Tour de France Betting Previews 2019
Rambouillet to Paris
Sunday 28th July, 127kms
The final act of an incredible Tour de France. The final stage in Paris, the final chance for the sprinters to do battle on the bumpy cobbles of the Champs Élysées. Caleb Ewan has two stages, Viviani, Sagan and Groenewegen have one each..
Albertville - Val Thorens
Saturday 27th July, 131kms
The final mountain stage is going to be a history-maker, as it's the first time in the history of the Tour that there has been three mountain-top finishes above 2,000m, with the monster 35km pull to Val Thorens waiting for them at the end.
St-Jean-de-Maurienne - Tignes
Friday 26th July, 123kms
The second last big stage, a stage that ends with a 7km uphill drag to Tignes, a town which was last visited in 2007 when one Michael Rasmussen took the stage and the Yellow jersey, not long before being booted out the race.
Embrun - Valloire
Thursday 25th July, 207kms
Pont du Gard - Gap
Wed July 24th, 206kms
A stage that looks worse on the profile than it probably is, and it looks like a perfect stage for the break of the day. It could well be decided by whoever can hang in there over the Cat 3 which tops out with just 9kms to go.
TDF 2018 Stage 16
Nîmes - Nîmes
Tues 23rd July, 177kms
A loop around Nimes that shoud end in a bunch sprint, as it did in 2014..It's a chance for the GC men to have a semi-day off as they edge closer to the challenges to come in the Alps and the sprinters to have a brief respite from the mountains.
TDF 2019 Stage 15
Limoux - Foix Prat d'Albis
Sunday 21st July, 185kms
Straight after a finish on the mighty Tourmalet, they face another really tough day in the saddle with three Cat 1s and a Cat 2 climb to contend with, including the summit finish to Prat d'Albis.
Tarbes - Tourmalet Barèges
Sat 20th July, 117kms
A short stage at just 117kms, but this is no easy day in the saddle - the first summit finish of the Tour, and a notorious finish at that. 2,115m high, 19kms at 7.4%, the Tourmalet is one of the toughest climbs in France.
Pau - Pau
Fri 19th July, 27kms ITT
The only individual TT of the race sees the riders take a trip around Pau, a town that's no stranger to the TDF. In 1981, the last time there was a TT here, Bernard Hinault took the win, the yellow jersey and wore it all the way to Paris.
Toulouse - Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Thurs 18th July, 202kms
A similar stage to the stage won in 2013 by Dan Martin, which also went over the Peyresourde and Hourquette d'Anzican before finishing with that fast desent down to Bagneres de Bigorre.
Albi - Toulouse
Wed 17th July, 167kms
Another transition stage straight after the rest day, taking them south towards the Pyrenées. This should be one for the sprinters on what is a short and pretty flat stage. but as we saw on 10, anything could happen!
Saint Flour - Albi
Tuesday 15th July, 218kms
A transition stage that takes them across the Massif Central, leaving from a town that has seen plenty of action over the years, such as when Richard Virenque won on Bastille day back in 2004.
Saint-Étienne - Brioude
Sunday 14th July, 170kms
A transition stage that winds its way west over a lot of lumps and bumps, a day that looks suitable for a breakaway success. The Cat 1 after 32kms should see a strong break go and we could see the peloton sit up and let them fight it out.
Mâcon - Saint-Étienne
Saturday 13th July, 199kms
A hilly run to Saint Etienne sees them take on an Ardennes-like course, with hill after hill dotting the 199km route. The Tour last finished in Saint Étienne in 2014 when Alexander Kristoff got the better of Sagan and Démare in a sprint finish.
Belfort - Chalon-sur-Saône
Friday 12th July, 230kms
The longest stage of the Tour sees them head south-west for 230kms to Chalon-Sur-Saone, a town where Sam Bennett sprinted to a fine stage victory ahead of Marcel Kittel and Alexander Kristoff in the 2017 Paris-Nice.
TDF 2019 Stage 6
Mulhouse - La Planche des B F
Thursday 11th July, 157kms
A stage finish that is becoming a bit of a regular in recent years, having featured in the 2017 edition (when Fabio Aru soloed to victory), 2014 (when Vincenzo Nibali won) and in 2012 (when Chris Froome announced himself to the TDF).
TDF 2019 Stage 5
St-Dié-des-Vosges - Colmar
Wed. 10th July, 169kms
The race enters the Alsace region and brings with it the first real climbs of the Tour. Four categorised climbs, with the final Cat 3, the Cote des 5 Chateaux topping out with just 18kms to go to the finish.
TDF 2019 Stage 4
Reims - Nancy
Tues 9th July, 215kms
We leave the Champagne region and head to Nancy on a stage that if it ends in anything other than a sprint finish it'll be a major surprise. A 1.5km flat and straight run to the finish line will see the sprinters' teams go head-to-head for supremacy.
TDF 2019 Stage 3
Binche - Épernay
Monday 8th July, 214kms
After spending two days in Belgium, the race finally enters France with a run from Binche, a town that is well-known in cycling circles thanks to the Binche-Chimay-Binche held there in October, to Epernay, famous for its Champagne.
Palais Royale - Atomnium
Sunday July 7th, 27.6km TTT
The second stage throws up a challenge to the GC men straight away in the form of a TTT around the streets of Brussels.
It may only be 27kms long, but that could see considerable gaps between the GC challengers by the end of the day.
TDF 2019 Other Markets
A selection of other bets to think about!
My usual look at the weird and wonderful world of the other markets to bet on in the Tour de France. For once, there is a wide selection of bets to look at and there is often value to be found, if you dig around a little.
Brussells - Brussels
July 6th, 194.5km
The grand depart of the 2019 TDF starts in Belgium this year, with a 192km run around the Flemish hills, taking in the iconic Classics climbs of the Mur de Geraardsbergen and Bosberg before finishing in front of the royal palace.
Like the KOM jersey, this jersey was also introduced in 1975, and this competition
has had various criteria over the years as to who were eligible to win it, but it is now just open to anyone who is under 26 years of age.
Can anyone stop the top 3?
I have covered the main players to win the 2019 Tour de France in my Favourites Preview already, now let's take a look at the best of the rest to try to find someone who could pull off a surprise and land the big prize.
TDF 2019 - Favourites
A look at the main favourites chances
Last year we had the carry-on of whether Froome would be allowed ride or not, affecting the betting and the analysis of the race. This year, all the pre-Tour drama has centered around Froome once again, after his dramatic exit from the Dauphiné.
Who'll win the Green Jersey?
After getting disqualified from the 2017 edition of the race when 4/7 favourite to take the jersey, it was back to business as usual for Sagan last year as he landed three stage wins and won the points competition by almost double figures from Alexander Kristoff.
Who will be the top team?
Like with Sagan for the Green and Bernal for the White, the bookies see this as a one-horse race, with Movistar the hot 8/13 favourites to take the prize for the 4th time in five years, their run only broken by Sky in 2017.
King of the Mountains Preview
Last year's KOM competition saw Julian Alaphilippe take the much-coveted jersey after a pretty one-sided battle with Warren Barguil. He took the jersey after his win on stage 10 to Le Grand-Bornand and never looked back.
