Calling the 2015 Tour de France parcours an “anti-Froome” route, the former winner of la Grande Boucle Pedro Delgado pointed out that the greatest of three-week events slowly starts to resemble the Vuelta a Espana and favours ambitious and hot-blooded riders.

With drastically reduced amount of kilometers raced against the clock, time trials will not have a major impact on the general classification of the Tour de France 102nd edition, was usually was a case in the past.

Noticing that, as well as finishes atop steep ascents tailor made for more explosive riders, Delgado claimed that the atypical route of the French Grand Tour is exceptionally unfavorable for Team Sky leader. The Spaniard was graceful enough not to mention cobbles which certainly make Froome shake all over, but instead suggested that nonetheless the 29-year old Briton should participate in the challenging event.

"If I was writing for a British newspaper about the route, I'd have 'an anti-Froome Tour' as my headline," Delgado, a longstanding cycling commentator for state television TVE, told Cyclingnews.

"The kind of terrain Froome will have to face is not at all favorable for him. They've taken away the long individual time trials, and there are a lot of very steep ascents, sometimes finishes which - as a rider who does better on long, steady uphill climbs - won't be to his liking either." 

"That said, I don't think it would be wise for him to reject doing the Tour, because sometimes the route will be better for him, sometimes worse, but it's still the Tour."

The former Tour winner also pointed out that next year edition of the race favours French riders like no other, but still didn’t believe in their chances if Froome, Nairo (Movistar), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) all would make it to Paris in July.

"You'd have to add in Nairo Quintana, but actually I think he's a better time triallist than the French, so they'll benefit the most."

"It's an anti-Froome Tour, but in any case I think the French are currently at a level below him, Quintana (Movistar), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo). If one of them falls off or doesn't take part, their chances will improve dramatically."

"It's good for Contador, he likes those sharp uphill finishes - you could see that in this year's Vuelta. With this kind of route, you're obliged to be ambitious and hotblooded about your racing, you can't just take this route into a laboratory and calculate how much time you'll lose and gain on each stage. It'll be decided day by day."