Bet on Tour de France 🏆

Tour de France explained

Back to the question, what is Tour de France?, Also known as the "Le Tour" or "Le Grande Boucle," this is one of the biggest sports events, usually held annually. This competition is usually held in France or any of its bordering countries. The Amaury Sports Organization runs the Tour, along with other cycling events.

This Tour takes place in 21 stages, stretching 3,500km. Each stage of the competition takes close to 6 hours and covers approximately 225km. Each stage has a winner, but the title is awarded to the rider that completes the most stages in the shortest time.

With its enormity, in terms of popularity, participants in the Tour enjoy impressive cash winning, albeit not as much as those offered in other sporting events like the Masters or Wimbledon. 2021 Tour de France had its prize pool set at $2,642,340, with the winner, Tadej Pogačar, taking home £427,000. However, there are also cash prizes at various stages of the completion, such as intermediate sprints, stage wins, mountain summits, and combative prizes.

About this cycling sporting event

The Modern-day Tour de France continues to evolve with every passing day. The rules of the sport have been remained unchanged in recent years, with the major changes being alterations to the routes. Each stage sees thousands of fans defy inclement weather conditions to cheer their favorite riders.

The Tour is a team event only that the top prize is awarded to an individual. The Tour sees twenty-two teams featuring top-tier riders from across the world, each team having up to nine riders. However, each team has a leader, usually the strongest rider. The other team members play a supportive role to ensure their leader wins. The race has 21 stages spread across 23 days, meaning riders have only two days of rest.

It is also worth noting that the race is not usually held in France. It occasionally moves to a new location every two years. 2022's event marks the 109th edition of the Tour and will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The history of Tour de France

The first Tour de France race was held in 1903, featuring only 60 individual riders. A sports and rugby reporter, Henri Desgrange, is credited for organizing and marketing the first event through his editorial works. It is also worth noting that the first event was a six-stage race covering 2,428km. This meant that riders had to tackle an average of 405km, spending days and nights on the bike.

Maurice Garin won the inaugural Tour. However, incidences of cheating in the next event also risked compromising the following year's Tour. However, the organizers were quick to address the malpractices by introducing new rules in 1905.

The Tour de France has been held over the years, save in 1918 during the Spanish flu and both World Wars. The Tour has recorded massive improvements over the years, key among them being the shift from unpaved to paved roads. Another hallmark in the competition's history is the introduction of the yellow jersey (Maillot Jaune in French) immediately after World War I to help spectators locate the race's leader with ease.

Why is this tournament popular?

The Tour de France is particularly popular on online sports betting sites. The unpredictable nature of this event indeed makes the Tour a go-to option for punters with a few coins to spare. Betting on the winner is always the simplest bet to place. Moreover, this sporting event accords bettors the privilege of placing multiple bets and thus increases their chances of winning.

Another reason the Tour is popular among players betting on sport tournaments is that it is among the most grueling sporting event. Seeing the world's best cyclists face tough climbs for weeks is a rare sensation for any fan.

In addition, punters must also understand that the event is more of a team sport than an individual affair. While most of the credit goes to the best cyclist from the team, understanding the team's balance and other dynamics is critical.

The Tour de France enjoys massive coverage, especially in this digital age when fans can follow all the action via live streams. The Tour has undoubtedly cemented its place among the list of sports tournaments that enjoy a global following. Its popularity among avid cycling fans can also be translated to heightened interest among players betting on sport leagues or tournaments online.

How to bet on Tour de France?

Anyone betting on the Tour de France should be alive to three fundamental things:

The Tour's duration.
The nature of betting markets.
The need to embrace a strategy.

As mentioned early, the most popular bet type is always betting on the Tour's overall winner. However, plenty of other betting markets provide value to bettors. Like with most internationally acclaimed sport championships, punters betting on the Tour de France can explore a variety of odds markets, including:

Head-to-head: Pick a duel, and choose who among the two is likely to beat the other
Stage winner: 21 opportunities to bet on each stage.
Point's winner: Who will clinch the Green or Points Jersey
Overall winner: Bet on who will win the Tour de France
Top ten: The possibility of a rider featuring among the top 10 mostly works well for little-known riders who are likely to pull a surprise.

Tour De France betting strategy

Any perceptive players should be able to judge whether the odds are worth a bet. Making such a determination is always vital when betting on major sport tournaments. Strategy while betting on the Tour often revolves around being knowledgeable. This means that the betting strategy should be anchored on the rider's form, time trials, injuries, team, and anything else that could directly impact the race's outcome.