Bernard Hinault was interviewed by L'Equipe about the route for the 2016 Tour de France. The former Tour de France winner explained that French riders will have to take risks if they want to stop Chris Froome and Team Sky from dominating the three-week race.

Hinault won the Tour de France five times. He is one of only six cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours and one of two cyclists to have won each more than once (the other being Alberto Contador). He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985. He was second in 1984 and 1986 and won 28 stages of which 13 were individual time trials.

"This Tour will be very open, with constant dangers, even during the opening stages near the Channel," Hinault told. "The Granville stage (three) could do considerable damage. After that there are a lot of mountain stages to Bagnères-de-Luchon, Culoz and others. To win this Tour, the riders will have to take the initiative and be ever present.

"This year Chris Froome cleaned up on Pierre Saint-Martin, when the climb wasn’t that steep. The others should try to use every opportunity given by the route to take him on. Pinot, Bardet and Barguil should take a few risks like they did on the stage to Mende. They shouldn’t hesitate and wait to be shunted down the classification. They should try to influence the race, if they do, the Tour will give them opportunities, especially as there is no long time trial. 54km is okay and there’s no team time trial. It’s only by trying to shake up the race that they can hope to win the Tour one day, even if it seems difficult for them to do it."