Tour De France 2018 Betting Odds – Cycling Betting

Froome cleared to defend the yellow jersey

Sports Betting

It is rather ironic that neither of Britain’s road racing legends – Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome – were not actually born in the country they represent. Wiggins was born in Belgium and Froome in Kenya.

Froome is bidding to become the first rider to win the Tour de France in four consecutive years since the great Miguel Indurain won for a fifth time in a row in 1982 but his participation this year had been in doubt after he was found to have more than the permissible amount of asthma drug salbutamol in his system when he gave a urine sample during the Vuelta a Espana.

Tour de France 2018 Infographic

The Team Sky rider has always maintained his innocence and cycling’s governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has now confirmed that anti-doping proceedings have been dropped, leaving the way free for Froome to take his place in the peloton for this year’s great race, which starts at the weekend and this year includes the usual mountains, cobbled surfaces, dust roads, and a high level time trial on the penultimate day

Froome has actually won ‘Le Tour’ four times already but missed out in 2014, ironically when the race started in England. He crashed on day three and injury forced him to pull out on stage four, much to the disappointment of home fans. The first British rider to have won the Spanish Grand Tour, and the first since Bernard Hinault in 1978 to win the Vuelta a Espana and Tour de France in the same year, the Monaco-based Team Sky rider has already won the Giro d’Italia this year and, now that the shadow of suspension has been lifted, it is all systems go again for the biggest race of the year.

That said, there is not much love lost for Team Sky among French cycling fans – French cycling legend Hinault has publicly called Froome a cheat and Tour de France organisers had actually considered issuing their own ban – but that won’t prevent Geraint Thomas and his team-mates from giving their team’s number one rider every chance of another victory in Paris on July 29 – Sportingbet make the Briton their 2/1 favourite.

France’s great hope, Thibaut Pinot, has unfortunately been ruled out after contracting pneumonia during the Giro d’Italia but Australian Richie Porte (9/2 with Betway), who now rides for BMC, takes his chance again having crashed out last year. He’s also not had the best of preparations, however. Nairo Quintana is a best 9/1 with Betway but it is not even certain that he is the number one rider any more at Movistar with the emergence of Mikel Landa, 10/1 with the same firm. Vicenzo Nibali is a best 11/1 and Tom Dumoulin is available at 15/1 in places but a general classification win for any other rider in the race would be a shock.

Tour De France 2018 General Classification Winner Best Odds

Chris Froome 2/1
Richie Porte 9/2
Nairo Quintana 9/1
Mikel Landa 10/1
Vincenzo Nibali 11/1
Romain Bardet 16/1
Geraint Thomas 20/1
Adam Yates 20/1
Jakob Fuglsang 20/1
Primoz Roglic 22/1
Alejandro Valverde 33/1
Rigoberto Uran 33/1
Egan Bernal 50/1
Daniel Martin 66/1
Iinur Zakarin 80/1
Bauke Mollema 100/1
Steven Kruijswijk 100/1