The annual bike race, which attracts worldwide attention, started on 29 June. It is the most prestigious cycling race of its kind, along with the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana.

In Italy, the race has already taken place in May this season, and in Spain, it will take place from 17 August to 8 September. For those interested in Tour de France betting, this year’s competition promises to be particularly exciting.

This will bring the total number of races to 111 – the first Tour de France was held in 1903. It should also be noted that Paris will not be included in the route for the first time – the riders will neither ride nor finish there. This is because the city is preparing for this year’s Summer Olympics.

A total of 22 teams will participate, and the race will start in Italy in the first three rounds. The fourth round will reach France on 2 July, where all the remaining rounds will occur. The finish is scheduled for 21 July. For the first time since 1989, the final round will be an individual time trial.

The cyclists will ride 34 km from Monaco to Nice. There will be 21 rounds, with two free days on 8 and 15 July. The total length of the course is 3,492 km, and apart from the two individual rounds, the remaining rounds will cover around 150 to 200 km.

Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard will try to defend his title, which he won for the second time in a row last year. He takes over from Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia, who won the title in 2020 and 2021. These two riders are considered the favourites for the upcoming Tour de France, having shared the last four titles.

Tour de France 2024 Favourites

As the race approaches, the focus is on two riders – Slovenian Tadej Pogačar and Danish Jonas Vingegaard. As mentioned, they hold the last four titles and are the main favourites to win the fifth. Riders like Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel have much less chance.

However, they are the only ones expected to be the most competitive. Adam Yates, Carlos Rodriguez, and Juan Ayuso want to enter the Top 5.

Britain’s Adam Yates has won one race this season, the Tour de Suisse in Switzerland in mid-June. He has never finished in the Top 3 again. Belgian Remco Evenepoel has finished second once, at Paris-Nice. Spain’s Carlos Rodriguez is also in contention for a place in the top five or three.

He finished second in the Tour of the Basque Country in April and came first in the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland. Another Spaniard, Juan Ayuso, was twice in the top three. He won the Tour of the Basque Country and came second in the Tirreno-Adriatico in March.

Tadej Pogačar

The odds of Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar winning the race are currently 1.65 – 1.70. The rider has been in fantastic form this season, having already won four races, including the Giro d’Italia in May.

He finished third in another one. His main rivals are not even close – for example, Jonas Vingegaard has won just one race and has never even finished in the top three.

The Slovenian triumphed in Italy for the first time in history and now needs to win the Vuelta a Espana, also dominated by Primož Roglič in 2019-2021, to have all three titles.

He has won three consecutive times in Spain; last year, he also won the Giro d’Italia. However, the 25-year-old Pogačar has a much better chance than his compatriot.

Jonas Vingegaard

We should not underestimate the chance of the Dane. The reasons why he doesn’t have as many wins this season as the Slovenian are very simple – injuries. Vingegaard, 27, has not raced since the beginning of April when he suffered fractures to his collarbone and ribs in the Tour of the Basque Country.

Under ideal conditions, the Dane would be considered favourite to defend his title and win the Tour de France for the third time. However, this will be his first race after a break of almost three months, and his physical condition should be a major concern.

Yes, he has had the preparation, but the feeling of an actual race is a bit lost. Every detail is significant at this level of competition, so it’s no wonder that the Slovenian has an advantage and a good chance to regain the title.

For more betting information, read our in-depth guide on how to bet on cycling.

Tour de France History

As mentioned, the race started in 1903, and the goal now sounds strange. The Tour de France was intended to increase the sales of L’Auto newspaper. Little by little, the race grew in popularity, the number of participants grew, and riders from other parts of the world became involved.

It is now part of the UCI World Tour, which means that UCI WorldTeams mainly run it. The organisers may invite a few extra teams. For example, the 2024 race will have 18 UCI WorldTeams and 4 guest teams.

The race is traditionally held in July. The course changes every year, but the format remains the same. Time trials are always added, the course also includes the Pyrenees and the Alps, and the finish is usually in Paris, but this year the city is busy preparing for the Olympic Games.

The modern Tour de France is a 21-lap race lasting 23 to 24 days and covering around 3 500 km.

There are usually 20 to 22 teams of eight riders each. Although the main classification attracts the most attention, there are more categories – points qualification, mountain qualification, young rider qualification, and team qualification.

Riders from France have achieved the most victories. Maurice Garin was the first to win the Tour de France, while Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault, Belgian Eddy Merckx, and Spaniard Miguel Indurain have won a maximum of five times each.

Lance Amstrong won the Tour de France seven times in a row (1999-2005) but was later stripped of all his titles when it was discovered that the American had been doping.

Tour de France Betting Markets

The betting on the Tour de France cycling races differs from team sports. Here, everything is more focused on long-term betting on all races, and the choice is not as wide as in football and basketball matches or tennis matches.

Depending on the betting site you choose, the following outcomes can be bet on the Tour de France:

• Long-term selections – The most popular bet is who will win the main race. However, more options are available, such as how many rounds a racer will win, who will win a certain qualifying, etc.
• Tour bets are offers for a specific round. You can bet on the winner, the teams’ performance, whether they will finish in the top three, and other similar bets.
• Special bets are bets created by betting sites and can be various. For example, a Belgian will win at least one round in every Tour de France race; a Frenchman will win a Tour on 14 July; an American will be the leader after 21 rounds and be awarded the yellow jersey at least once.

Betting on Cycling

Cycling has really increased in popularity over the past decade, with more and more people enjoying the sport and that includes getting out there and being a spectator.

When a sport sees a surge of interest like this, it is often followed by people looking to bet on the sport. Betting on cycling can be a fun and easy way to add excitement to your viewing experience, and if you know what you’re doing, it can even be profitable.

If you have never placed a cycling bet before and you are looking for a way in then the good news is that this is a really accessible sport, that is easy to get involved with.

Outright And Tour de France Stage Betting

The majority of cycling betting markets are very simple, and the most common way is to either back outright for someone to win the whole event, or to win an individual stage on a particular day.

Those that have limited knowledge of the sport would probably be better sticking with the outright betting on who will win the event, to begin with as this will include all of the big names. For example, in this instance, you are not really interested in who will win the individual stages, but you have a rider who you are wanting to win the whole event.

This way of tdf betting also appeals because it gives you an interest on every day of the competition, you can watch your rider perform and hope he is close to the leaders at the finish.

The other way to bet is to look at the individual stages. However, you do need a little more knowledge of the sport to have any success on these, and it is key that you understand what type of Tour de France stage betting it is and who it will suit.

For example, on the Tour de France, we have a mixture of stages which are flat that provide a sprint finish and those that have huge uphill climbs and produce a gruelling finish where the riders are strung out. In the first example, you need to be looking for a sprinter.

These will remain close to the pace and wait until the very end for their time to strike, in the hope that their final big burst can take them over the line in front.

The second is all about the climbers, those who have endurance and those who relish the test this brings. Backing an endurance rider on the first example and a sprinter on the second example, even if they are top riders, will not produce you any winners.

TDF Betting Stage Knowledge

For those who are looking to place bets on the upcoming TDF betting, understanding each stage cannot be underestimated and if you don’t have this then you are going to have a bad run of losing bets. It is vital to understand who the stage suits, but also to understand who will be attacking and trying to win the stage.

The Tour de France is a long event, with a huge effort required just to get to the end, let alone to actually win it. There will be stages throughout the event where Tour de France teams don’t attack, and instead, they sit back and are happy to finish in the middle of the pack and not lose too much time.

Look out for this, and you should be able to work things out based on which riders are going to be suited by the stage and who won’t be.

If you are looking to back someone at a big price to win a stage then perhaps the best strategy is to look for a support rider who likes to be out in front.

Their job will be to make the pace and set things up for those behind them, but from time to time if these riders are going well they will be allowed to stretch on to try and win the stage for themselves, and usually, they are not for catching.

Tour De France Betting Tips

Before making your Tour de France bet, you must know the best Tour de France betting tips. Choosing a Tour de France bookmaker isn’t as straightforward since there are some shady bookmakers, Tour de France also listed on their sites.

We do in-depth research on the different Tour de France betting sites to find the most trustworthy one for betting Tour de France. We want you to be able to bet on Tour de France and know your winnings are secure and that you’re getting the best Tour de France betting odds.

Here are tips for when you bet on Tour de France, so you know the favourites Tour de France cyclists and TDF betting odds. We look at the cyclists’ nationality, training regimes, stats and the betting odds on Tour de France. We also review the Tour de France bookmakers.

Rider Nationality

While a rider’s nationality doesn’t necessarily give them a better chance to win, we can look at the history of wins that country has under their belt. The Tour de France favourites have historically been France, with 36 wins since the race started in 1903.

They’re followed by Belgium, with 18 wins, and Spain, with 12 wins. However, UK’s Chris Froome won the race in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and has high Tour de France winner betting odds. Australia is another rising competitor, with Richie Porte being a favourite.

Training Regimes

Tour de France gambling depends on the bettor knowing that this is ultimately a team competition. We’ve talked about climbers and sprinters, and when you bet on Tour de France winner, you should understand their role. 

Their training starts the previous year in November/December when they build their aerobic base. In February/March, the riders start training more intensely to see what level of speed they can realistically sustain. In April, they start their race-specific training to ensure they’re in the best possible shape for the race and their role in it. 

Look at the Stats

While the race’s distance and the route are different each year, the average distance covered from the year 2000 to 2021 is 3,491km. To bet Tour de France and know the best betting odds Tour de France, you should also look at the statistics of previous winners.

The average height of the race’s winner is around 1.77m, with their average weight being 68.4kg. The rider who’s currently the closest to joining the ranks of riders who won the race five times is Chris Froome, having won it four times to date.

That’s one of the reasons why his TDF odds are so high, and he’s a favourite for Tour of France betting platforms.

Recent Form

Now that the course has been made public, the 2022 edition of this race opens up a new Tour de France betting preview. Tour de France gambling has already started taking off, with the betting on the Tour de France and the Tour de France odds fluctuating as the riders prepare.

The Tour de France live betting opens on the same day the race starts, on July 1st, and continues until July 24th. The race is 3,328km and starts in Copenhagen and ends in Paris.

Live Markets

There are many live betting Tour de France opportunities, with bet on the Tour de France becoming more dynamic and involved as bettors watch the race. As the race progresses, the odds will fluctuate to mirror the actual events of the race. A good example is the TDF Green Jersey odds, as it changes depending on the points the riders accumulate and who jostle for the lead as each stage finishes.

Tour De France Bookmakers

There are multiple online Tour de France bookmakers available for bettors to use, but not all of them are equally trustworthy and reliable. To make sure you wager at a top betting site, look at our recommended bookmakers, as we’ve evaluated them to ensure the best offerings.

When reviewing a bookmaker Tour de France, we first look to see if they’re licensed and a trustworthy site to bet at. It should use data encryption software and offer reliable payment methods. Further, we expect the best odds and live betting from their platform.

To ensure the best betting for Tour de France, we believe the platform should be user-friendly and offer different bet types and fast withdrawal speeds.

We identified the best bookmaker and ensured that they’re not only secure, trustworthy and accessible but that they also offer an attractive welcome bonus to get you started.

Tour de France Live Stream: Where to Watch Online?

In the UK, Eurosport hold the rights and they will show every game on their TV channel. They have their own live streaming service which is called the Eurosport Player, and games will also be broadcast on here.

Those watching from the US can watch on the beIN Network, which will broadcast Tour de France live stream on their TV channel as well as online.

For those wanting to catch the action from outside of these two territories, then the best bet is to find a good VPN service and connect to either the UK or US server. Once connected, simply head on over to Eurosport or beIN and you’ll be able to watch as normal.

Bookmakers Tour de France also streams some of the action live on their websites, and this is open to anyone, regardless of where in the world you are. Simply head on over to one of the big bookies s and look for the ‘live streaming’ link – it’s usually located near the top of the homepage.