Le Tour de France - Life After Lance

It was Neil Armstrong who famously uttered the immortal lines "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" as he set foot on the surface of the moon in 1969. Yet, a modified version of that phrase could easily apply to another Armstrong from the USA, by the name of Lance.

For it was Lance Armstrong who, in 2005, completed the gruelling test of cycling that is Le Tour de France to secure a seventh successive Tour victory Yellow Jersey. That was a feat in itself, unlikely ever to be repeated, yet Armstrong achieved this following a remarkable recovery from cancer in the late 1990's. One giant step for a man indeed!

However, there are no prizes for betting on last year's winner. Lance Armstrong has retired and the other cyclists are relieved to see a chance of victory rather than second place. The Tour rolls into action in Strasbourg on 1st July and will finally come to a breathless stop on 23rd July along the splendid surroundings of the Champs Elysees in Paris.

The Win Market has two riders in the ascendancy – Ivan Basso (Team CSC) priced at 5/4 (2.25) at best; and Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) at a best 5/2 (3.5).

Italian Ivan Basso was last year's runner-up behind Armstrong and heads the betting now. As part of Team CSC, he will gain the benefit of a team pulling for him as lead cyclist. Basso is a climbing specialist and it is this that convinces his team that he has the beating of 1997 winner Jan Ullrich, who has also finished second on numerous occasions. Last year Ullrich took third spot behind Armstrong and Basso.

Behind these two in the betting are Alejandro Valverde (10/1 (11.0) at William Hill, 9/1 generally); Alexander Vinokourov (best 13/1 (14.0) but more generally 12/1 (13.0)); and Floyd Landis (best 15/1 (16.0) but more generally 13/1 (14.0)). Beyond the top five, 40/1 is available in places for any other rider.

If the prospect of backing or laying an outright win is not enough for you, bookmakers are also offering side markets such as match ups between two closely matched cyclists. At Bet365, for example, you can back Ullrich to finish ahead of Basso at 5/4 (2.25). However, if Ullrich were to finish ahead of Basso, is it likely to be because he has won? Would the 5/2 (3.5) available for the outright win still represent better value? It all rather depends on your view of the other riders' chances. However, there are plenty of other matches available on Bet365's sportsbook. It is worth taking a look.

William Hill also offers odds on the winner of the Green Jersey and the Polka Dot Jersey, which respectively go to the sprinters and mountain climbers.

The Green Jersey hot favourite is T Boonen at 11/10 (2.1) with R McEwan at 9/4 (3.25) and T Hushovd at 5/1 (6.0).

The Polka Dot Jersey or "King of the Mountains" betting is led by M Rasmussen at 11/8 (2.37) with C Moreau at 11/2 (6.5) and J Rujano at 8/1 (9.0) following behind. Overall Tour favourite, Ivan Basso, can be backed for the Polka Dot at 16/1 (17.0).

Ed note: Receive a matched £50 free cash bonus from William Hill with your first deposit

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