[FONT="]British Open betting will have to share some of the sportsbook betting action when it tees off on Thursday, as the Tour de France just finished its 11<sup>th</sup> stage of cycling’s biggest event. <o
></o>[/FONT] [FONT="]Tour de France odds – Thursday, July 16<o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT="]Mark Cavendish of Great Britain won his second straight stage, and fourth overall as the Tour reaches the halfway point, and he leads the points classification, but he hasn’t broke the top 10 for the general classification. That goes to Rinaldo Nocentini, who was involved in a pair of crashes, but he got up in time to hold a six-second lead over offshore sportsbook favorite Alberto Contador and an eight-second lead over Lance Armstrong, who lead the Astana team.
Astana is trying to catch up to Nocentini’s team, Ag2r-La Mondiale, which holds a mere three-second lead in the team standings, but the fall may have dented Nocentini’s confidence a little. You don’t want to give Astana, particularly Contador and Armstrong, any sign of weakness, especially with the critical mountain stages beginning on Sunday, and this will factor into sports picks. <o></o>[/FONT]
[FONT="]Another big factor in Wednesday’s stage was that it was the first stage of the Tour where teams were not allowed to make radio contact with each other, which made for very cautious riding, especially after the two early crashes. Friday’s stage is also supposed to be radio-free, but some riders and team owners are complaining, which means that they’ll probably have the radios back on Friday. Cycling is a team sport, and as congested as it gets on the winding roads and hills, you need to be able to formulate a plan with your teammates. This is a crucial part of the Tour, and one major reason why the Astana team is at the top of most Tour de France odds this year. <o></o>[/FONT]
></o>[/FONT] [FONT="]Tour de France odds – Thursday, July 16<o></o>[/FONT][FONT="]Mark Cavendish of Great Britain won his second straight stage, and fourth overall as the Tour reaches the halfway point, and he leads the points classification, but he hasn’t broke the top 10 for the general classification. That goes to Rinaldo Nocentini, who was involved in a pair of crashes, but he got up in time to hold a six-second lead over offshore sportsbook favorite Alberto Contador and an eight-second lead over Lance Armstrong, who lead the Astana team.
Astana is trying to catch up to Nocentini’s team, Ag2r-La Mondiale, which holds a mere three-second lead in the team standings, but the fall may have dented Nocentini’s confidence a little. You don’t want to give Astana, particularly Contador and Armstrong, any sign of weakness, especially with the critical mountain stages beginning on Sunday, and this will factor into sports picks. <o
></o>[/FONT][FONT="]Another big factor in Wednesday’s stage was that it was the first stage of the Tour where teams were not allowed to make radio contact with each other, which made for very cautious riding, especially after the two early crashes. Friday’s stage is also supposed to be radio-free, but some riders and team owners are complaining, which means that they’ll probably have the radios back on Friday. Cycling is a team sport, and as congested as it gets on the winding roads and hills, you need to be able to formulate a plan with your teammates. This is a crucial part of the Tour, and one major reason why the Astana team is at the top of most Tour de France odds this year. <o
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