Betting tips / Tour Connoisseur / 11 July 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

With the first rest day out of the way, the Tour Connoisseur believes it couldn't have come at a better time for the riders.

With two Alpine stages ahead, believe it or not, the race begins in earnest.

Stage 10 offers three categorised climbs, with the first Hors Catégorie (highest ranked) climb of the Tour. The final climb of the stage comes with about 20 kilometres to go and after that it's mainly downhill to the finish, which could result in an exciting climax

The Favourites

Vincenzo Nibali
The Italian has kept out of the limelight so far in Le Tour, but is positioned well in the overall standings in fourth place. He can descend better than almost anyone in the peloton and the final 20 kilometres are almost all downhill. If he brings his best, He'll be dangerous.

Cadel Evans
The Australian can't afford to lose any time for the rest of the tour and this stage provides the first real opportunity to start reeling Wiggins back in. He's competitive and a real racer. It wouldn't surprise me if he takes the stage while attacking to win the overall race.

Outsiders

Alexandre Vinokourov
The Kazakhstan rider has been going about his business quietly so far in the 2012 edition. He's not anywhere near the level that he once was, but he's a fighter and I'm quite sure he'll try everything to nail a stage win before the Tour is done. Loves a breakaway, and the way the stage is laid out it may just suit his style.

Thomas Voeckler
The Frenchman was the hero at last year's Tour and so far here he has underachieved. Will be keen to put himself in the limelight and his attacking style makes him a candidate for the elusive breakaway.

The Smokey

Michael Albasini
The rider from Switzerland has been prominent so far in the first nine days, had a great result in Stage 3 and has since been on the attack. This is a stage that suits his style, and his team Orica GreenEdge will be counting on him to have a real go.

In Summary

Another tough stage to pick, it could be one of the General Classification riders, or even a rider that is a long way down the pecking order who goes out in a breakaway and stays clear until the finish.

Evans and Nibali are good value if the stage gets a little tough.

Vinokourov, Albasini and Voeckler are a good chance if a breakaway succeeds, but as we've seen already some of these earlier stages are a real stab in the dark.