Contador Favored at the Sportsbook to Win Tour De France. The Tour de France begins in less than a month and the heavy favorite to win the race is Alberto Contador. He won the race a year ago and he is listed at -175 in sportsbook online odds.
Contador should win the race going away as there really are not any serious challengers. Andy Schleck is listed as the second choice at 5-1 while Lance Armstrong is the third choice at 7.5 to 1. Bradley Wiggins has gotten some interest as a longshot at 12-1 as has Cadel Evans who is also 12-1.
This year’s race should be decided in the Pyrenees as it was a year ago. The four mountain stages will separate the contenders from the pretenders. Contador dominated in the mountains last year and he should do so again this year. Last year’s runner-up Andy Schleck will be a contender but he is really no match for Contador.
A better contender might be Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso. He finished second to Armstrong in 2005. Basso had to sit out for two years due to a doping ban and he feels he has something to prove. Armstrong is still listed as a contender on the odds board but that is really the only place. Armstrong’s best days are behind him and he is racing on name only. Armstrong was third last year and he does not seem to be as ready to win this year. Armstrong is being dogged by doping allegations and it seems unlikely he can put things together to win.
The deserving favorite is Contador who nearly everyone expects to win. Basso said that Contador is notch above everyone else. Basso is listed at 18-1. Other outside contenders include Cadel Evans who is 12-1 and Frank Schleck who is 25-1. Denis Menchov is also 25-1.
The Tour de France is the key race in cycling and it will still get attention even with all of the allegations of doping that surround the cyclists. Contador looks to be the bright light in what has become a dark circle of questions in cycling.
In other cycling news, the Tour of Ireland race has been cancelled. It was scheduled for mid-August but organizers announced this year’s race was dropped.