by Renee Israel
The world's top cyclists are waiting in the wings to kick off their 22 day
adventure in this year's Tour de France.
The teams will begin at Passage du Gois during stage one of the competition
and complete the race at Paris' Champs-Elysees in the 98th Tour de France. The
tour will begin on July 2nd and end on July 24th.
Bookmakers seem almost positive that Alberto Contador will win the Tour de
France, after the two time defending champion announced his intention to go for
gold.
In September 2010, Contador was suspended from riding for six months,
following a doping investigation. However, after the suspension was lifted, he
announced his intention to compete in this year's race and he instantly became a
firm favourite at bookie sites across the board, carrying odds of 4/6 that he
will be the outright winner.
It seems that there are only two serious contenders for the title of
champion, and Contador's only rival worth wagering on (according to bookies at
least) is Andy Schlek, with odds of 7/4.
Odds of 18/1 are being offered on B Wiggins, while I Basso and C Evans share
odds of 25/1. These only get deeper, and odds of as much as 2,500 and even
3,000/1 are being offered on riders such as J Hivert and M Cavendish.
New TV Agreements
The Tour de France will enjoy greater exposure this year than
any other year, thanks to new television agreements. Over 190 countries will be
able to view all 21 stages of the competition, prompting more interest in the
race and betting on it.
This is why bookmakers have a range of betting markets open on
the Tour de France 2011, including the outright winner, betting without
Contador, Contador vs the field and betting without the Big 2 (Contador and
Schlek).
