The 106th staging of the Tour de France is set to kick off in July and it’s time to talk about the racers to watch out for on the grandest cycling event setting of them all. Geraint Thomas came out on top of the field last year, and will be looking to go back-to-back. That’s going to be easier said than done of course, as the race is 21 stages long and takes 23 days to finish. Because of this, betting on the event is an ongoing hustle that’s ripe with opportunity for those who pay close attention. Read on for more about the racers to watch out for below. Also, you can see all the odds for the 2019 Tour de France here.
With Chris Froome out, Thomas will have one thorn fewer in his side to worry about in his first defense of the Tour de France title he won a year ago. Thomas, who was the first man outside of Froome to win the event since 2014, is coming off a solid race at Tour de Romandie in which he finished third last May. It was definitely a good sign for Thomas and a cause of relief for his fans, who were worried for most of the year due to his slow start this season. Prior to Romandie, Thomas finished just 12th at Strade de Bianche, retired from the Tirreno-Adriatico due to stomach issues, and crashed out of the Tour of the Basque Country. Thomas. The form he showed at Romandie was encouraging to say the least, and he seems to be on pace of being in 100 percent form once the Tour de France arrives.
Excluding Froome, Dumoulin has the second shortest odds to win the 2019 Tour de France. In other words, there is a lot of pressure riding on the Dutch international to put up quite a performance at the much-awaited event. Dumoulin has never won a Tour de France title, but he’s got three total stage wins from the 2016 and 2018 editions of the race. As for his current form, Dumoulin is not inspiring much confidence relative to his odds to win the Tour de France right now, as he recently just admitted that it’s going to be “difficult” for him to be in top shape for the greatest cycling race in the world after the crash he figured in at the Giro d’Italia last month. Dumoulin, however, was able to participate at the Critérium du Dauphiné, which is a very good sign — at least for his chances to join the action at the 2019 Tour de France. Dumoulin was the runner up at last year’s Tour de France, behind Thomas and in front of Froome.
Porte just can’t wait to get on his bike and race again at Tour de France. Expected to be among the main threats to Froome last year, Porte instead disappointed himself and his fans by getting eliminated out of the race right in the very first 10 kilometers of the race. It was the second year in a row that he crashed out of the Tour de France. If anything, those letdowns should only be making him hungrier to win the race than ever before. Porte finished just 38th at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya last March but rebounded in strong fashion by placing fifth at Tour of California last May. Porte is currently racing at Critérium du Dauphiné, wherein he’s got a good chance of breaking into the top 10.
Mas is only 24 years old and needless to say, has grand dreams for himself. Way back in January, the Spaniard said, via an interview with Cycling News that he wants to win the 2019 Tour de France. That’s quite a big thing to say for the youngster, especially when considering the fact that this will be the first time that he’ll join the grand race. Mas didn’t race at Giro d’Italia this year, which could be viewed as a missed opportunity for him to further ready himself for Tour de France, but he’s nevertheless shown plenty of promise by finishing ninth in general classification at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.
Kruijswijk’s relatively long odds to win the 2019 Tour de France appears to be offering a ton of value for sleeper hunters. Kruijswijk was a fifth-place finisher at last year’s Tour de France and has been putting up strong performances since. At the La Vuelta ciclista a España, he finished fourth then opened 2019 with a podium finish at Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol by going third in the general classification. He followed that up with fifth and sixth place finishes at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and at Tour de Romandie, respectively. As of this writing, Kruijswijk is running fifth at Criterium du Dauphine through four stages.
As a former champion, Nibali should be considered among the riders to watch out for even if age is creeping up behind his back wheel. Nibali won the 2014 Tour de France and is looking like he’s in fine form of late, as he just finished second at the Giro d’Italia.
