Tour set for Battle Royal on treacherous course (Reuters)

By Julien Pretot PARIS (Reuters) – Alberto Contador will cement his status as the best grand tour rider of the modern era if he emerges as the winner of the Big Four’s battle royale at the Tour de France — the most highly anticipated race in decades. The Spaniard is looking to achieve the Giro d’Italia/Tour double for the first time since the late Marco Pantani in 1998 but the competition has never been fiercer for the seven-time grand tour champion who will retire at the end of next year. Chris Froome, the 2013 champion, and Nairo Quintana, who hopes to become the first Colombian to win the Tour, look fresher while defending champion Vincenzo Nibali will also be in the mix on a treacherous course.