With the FIFA World Cup captivating sporting fans across globe, the annual Tour De France has taken an unusual back seat as the world’s top cyclists descend upon the picturesque countryside for 21 enthralling stages.

Come Saturday night however, many Australians will be glued to their televisions until the early hours of the morning as the drama of the tour unfolds.

This year’s event will not be without controversy, as the cycling world waits anxiously for the response of reigning champion Chris Froome to his recent doping scandal.

For the rest of the field it’s about knocking off the traditionally dominant Froome-led Team Sky and etching their names into history.

Australia’s big chance

Richie Porte of Australia riding for BMC Racing Team reacts as he crosses the finish line after stage twelve of the Tour de France, in 2016. Photo: Getty

With only one winner (Cadel Evans 2011) since the first Australian rode in the Tour de France in 1914, this year seems as good a chance as any to add to that list with BMC front man Richie Porte at the peak of his powers.

A former teammate of Froome, Porte will hope to stop the five-year dominance of Team Sky and catapult BMC to the top of world cycling.

After finishing in a career high of fifth place in 2016, Porte’s 2017 campaign was cruelly cut short when a horror collision descending from the Mont du Chat saw the Tasmanian break his collar bone and retire from the race after just nine stages.

It has been a peculiar year for the 27-year-old. After some solid form early in the SANTOS Tour Down Under and road races in Portugal and Spain, illness forced him to pull out of the Tirreno-Adriatico in March.

This would dramatically change Porte’s preparations for the big race, which he only sees as a positive.

“Being ill at that time of the year might actually be a blessing in disguise.” He told Ron Arnold in the official Tour de France guide.

“Who’s to say that the interruption might actually have helped my Tour?”

Since his return, Porte has been in some good form on the bike after claiming a win in the Tour de Suisse in mid-June.

He has also experienced happiness off the bike with wife Gemma giving birth to a son, Luka.

Speaking in the lead up to the Tour de France on Thursday morning at the official BMC press conference, Porte is excited going into the first stage from Noirmoutier-en-l’Île to Fontenay-le- Comte on Saturday afternoon.

“We’ve had a great season so far and yeah I’m super motivated for this tour,” he told the press.

“I don’t hope for good luck, but I certainly hope for no bad luck along the way.”

The BMC team built around Porte is another major positive for the Australian’s chances with a host of experienced stage winners such as Simon Gerrans and Greg Van Avermaet leading an excellent supporting cast in Richie’s pursuit of the podium.

“We have a super team this year,” Porte said.

“The first nine stages are pretty tricky and I think we’ve got the horse power to get me through.”

The Froome Factor

Great Britain’s Chris Froome was cleared of doping in recent days. Photo: Getty

Without a doubt the biggest name in cycling, Team Sky front man Chris Froome has dominated the tour over the past five years with four victories.

However, 2018 looks to be the biggest challenge of the 33-year-old’s career as he cops backlash over the doping allegations he was cleared of on Monday.

Froome was relieved to finally put this ordeal behind him and focus on his preparations for the race as he looks to secure his fourth straight triumph at the Tour de France.

“I knew that I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m extremely relieved and it’s a huge weight off my shoulders going into this year’s Tour, which is going to be the biggest challenge of my career,” he told the media.

General manager of Team Sky Sir Dave Brailsford was always confident Froome would be cleared to race in this years tour and looks forward to another successful campaign.

“It was never in doubt for us that this whole thing would get cleared up. But that whole episode is over and Chris deserves a lot of credit for the way he’s handled that whole situation,” Brailsford said.

Despite the resolution of this issue, there is still a lot of hostility surrounding the world’s premier cyclist with security set to be severely bolstered around Froome.

Cycling wise, Froome is without a doubt the man to beat at this years tour as he looks to block out the external noise and show off his incredible skill along with the calibre of his Sky teammates to stand on the podium for the fifth time in six years.

Other contenders

Spain’s Marc Soler, Colombia’s Nairo Quintana, Spain’s Mikel Landa and Spain’s Alejandro Valverde relax at a French cafe on the eve of the Tour’s start. Photo: Getty

Although Porte and Froome are the two main favourites to take out this year’s tour there are a number of other threats that can do some serious damage.

Team Movistar is of extreme interest coming into the tour as rather than having one designated front man, they contain three capable riders in Nairo Quintana, Alejandro Valverde and Mikel Landa who are all on equal billing.

Despite a mediocre season thus far, 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali is another genuine contender with his experience and ability to adapt across the three-week period making him one of the world’s best riders.

After finishing in second at the Giro D’Italia behind Froome, Dutchman Tom Dumoulin is also capable of causing a serious upset.

The course

This year’s tour has a relatively traditional course with a healthy mixture of flat and hilled terrain.

Starting in the Vendée region on the west coast of France, cyclists appear likely to face strong winds in the opening two stages before the first team trial at stage 3.

The riders will then head north with the sprinters set to have a major say in proceedings early in the race.

Stage nine has been the most talked about stage of the tour with the 156.5 kilometre journey from Arras to Roubaix as the cyclists will face 21.7 kilometres of historic cobblestone roads.

Following this stage the tour then hits the alps in the South East of France for the mountain stages which will be critical in deciding the result.

Race director Christian Prudhomme was buoyant about the chosen course when it was announced in October.

“We especially wanted to emphasise stage variety and the routes that may prove decisive,” Prudhomme said.

“Combining legendary climbs with brand new ascensions or ultra-dynamic formats, to provide a vision of modern and inspired cycling,”

Live coverage of the Tour de France begins on Saturday night at 8:30pm AEST on SBS.