The clock is already ticking down to the start of the 110th Tour de France. The 2023 event will commence from Bilbao, Spain on July 1st before closing in Paris at the Champs-Élysées 22 days later. This grueling test of speed, bravery, and endurance has made the careers of several cyclists and broken others.
With the season just starting to hot up, it’s a chance to hunt for riders that have the mental fortitude and technical attributes to crack this iconic event – either for the first time or as a multi-Tour de France winner.
So, without further ado, let’s check out the four shortest-priced contenders for this year’s competition in the eyes of the bookmakers.
Tadej Pogacar
Tour de France 2023 futures markets are already indicating that it could be a two-way fight for the yellow jersey. Slovenian star Tadej Pogačar is once again tipped to make a deep run at this year’s Tour de France, with the bookmakers pricing him as the +100 favorite in the futures betting. This type of outright betting market lists all the potential winners of competitions like the Tour de France before an event has even got underway. That’s unlike live betting, which allows bettors to place real-time wagers, with an option to cash out mid-event. Futures markets typically offer value on well-fancied entrants, as their odds usually fall in-play if they appear to be shaping up.
After winning back-to-back yellow jerseys in 2020 and 2021, the 24-year-old will be vying to get back in the saddle after missing out last year. The early-season signs are ominous so far in 2023 too. Pogačar has won both the Vuelta a Andalucia and the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior.
Jonas Vingegaard
26-year-old Jonas Vingegaard is the most likely rival for Pogačar in terms of this year’s yellow jersey. He was the one who pipped Pogačar to a third successive yellow jersey by winning the 2022 Tour de France. Their growing rivalry is one of the most exciting aspects of the sport of cycling right now. Vingegaard showed immense levels of sportsmanship by waiting for Pogačar after causing him to fall during the tough ascent to Hautacam. This kind of fair but competitive spirit is helping to redefine cycling’s sporting image.
Remco Evenepoel
Talented Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel is younger than Pogačar, but he’s still expected to be a major player in the Tour de France 2023. Last year, Evenepoel landed the Vuelta a Espana and the UCI World Road Race Championships to round off a fine year of development. ‘La Vuelta’ is considered one of the Grand Tours of cycling and his success in Spain will tee him up nicely for a bold run at this year’s yellow jersey.
Primoz Roglic
Roglič became the first cyclist from Slovenia to win a Tour de France stage back in 2017. Now aged 33, the bookmakers think he has a credible shot at pipping his compatriot Pogačar. Last season, Roglič came first in the 80th edition of the Paris-Nice stage race. He also took home the Vuelta a Espana, before a solid eighth-placed finish in the Tour of the Basque Country. With almost a decade of cycling experience on some of the others listed here, Roglič is a solid outside tip.
Of course, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that a real outsider comes through and takes up the charge. That’s one of the most fascinating aspects that makes the Tour de France one of sport’s most awe-inspiring events.
