Next July 6, we will partake in one of our favorite pastimes, watching Tour de France cyclists trying to best each other. The route has been revealed, the cyclists are set, and the only question that remains is who will rise to the top which is something enthusiasts and bettors that use the William Hill Promo Code are very eager to find out. Let’s dive in.
The Course
The race begins in Belgium and finished in Paris, France. There will be a total of 21 stages with two breaks after the 10th and the 15th stage of two days each and five mountain-top finishes, which means that this race is in the bag for those that favor uphill racing.
The first two stages will start and end in Brussels, with the second stage being a 28km one. After Brussels, the racers will go south towards the Vosges Mountains and their first of the five extra challenging finish lines – La Planche des Belles Filles, a ski resort with an interesting history, but that’s a story for another time.
The race will continue southwest from there, going through Saint-Étienne, Saint-Flour, and Toulouse, and after a two-day tussle in the south, it will turn east, until, finally, a plane ride takes the competitors for their final showdown.
Surprises
Marcel Kittel, the German cycling star, has been performing sub-par lately and will not be attending this Tour de France. In fact, Kittel ended his contract with the UCI WorldTeam Katusha–Alpecin and announced that he will be taking a break from the professional cycling. It is a regrettable piece of news, but hardly unexpected.
Peter the Great, or Peter Sagan, which is his real name, will have his work cut out for him this year. He will be facing Michael Matthews and Elia Viviani, among other racers that might prevent him from claiming the famed green jersey for the seventh time, thus breaking the record of Erik Zabel from Germany. We must not forget that Sagan didn’t have much luck in the past, especially when he was eliminated from the race by the referees in 2017 after the fourth stage of the race after a fall. Will Sagan bounce back, or will he be devoured by rising stars?
Some of the people expected to appear in the race are Romain Bardet, his fellow countrymen, Julian Alaphilippe, who dominated his opponents last year in the uphill races, and Thibaut Pino, a podium finisher.
Favorites
The hype surrounding the race would not amount to much if we didn’t have some vague idea who the next champion might be. One such contender is Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott), who has proven himself time and time again on the uphill tracks, despite being defeated by his twin, Simon, at both Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.
Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) also has a horse, or bike, in the race, as his season has not been exactly promising, but it wasn’t devastating either. Other names on the list include Jakob Fuglsang, Nairo Quintana, and Dan Martin. We are keeping our fingers crossed for our favorites and we wish the same to you.