The Tour de France odds for 2009 should not be handicapped without first analyzing the results from last year’s race. Online betting fans who wagered on the 2008 Tour de France betting lines will remember that the top five finishers were Carlos Sastre, Cadel Evans, Bernhard Kohl, Denis Menchov, and Christian Vandevelde. Although online sportsbook sites’ 2009 Tour de France lines do not feature any of these five racers as the favorite for 2009, four of them may once again offer value for online sports betting on Tour de France lines.
Tour de France lines are different from other odds that sportsbook sites offer for cycling events because no other race compares in stature with the Tour de France. Without any other cycling race that is comparable to the Tour de France, sports betting fans must handicap the Tour de France betting lines without the benefit of other recent major races in which all of the cyclists have competed. Therefore, it can be very useful to analyze results and Tour de France odds from past races. Sports book bettors who have wagered on the Tour de France lines for several years know that it is a unique race demanding tremendous skill and stamina, and it takes a special rider to succeed.
In 2008 Carlos Sastre of Spain was the champion, and early 2009 Tour de France betting odds list Sastre at about +1800. Such Tour de France lines are not bad for a returning champion, so many bettors will undoubtedly wager on Sastre’s Tour de France betting odds for 2009. The second place finisher in 2008 was Australia’s Cadel Evans, who is actually favored above Sastre in the 2009 Tour de France lines. Evans’ early 2009 Tour de France betting lines are set at about +650, which once again will be perceived by many bettors as offering quite decent value.
The third place finisher last year, Bernhard Kohl from Austria, has retired following a doping scandal and, therefore, will not be featured in the 2009 Tour de France odds. Denis Menchov of Russia finished fourth in 2008 and is listed around +1600 in the 2009 Tour de France lines, meaning he also is favored above Sastre. Finally, the fifth place finisher in 2008, America’s Christian Vandevelde, is listed in the Tour de France lines as the biggest underdog of the group at about +5000. Although it is far from guaranteed that any of these riders will finish in the top five again, their previous success certainly warrants them special attention as you analyze the 2009 Tour de France lines.
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