The most famous and prestigious race of the cycling season, the Tour de France, begins this weekend. The 23-day, 21-stage odyssey covering 3,338.8km opens in the north of France in Lille on July 5 and of course concludes along the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 27.
This year’s field is one of the deepest in history but the defending champion, Tadej Pogacar, is without question the headliner of the 112th edition of the Tour de France. Pogacar is bidding to become only the sixth rider to win four yellow jerseys (previous wins: 2020, 2021, and 2024). A yellow jersey in 2025 would make the 26-year-old Slovenian the youngest four-time winner in the illustrious race’s history.
Pogacar’s primary challenger is Jonas Vingegaard. The 28-year-old from Denmark claimed the yellow jersey in 2023. He is without question the top threat to Pogacar’s pursuit of a fourth triumphant ride along the Champs-Elysees later this month.
Should this era’s greatest riders suffer some measure of misfortune during their respective quests for immortality, additional names to know include American Matteo Jorgenson (among the top climbers in the world), Remco Evenepoel (the world’s top time-triallist who finished third last year in his Tour de France debut), and Biniam Girmay (last year’s green jersey or “maillot vert” winner recognizing the Tour’s top sprinter).
While each of those three may snare an occasional headline over the course of the 23-day race, Pogacar and Vingegaard are the clear class of the 2025 Tour de France.
Editor’s Note: All 21 stages of the 2025 Tour de France will be broadcast on Peacock beginning with Stage 1 Saturday, July 5 at 6:30AM Eastern. After each stage, join Lance Armstrong for THEMOVE, a live post-race show on Peacock offering incisive perspective on the Tour de France.
Betting the 2025 Tour de France
NBC Sports Bet Best Bets
NBC Sports’ Betting Analyst Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) has handicapped the 2025 Tour de France. These are two of his favorite plays:
Yellow Jersey: “The three-time Tour champion Tadej Pogacar comes into this year’s ride in phenomenal form having put together some all-time power numbers in the warmup Criterium du Dauphine last month. The main (and only?) challenger, Jonas Vingegaard has had an up and down prep but comes into this race with a weaker team than in years past which was his main hope to even the power gap. A healthy, crash-free three weeks will find a fourth maillot jaune for the Slovenian superstar and his price in the -250 range represents meaningful betting value as his fair odds should represent an 80 to 85% chance for Pogacar.”
Green Jersey: “The prize for the best sprinter will be hotly contested this year and there is a surprising favorable price, for the top choice by my numbers in Jasper Philipsen at +480. The closer from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team will likely find the top of the podium on a number of stages this year as he has the best lead out man in the business Mathieu Van Der Poel support his bid to reclaim the green jersey. The second choice by my numbers is last year’s winner Biniam Girmay at 10/1 and he should not be overlooked to recreate his 2024 magic.”
From the amazing scenery of France to the elite cyclists vying for the top prize the sport offers, enjoy the 2025 Tour de France...and here’s hoping you cash a ticket or two along the way.
