Tour de France 2019 Outright Betting and Preview – Cycling Odds

Riders from 22 teams will contest the 106th staging of the Tour de France and some notable absentees have prompted experts to declare that it could be the most open race in many a year.

British riders, all attached to Team Sky, have dominated this famous race over the last seven years, only Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali managing to break their stranglehold in 2014. But one of those aforementioned absentees is four-times winner Chris Froome, injured in the Dauphine and out of action until next year. Top Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin is also out having failed to recover from a knee injury picked up at the Giro d’Italia. But defending champion Geraint Thomas is back for more, though no longer in Team Sky colours.

The black and blue of Team Sky has been usurped by the black and red of Team Ineos and Thomas will have to share lead rider status with the much-younger Egan Bernal. Nibali will again be seeking out the yellow jersey while twins Adam and Simon Yates could be in the running to fly the Union Jack over Paris again at the end of July.

Tour de France Winners Since 2006

Organisers have designed a course this year for a rider who is not necessarily a strong time-trialist. There are five mountain-top finishes with three rising above 2,000 metres in altitude. The record number of 30 categorised climbs have led to claims this i is the highest Tour in history.

Tour de France 2019 Leading Contenders – Can the British maintain their stranglehold on the world’s greatest road race?

GERAINT THOMAS (Team Ineos) – The Welshman was a surprise winner last year when Team Sky were supposed to be aiding Chris Froome but will have his stablemates’ backing this year. However, the team also have high hopes for Egan Bernal and Thomas’ preparations haven’t gone smoothly, suffering a heavy fall in the Tour of Switzerland and looking generally out of sorts. Bookmakers prefer his team-mate and Thomas is 3/1 with Betway to win for a second year running.

EGAN BERNAL (Team Ineos) – The Colombian is bidding to become the fourth youngest Tour winner and the first from his country. He finished 15th in his debut in the race last year but is a strong hill climber and a good time-triallist. He’s won the Paris-Nice this year but the pressure of being pre-race favourite could lay heavy. However, missing the Giro d’Italia could prove a blessing in disguise. Bernal is available at 5/2 with several bookmakers.

JAKOB FUGSLANG (Astana) – The Dane has already had a productive season having won the Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the spring and the Critérium du Dauphiné last month. That was his second win in the latter race, a popular stepping stone for recent Tour de France winners, so he has the right pedigree. He was just outside the top 10 last year but there are doubts that his team is strong enough to keep him in the hunt in the mountains. The 34-year-old is a general 11/2.

ADAM YATES (Mitchelton-Scott) – The 26-year-old will be supported by twin brother Simon for the first time at the Tour since 2015. He has been in the form of his life in the build-up to this month’s Tour with seconds in the ] Tirreno-Adriatico and Volta a Catalunya along with King of the Mountains jersey in the Tour of the Basque Country. As a resident of mountainous Andorra who trains regularly in the Sierra Nevada, he’ll cope with the high altitude stages better than most and looks excellent value at a general 12/1.

RICHIE PORTE (Trek-Segfredo) – The Australian is riding for a new team having crashed out in the last two years. He’s a class act but his chance may have gone and his long-term future is no longer secure after the news that Vincenzo Nibali will be a stablemate in 2020. William Hill are offering 18/1 that Porte’s luck finally changes.

VINCENZO NIBALI (Bahrain-Nevida) – A former winner of the Tour and the Gir d’Italia, the veteran Italian doesn’t often contest both races in the same year so the decision to do that this time suggests he’s not really got his eyes on the main prize, rather the polka-dot King of the Mountains jersey. His relatively new team have yet to make any impact on the Tour and Nibali failed to complete last year, which is why he is 40/1 this year with Coral.

THIBAUT PINOT (Groupama- FDJ) – There has been no French winner of the Tour de France since Bernard Hinault in 1985 and Pinot hasn’t contested the Tour since 2015. Fifth places at the Tirreno-Adriatico and Critérium du Dauphiné suggest he is in good form but doubts have been raised about him having the constitution to remain competitive over the duration of the three weeks. He is a general 20/1.

ROMAIN BARDET (AG2R La Mondiale) – Bardet is another sure to command plenty of home support. He’s a strong climber so this year’s course will suit. Bardet has finished on the podium twice in the Tour and finished in the top 10 five times but he’s never quite been able to take the next step and, though he’ll probably be in the mix again for a while, others are expected to be stronger over the final few stages. Bet365 are offering 28/1 in the Outright Winner market.

Tour de France 2019 Outright Winner Current Odds

Egan Bernal 5/2
Geraint Thomas 3/1
Jakob Fuglsang 11/2
Adam Yates 12/1
Richie Porte 18/1
Thibaut Pinot and Nairo Quintana 20/1
Steven Kruijswijk 25/1
Romain Bardet, Rigoberto Uran and Mikel Landa 28/1
Enric Mas Nicolau 33/1
Vincenzo Nibali 40/1
Simon Yates 50/1
Wouter Poels 66/1
Emanuel Buchmann, Rohann Dennis and Daniel Martin 80/1
Tejay Van Garderen and Alejandro Valvedre 100/1
(Odds correct at 1.45pm July 1)