Posted on: July 10, 2023, 11:01h. Last updated on: July 10, 2023, 11:20h.
Tadej Pogacar from UAE Team Emirates is currently the favored bet to win the 2023 Tour de France at odds of -125. This is despite being in second place overall with 12 stages remaining. Jonas Vingegaard from Jumbo-Visma, the defending champion, is currently in first place, but closely behind Pogacar at +110 odds for consecutive wins.
Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard on the top of Puy de Dome in Stage 9 of the 2023 Tour de France. (Image: Reuters)
The Tour de France has completed the first nine stages and will have its first rest day on Monday. There are still 12 more stages to go, including challenging mountain stages in the Alps.
Vingegaard is currently wearing the yellow jersey as the first-place rider in the peloton, but his lead is shrinking. He is only 17 seconds ahead of Pogacar in second place. Pogacar has previously won the Tour de France in 2020 and 2021, and was the runner-up last year. A fierce rivalry has developed between Vingegaard and Pogacar over the past couple of years, with Vingegaard finishing in second place in 2021.
Pogacar is aiming for a third win at Le Tour, but he is nursing a wrist injury. Meanwhile, Vingegaard is hoping to defend his title.
Before Stage 1, oddsmakers had Vingegaard as a slight favorite to win the 2023 Tour de France with +110 odds, compared to Pogacar’s +115 odds.
Vingegaard and Pogacar Battle in the Pyrenees
After the first four stages, Pogacar had taken an 11-second lead over Vingegaard before the peloton entered the Pyrenees Mountains. Jai Hindley from Bora-Hansgrohe won Stage 5 at Laruns and claimed first place in the General Classification (GC) standings, earning the yellow jersey. Vingegaard moved into second place by finishing 64 seconds ahead of Pogacar in Laruns.
Pogacar won Stage 6 at Cauterets-Cambasque, which included a climb up the infamous Col du Tourmalet. He finished 24 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, who came in second place. Hindley dropped back on the Tourmalet and lost the lead in the GC standings, finishing in sixth place in Stage 6. Vingegaard took over first place in the GC standings and claimed the yellow jersey with a 25-second overall lead over Pogacar in second place.
After two easier stages, Pogacar trimmed eight seconds off Vingegaard’s lead in Stage 9 during a challenging summit finish at Puy de Dome on Sunday. As they head into Stage 10 on Tuesday, Vingegaard holds a 17-second lead, but he has remained in the coveted maillot jaune since Stage 6. The race between Vingegaard and Pogacar is still too close to call with 12 stages remaining. Pogacar has gained momentum in the past few stages, while Vingegaard excels in the Alps during longer stages at higher altitudes. Three mountain stages are scheduled for this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Stage 13, featuring the iconic Grand Colombier, will take place on Friday.
Jasper the Disaster Snags Hat Trick
Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen from Alpecin-Deceuninck has positioned himself as the top sprinter at the 2023 Tour de France with three stage victories. He currently wears the green jersey, given to the leading sprinter. Philipsen, nicknamed “Jasper the Disaster,” ended the 2022 Tour de France with a sprint victory in the final stage in Paris. This summer, he started with back-to-back wins in Stage 3 in Bayonne and Stage 4 in Nogaro. He also won Stage 7 in Bordeaux.
“If you had told me a week ago, I would have said you’re crazy,” said Philipsen. “Can’t be proud enough of the team. Without them, it would have been impossible to win a third stage already. We worked together, and that led to success. I always had a good wheel and never had to make a big effort before I had to sprint.”
On a sad note, British sprinter Mark Cavendish from Astana Qazaqstan Team had to withdraw from the Tour. Cavendish crashed during Stage 8 and was taken away in an ambulance with a fractured collarbone. Cavendish is currently tied with Eddy Merckx with 34 stage wins, the most in Tour de France history. The 36-year-old intended to retire after this season and was participating in the Tour de France for the last time. Cavendish and his teammates had hoped he could break Merckx’s record during one of the six flat stages on this year’s route. He finished in second place in Stage 7 when Philipsen denied him his 35th stage victory.
Jai Hindley Fighting for Third Place
Australia’s Hindley first caught the attention of cycling fans when he won the 2022 Giro d’Italia. He did not compete in last year’s Tour de France but had high expectations going into this year’s race.
While Vingegaard and Pogacar battle for the yellow jersey, the rest of the General Classification contenders are vying for third place. Many experts and oddsmakers considered Hindley a potential contender in the GC standings. Hindley had the third-best odds before the Grand Depart, behind Pogacar and Vingegaard.
Hindley won his first stage at the Tour de France in the Pyrenees Mountains, riding 163 kilometers from Pau to Laruns. He took over first place in the GC standings and claimed the yellow jersey after winning the first challenging mountain stage of the race.
“It’s really incredible. I have no words,” Hindley said after his Stage 5 victory. “I just wanted to take as much time as possible and also win the stage. Finding myself in the yellow jersey, that’s pretty cool.”
Hindley held the yellow jersey for just one day before relinquishing it to Vingegaard after Stage 6. He currently sits in third place in the GC standings, 2 minutes and 40 seconds behind Vingegaard in first place and 2 minutes and 23 seconds behind Pogacar in second place. He has a 102-second advantage over Carlos Rodriguez in fourth place, with Adam Yates and Simon Yates following closely behind. Hindley is favored at +100 odds to finish in the top three podium spots, ahead of Rodriguez, Simon Yates, and Adam Yates.
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