Tour De France Preview

The 99th Tour De France gets underway this Saturday (June 30th) and Bradley Wiggins is hoping to be the first Brit to ever land the trophy, will he be celebrating in just a few weeks?

Bradley Wiggins is 11/8 (Bodog) favourite to land the Tour De France and it is clear why bookmakers are so afraid of him. Wiggins has been the star on the tour this year, winning in the Swiss Tour of Romandie, at Paris-Nice and the Criterium du Dauphine. As well as form this year’s route plays into his strengths with the emphasis on the tour being more on stamina and speed, it is not a year that favours the mountain rider. The restructured races features just two individual time trials, which benefit riders like Wiggins who are fastest against the clock, plus just three uphill finishes. Wiggins will never have a better chance of becoming the first Brit to land the title.

His strongest rival is expected to be the defending champion Cadel Evans who is next in the market at 9/4 (general). The 35 year-old Australian has been a step or two behind Wiggins this season, but many point to the Sinus infection he had in April that has had him trailing in his physical fitness. If the Australian is back to the level of fitness he needs to be he is likely to be the nearest rival to Wiggins. The 2012 tour, which includes more than 100 kilometres of time trials, also plays to one of Evans’ strengths, as he showed in his close second to Tony Martin in the tour’s final time trial around Grenoble last year. History is not in on his side though as no tour winner since 2005 (Lance Armstrong) has repeated victory in the following year.

Bookmakers see this as a two horse race, but with a ¼ (most bookmakers) the odds the top three each-way value could be had behind Wiggins and Evans. Vincenzo Nibali is 20/1 (general) and has top three finishes in the Spanish Vuelta (2010) and the Giro d’Italia (2011) and will interest many. Denis Menchov is next at 22/1 (general) and Jurgen Van Den Broeck is a 25/1 shot (bet365). Van Den Broeck finished fifth in the 2010 tour, before crashing out last year, but will hope to bounce back this year. Recent form is good too as he finished fifth at the Criterium du Dauphine. Those who fancy Team Sky to go well might be interested in Chris Froome, teammate of Bradley Wiggins, rated at 28/1 (Blue Sq/888sport/ladbrokes).

The name Schleck is always a feature of the Tour De France and the Luxembourg brothers finished second and third to Evans last year. They are once again represented this year, though just the one is competiting as Andy is injured. Frank is involved though and is a 40/1 (general) hope and can never be written off.

The North Americans send a competitive selection of riders with US trio Levi Leipheimer, Tom Danielson and Chris Horner all looking lively outsiders. The most lively outsider though looks like being Ryder Hesjedal, the Canadian is a 50/1 (general) shot to land the victory. The Canadian won the Giro D’Italia this year and finished sixth here in 2010.

It promises to be an up and down race and one that could go right down to the final stages, tour fans and neutrals are in for a treat.

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30/06/2012     © Frixo 2024