Jonas Vingegaard from Jumbo-Visma is a slight betting favorite at +110 odds over Tadej Pogacar (+115) from Team Emirates UAE to win the 2023 Tour de France in back-to-back years.

The stoic Dane and the Slovenian wunderkind will slug it out in the Alps once again in the most prestigious cycling race in the world. Vingegaard won the 2022 Tour de France last summer, and denied Pogacar a chance to win a third-straight yellow jersey. Pogacar rode to victory in 2020 and 2021, but finished in second place in 2023.

The 2023 Tour de France has 21 stages in 23 days. The Grand Depart will take place on Saturday in Bilbao, Spain with 176 riders. Le Tour makes its way from the Pyrenes to the Alps before concluding on the historic Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday, July 23.

Vingegaard Seeks Back-to-Back Maillot Jaune

Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond said he thought that winning the Tour de France was the hardest thing he’s ever done, but he changed his mind when he had to defend the yellow jersey. LeMond reframed his thought and said that winning the Tour de France in consecutive years was the hardest thing he’s ever accomplished.

Vingegaard will face a tremendous amount of pressure to successfully defend his title and yellow jersey victory from last summer.

On the eve of Stage 1 in Bilbao, Vingegaard is the betting favorite to win the yellow jersey in consecutive years at +110 odds. He’s -400 odds to finish in the top three places and stand on one of the three podium slots in the final presentation in Paris at the conclusion of the Tour de France. Vingegaard is also -475 odds to finish in the top ten.

Vingegaard is fresh off a victory at the Critérium du Dauphiné, which is a precursor to the Tour de France. He’s in good shape and not nursing any injuries that Jumbo-Visma wishes to reveal.

Vingegaard made a name for himself when he took second overall at the 2021 Tour de France during a year in which he was expected to be the #2 rider on Jumbo Visma behind Primoz Roglic. After Roglic crashed multiple times and dropped out, Vingegaard became their primary rider and he gave Pogacar a good fight in the overall standings.

Jumbo-Visma is +1400 odds to win the team classification, as the sixth highest team on DraftKings’ futures board. Ineos Grenadiers are the defending team champions, and they assembled a super team once again, which is why they’re the betting favorite to win top team at +225 odds.

Pogacar on Mission to Snag Third Win Since 2020

After winning the yellow jersey for two years in a row, Pogacar had an off race last summer. He lacked a strong team around him compared to the attack dogs from Jumbo-Visma like Wout Van Aert, which didn’t help in his title defense. Then again, it’s a testament to a ride like Pogacar when he could come in second place in a grueling race and it’s considered a disappointing finish.

Pogacar is +115 odds to win a third yellow jersey in the last four years. He’s -400 odds to finish in a podium spot in the top three. He’s -390 odds to finish in the top ten.

UAE Team Emirates is +1000 odds to win the team classification this year. They have a more well-rounded squad versus last summer, and a slight favorite ahead of Jumbo-Visma (+1400) as the fifth-highest team on the futures board.

As expected, the 24-year-old Pogacar is a huge favorite at -500 odds to win the white jersey as the top Young Rider in the peloton this year. He won the white jersey last summer during his runner-up finish behind Vingegaard.

Slovenia has a lot to celebrate in the sporting world the last few years with the rise of Luka Dončić in the NBA, and Poagcar winning the Tour de France two tines.

Mark Cavendish on Cusp of History

While the top climbers garner most of the attention to determine the overall winner, there’s one veteran sprinter with a rare opportunity to make history.

British sprinter Mark Cavendish from Astana Qazaqstan is currently tied with Belgian superstar Eddy Merckx for total stage victories at 34 each. Cavendish, now 38, finished the 2021 Tour de France with 34 stage wins. He did not patriciate in the Tour e France last summer, but Cavendish is back in the saddle in 2023 for a shot at setting a new record.

There are only six flat stages on the 2023 schedule, and Cavendish has tough competition. You can back hm at +150 odds to win a stage, according to DraftKings.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin–Deceuninck) is the top sprinter in the peloton this year, and he’s the betting favorite at -400 odds to win at least one stage. The other top five speed demons include Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal–Quick-Step), Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco–AlUla), Caleb Ewan (Lotto–Dstny), and Mads Pedersen (Trek–Segafredo).

Cavendish is among the top six sprinters, but that doesn’t count Van Aert, who is not considered a sprinter even though he’s fast enough to win a sprint stage.

Time will tell how Jumbo-Visma will utilize Van Aert at Le Tour this summer. So long as Vingegaard is in contention for a podium spot and yellow jersey, then Van Aert will provide super-domestique duties.

If by chance Vingegaard crashes or doesn’t have a chance at the podium, then Van Aert could take shots as individual stage wins including the final stage in Paris. Van Aert is -360 odds to win a stage.

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