2023 Tour de France Odds Update Thru Stage 9 - Newstbt.com

Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates has been deemed the most likely winner of 2023 Tour de France in betting odds, with -125. Despite taking second place in the race so far with 12 remaining stages, he is still the frontrunner. Following behind him in odds (+110) is defending champion Jonas Vingegaard from Jumbo-Visma, who is in first place at this stage of the race.

The Tour de France is nearing its conclusion with just 12 stages left, including the competitive mountain stages in the Alps. Entering the ninth stage, defending champ Jonas Vingegaard of the UAE Team Emirates is still in yellow, but with just a 17-second lead over none other than Tadej Pogacar, the brilliant Slovenian cyclist who won the prestigious race in 2020 and 2021. These two remarkable athletes have become intense rivals over the last couple of years, with Pogacar out for his third win at the Tour, though he is suffering from a wrist injury. It will be interesting to see how these two dynamic figures perform in the remainder of the tour. (Image: Reuters)

Going into Stage 1, bookmakers predicted Vingegaard to be the narrow victor of the 2023 Tour de France, giving him odds of +110 and Pogacar odds of +115. Now, the two face the challenge of the Pyrenees as they battle it out for the win.

Vingegaard and Pogacar Battle in the Pyrenees

Following the first four stages, Pogacar had an 11-second advantage over team Jumbo-Visma’s Vingegaard before the peloton moved ahead into the Pyrenees Mountains. Australia’s Jai Hindley from squad Bora-Hansgrohe won Stage 5 at Laruns, resulting in him taking the lead in the General Classification (GC) and the yellow jersey. Meanwhile, Vingegaard accomplished a 64 second personal best over Pogacar at the same stop, leading him to second in the GC standings. On Stage 6 at Cauterets-Cambasque, with its much-dreaded Col du Tourmalet climb, Pogacar emerged on top with a 24-second gap separating the two. Unfortunately, Hindley couldn’t keep up on the Tourmalet ascent, slipping to sixth and subsequently losing his spot as top of the GC rankings with Vinegaard succeeding him by a 25 second overall lead over Pogacar in second. Following two relatively quiet stages, Pogacar earned a triumphant finish within eight seconds of Vingegaard in Stage 9’s gruelling Puy de Dome summit.

Jasper Vingegaard remains in the coveted maillot jaune, despite a mere 17-second lead ahead of the competition. Tadej Pogacar has made strong progress in the last few stages, but Vingegaard proves to be a formidable challenge with three mountain stages upcoming this week. On Friday, Stage 13 will feature a 138-kilometer route with the iconic Grand Colombier looming at the end. It’s still a close race between Vingegaard and Pogacar — and one that could be won or lost by the end of Sunday. Can Vingegaard snatch yet another hat trick, or will Pogacar seize the victory? Only time will tell.

Jasper the Disaster Snags Hat Trick

Jasper Philipsen, nicknamed ‘Jasper the Disaster’, has cemented himself as the top sprinter in the upcoming 2023 Tour de France with an impressive three stage victories. Wearing the green jersey, Philipsen began the summer with winning two stages in a row on Stage 3 in Bayonne and Stage 4 in Nogaro, before concluding on Stage 7 in Bordeaux. Philipsen expressed his gratitude and affection for the team: ” I 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 was always on a good wheel and never had to make a big effort before I had to produce my sprint.” Sadly, Mark Cavendish from Astana Qazaqstan Team was forced to withdraw from this year’s Tour de France after crashing during Stage 8.

After Stage 7 of the Tour de France, a shocked and demoralized Cavendish was taken away in an ambulance with a fractured collarbone. With 34 stage wins, Cavendish was equal with the great Eddy Merckx for having the most stage wins in Tour de France history. Having said prior to this race that this would be his last Tour, Cavendish and his team had great expectations that he could surpass Merckx’s record in any of the six flat stages. Unfortunately, his valiant efforts were foiled when he was denied a 35th stage victory by Philipsen. Jai Hindley was meanwhile battling for third place.

Jai Hindley Fighting for Third Place

Cycling enthusiasts obtained their initial look at Australia’s Hindley during his victory of the 2022 Giro d’Italia. Although he wasn’t present for the preceding year’s Tour de France, his presence has generated tremendous anticipation for that event in 2021. On the racetrack, Vingegaard and Pogacar are widely accepted as pretenders to the Yellow jersey; while the other general classification contenders clash for the podium position. Before the Grand Depart in Spain, experts and bookmakers predicted Hindley’s emergence as a likely general classification competitor, placing him third behind Pogacar and Vingegaard on the futures board. Sure enough, Hindley singlehandedly scooped the Yellow jersey after triumphing in the 5th stage of the Tour de France, which came to be after his 163 kilometer ride from Pau to Laruns in the Pyrenees Mountains. After his record-breaking win, Hindley was positively ecstatic, confessing, “It’s really incredible, I have no words.”

Jai Hindley had his eyes on the prize when he set out to take as much time as possible and the stage win. His work paid off and he ended up in the yellow jersey for a day – a very cool accomplishment! Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold on to it for long, as it was picked up by Vingegaard after Stage 6. Hindley is currently ranked third in the GC standings, 2:40 behind Vingegaard in first place and 2:23 behind Pogacar in second place.