SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The 103rd edition of cycling’s most famous race, the Tour de France, will be decided by just 143 seconds and will see Chris Froome come out on top, according to spread betting company Sporting Index.
The prediction is that Froome will get the better of Colombian rival Nairo Quintana once more, just as the Team Sky rider did in 2013 and 2015, with the evergreen Alberto Contador, Fabio Aru and France’s best hope Thibaut Pinot trailing in their slipstream.
Five different riders are expected to wear the ‘maillot jaune’ before the 21st and final stage finishes on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
The Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish, looks set to win just one stage in this year’s Tour and if he strikes early he may just end up wearing the yellow jersey.
Stage one, from Mont St Michel to Utah Beach, will have sprinters like Cavendish, Andre Greipel and Peter Sagan salivating, but it’s the German Marcel Kittel who is predicted to be the first to wear the famous yellow leader’s jersey.
Sporting Index expects just 156 of the 198 riders that start stage one to finish the race.
Ed Fulton, Trading Spokesman for Sporting Index, said: “Chris Froome is attempting to be the first rider in 20 years to win consecutive Tour de France titles amid stiff competition, and with the little matter of the Rio Olympics on the horizon, it could prove a tall order.
“Nairo Quintana and Co. will have Froome and his new first lieutenant, Geraint Thomas, firmly in their sights but the uphill time trial could be decisive. With the margin of victory set to be a slim 143 seconds, Froome will know a good performance on stage 18 could see him roll into Paris a three-time champion.”
