The Tour de France had a big ruling this week as Chris Froome learned he was allowed to participate in the 2018 race. Froome, who has won the Tour de France four times, had his spot in jeopardy after he provided a sample that was twice the permitted dosage of salbutamol during the Vuelta a Espana, a race that he won.
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency said it was satisfied with Froome’s explanation for the test and will allow him to race. Froome has captured the past three Tour de France victories and his presence will undoubtedly make it much tougher for the rest of the field.
The race is going to start a week later than planned in order to avoid conflict with the World Cup. That shouldn’t be that big of a deal but the cyclists may have needed to alter their training regimen just a little bit to be prepared.
The Tour de France is the highest-profile event in cycling and it is 21 stages spanned over about three weeks. Cyclists have to excel at both the sprints and in the tough mountain stages and Froome has shown capable of doing both in cycling odds.
The Tour de France will depart in Noirmoutier-en-L'ile and will wrap up in the standard Champs-Elysees stages in Paris, France. The race will be held from July 7th through July 29th, 2018.
We'll have cycling odds at BookMaker.eu available for every stage of the 2018 Tour de France.
Odds Analysis
Froome is hoping to become the fourth cyclist to capture the Tour de France five different times. Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain have previously accomplished the feat. Lance Armstrong did so as well but his records were wiped off the board because he used performance-enhancing drugs.
Froome has been labeled the favorite at +175 odds and he figures to be a popular choice now that the WDA has ruled in his favor. Froome has won four of the past five Tour de France races, only crashing out in 2014. He comes into this event looking strong as he has won the majority of the other top races in the past several months.
Vincenzo Nibali is the only racer who has been able to don the yellow jersey during Froome’s heyday, winning the 2014 race. He is listed at +900 and hopes to be in the mix. Nibali is one of the more established cyclists in the field.
The cyclist with the second-best odds is Richie Porte, as he would love to follow a solid strategy and come out on top. His odds are currently set at +400 so it is a definite possibility. Nairo Quintana’s odds are listed at +600 and he has commonly been among the leaders in recent years.
Mikel Landa is listed at +900 like Nibali, while Tom Dumoulin is at +1200, with Romain Bardet, Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates all at +1600. Alejandro Valverde is a former contender but he isn’t one of the top cyclists any longer and he is listed at +2000.
There are several other cyclists with longshot odds that would pay off handsomely, and there is always a chance for a surprise rider to make a push depending on crashes, injuries and weather conditions. However, if nothing huge happens expect the winner of the Tour de France to come from one of the cyclists listed at the top of the odds.
Free Cycling Picks
It’s fair to question where Froome is mentally, not knowing until very recently whether he would be allowed to race in the 2018 Tour de France. But he has been training business as usual, confident he would be allowed to go. Froome is in the field and is once again the pick to emerge victorious for a fourth consecutive time and a fifth win overall.
Froome is the most dominant cyclist on the tour and will show it once again in Tour de France betting.
Tour de France Pick: Chris Froome
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
