Team Sky to prove dominance in the Tour de France

Saturday, June 29th sees the start of the Tour de France which gets underway in Corscia before winding a way through the Pyrenees and the Alps and finishing off on the Champs-Elysses on July 21st. It is not a race for the faint hearted and you need strength, stamina, good team support and a little luck to win the race. Here is our guide to the best of the bets for the event this year.

Bookmakers make Chris Froome the 4/5 (paddy Power) favourite and he ticks a lot of the boxes. The course suits him this year with many hills and mountains to climb. Froome has won four of the five events that he has entered in 2013 and you can see why he is this price. Seeing why he is a certain price and backing him at this price though are different things altogether. While the most likely winner he is not guaranteed victory. He is having to make that difficult step up from second man of team to the leader which is not always easy. The lengthy nature of the race means things could go wrong so the price looks a little short for me.

If not Froome to win it then the next most likely winner is Alberto Contador who has been there and done it all (admittedly drug enhanced) and knows how to cope with the pressure at the front. The Spaniard is a 11/4 (ladbrokes/betway) chance to win the race and is evens (paddy Power) in betting without Froome or 5/11 (GENERAL) for a podium finish. A talented rider who will be hoping to peak at the right time of the year. The race behind those two looks wide open with Joaquim Rodriguez third in the betting at 20/1 (GENERAL) or 3/1 (paddy power/ladbrokes/betway) to finish on the podium. He is very strong in the hills and mountains though very weak in the time trials which could prove costly.

Richie Porte is the second rider at Team Sky and is 7/2 (sportingbet/ladbrokes) for a place on the podium and this looks good value. Porte was a decent second behind Froome in the Dauphine. Like Froome last year Porte will benefit for working alongside someone trying to win the race. Alejandro Valverde is a 5/1 (GENERAL) chance for a podium finish and is worth considering as he has had a good 2013 while his strength in climbing is a real asset this year. He will work alongside the hugely talented Nairo Quintana who also looks capable of a podium finish at 5/1 (bet365).

The second name I will recommened for a podium finish is Tejay van Garderen who is 6/1 (sportingbet) and 18/19 (BWIN) a top six finish. Van Gardenen will ride alongside the experienced Cadel Evans and having came fifth last year will be keen to go one better this year. Evans is a 7/1 (ladbrokes) chance for a top three finish though at 36 his best riding days might be behind him and though team leader could hand over to Van Garderen towards the end of the race.

These of course are not the only markets available with bookmakers betting on things such as the Green Jersey (points classification winner), Polka Dot Jersey (king of the mountains), White Jersey (young rider classification winner). Be sure to look around for great value and a range of markets to keep you involved through the race.

BEST OF THE BETS

GOLD: Richie Porte to finish on the podium, 7/2 (SPORTINGBET/ladbrokes)
SILVER: Tejay van Garderen to finish in the top six, 18/19 (BWIN)
BRONZE: Tejay van Garderen to finish on the podium, 6/1 (SPORTINGBET)

Go To bet365

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01/07/2013     © Frixo 2026