Tour de France Betting 2011

The Tour de France cycling series is one of the most watched sporting events in the world. Theoretically a lot of fans view cycling as a boring sport to watch as each stage can take hours to complete. However, there is something beautifully compelling about Tour de France and it is not just the beautiful French surroundings.

Tour de France betting 2011 is going to be popular because there are so many different races in the series and so many quality cyclists. Each stage is different to the last and sprinters and endurance cyclists all have chances to win different stages.

The profile of cycling and Tour de France is changing. Recent tragic events in Giro D'Italia have raised images of cycling and the dangers involved in the mainstream media. Tour de France 2011 looks set to be one of the most intensely fought contests in the history of the event.

Tour de France Betting Favourites

There are a number of Tour de France betting favourites including the current champion Alberto Contador. Contador won in such emphatic style last year that he is had and shoulders above every other athlete in the Cycling Betting market.

Vincenzo Nibali is another of the Tour de France betting favourites. What makes Nibali such a great cyclist is the fact that he does not show the inconsistencies that many do over different stages. He can be just as emphatic in the sprint stages as he is in the endurance and mountain stages.

Michele Scarponi is going to be in the running towards the end of Tour de France betting. Scarponi is a very fit cyclist who performs consistently. He is also very adaptable which is important because Tour de France is not a race series where a cyclist is going to have a perfect start every single time.

Tour de France Betting Outsiders

There are a number of Tour de France betting outsiders that will feature in the Sports Betting market. These outsiders have the ability to win a number of stages, albeit not one after another but enough to take the title.

Igor Anton is one such competitor in Tour de France 2011. Anton has enjoyed a number of victories in the past and he should be determined to upset a heavy favourite like Contador. Anton has nothing to lose and there will be little pressure on him.

Roman Kreuziger is in with a chance of doing well in the cycling series this year. This cyclist has a number of positive attributes which include incredible speed, stamina and fitness. Kreuziger should be in the leading pack for the majority of the stages.

Tour de France Teams

In total there are going to be 22 Tour de France teams competing for the title this year. This includes the 18 teams that were obliged to enter as well as four teams that were invited to take part in the event.

These Tour de France teams are; Ag2r-La Mondielle, Astana, BMC Racing Team, Cofidis, Europcar, Euskaltel-Euskadi, FDJ, Garmin-Cervelo, Lampre-ISD, Liquigas-Cannondale, Omega Pharma-Lotto, Quick Step, Rabobank, Saur-Sojasun, HTC-Highroad, Team Katusha, Leopard Trek, Team Movistar, Team RadioShack, Team Saxo Bank-SunGard, Team Sky and Vacansoleil-DCM.

Format of Tour de France 2011

The format of Tour de France 2011 is very simple. Each racer from each team must race over a total of 21 stages through July. Apart from two time trials, the aim is to get over the finish line before any other cyclist. There are six mountain stages with the rest of the stages being a combination of sprint and endurance races over varying distances.

There are two rest days for Tour de France 2011 which will take place on July 11 and July 18. These are rare chances for each rider to rest and recover as the intensity of the races on a day by day basis is huge.

There are different classifications throughout Tour de France where different cyclists are leading the way. These classifications include; general, points, mountain, young rider, team and combativity. The general classification is the most important as it is the accumulative time of each cyclist. Contador will wear the yellow jersey for the first stage as he is the current champion based on the general classification which is time based.