Tour de France is the second-biggest sports event in the world, after the FIFA World Cup, watched by billion people worldwide, and certainly the most important cycling race of the year as one of three Grand Tours of the season alongside Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana. It consists of 21 stages and lasts for more than three weeks, while 176 riders from 22 different teams are battling for awards. This year, the race starts on July 7th and until July 29th we’ll see one individual time trial, one team time trial, nine flat stages, four medium mountain stages, and six high mountain stages including the legendary climbs at the Alpe d’Huez and the Col de Tourmalet.
There are four different classifications at the Tour de France, and the most important is the general classification that determines the winner of the race who has the best overall time. The winner is rewarded with famous Yellow Jersey, while during the race, the current leader is wearing Yellow Jersey in order to know who the best rider is at the moment. The mountains classification defines the best climber in the race who wears a Polka Dot Jersey; the points classification sets the best sprinter who carries Green Jersey, while White Jersey is a reward for the best young rider under the age of 26.
Nonetheless, each day the riders are fighting for a single stage victory, and it brings a lot of drama to every Tour de France stage, but also for the bettors who can wager on the stage winner day by day. However, the most interesting betting option is to nail who will end the race in Yellow Jersey, so let’s take a closer look at the strongest candidates to beat the 105th edition of the Tour de France along with the latest winners odds on BetDSI Sportsbook.
Tour de France 2018 Winners Odds
| Chris Froome +150 | Richie Port +375 | Nairo Quintana +700 |
| Mikel Landa +900 | Vincenzo Nibali +900 | Tom Dumoulin +1200 |
| Geraint Thomas +1400 | Adam Yates +1600 | Romain Bardet +1600 |
| Jakob Fuglsang +1800 | Primoz Roglic +1800 | Alejandro Valverde +2200 |
| Rigoberto Uran +2500 | Daniel Martin +5000 | Steven Kruijswijk +8000 |
According to BetDSI Sportsbook, the defending champion Chris Froome is the strongest contender for a reason, as the 33-year old British is a four-time Tour de France winner, and he has completely surpassed the competition in the previous three years. Froomey is an outstanding time-trialist, while his unique climbing style makes him one of the best riders ever. He won three Grand Tours in a row including the last Tour de France, a remarkable feat that only two guys in the history managed to make before Froome who now has a chance to win the fourth straight and join the legendary Eddy Merckx, the only guy who did it back in 1973.
It is so hard to maintain the form at the highest level during the season, but the bettors should know that Chris Froome rides for Team Sky who’s undoubtedly the strongest side in the peloton, and team’s support is essential in cycling, particularly on Grand Tours where riders pass through a three-week hell. Froomey always had someone to guide and carry him on the toughest climbs, and this time it will be his compatriot Geraint Thomas who’s at +1400 to finish in the yellow.
So, who can endanger Chris Froome this time? The 33-year old Australian Richie Port from BMC Racing Team is the second favorite with the odds at +375 to beat the 2018 Tour de France, and the Tasmanian Devil has a huge motive to overcome Froomey. Back in 2013, Richie Port helped Cris Froome to win his first Tour de France title, while in 2015, he was Froome’s key servant, and on some occasions, he even looked stronger than the champion. Last year, Richie Port was in a great form, but he crashed descending in the ninth stage, immediately exiting the race. Porte is a terrific climber, and if he finds the right form at the individual time trial, everything is possible.
The 28-year old Colombian Nairo Quintana at +700 from Movistar Team and his teammate the 29-year old Spaniard Mikel Landa at +900 are both amazing climbers, but their weakness is a time trial where both these guys could lose a lot of time. Quintana battled with Froome in the previous two editions, and each time he lost due to a worse time at the time trial. At least, he will have a huge support in the mountains this time, as Mikel Landa is a well-known climber who literally dragged Froomey to the victory last year. Likewise, Movistar Team will have another strong rider in the race, although the 38-year old Alejandro Valverde is maybe too old to hold out three weeks in the top form, his experience could be crucial for the eventual Quintana’s or Landa’s success.
The 33-year old Italian Vincenzo Nibali is at +900, and the Shark from Messina knows how to win Grand Tours, while he’s a Tour de France champion from 2014. Nibali is a terrific descender, and in general a pure all-rounder, but his current form isn’t promising, although he rides for Bahrain-Merida where he has some excellent servants in Giovanni Visconti and Domenico Pozzovivo. Tom Dumoulin at +1200 could be a nice wager, as the 27-year old Dutchman is an exceptional time-trialist, but he could lose some time in the mountains. His team Sunweb cannot provide him a strong support, so Dumoulin is mostly lone when it comes to some tough climbing.
In the end, I have to mention the 27-year old Frenchman Romain Bardet from AG2R La Mondiale who’s a great climber and a rider who possesses courage for the greatest achievements. He finished third overall last year, two minutes behind Froome, and if he improves the time trial performance, he could be a dark horse of the 2018 Tour de France with the odds at +1600 to win the race.
All in all, if anyone wants to finally beat Chris Froome at his favored race, he will need a lot of luck and great guts. Froomey is certainly tired after winning three Grand Tours in a row, so it is a huge opportunity for all other contenders, but they need to be strong in the mountains, and spanking enough at the time trial, as it’s Chris Froome specialty.
My Pick: Richie Port (+375)
