A Three-Week Race of Stages
The single fact that explains Tour de France betting is the format: a three-week race of stages.
The Tour is decided by accumulated time across flat, mountain and time-trial stages, and the markets change with the stage type. The mountain stages decide the overall, and the flat stages decide the sprints. Our the margin guide covers how a book prices a market, and the horse racing guide covers a comparable multi-event market.
The Core Markets
Most Tour volume sits in three markets, and each rewards a different skill.
| Market | What it is | What it rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Stage winner | Pick the stage winner | Reading the stage type |
| Overall winner | Pick the yellow jersey | Reading the mountains |
| Points classification | Pick the sprinter | Reading the flats |
The Mountains Decide the Overall
In the Tour the mountain stages decide the overall winner, and that is where the value sits.
The Stage Types
The Tour has three stage types, and each rewards a different rider.
The flat stages suit the sprinters, the mountain stages suit the climbers, and the time trial suits the specialists against the clock. A bettor should read the stage type before placing a bet, because the winner of a flat stage is rarely the winner of a mountain stage. Our the value betting guide covers finding the gap, and how to spot value bets covers the habit.
Reading the Overall
The overall winner market is a futures market on three weeks of racing, and it rewards reading the mountains.
The contenders are priced before the race, and the price moves as the race narrows and as the mountains arrive. A bettor who reads the mountain stages and the time trial has an edge over one who bets on the favourite. Our the closing line value guide covers beating the close, and how to read odds movement covers the timing.
The Points Classification
The points classification is a market on consistency across the flat stages, and it rewards reading the sprints.
The points classification, the green jersey, is won by a rider who finishes high on the flat stages consistently. A bettor who reads the sprint stages and the intermediate sprints has an edge. Our the over under guide covers a comparable consistency market, and the value betting guide covers the gap.
A Tour de France Bettor's Checklist
Four checks before placing a Tour bet.
- Stage type read: flat, mountain or time trial.
- Overall priced against the mountains, not the flats.
- Points classification read against the sprint stages.
- Outright timed, since the price moves as the race narrows.
The Honest Position
The Tour de France rewards reading the stage types and the mountains, and punishes betting on the favourite alone.
What a player gains is a three-week race where the mountain stages and the time trial decide the overall. What they lose is the comfort of a single obvious favourite, because the format is decided by accumulated time across stage types. The useful skill is reading the stage type and timing the outrights. Our best betting sites covers the operators that pass our testing, and the bankroll management guide covers staking across the race.
The Team Time Trial
The team time trial is a stage that rewards reading the squads rather than the riders.
In a team time trial the strongest squad sets the pace, and the general-classification contenders lose or gain time together. A bettor who reads the squad strength, not just the individual form, has an edge on this stage. Our the value betting guide covers finding the gap, and how to read odds movement covers reading a market that moves on squad news.
✓ What We Like
- Covers the payment problem that decides whether the product is usable for you
- Explains the tax structure, which is the part that sets the price
✕ What Could Improve
- Written for the general reader, so a specialist will find some of it obvious
