Updated Tour de France Odds Ahead of Stage 8: Defending Champ Geraint Thomas Now -140 Favorite
- Stage 8 of the Tour (Saturday, July 13th) will feature five category two and two category three climbs
- Geraint Thomas is pulling away from Ineos teammates Egan Bernal in the General Classification odds
- Where can bettors find value among current Yellow Jersey futures?
While the Tour de France enters Stage 8 on Saturday, there has only been one day of truly interesting racing thus far. In Stage 6 on Thursday, the first major challenging climbing stage, defending champ Geraint Thomas impressively outshined teammate Egan Bernal. That resulted in a shift in odds, with Thomas now the clear chalk.
Tour de France odds move as each result comes in. Entering Thursday it seemed like Thomas was admitting he might be a step too slow. Now things feel different.
2019 Tour de France Yellow Jersey Odds
| Rider | General Classification Odds | Time-Gap to Yellow Jersey after Stage 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Geraint Thomas | -140 | +0:49 |
| Egan Bernal | +400 | +0:53 |
| Thibaut Pinot | +750 | +0:58 |
| Jakob Fuglsang | +1200 | +1:19 |
| Nairo Quintana | +2000 | +1:41 |
| Adam Yates | +2500 | +1:24 |
| Steven Kruijswijk | +2500 | +1:04 |
| Richie Porte | +2500 | +1:56 |
| Mikel Landa | +2500 | +1:43 |
| Rigoberto Uran | +3300 | +1:15 |
| Enric Mas Nicolau | +3300 | +1:23 |
*Odds taken 07/12/19.
Giulio Ciccone, part of the breakaway during Stage 6, not only holds the Yellow Jersey, but earned himself some job stability with that ride. Julian Alaphilippe is six seconds back. Thomas and Bernal currently rank fifth and sixth overall.
Heart of a Champion
It is unclear whether Thomas downplayed his chances in Stage 6 because of humbleness or confidence, but he shouldn’t be doubted.
Last year, despite being the co-team leader with Chris Froome, most observers figured Froome, a four-time champ, would emerge. Instead, Thomas outrode Froome and everyone else. He is versatile, talented, and strategic.
It’s a Long Race
The hype around Egan Bernal is justified. He is among the most-promising young riders in recent memory, and it is crazy that his odds have more than doubled over the past two days.
Sure Bernal didn’t look unbeatable in Stage 6, but he didn’t drop a ton of time, and there is no reason to believe the back-and-forth is over.
Is Mikel Landa Movistar’s best hope?
It was assumed before the race began that the Movistar team was probably top to bottom the strongest. They remain enormous favorites (-800) to win the team classification. Could there be a changing of their guard in terms of team leader, though?
Nairo Quintana figured to be Movistar’s leader. He has been a Tour favorite and podium-finisher several times, and is off to a solid start. However, teammate Mikel Landa, who twice has finished among the Top 10 in Paris, might be the better bet.
Quintana and Landa have been about equal so far, but it is Landa who has been outspoken and seems eager to shake things up. If Landa setting up Quintana failed, could team management reverse the roles? The price is right at +2500.
Dave Friedman has covered professional and college sports for two decades. From ESPN to the Associated Press, Regional Sports Networks, Metro Networks, and many local outlets, he has written about and broadcast major and minor events throughout the country.
