by Renee Israel
The 2012 Tour de France cycle race has reached the half way
stage and it is time to take stock of eventual possibilities. The cyclists are
in the Alpine part of East France and will do the stretch towards the south,
before moving northwards for the final stage to Paris.
Yellow Jersey in 2012 Tour de France
The yellow jersey is awarded to the cyclist with the least time over all the
stages at the end of the Tour de France race. A ceremonial yellow jersey is also
awarded for each stage, giving the cyclist the right to wear the jersey during
the subsequent stage.
British sports fans, disappointed after Andy Murray's defeat in the Wimbledon
final, can take delight that Bradley Wiggins is leading the race after 9 stages.
He was the leader in the ninth stage. Wiggins has a total time of 39 hours 9
minutes and 20 seconds, which has given him a 1 minute 53 second lead over
reigning champion Cadel Evans.
The handicappers at online betting sites have declared him the favourite to
win the 2012 Tour de France. Should he do so, he will become the first Briton to
win this prestigious cycle race. Compatriot and Sky Procycling team mate
Christopher Froome is in third place and this should bring even more cheer to
British fans.
However, Wiggins has not had an easy time in the 2012 Tour de France with
allegations of doping directed his way.
The UK online betting site Bet365 is currently offering the following 2012
Tour de France winner odds for the top four contenders. The rest have extremely
long odds at the moment.
2012 Tour de France Winner Odds
Wiggins 1/3
Evans 9/2
Froome 8/1
Nibali 18/1
Other Tour de France Betting Lines
The team classifications at the Tour de France are arrived at by adding the
times of the best three riders from the team at each stage. Sky Procycling of
Britain, despite having the first and third places in the individual list, is in
second place. Radioshack Nissan from Luxembourg is the leader. The odds for the
top three in the team classification at Bet365 online are as follows.
Radioshack Nissan 2/5
Sky Procycling 11/4
Omega Pharma Quick Step 33/1
A large section of the Tour de France is run on the Alps. The winner on these
stages is designated as the King of the Mountains and given a red polka dot
jersey. The odds at Bet365 online for the top contenders in this classification
are as follows.
Sorensen 5/1
Froome 6/1
Kessiakoff 10/1
