In the run up to the 2016 Tour de France, Chris Froome (Team Sky) was seen by many as the top pre-race favourite for the general classification.
His closest rivals were thought to be Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff).
The other riders considered contenders for the general classification were Richie Porte (BMC Racing Team), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Fabio Aru (Astana), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), who won the 2014 Tour and the 2016 Giro d'Italia, Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team).

Froome, who won both the 2013 and 2015 editions of the race, had shown his form during the season with overall victories in two stage races, the Herald Sun Tour and the Critérium du Dauphiné, a race considered to be the warm-up for the Tour.
The runner-up in the 2013 and 2015 Tours, Quintana, had won three stage races in the lead up to the Tour, the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour de Romandie, and the Route du Sud.
Contador, winner of the 2007 and 2009 Tours, found success in stage races during the season, winning the Tour of the Basque Country and placing second at Paris–Nice and the Volta a Catalunya.

The sprinters considered favourites for the points classification and wins on the flat or hilly bunch sprint finishes were Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), Marcel Kittel (Etixx–Quick-Step), André Greipel (Lotto–Soudal), Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data), Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha), John Degenkolb (Team Giant–Alpecin) and Michael Matthews (Orica–BikeExchange).
Sagan, the world road race champion and winner of the points classification in the four previous Tours, had won the one-day classics, Gent–Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders, and two stages of the Tour of California during the season before the Tour.
Kittel's 2016 season had been successful up to the Tour as he had amassed a total of nine wins from sprints, most notably, two stages of the Giro and the Scheldeprijs one-day race.
He also won both the general and points classifications of the Dubai Tour.
Greipel's season total of wins so far was eight, with three Giro stages.
Cavendish's form was not clear as his season was mostly spent training for the omnium track event at the Olympic Games the month following the Tour.
Although Kristoff's total of wins in the season was eight, they were not in major races.
Degenkolb had spent the majority of his season recovering from an injury and it was thought he could pose a threat.
Matthews only had two wins so far in the season, both at Paris–Nice, including the race's points classification.
In the run up to the 2016 Tour de France, Chris Froome (Team Sky) was seen by many as the top pre-race favourite for the general classification. His closest rivals were thought to be Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff). The other riders considered contenders for the general classification were Richie Porte (BMC Racing Team), Thibaut Pinot (FDJ), Fabio Aru (Astana), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), who won the 2014 Tour and the 2016 Giro d'Italia, Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale), and Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team).
Froome, who won both the 2013 and 2015 editions of the race, had shown his form during the season with overall victories in two stage races, the Herald Sun Tour and the Critérium du Dauphiné, a race considered to be the warm-up for the Tour. The runner-up in the 2013 and 2015 Tours, Quintana, had won three stage races in the lead up to the Tour, the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour de Romandie, and the Route du Sud. Contador, winner of the 2007 and 2009 Tours, found success in stage races during the season, winning the Tour of the Basque Country and placing second at Paris–Nice and the Volta a Catalunya.
The sprinters considered favourites for the points classification and wins on the flat or hilly bunch sprint finishes were Peter Sagan (Tinkoff), Marcel Kittel (Etixx–Quick-Step), André Greipel (Lotto–Soudal), Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data), Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha), John Degenkolb (Team Giant–Alpecin) and Michael Matthews (Orica–BikeExchange). Sagan, the world road race champion and winner of the points classification in the four previous Tours, had won the one-day classics, Gent–Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders, and two stages of the Tour of California during the season before the Tour. Kittel's 2016 season had been successful up to the Tour as he had amassed a total of nine wins from sprints, most notably, two stages of the Giro and the Scheldeprijs one-day race. He also won both the general and points classifications of the Dubai Tour. Greipel's season total of wins so far was eight, with three Giro stages. Cavendish's form was not clear as his season was mostly spent training for the omnium track event at the Olympic Games the month following the Tour. Although Kristoff's total of wins in the season was eight, they were not in major races. Degenkolb had spent the majority of his season recovering from an injury and it was thought he could pose a threat. Matthews only had two wins so far in the season, both at Paris–Nice, including the race's points classification.
2016 Tour de France