Stage 2 of the Tour de France starts and finishes in Nice and covers 187 kilometres. We take a look at the stage from a betting angle.
We certainly expected a dramatic stage in Nice on Saturday, but thanks to the weather conditions we got more than we bargained for with accidents aplenty down the slippery descents. The result was that the riders, quite rightly, neutralised the final descents and it was only the last 20 kilometres that were raced hard with Alexander Kristoff, a man who gets stronger the tougher things get, delivering an excellent sprint to beat the fast finishing, World Champion, Mads Pedersen.
Favourites, Bennett and Ewan both had tough days with crashes and mechanicals although Bennett did manage to finish 4th.
Kristoff will be wearing the Yellow Jersey on Sunday, but looking at the profile for this Stage he has only got it on loan as there is no way the sprinters are going to make it over the big climbs.
Let’s have a quick look at the Yellow Jersey betting where as expected there hasn’t been a lot of change as all of the main contender finished together. However Thibaut Pinot, 4th favourite, hit the deck pretty hard with 3 kilometres to go and his condition will have to be watched.
YELLOW JERSEY BETTING – Click here to bet – previous prices in brackets
Primoz Roglic 16/10 (2/1)
Egan Bernal 11/4 (22/10)
Tom Dumoulin 6/1 (6/1)
Thibaut Pinot 7/1 (13/2)
STAGE 2 BETTING - Click here to bet
Alaphilippe 4/1
Van Aert 8/1
Higuita 12/1
Roglic 16/1
20/1 and better the balance
Stage 2 Verdict
A fascinating stage in more ways than one. Will the GC contenders ride the climbs hard and will there be enough quality in the breakaway to hold a chance of staying clear? It's one to keep an open mind about after the Stage 1 thrills and spills.
One rider who came in 11th in Stage 1 and hence is presumably in good shape is AG2R's Oliver Naesen. His team gave it a go on Saturday with a rider off the front coming into Nice and that signals their intent for stage wins. He could go well here.
Stage 2 Bet: Oliver Naesen to win at 80/1
Keep an eye on the in-play betting as there will be opportunities to get involved in match plays and the stage betting
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
