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Tour de France Betting - Bet on the winner of the Tour de France

TOUR DE FRANCE BETTING - BET ON THE WINNER OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE

Taking place between Saturday 5th July and Sunday 27th July, the 95th Tour de France consists of twenty-one stages, covering a total distance of some 3500 kilometres (close on 2200 miles). The stages are divided into 10 flat, 5 mountain, 4 medium mountain and 2 time trial stages. A total of 20 teams, each of nine riders, make up the 180 riders lining up in the 2008 Tour.

Teams and Riders

France are represented by 6 teams, Spain 3, Belgium, Italy, Germany and the US by 2 each, with Britain, Denmark and Holland each fielding a single representative team.

Leading Contenders

Silence-Lotto
The Australian connection is the key to this Belgian team. Cadel Evans is one of top contenders for the overall victory (5/2 with Ladbrokes to win the Tour). He’s one of the best triallists and well able to compete in the mountains. Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych provides good support (6/4 for a top 10 finish with 888sport).

Caisse d’Epargne
Spanish team Caisse d’Epargne has a very real contender for the Tour, in the shape of Alejandro Valverde (9/2 with Stan James). Valverde is obviously in form having won the Dauphiné Libéré earlier this month. The Caisse d’Epargne team leader decided that the extremes of this year’s Tour required special preparation at high altitudes and has been preparing by way of an altitude training camp at in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Andalucía, Spain. The remainder of the team is very strong, including 2006 winner (by default) Oscar Pereiro (Evs with 888sport for a top-10 finish).

Lampre
The Italian outfit includes the promising Damiano Cunego (14/1 with Ladbrokes to win the Tour) who is a leading contender, though probably looking at a podium finish at best. (888sport offer 3/1 for a top-3 finish and 2/5 for a top-10).

Rabobank
The Dutch team will be looking to put the 2007 disqualification of Tour leader Michael Rasmussen behind them. They have a live contender for the overall win with Russian Denis Menchov, rated a 7/1 chance with Stan James to win the Tour and 6/4 with 888sport for a podium finish.

CSC-Saxo Bank
Though CSC-Saxo bank team is not the dominant force it once was, this Danish team still merits plenty of respect. Injury-prone Spaniard Carlos Sastre is one of the top climbers and is only a 14/1 chance with Paddy Power for the overall Tour win. Andy and Frank Schleck of Luxembourg are both capable of performing well and rate as 12/1 and 40/1 chances, respectively, with Stan James. Swiss Fabian Cancellara is a specialist in time trials, so is likely to have the yellow jersey for a while. However, his chances of retaining it at the finish are remote; his chances of a top-10 finish being rated at 33/1 with 888sport.

Barloworld
The sole British team includes Juan Mauricio Soler, probably the strongest climber in the field, who looks a decent bet for the “King of the Mountains.” He gets a 25/1 quote from vcbet for the overall win and is 9/10 with 888sport to finish in the top 10. Robert Hunter, of South Africa, is the team’s sprint specialist, but seems unlikely to gain the green jersey, 888sport rating him a 12/1 chance to do so. Britain’s Chris Froome may also form part of the line-up.

Saunier Duval-Scott
After failing to win the Giro, Italian Riccardo Ricco will be out to prove his credentials. 33/1 with skybet for the overall win, 888sport’s offer of Evens for a top-10 finish seems the more sensible option. Spanish team-mate Juan Jose Cobo is a 3/1 chance with 888sport for an overall top-10 finish.

Quick Step-Innergetic
Key riders: Gert Steegmans (Bel), Stijn Devolder (Bel)
2007 green jersey winner Tom Boonen is banned from the Tour after testing positive for cocaine. As a result, Gert Steegmans is handed the responsibility for the Belgian team’s points ambitions. However, his chances of repeating Boonen’s feat do not look promising, earning a 22/1 quote from 888sport.
Team-mate Stijn Devolder is likely to perform well in the quest for the overall win (33/1 with Stan James)

Of the remainder, Dane Thor Hushovd, of the Credit Agricole team, will also be seeking to grab the green jersey and is a 9/5 chance with 888sport to do so. The Columbia team’s British sprint star Mark Cavendish (14/1 for the green jersey with skybet) will be seeking to add some Tour stage wins to his impressive list of accomplishments. Milram’s veteran German sprinter Erik Zabel (10/1 with skybet) must have a chance of some stage wins, but is in the twilight of his career and likely to retire following the tour. For the overall win, Christophe Moreau is France’s great hope (80/1 with Paddy Power), but his unreliable form means he either performs brilliantly or dismally.

All odds correct at time of writing. Please click here for the latest odds