Trek-Segafredo (open in new tab) overall leaders Bauke Mollema (open in new tab) and Richie Porte (open in new tab) say this year's Tour de France will be the hardest of their careers.

The pair will be targeting a top 10 finish in Paris, joining the four prize money the two have won in previous Tour de France races.

Porte said the Tour will be deadly safe in the early stages, with Ineos Grenadier and Jumbo Visma the two biggest contenders expected to set the pace for most of the race.

Porte, 35, called the final week, with four summit finishes, including a time trial on stage 20, a "death march" to the finish. In a pre-race press conference, Porte said, "It's not up to us to decide the race."

"In the Dauphiné," Porte stressed, "if we follow Jumbo and Ineos as they pick up the pace on the climbs and stay out of trouble in the first few stages, the race will be like a death march to Paris in the third week.

"The race doesn't end until Paris because the final week is brutally hard stages. When we scouted the final stage, we said it would probably be the hardest Tour. And the start is hard, too."

Mollema agreed with his co-leader and said he hoped the two could help each other in a tough stage final that could isolate the solo team leader.

"We just have to be there, preferably the two of us," the 33-year-old Dutchman said. 'Obviously, if two people are there in the finale and there's a small group left, we can help each other out. I think just being there will help a lot."

"I think there are a lot of strong teams, as you can see from Jumbo Visma. Ineos Grenadiers and a few other teams have strong climbers and GC players as well.

"My goal now is to get my top level over the next few weeks and prove that I can compete with the best riders. I think I have the best preparation I have had in the last few months."

Both riders agreed that the first week would be crucial to what would happen in the remaining races. Big names such as Romain Bardet, Julien Alaphilippe, and Dan Martin insisted that they will be looking for stage wins.

"With a week already under my belt, I think I know where I stand compared to the other competitors," Mollema said.

"If I can do some mountain stages in the first week, I will be able to decide what to focus on in the last two weeks. And the last week will be brutal. I looked at last year's GC results and there were four guys within two minutes of each other.

Porte added that it will be a hard three weeks of racing, at least if the Criterium du Dauphiné is anything to go by.

"At the moment it seems like every GC leader on every team is saying they are here for a stage or they are injured. 'If we race like the Dauphiné, like I said before, it's like running five one-day races in a row. But hopefully I can make it to Paris."

"I don't think you have a chance to let up in the Tour. The first week in particular is a disaster, where a few seconds lost can turn into minutes in the final week. At least we'll know a little bit about the standings before the first hard finishes on stages 4 and 6.