It's often a tough task to tell at a glance which teams are doing well at the Tour de France, there are 22 of them going around France, each with their own objectives and strengths.
To keep an eye on how each team is progressing, Cycling Central is running the Zwift Power Rankings during this Tour de France. It's a quick guide from stage to stage of which teams are excelling and which are unlucky or faring poorly.
Rankings are done according to a matrix of stage results, jersey standings and a team's ability to race with panache and flair.
1. Jumbo-Visma (same)
Dylan Groenewegen broke through for the win after finally getting a chance to really open up and sprint for the win. So eager was he that he jumped a bit early, leaving nothing to chance and managed to hold off Ewan.
The positioning wasn't great from the Jumbo-Visma leadout, but it was better than what it had been and Groenewegen was able to move himself onto Ewan's wheel and then find free space at the finish.
Best Results: Mike Teunissen 1st- Stage 1, Yellow Jersey 2 stages; Dylan Groenewegen 1st- Stage 7; Wout van Aert 2nd- Stage 5; George Bennett 4th overall; 1st- Stage 2 Team Time Trial
2. Deceuninck-Quickstep (same)
Things almost went perfectly for Deceuninck-QuickStep again, delivering Viviani perfectly to the launching point. Unfortunately, he got a slow puncture with two kilometres to go and had nowhere the zip of normal as he stepped off Richeze's wheel.
Alaphilippe will be eyeing a return to yellow on a hilly Stage 8, watch for the 'Bonus Point', with the bonus seconds on offer near the finish.
Best Results: Julian Alaphilippe 1st- Stage 3, Yellow Jersey 2 stages, 2nd overall; Elia Viviani 1st- Stage 4; 3rd- Stage 2 Team Time Trial
3. BORA-hansgrohe (same)
Sagan doing his normal thing, taking good placings in sprints. He's clearly not as fast as the others, Ewan and Groenewegen started behind the Slovak with exactly the same momentum, but put lengths into him by the finish.
His positioning is impeccable though and it's yet another widening in the margin of victory, I mean... gap to his competitors in the green jersey battle.
Best Results: Peter Sagan 1st- Stage 5, 2nd- Stage 1, 3rd- Stage 7 Green Jersey 5 days; Emanuel Buchmann 12th overall
4. Soudal Lotto (same)
Ewan and Soudal Lotto seem to have worked out Ewan's positioning issues. Put him near the front with a kilometre to go then have him follow Sagan. Sure you'll never have the best position, Sagan or whoever he's following will have that, but you'll at least be in the hunt for a stage win if you back your kick to the line and it's clear Ewan has plenty of speed.
Best Results: Caleb Ewan 2nd- Stage 7 3rd- Stage 1+4, Tim Wellens Mountains Jersey 4 days
5. Bahrain Merida (same)
Sonny Colbrelli is in the awkward position of being just slightly worse than the best at what he excels in. Sprinting and punchy finishes are in abundance at this year's race, but he's going to need a nice slice of luck to pull off a win.
Best Results: Dylan Teuns 1st- Stage 6, 3rd overall; Vincenzo Nibali 20th overall
6. Team Ineos (same)
Geraint Thomas went down in a late crash but he waved it off post-stage and it doesn't seem like there's any permanent damage.
Best Results: Geraint Thomas 4th - Stage 6, 5th overall; Egan Bernal- 6th overall; 2nd- Stage 2 Team Time Trial
7. Trek-Segafredo (same)
Day one in yellow was a success! Very little work required for Trek-Segafredo on a lazy day for the peloton.
Day two will be harder and Ciccone will be hard-pressed to defend yellow from a rampant Alaphilippe.
Best Results: Giulio Ciccone 2nd- Stage 6, 1 day in yellow; Jasper Stuyven 3rd- Stage 3
8. Wanty Groupe Gobert (same)
Yoann Offredo is becoming the people's champion for pointless, leg-sapping breakaways, the man who will sit down on the seat and cycle for six hours on a hiding to nothing for his team to get on TV.
Best Results: Xandro Meurisse 3rd- Stage 6
9. Team Sunweb (same)
Team Sunweb tried to get a sprint train going, but it was a bit late to arrive to the front and kept on hitting bad luck. First they got squeezed and separated after a significant narrowing of the road, then chopped in half as they tried to maneuver Matthews again in the final kilometre.
It's a tough needle to thread.
Best Results: Michael Matthews 2nd- Stage 3; 4th- Stage 2 Team Time Trial
10. Groupama-FDJ (same)
Thibaut Pinot is safe, that's all that matters.
Best Results: Thibaut Pinot 7th overall
11. CCC (same)
CCC will be looking ahead to tomorrow, it's a finale that van Avermaet will like the look of, and don't be surprised if they put someone in the breakaway.
Best Results: Greg van Avermaet- 4th Stage 3, Mountains Jersey 2 stages
12. UAE Team Emirates (up one position)
The only team to move up the Power Rankings today, and mostly because there needs to be some form of change, plus the fact that Jasper Philipsen is putting on a fun show. He was leading Kristoff out and was doing a good job of it until 1.5 kilometres to go, when a narrowing of the road sent Kristoff washed behind Philipsen.
Philipsen looked around, saw no Kristoff and went looking for him, meanwhile Kristoff made his way round the other side of the bunch into a decent spot, but spent a lot of energy to do so. In the end Philipsen decided to sprint for himself from a mile back and made up a ton of ground, flying directly past his team-mate as he finished an eye-catching fifth.
Best Results: Alexander Kristoff 2nd- Stage 4
13. EF Education First (down one position)
Tejay van Garderen hit the deck hard, broke his hand and is out of the Tour. A significant loss for the American squad, even without him as a factor in the GC.
Best Results: Michael Woods 9th overall; Rigoberto Uran 10th overall
14. Mitchelton-Scott (same)
Not even a Matteo Trentin cameo today, maybe he's got a new contract sewn up somewhere.
Best Results: Adam Yates 14th overall; Matteo Trentin 3rd- Stage 5
15. Astana (same)
Will Astana continue to be all-in for Fuglsang? Just have one of your talented team of riders attack... please.
Best Results: Jakob Fuglsang 11th overall
16. Movistar (same)
It's been a long time since Movistar were relevant on a flat stage.
Best Results: Nairo Quintana 16th overall; Mikel Landa 17th overall
17. Cofidis (same)
The thankless task of filling out a breakaway has the be done by someone and it was Stephane Rossetto that got lumped with the unenviable task this time.
18. Dimension Data (same)
Fast-finishing from Nizzolo again, but he's not close enough to affect the outcome of the victory.
Best Results: Giacomo Nizzolo 4th- Stage 1
19. Katusha-Alpecin (same)
Rumours of the team's demise normally acts as a wake-up call for the riders, as they realise that they'll be jobless next year unless they start picking up results. This hasn't happened yet with Katusha.
20. Team Arkea-Samsic (same)
Greipel was nowhere near the front when the sprint started and didn't go forward or back really as he finished 12th.
21. Total Direct Energie (same)
Not even present in the breakaway. They've been saving themselves for something, hopefully it's the next few stages, where they have a team that really can compete.
22. AG2R-La Mondiale (same)
AG2R need a new plan, one they should unveil in the next few stages that should suit their rouleurs quite well.
