Tour de France Stage 3 Betting Preview

Jan Bakelants was the surprise winner of Stage 2 after breaking away in the final few kilometres before producing a gutsy finish to hold off the charging sprinters. His win not only gives him a stage victory, but also means that he moves into yellow ahead of Stage 3, upsetting Cannondale’s plans to put Sagan into yellow ahead of the team time-trial.

Stage 3 is the last stage in Corsica, but is likely to follow a similar course to that of today. The early category 4 climb should enable a breakaway to escape, while the climb of Col de Marsolino just 15km from the finish should shed the pure sprinters. It is only a short climb, but an average gradient of 8.3% means that the likes of Cavendish, Greipel and Kittel will find themselves adrift once again. The descent is a tricky one on narrow roads and we could well see an opportunistic attack from someone here in the hopes of a stage victory.

Cannondale are unlikely to make the same mistakes in Stage 3 as they did today. Once again, Peter Sagan is the strong favourite for this stage and he showed that he is the fastest sprinter in the group that is likely to make it to the finish. Despite not catching Bakelants, he outsprinted Kwiatkowski, Cimolai and Boasson Hagen to take second. Assuming Cannondale can work to prevent any breakaway staying clear, it is tough to see who will stop him.

The man that came closest was the Pole, Michal Kwiatkowski, who clearly has a great future. He is one of two options that Omega Pharma Quick-Step have for this stage along with the Frenchman, Sylvain Chavanel. I suspect Chavanel may have a go on the descent, and should that fail, help Kwiatkowski go for the win in a sprint against Sagan.

Michal Kwiatkowski could be the man to stop Peter Sagan from winning Stage 3

Edvald Boasson Hagen finished fifth today and will likely challenge again tomorrow, but with the lack of a dedicated lead-out and the focus securely on ensuring that Chris Froome stays out of danger, the task of winning the stage seems just out of reach. BMC put their trust in Philippe Gilbert today, but the Belgian struggled to a disappointing 18^th place and I cannot see that he will improve enough to take the win tomorrow.

The likes of Pierre Rolland and Thomas Voeckler will likely attempt to get away on the final climb, with Rolland particularly keen to hang onto his King of the Mountains jersey, but I would be surprised if a breakaway were to succeed on this climb.

The other team that may look to do something on this stage is Orica GreenEdge. With Daryl Impey, Michael Albasini and Simon Gerrans, they have plenty of options. It was Impey that was the main man today, but I suspect Gerrans may be the man that they focus on tomorrow. He already has a couple of victories this year and will come into this race in good form.

Prediction

1. Sagan

2. Kwiatkowski

3. Gerrans

4. Boasson Hagen

5. Gavazzi

Recommended Bets

Michal Kwiatkowski @ 22/1 E/W (Paddy Power)

Simon Gerrans @ 33/1 E/W (Paddy Power)

Recommended Match Bets

Simon Gerrans to beat Philippe Gilbert @ 18/19 (Bwin)

Sylvain Chavanel to beat Philippe Gilbert @ 2.49 (Pinnacle)

Junior Girls Wimbledon Preview

We looked the other day at some of the leading contenders in the boy's Junior Wimbledon event here. Today, we preview eight of the girls that are likely to progress deep into the tournament and predict the quarter-final line-up.

Belinda Bencic

Nationality: Swiss

Senior Ranking: 372

Junior Ranking: 1

2012 Junior Wimbledon: R32 (Lost to Indy de Vroome 7-6, 4-6, 7-5)

The 16-year old Swiss player is the top ranked junior and has proven unbeatable this year. Having skipped the Australian Open, she won the title at Roland Garros and is currently on a 29-match unbeaten run. She lifted the title in Roehampton this week for the loss of just one set to firmly in preparation for Wimbledon.

Given her unbeaten run, she will be a strong favourite to lift the title here. Seeded number one, she proved this week in Roehampton that she can play on this surface and it will take a real effort from any player that hopes to beat her.

Anett Kontaveit

Nationality: Estonian

Senior Ranking: 316

Junior Ranking: 33

2012 Junior Wimbledon: SF (Lost to Eugenie Bouchard 7-6, 6-4)

The Estonian has played most of her tennis on the senior circuit this season, except for the Grand Slams. She reached the semi-final in Australia, losing to Katerina Siniakova and has already lifted two senior titles this year. She reached the semi-final last year at Wimbledon, only being beaten by the eventual champion Genie Bouchard, and will fancy her chances of a good run again.

The lack of grass court preparation could hamper her chances, although it was certainly not in evidence as she destroyed Sara Tomic yesterday for the loss of just one game. She is seeded to play Belinda Bencic in the third round in what should be a very competitive match.

Katerina Siniakova

Nationality: Czech

Senior Ranking: 350

Junior Ranking: 3

2012 Junior Wimbledon: R16 (Lost to Sabina Sharipova 3-6, 6-1, 6-3)

Katerina Siniakova reached the final of the Australian Open juniors and has already lifted a senior title this year. Grass is not her ideal surface though, as shown by her third round defeat last year against Sabina Sharipova, but the added experience of playing at a higher level will boost her chances.

It is likely to be the last year that Siniakova plays in the junior event here and she will be looking for a good showing. She cruised through her opening round match yesterday without too many problems, but may struggle to live up to her third seeding.

Taylor Townsend

Nationality: American

Senior Ranking: 332

Junior Ranking: 8

2012 Junior Wimbledon: QF (Lost to Francoise Abanda 6-4, 6-3)

The American was the top seed last year, but has predominantly focussed on the senior tour this season. A quarter-final defeat last year was slightly disappointing, but she will be hoping for a better run this year in the bottom half of the draw. A run to the semi-final in Roehampton last week was good preparation.

Townsend has struggled to live up to her potential on the senior circuit this year, but she will fancy her chances of getting some wins under her belt here. She has a tough first round match, but should she progress through that, the draw opens up nicely for her to go deep into this tournament.

Ana Konjuh

Nationality: Croatian

Senior Ranking: 551

Junior Ranking: 2

2012 Junior Wimbledon: QF (Lost to Anett Kontaveit 6-0, 6-4)

The 15-year old is one of the most promising young players in tennis. She has already won the Australian Open title this season, reached the semi-final in Roland Garros, lifted a senior ITF title and recorded a stunning win over top-50 player, Urszula Radwanska, in the Fed Cup. She reached the quarter-final last year as a 14-year old and will be a strong favourite to go further this time around.

She has not played a warm-up tournament on grass, but showed little sign of rust as she won her first round match in straight sets. She has a relatively straight-forward quarter of the draw and will be disappointed if she doesn’t go all the way to the final at least.

Barbora Krejcikova

Nationality: Czech

Senior Ranking: 465

Junior Ranking: 5

2012 Junior Wimbledon: R32 (Lost to Eugenie Bouchard 6-4, 6-3)

The fifth ranked Czech is arguably more at home on the clay than on the grass, but still has the talent to have a good run at Wimbledon. An early defeat last year to Genie Bouchard is certainly no disgrace and she reached the quarter-final in Roehampton this week before losing to British player, Harriet Dart.

She has a reasonable easy quarter with plenty of qualifiers in her section, but a quarter-final match against Taylor Townsend will be a major challenge for her. It would be no surprise if she reached this stage, but I would not expect her to progress any further.

Anhelina Kalinina

Nationality: Ukrainian

Senior Ranking: 1025

Junior Ranking: 17

2012 Junior Wimbledon: N/A

If you are looking for an outsider that has a chance, it could be 16-year old Anhelina Kalinina. She had not played on grass until Halle this season, but won the title there after a series of battling performances. She also played in Roehampton, reaching the third round before losing to Bencic, so she has had plenty of practice ahead of Wimbledon.

She has a good draw through to the quarter-finals, where she is likely to play Ana Konjuh. While she certainly will not be favourite for that match, she will still fancy her chances of springing an upset.

Carol Zhao

Nationality: Canadian

Senior Ranking: 690

Junior Ranking: 13

2012 Junior Wimbledon: R64 (Lost to Alexandra Kiick 4-6, 6-4, 6-2)

The Canadian will be looking to follow in the footsteps of her compatriot, Genie Bouchard, who won this title last year. A first round defeat 12 months ago was a disappointment, but she will still have hopes of performing well her this time around. A quarter-final run in Roehampton will have given her confidence ahead of the tournament.

If she progresses through to the quarter-final, she would likely play Katerina Siniakova. As mentioned, grass is not the Czech’s favourite surface, and Zhao will feel she has a reasonable chance of causing the upset.

Predicted Quarter-Finals

Belinda Bencic v Camila Giangreco Campiz

Katerina Siniakova v Carol Zhao

Taylor Townsend v Barbora Krejcikova

Anhelina Kalinina v Ana Konjuh

Tour de France Stage 2 Betting Preview

Stage 1 was as chaotic a stage as we are likely to see this year. With the Orica GreenEdge bus getting stuck at the finish line causing the finish to be moved to the 3km to go mark, then restored to the original finish line, combined with a huge crash that took out most of the favourites for the stage, there are a number of disgruntled and battered riders taking to the start for stage 2.

A large crash caused chaos in the first stage

Stage 2 sees the riders depart Bastia and head for Corsica’s biggest town, Ajaccio. With three categorised climbs in the middle of the stage, it will be tough for the pure sprinters and those teams with sprinters more suited to this type of lumpy stage will look to set a high pace to try and drop the likes of Mark Cavendish. The final categorised climb comes just 13km from the finish, and although it is a short climb, it has an average gradient of 8.9%. Most of the sprinters should hang on, or be able to get back into the peloton after the first series of climbs, but this is where Cannondale and the likes will try to finally shed the pure sprinters.

The clear favourite for this stage is Peter Sagan. It is the type of stage that he has won countless times over the past couple of years. It is a key stage for him if he wants the green jersey, particularly given Cavendish’s failure yesterday, and it would also likely put him into the yellow jersey as well. If Cannondale can drop the likes of Cavendish, it should be Sagan’s stage to lose. The only worry is his condition after going down hard in the big crash yesterday.

Argos-Shimano enjoyed the stage win yesterday with Marcel Kittel, but they will be targeting this stage with their other sprinter, John Degenkolb. He is more than capable of making it over the climbs and he certainly has the speed to threaten Sagan. Whether he can beat him in an out-and-out sprint remains to be seen, but if his team can deliver him in the perfect position, he will be there or there abouts at the finish.

However, there are a number of other sprinters that could well find themselves in the mix. The Australian, Matt Goss, will certainly make it in the final group, and he has proven in the past that he can beat the top sprinters, although not necessarily on a regular basis. However, in this stage, he will undoubtedly be a real threat.

Looking at a few other names that could be contesting the group sprint, there are a few to keep an eye on. Aleksander Kristoff should be involved, having finished second in the first stage, and he has enjoyed some good results this year, while Team Sky might eye a stage win for Edvald Boasson Hagen if the opportunity presents itself. Ramunas Navardauskas enjoyed some excellent results in this type of stage in the Giro d’Italia for Garmin and could be a dark horse for this stage, although he lacks any real lead-out train.

Ramunas Navardauskas enjoyed a good Giro and could threaten on this stage

Francesco Gavazzi has been pretty consistent this season with a host of good finishes. He managed to avoid the crash yesterday, and is certainly capable of tackling the climbs today. While he is certainly not a favourite for this stage, he could well find himself close to the podium.

Normally, someone like Tony Gallopin would be worth keeping an eye on, but he went down hard in the crash yesterday and is supposedly in quite a bit of pain, so instead, French hopes might be resting on the shoulders of Arthur Vichot and Samuel Dumoulin.

There is also the possibility, albeit relatively remote, that OPQS can keep Mark Cavendish in the peloton for the finish. He has improved his climbing ability this season, as shown in the Milan-San Remo event, and he will be desperate to make up for the disappointment of yesterday.

With so many injured doubts, it is tough to pick real value in the outright market here. We will look to back a couple of riders at larger odds, but mainly focus on some match bets.

Prediction

1. Sagan

2. Degenkolb

3. Kristoff

4. Gavazzi

5. Navardauskas

Recommended Bets

Francesco Gavazzi @ 66/1 (Paddy Power)

Ramunas Navardauskas @ 33/1 (Ladbrokes)

Matt Goss @ 50/1 (Sporting Bet)

Recommended Match Bets

Ramunas Navardauskas to beat Philippe Gilbert @ 2.22 (Pinnacle)

Michael Albasini to beat Jonathan Hivert @ 2.97 (Pinnacle)

Tour de France Stage 1 Betting Preview

Stage 1 of the Tour de France gets underway later. It is a pretty flat 212km stage, heading out from Porto Vecchio and rolling along the coast up to Bastia, Corsica's second biggest town. It will almost certainly be a stage for the pure sprinters.

In any stage like this, the favourite is automatically Mark Cavendish. With 23 stages already to his name, the Manxman is already one of the most successful stage winners in the history of the Tour de France, and after a disappointing 2012, he will be back and hungry for more wins.

He has a team dedicated to him this year, and after some early issues with the lead-out train, Omega Pharma Quick-Step seemed to have things sorted in the Giro d'Italia and will look to carry that form into the Tour de France. If they can deliver Cavendish to the finish in a good position, he will be very difficult to beat. The only real difficulty is a sharp U-bend around a roundabout within the final 3km. If they can navigate that in a good position, it really is Cavendish's stage to lose. He knows the importance of this stage in getting himself off to a good start in what is expected to be a titanic battle with Peter Sagan for the green jersey.

Mark Cavendish is favourite to take the yellow jersey at the end of Stage 1

However, there are plenty of other contenders vying to take this first stage, and with it, the prestigious yellow jersey. Heading this list are the German pair of Lotto's Andre Greipel and Argos Shimano's Marcel Kittel. Greipel won three stages last year, although he does not have a team solely based around his success this year, sharing the team's focus with Jurgen van den Broeck.

In contrast, Argos Shimano are set up for the sprinters, whether it be Marcel Kittel or John Degenkolb. Kittel is in excellent form this season and has already beaten the likes of Cavendish and Greipel in bunch sprints. Argos Shimano will focus on Kittel for this stage, and if he can get a good lead-out, he is more than capable of upsetting Mark Cavendish here.

Peter Sagan is another rider that might fancy his chances here, although he will be far more of a threat on some of the punchier stages. He struggled a bit in the Tour of California to get himself into the right positions in these flat bunch sprints, and against the quality of sprinter here, I would be very surprised if he were to take the stage win. Instead, he will simply be looking to limit the number of points that he loses to Cavendish.

Aleksander Kristoff has enjoyed a good season and will be looking to spring an upset

Outside of these names, the likes of Aleksander Kristoff, who is enjoying a good season, Matt Goss, Nacer Bouhanni and Boy van Poppel will all be involved in the sprint. Whether they can win is a different matter, but they all have a chance of at least sneaking a spot on the podium.

Mark Cavendish is likely to win this stage, but even given his performance in the Giro, it is tough to back him at odds-on for this stage. He often starts off slowly in the first stage, so I would be hesitant to recommend him here, but it is also tough to go against him. Instead, we shall look at a couple of match bets.

Prediction

1. Cavendish
2. Kittel
3. Greipel
4. Kristoff
5. Goss

Recommended Bets

Marcel Kittel to beat Andre Greipel @ 11/8 (Sky Bet)
Aleksander Kristoff to beat Nacer Bouhanni @ 9/10 (Bwin)

Junior Wimbledon Preview

As well as the climax of the main tournament, the second week of Wimbledon sees the junior tournament take place. Often an opportunity to spot some of the stars of the future, we look at eight players that are likely to contest the later stages of the competition:

Nick Krygios

Nationality: Australian

Senior Ranking: 218

Junior Ranking: 1

2012 Junior Wimbledon: QF (Lost to Gianluigi Quinzi 6-3, 6-1)

The Australian Open champion, Nick Kyrgios, comes into Wimbledon as the top seed and will be optimistic of adding a second Grand Slam title to his collection. His preparations for this tournament could not have been any better, winning in Roehampton without being remotely tested. He reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, before losing to Gianluigi Quinzi, but has progressed significantly over the past twelve months.

One ITF and one challenger title on the main tour have shown his ability, but he really came to the public’s attention when he beat Radek Stepanek in straight sets at Roland Garros before putting in a highly respectable performance against 10^th seed, Marin Cilic, in the second round.

He is clearly the most talented player in the field and the grass courts seem to suit his game nicely. If he plays well, he will be very difficult to stop.

Laslo Djere

Nationality: Serbian

Senior Ranking: 881

Junior Ranking: 4

2012 Junior Wimbledon: N/A

Laslo Djere is the fourth seed, but has struggled to make any impact in Grand Slams, losing in the last 16 in Paris and the first round in Australia. He reached the final of the Eddie Herr tournament late last year and backed that up by winning the Orange Bowl, but has made little impact off the clay.

He has virtually no experience on grass, having played his first match on the surface in Roehampton this week, losing in straight sets to Enzo Couacaud. It is difficult to see him progressing far in this tournament despite his ranking.

Christian Garin

Nationality: Chilean

Senior Ranking: 493

Junior Ranking: 5

2012 Junior Wimbledon: R32 (Lost to Gianluigi Quinzi 6-1, 6-7, 8-6)

The French Open champion is another player that is far more at home on the clay, but it would be wrong to write him off here. A tight defeat to eventual semi-finalist Gianluigi Quinzi showed that he is capable of playing on this surface. He reached the semi-final in Halle last year and the second round in Roehampton, beaten by eventually Wimbledon finalist Luke Saville.

He has a chance of a good run, particularly given he is in the same quarter as Djere. British hopeful, Luke Bambridge, could be a tough opponent in the third round, but the Chilean has a decent opportunity for a run deep into the tournament.

Kyle Edmund

Nationality: British

Senior Ranking: 385

Junior Ranking: 53

2012 Junior Wimbledon: R64 (Lost to Mitchell Krueger 7-5, 6-0)

Kyle Edmund is undoubtedly Britain’s best hope for a junior Wimbledon champion. He had a disappointing first round defeat last year, but he has enjoyed some good results since, winning the doubles at both the US Open and the French Open, as well as beating Kenny de Schepper and pushing Gilles Simon and Grega Zemlja on the main tour.

He has a relatively straightforward run to the semi-final and the experience that he has gained in both the main draw here against Jerzy Janowicz and in his last couple of tournament on the grass will set him in good set for a real title challenge.

Alexander Zverev

Nationality: German

Senior Ranking: 783

Junior Ranking: 3

2012 Junior Wimbledon: N/A

The younger brother of Mischa, Alexander Zverev is the third seed for this tournament and had a good warm-up with a run to the final in Roehampton. He was beaten comprehensively in the final by Nick Kyrgios, but his run showed his ability on this surface. He reached the final of the French Open as well, so he comes into this tournament on a good run of form.

Seeded to meet Kyle Edmund in the semi-final, it would be a surprise if he does not make it that far, although the unseeded Lucas Gomez, who won Halle, could provide a stern test.

Gianluigi Quinzi

Nationality: Italian

Senior Ranking: 405

Junior Ranking: 7

2012 Junior Wimbledon: SF (Lost to Luke Saville 6-3, 6-4)

Long touted as one of the most talented junior players, Gianluigi Quinzi will be looking to go one step further than last year and reach his first Grand Slam final. He lost to Luke Saville last year, but beat the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Christian Garin, showing that he should not be afraid of anyone in this field. He lost a tight match to Alexander Zverev in Roehampton this week in his warm-up for the tournament.

Quinzi is another of those that has gained some experience on the main tour in recent months, winning his first senior title last month. He certainly has the talent to challenge for this title and will fancy his chances of going deep into the tournament.

Nikola Milojevic

Nationality: Serbian

Senior Ranking: N/A

Junior Ranking: 2

2012 Junior Wimbledon: QF (Lost to Luke Saville 7-5, 5-4 RET)

The second seed had a disappointing warm-up for this event, losing to Stefano Napolitano in Roehampton this week, but does have a junior grass court title to his name, having won in Halle last year. He reached the quarter-finals in both Roehampton and Wimbledon last year, suggesting that, while grass may not be his favourite surface, he is capable on it.

He reached the semi-final at Roland Garros, but given that he has some tricky opponents in his quarter of the draw, it would be relatively surprising to see Milojevic going much further than the quarter-final in this tournament.

Enzo Couacaud

Nationality: French

Senior Ranking: 715

Junior Ranking: 18

2012 Junior Wimbledon: QF (Lost to Filip Peliwo 6-4, 1-6, 6-3)

Finally, a potential outsider for the tournament is Frenchman, Enzo Couacard. He is unseeded, but has had some good results on grass in the past, reaching the semi-final in Roehampton this week before running up against the eventual winner, Nick Kyrgios. Last year, he recorded a straight sets win in Roehampton over Filip Peliwo, who would eventually lift the Wimbledon title, as well as beating British hope, Liam Broady, at Wimbledon, before losing to Peliwo in the quarter-finals.

He will fancy his chances of reaching the quarter-finals from Milojevic’s section and once he gets on a run, he will fancy his chances of going further. He has plenty of experience of playing on the grass, and it took the eventual champion to stop him last year.

2013 Tour de France Betting Preview - Sprinters, King of the Mountains and Young Riders

Having previewed the battle for the overall classification here, we now look at the fight for some of the other jerseys in the 2013 Tour de France.

The race for the green jersey should be a particularly enthralling one between the past two winners of this jersey – Mark Cavendish and Peter Sagan.

After back-to-back second places, Mark Cavendish finally won the green jersey in 2011, but was unable to defend it last year. This was predominantly due to his ill-fated move to Team Sky. With his team concentrating on winning the overall classification for Bradley Wiggins, it meant that he was there as a domestique, rather than with a team behind him to win the green jersey. This year, Omega Pharma Quick-Step has no such split focus. Mark Cavendish is the sole priority for them and he should be back to challenging seriously for the jersey. With Tony Martin, Matteo Trentin and Gert Steegmans, he should have a train capable of delivering him to the perfect position.

Mark Cavendish is looking for his second green jersey in three years

Peter Sagan has been one of the revelations of the past two years. Last year, he won three stages, but his ability to pick up points in virtually any stage was critical. He has shown his ability to climb well, enabling him to pick up stage wins in reduced bunch sprints as well as collecting intermediate points in the mountain stages. This year, he also has a team dedicated solely to supporting him unlike last year, where he was arguably riding in support of Vincenzo Nibali.

So, we need to look at the route to really determine who is likely to win the jersey. In terms of virtually flat stages, there would appear to be six. These are the stages where a large bunch sprint should occur, and where Mark Cavendish will be a strong favourite. The key for Sagan here will be to limit his losses by finishing high up in the bunch sprint as possible.

Peter Sagan will be targeting those stages will a decent climb where his Cannondale team can look to shed the pure sprinters, including Cavendish. Stages 2 and 3 in Corsica are prime opportunities for him and he will undoubtedly be the favourite to win these stages.

Peter Sagan will be hoping his all-round ability can overcome Cavendish's pure sprinting ability

The critical stages are likely to be those with a small climb. Whether Cannondale can drop Cavendish on these will almost certainly determine which of the two will win the green jersey. These are likely to be Stages 5, 7 and 14. Cavendish showed in Milan-San Remo that he has worked hard on his climbing and it will be more difficult than before to shed him, but this is where it will be decided.

Both riders are in good form this season. Cavendish has 13 stage wins to his name, including a very impressive 5 out of 5 in the flat stages of the Giro d’Italia. Meanwhile, Peter Sagan also has 13 stage wins this season, but in more of a variety of stages.

While these two are clearly the two standout leaders in the market, there are other names that could have an impact. The likes of Andre Greipel, Aleksandr Kristoff, Marcel Kittel, John Degenkolb, Nacer Bouhanni and Matt Goss will all certainly be involved in the bunch sprints, but more importantly, they all have the ability to take points away from both Sagan and Cavendish.

Peter Sagan is currently the slight favourite with the bookmakers at a best price of Evens with Stan James, while Cavendish is available at 5/4 with 888Sport.

The King of the Mountains jersey is always a tough one to pick. Looking at previous winners over the past 7 or 8 years, we can probably rule out the GC contenders, but we are still looking for talented climbers. Thomas Voeckler and Samuel Sanchez are the past two winners, while there are several years that are now tainted due to doping-related issues. Particularly with many big points climbs coming fairly early, it is unlikely that the GC contenders will show too much in these, saving their energy for the battles later on.

Thomas Voeckler is again the favourite to retain his jersey, while his teammate, Pierre Rolland, is the second favourite in the market. It is difficult to tell what their priority will be in this race – whether Rolland will be having a go at the general classification, whether they will look for stage wins or whether the King of the Mountains jersey could be a real possibility for either of them. Either way, it is difficult to recommend either of them with any conviction.

Thomas Voeckler is favourite to defend his King of the Mountains jersey

Having discounted the likes of Chris Froome, Alberto Contador and Joaquim Rodriguez, it takes plenty of percentage out of the market, meaning that there is likely to be value in some of the bigger prices.

The Euskaltel pair of Mikel Nieve and Igor Anton certainly cannot be discounted. Available at 20/1 and 33/1 respectively, they are both gifted climbers, although are unlikely to be involved in the battle for the leading positions. Frederik Kessiakoff and Johnny Hoogerland are both attacking riders that might fancy a crack, but whether their climbing ability is good enough remains to be seen.

The likes of Simon Clarke, Brice Feillu, Daniel Navarro and John Gadret are all names that could potentially be in the mix through a mixture of having a free reign to get into breakaways and climbing ability.

Thomas de Gendt is a gifted climber and will certainly look for stage wins in some of the high mountains. Whether he will pick up enough points over the course of the race is in question, but he could pick up big points on some stages.

Andy Schleck may target the King of the Mountains competition given his lack of form

One interesting name in the mix could be Andy Schleck. His climbing ability is certainly not in doubt as he has shown in previous editions of this race, but his form and mental state certainly are in question. As I said in the previous preview, I don’t expect him to be close to challenging for the general classification, so there is a chance that he could be allowed away in breakaways to pick up mountain points. He showed good aggression in the Tour of California and a challenge for the King of the Mountains jersey could gain both him and his team the coverage that they desire.

Finally, the young riders jersey should be an intriguing battle. There are a number of talented riders involved, who will also be hoping to challenge for the overall yellow jersey. Tejay van Garderen and Nairo Quintana are the strong favourites here, closely followed by Thibout Pinot and Andrew Talansky. As I mentioned last time, I strongly fancy van Garderen to do well here and so it only seems natural to fancy him for this classification as well.

Recommended Bets

Mark Cavendish to win the green jersey @ 5/4 (888Sport)

Thomas de Gendt to win the King of the Mountains jersey @ 50/1 (Bet365)

Andy Schleck to win the King of the Mountains jersey @ 40/1 (Sporting Bet)

Tejay van Garderen to win the Young Riders jersey @ 2/1 (888Sport)

Recommended Match Bets

Marcel Kittel to beat Andre Greipel in the points competition @ 12/5 (Bet365)

Thomas de Gendt to beat Damiano Cunego in the KOTM competition @ 7/4 (Paddy Power)

2013 Tour de France Betting Preview

The 100^th Tour de France gets underway on Saturday with Team Sky looking for back-to-back wins following Sir Bradley Wiggins’ triumph last year. Wiggins will not be back to defend his title, but in Chris Froome, Sky have the strong favourite with the bookmakers.

The 198 starters will pedal their way over a total of 3,403km, starting in Corsica and finishing at dusk on the Champs Elysees. During the 21 stages, they will climb the iconic Col de Peyresourde, Mont Ventoux, Alpe d’Huez and Col de la Madeleine in what is set to be a typically brutal affair.

As the betting suggests, it is set to be a head-to-head battle between two men – Chris Froome and Alberto Contador. Chris Froome burst onto the scene with a podium place at the 2011 Vuelta before supporting Bradley Wiggins in last year’s Tour de France and finishing second.  However, this year, he has looked the dominant rider in the peloton. He has won the Tour of Oman, the Criterium International, the Tour de Romandie and the Dauphine, only being beaten in the Tirreno-Adriatico by Vincenzo Nibali.

Chris Froome is a strong favourite to win the 2013 Tour de France

He is arguably the strongest time-trialler in the race this year and he has shown his ability to win mountain stages already this year. In Richie Porte, he has a very able helper, and Team Sky have demonstrated that they know how to win these races. He will be very difficult to stop.

His main challenger is likely to be the two-time Tour de France winner, Alberto Contador. Since his return from a positive doping test, he has won the Vuelta last year, but has looked a shadow of the man that he was before that ban. Without an overall victory this year, he finished behind Froome in Oman and Tirreno-Adriatico, while he rode in support of Michael Rogers in the Dauphine.

While he is undoubtedly a magnificent rider, there are questions over whether he can still attack in the same way that he could in the past. In addition, Team Sky have often not reacted to his attacks, instead just upping their relentless pace to reel him back in. He is unlikely to beat Froome in the time-trials and the question remains as to whether he can shake him in the mountains.

The two-time winner Alberto Contador should not be written off

His main advantage is a very strong team. In Roman Kreuziger and Nicolas Roche, he has two top-class riders, while the likes of Michael Rogers and Sergio Paulinho are very able domestiques. If they can ride a clever tactical race, they may have the chance to get Contador away.

In terms of the betting prices, Chris Froome is available at a best price of 4/5 with Paddy Power, significantly shorter than Bradley Wiggins was twelve months ago. Alberto Contador is available at a best price of 11/4 with Coral.

While the winner is likely to come from these two, there are plenty of other contenders eyeing the final podium spot, or even to cause an upset should anything happen to these two.

Richie Porte at 25/1 will be looking to replicate the ride that Froome himself put in last year to guarantee a podium place in support of his leader. However, I would be surprised to see him reach the podium. He will have to bury himself in support of Froome, particularly if the leader has a bad day, and although his time-trialling will give him a boost, I suspect he will lose significant time on at least one of the stages.

The Movistar duo of Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana are available at 40/1 and 25/1 respectively. In theory, Valverde is the leader, but how he performs is a bit of a mystery. He has the class to challenge for the podium, but has often flattered to deceive in the past. If he can strike up a good partnership with Quintana, they could have a good race. However, he was slightly disappointing in the Dauphine and will need to step it up. Quintana is undoubtedly a talent, but whether he is quite ready to challenge for the Tour remains to be seen. It is also a concern that he has not raced since mid-April.

BMC have the pairing of Cadel Evans and Tejay van Garderen to pin their hopes on. Cadel Evans surprised a lot of people, including myself, with his performance in the Giro. It is notoriously difficult to challenge in both the Giro and the Tour in the same season, but he is one of the hardest workers in cycling and there will be plenty rooting him on. Tejay van Garderen finished fifth last year and will be looking to go better this season. He is strong in the time-trials and has showed glimpses that he can compete in the high mountains. He won the Tour of California in impressive fashion and is certainly one to watch. Both riders are available at 33/1

Tejay van Garderen finished fifth last year and has a good chance to go better in 2013

Garmin-Sharp come into this race with three co-leaders – Ryder Hesjedal, Dan Martin and Andrew Talansky. Arguments can be made for all three. Hesjedal won the Giro last year, but his defence was cut short by illness, while he crashed in the Tour de Suisse. He should be reasonably fresh, but whether he can repeat his performances of 2012 remain to be seen. Dan Martin is enjoying the best season of his career so far after some excellent performances in the Classics and the overall win in Catalunya. He could certainly be a threat for the top ten, but I would be surprised if he goes any higher. Andrew Talansky is a talented time-trialler and finished the Dauphine impressively, hanging with Chris Froome in the final stage. Hesjedal is available at 100/1, while Martin and Talansky are both rated at 150/1.

In past years, Andy Schleck would have been right up in the leading group, but he is 50/1 to win this year and there is certainly no value there. His time-trialling has always let him down, but since his return from injury, he has struggled in the climbs as well and has shown nothing for a long time.

Joaquim Rodriguez has had a quiet year so far, but has been incredibly consistent in Grand Tours over the past five years. He has finished in the top 7 in all but one of his past eight Grand Tours, including four podium finishes. One gets the impression that he is targeting this race this year and while his results in 2013 have not quite been as good as in previous years, he is certainly a contender for the podium. The bookmakers clearly agree as he is priced at 20/1 for the title.

Joaquim Rodriguez is remarkably consistent in the Grand Tours and should gain another top 5 finish

The final name is Jurgen van den Broeck. Available at 100/1, he has finished fourth twice in the Tour, but has been slightly disappointing so far this season. One problem is that the team will split their focus between him and Andre Greipel for the sprint stages, but he is a man that knows how to do well in these races and it is dangerous to write him off.

Prediction

1. Chris Froome

2. Alberto Contador

3. Tejay van Garderen

4. Joaquim Rodriguez

5. Jurgen van den Broeck

6. Cadel Evans

7. Richie Porte

8. Nairo Quintana

9. Ryder Hesjedal

10.Alejandro Valverde

Recommended Bets

Tejay van Garderen to win the Tour de France W/O Chris Froome @ 16/1 (Bet365)

Tejay van Garderen to finish on the podium @ 6/1 (SportingBet)

Ryder Hesjedal to finish in the top 10 @ 7/4 (Bet365)

Haimar Zubeldia to finish in the top 10 @ 7/2 (SportingBet)

Mikel Nieve to finish in the top 10 @ 9/1 (Bet Victor)

Recommended Match Bets

Jakob Fuglsang to beat Andy Schleck @ 5/4 (Paddy Power)

Jurgen van den Broeck to beat Andy Schleck @ 4/5 (Ladbrokes)