The 2023 Tour de France began on Saturday, July 1, with a loaded field of talented riders competing for the coveted yellow jersey and overall championship. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, who won in 2021 and 2020, were among the favorite Tour de France picks for cycling betting ahead the annual event and are still in contention through the first four stages.
A Rainbow of Opportunities
While the yellow jersey is the most coveted prize, as it signals the outright leader who has the lowest cumulative time in the general classification, there are three other jerseys, each of which has its own unique betting market. The green jersey is designated for the leader in points classification (riders earn points based on intermediate sprints during stages and their overall finish position), while the best young rider (under 23) wears the white jersey.
The King of the Mountain is another coveted competition in the Tour de France. Select stages have mountain components, and the rider who earns the most points in these areas earns the right to wear the polka dot jersey, also known as “the maillot à pois rouges”.
Tour de France Futures 2023: King of the Mountains
Cyclist | Odds |
Tadej Pogacar | +350 |
Neilson Powless | +500 |
Jonas Vingegaard | +550 |
Giulio Ciccone | +550 |
Richard Carapaz | +600 |
Thibault Pinot | +1600 |
Felix Gall | +2200 |
Victor Lafay | +2500 |
Michael Woods | +3000 |
Ruben Guerreiro | +3000 |
Tour de France 2023 Standings Through Stage 4
Cyclist | Points |
Neilson Powless | 18 |
Tadej Pogacar | 7 |
Jonas Vinegaard | 4 |
Pascal Eenkhoorn | 3 |
Georg Zimmermann | 3 |
Laurent Pichon | 3 |
Jonas Gregaard | 2 |
Simon Yates | 2 |
Esteban Chaves | 2 |
Edvald Boasson-Hagen | 2 |
Powless the First American to Wear the Jersey since 2017
While Neilson Powless isn’t projected to win the general classification (Adam Yates is the leader through four stages, with Pogacar just six seconds back), he has been dominating the King of the Mountain competition.
The EF Education-EasyPost rider earned five points in the competition in the first stage of the Tour de France futures, becoming the first American rider to don the polka dot jersey since 2017. In other cycling news, Yates won the first stage in the general classification, with Pogacar, the betting favorite, finishing in third place.
On Top of the World
Powless finished 13th in last year’s Tour de France and was a popular betting pick for the King of the Mountain this year, especially after recording top-10 finishes in Paris-Nice, the Tour of Flanders, and Milan-San Remo. He has an 11-point lead over Pogacar in the King of the Mountain. That can change quickly, but he’s in a great position to become the first-ever American to win the King of the Mountain.
Powless is 51st in the general classification and seventh in points through four stages.
Last 3 KOM Winners Also Won General Classification
You’ve probably noticed that Pogacar has shorter Tour de France odds for the King of the Mountain than Powless, despite trailing him by 11 points through four stages. That’s because he’s a two-time Tour de France champion who currently sits second in the general classification and fourth in points. He’s the most dominant rider in the world on any given day.
Moreover, the King of the Mountain winner in each of the last three years has been the general classification, or yellow jersey, winner. Pogacar has plenty of time to make up 11 points. He won the King of the Mountain in 2021 with 107 points, 19 clear of second-place Wout Poels. He had 82 points to win the mountains classification in 2020.
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