Seven top tips for the FREE Tour de France Manager

Picking Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel is the easy part of filling out your Tour de France fantasy team. But who are the lesser-known gems that could make the difference over the next three weeks? Here are seven golden tips to help you complete your team for the free Tour de France Manager from CyclingUpToDate.

1. Thibau Nys (7.9 million)
This year’s Tour de France route is anything but typical. Usually, there's a stage or two for puncheurs—but this first week offers four ideal opportunities, in stages 2, 4, 6, and 7. That puts Ardennes-style riders like Thibau Nys right in the spotlight. The 22-year-old Belgian is making his Grand Tour debut, but expectations are already high. He impressed last year with five pro wins and held his own this spring at both Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

2. Santiago Buitrago (10.6 million)
Most of the pre-race attention at Bahrain-Victorious is going to Lenny Martinez—and understandably so, after his impressive stage win at the Dauphiné. But Martinez won’t be targeting the GC in his Tour debut. That role falls to Santiago Buitrago. The Colombian started 2025 strongly but dipped in form recently. Now, he says he's back in top shape and ready to fight for a high GC placing. He finished in the top 10 last year, and if he does it again, he’s a steal at just over €10 million.

3. Emilien Jeannière (8.4 million)
If you don’t follow the full calendar, you might not know Emilien Jeannière—but his results speak for themselves. He finished second behind Tim Merlier at Paris-Nice, reached the podium at the new WorldTour race in Copenhagen, and climbed well in the Dauphiné, placing in the top 11 on four occasions. He’s an intriguing option among the second-tier sprinters.

4. Kévin Vauquelin (10.9 million)
Another Frenchman in fine form is Kevin Vauquelin. He nearly won the Tour de Suisse, only losing the yellow jersey to João Almeida in the final time trial. A strong third place at the French national championships confirms he’s still flying. While a GC push isn’t the priority, the Arkéa leader should thrive in the punchy finishes, time trials, and breakaway opportunities. Expect plenty of scoring chances across the Tour.

5. Danny van Poppel (4.8 million)
Neither Olav Kooij nor Dylan Groenewegen, but Danny van Poppel sprinted to the Dutch national title this year. Sprinting runs in the family—his father Jean-Paul van Poppel won the green jersey back in 1987. The main question is how many chances he’ll get. He’ll be Jordi Meeus’ lead-out man on flat stages, but Meeus isn’t the strongest climber, so Van Poppel may get his own chances on tougher terrain. At under €5 million, he’s great value if he can sneak a stage win.

6. Iván Romeo (4.8 million)
If you’re already loaded up on sprinters and looking for a dynamic breakaway threat, look no further than Iván Romeo. The Spanish talent is having a breakout season. He won a stage in his first race of the year with a late solo and has consistently placed in the top five in WorldTour events. At the Dauphiné, he even outwitted Mathieu van der Poel for a stage win. Watch for the Spanish tricolor—he claimed the national title with another impressive solo effort.

A pricier GC pick, but one that's surprisingly under-selected. That might be due to a rocky start to the season—he broke his collarbone at the UAE Tour and could only manage sixth in Romandie and ninth in the Dauphiné. But Rodríguez insists he’s peaking at the right time. His Grand Tour record is rock-solid: four starts, four top-10 finishes. He was fifth at last year’s Tour and even took a stage win, dropping everyone but Pogačar and Vingegaard and sealing the deal with a daring descent. If you're looking for a reliable GC option with serious upside, Rodríguez is a smart pick.