Tour De France Stage 18 predictions, betting tips, odds and free bets (July 21, 2016)

Thursday, 21 July 2016 01:07
Written by David Bet

Stage 18 brings the 2016 Tour de France to its second individual time-trial, a 17km route from Sallanches to Megève, 14 of which are uphill. Check out here our Tour De France STAGE 18 betting preview, with expert picks, highest odds, predictions on Winner and Head to Head, exclusive betting offers & no deposit bonuses on this race!

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TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE 18 BETTING PREVIEW

Stage 18 includes only 10 metres less of climbing than the first time trial, 650 metres (2,132ft), but is half the distance. From the 4km point the road rises to its steepest and most difficult of the stage, with the riders contending with around 2.5 kilometres at over ten per cent, with some sections above 15 per cent. For the next 7 kilometers the road goes up fairly gradually, averaging around five per cent over the seven kilometres period, with sections above eight per cent. This is not a stage for the likes of time trial specialists like Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara.

Hence, it is a big chance for Chris Froome to put the Tour out of reach. He was by far the closest of the GC guys to Tom Dumoulin during the last Time-Trial and would fancy to gain time on the Dutchman over the steeper uphill sections. This stage has the perfect mix that makes him very hard to beat.

Richie Porte is climbing well and may match Froome in the climbs but the Brit should be favoured by the flatter sections and the more gentle gradients in the 2nd half of the route.

Tom Dumoulin won the first time trial of this year’s Tour and the stage to the top of the Arcalis last week. He excelled on a hilly course that was besieged by windy conditions, and he could be the only time trial specialist that could contend on a stage like this

Adam Yates is showing no sign of weakness and this is a great stage for him. He is a poor time triallist but mountain time trials are different.

Nelson Oliveira is an exceptional time trialist and he is the current Portuguese national TT champion. He has really been climbing well in this race and the climbs here aren’t steep enough to really challenge him.

Nairo Quintana came in 20th in the last time trial and has yet to achieve any tangible results at this year’s Tour.

Yesterday Bauke Mollema showed the first signs of weakness but limited his losses well. Anyway, we don't see him competing for a top 3 position in this ITT as the Dutchman seems to be less strong in the third week..

Fabio Aru is clearly getting stronger and stronger and so he should be one of the best here. The flat part won’t suit him but the Italian will enjoy the steep climb.

The same goes for Romain Bardet. He is an even worse time triallist than Aru but this stage is more about climbing legs and freshness.

Looking for outsiders?

The wind will pick up slightly which will be an advantage of the early starters. Wout Poels looks one of the strongest riders in the race despite he is only running as support to Chris Froome. Team Sky are now only 2'20" behind Movistar on the team classification and we expect Poels to give 100% in this time trial. Another surprising contender could be Wilco Kelderman as he is a good time-trialist and climber as well.
On paper, it’s a great stage for Jon Izaguirre who is one of the best in the world in hilly time trials. Unfortunately, he seems to be pretty tired and could struggle today.
After an impressive Stage 17 win on Wednesday, Ilnur Zakarin may opt to save energy for another big attack in Friday’s stage.

Tour De France 2016 - Stage 18