Tour de France
When seven-time Tour de France Winner Lance Armstrong announced that the 2010 Tour would be his last, few really believed him and only his competitors would have been anything other than miserable at the prospect of the sport minus one of it’s brightest talents. He retired once before, in July 2005 after claiming his seventh consecutive Tour crown, but returned in time for last summer’s race in which he managed a 3rd place finish against all odds.
Last year’s winner is this year’s favourite, Alberto Contador. The young Spaniard, who will be strongly flanked by Alexander Vinokourov and the rest of his Astana team, finished more than 4 minutes ahead of second-placed Andy Schleck and over 5 minutes ahead of Armstrong, in 2009’s epic race in which tempers flared, eventuating in a war-of-words between Contador and Armstrong, who were teammates at the time. Contador may enjoy speaking his (sometimes disrespectful) mind but if Armstrong, now teamed with RadioShack, was to recapture his Tour crown, the Spaniard would be left to eat more than just a little humble pie.
2009 runner-up Schleck is again one of the front runners this time around along with Britons Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, Aussie Cadel Evans, and Norwegian sprint specialist Thor Hushovd. Hushovd will rigorously defend the maillot vert this year and names Cavendish as one of several threats to him winning the points classification title. Stricken by a recurring shoulder injury, Hushovd has also cited American Tyler Farrar and Slovakia’s Peter Sagan as two riders who could also harm his aspirations for this year’s race.
All eyes will be firmly on Lance Armstrong for the next few weeks. The man they call ‘The Boss’ eclipses even the very best in the history of the Tour. Greats such as Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain – all themselves 5-time winners – will never be forgotten but even they don’t come close. An eighth title may seem like a dream, but if one had to bet on someone achieving the impossible, then that someone would be Armstrong.
Can Armstrong do it? Who will be strongest through the Mountains? Have your say with Tour de France betting at Titan Bet.
Tags: Anquetil, Bet, Cavendish, Contador, Cycling, Hinault, Hushovd, Indurain, Lance Armstrong, Merckx, Tour de France, Vinokourov, Wiggins