The Tour de France is the most prestigious and well known cycling race in the world.  It is also one of cycling’s three “Grand Tours” and the one that attracts the most riders from around the world.  The race generally takes place in July and although the course changes every year the race always finishes in Paris along the Champs-Élysées.

The Tour de France is the bicycle race that gets by far the most attention from online sportsbooks each year.  All top online bookmakers will offer a wide variety of betting options on the Tour de France.  You can read more about these betting options below and you can also check out our three recommended sportsbooks for betting on the Tour de France.

Where To Bet On The Tour de France

Betting On The Tour de France Online

It is very easy to bet on the Tour de France online and if you are ready to right now you could be placing your bets in just a few minutes.

The first step is to open an online sports betting account.  I suggest checking out each of the sportsbooks we have listed above individually to see their Tour de France promotions and what kind of betting odds they are offering on this years Tour de France.  Once you choose your preferred bookie go ahead and open an account.

Next you will have to fund your account in order to have money with which to bet on the Tour de France.  Head over to the ‘cashier’ or ‘deposit’ section of the sportsbook and choose from the many deposit methods available.  You should note the sign up bonus at your chosen sportsbook in order to get the biggest bonus possible (the bonuses usually depend on the size of your first deposit).

Now that you have money online you are ready to bet.  Go to the ‘cycling’ section of the sportsbook to find the Tour de France betting odds.  Place your bets then follow your rider throughout the race!

Tour de France Betting Options

As mentioned before the Tour de France is the most popular bicycle race in the world and with this popularity comes a wide variety of betting options to choose from.

One popular bet is picking which rider will win the race outright.  The sportsbooks will offer odds on every rider throughout the race and the odds will change as the race progresses and it becomes more clear which riders are the favorite.

You can also bet on which rider will win each stage of the race or on certain sections of the race such as which rider will win the King of the Mountain, Points Classification or Young Rider Classification.

Match ups between two riders is another popular betting option for the Tour de France.  The sportsbook will pair two riders together and you can bet on which rider will finish the race (or the stage) first.  Here is an example:

Jurgen Van Den Broeck -185
Samuel Sanchez +160

In this example Van Den Broeck is the favorite to finish the Tour ahead of Sanchez.  You would have to risk $185 betting on Van Den Broeck to win $100, while you would win $160 betting $100 on Sanchez if he pulled off the upset.

You will also find a few prop bets available at the sportsbooks we have listed above.  Some of the props I have seen include an over/under on the total number of riders to finish the Tour or the total number of riders to wear the yellow jersey during the course of the race.

Tour de France Betting Tips

Here are a few tips to help you turn a profit betting on the Tour de France this year.

• Understand the riders strengths – Certain riders are built for the mountain stages, while others are much more dangerous in the time trials.  It is important that you do your research and understand which stages each rider has a chance at winning.
• Compare Odds – This is a normal tip for more sports, but it is especially important for betting on the Tour de France.  Different online sportsbooks will offer significantly different odds for various cyclists, so you should compare odds to make sure you are getting the best possible return.  I suggest checking each of the Tour de France recommended sportsbooks we have listed above.
• Research – Knowledge is power and this is especially true in individual sports such as cycling.  If a cyclist is feeling a little under the weather this could make a huge difference in his performance.  Read as much as you can about the cyclists before placing your wager.

Tour de France History

The Tour de France has a rich history with the original race being run in 1903.  The first races captured the passion of the nation, but because the legs continued into the night cheating was common when the race organizers could no longer track all of the riders.  The race has changed and improved over the past century and to learn more about the history I suggest checking out the Tour de France Wikipedia page.

You can keep up with the Tour at the official Tour de France website every year as well.