village at the start of the first Alpine stage of this Tour. Romain Bardet or Thibaut Pinot? The two young climbers are the future of French cycling and their rivalry or emulation is a race within the race, with the white jersey as the best young rider at stake.

For Vincent Lavenu, Bardet's manager at AG2R, the rivalry is healthy for the sport:

"The white jersey, Romain is keen to earn it and it's great to have a fight like this between two young Frenchmen. They're the same generation, they like each other, they respect each other," he said.

At FDJ.fr, caution is the rule, but the confidence in Pinot, currently 6th overall while Bardet is 4th, is sky high. The only concern expressed by the team managers is "an echelon between Tallard and Nimes or a descent he might no like".

For former yellow jersey holder Jean-Francois Bernard, "this Tour will be a revelator for both".

"Actually we don't have enough references on both. We just know that Bardet loves to ride at the front while Pinot rides at the back and mobilises two or three team-mates. Maybe Bardet is easier to handle," he said.

"But even though they are not the same build, they are two rather similar riders who should both ride a great Tour," he said.