The 95th Tour de France will start on July 5th in Brittany with last year's champion, Spaniard Alberto Contador, heading the betting. Not only is The Tour de France the most recognisable name in world cycling it is one of the world's leading sporting events.

Tour de France Betting Preview
Depending on how close we are to the start of the event, below you can find Tour de France betting news, blog articles, betting previews.

Tour de France odds for three weeks of the year. The world's best road cyclists compete in 27 UCI Pro Tour events from March to October, with all of the tough sport's most prestigious races included in the schedule.

The 2008 Tour de France will comprise 21 stages, including three time-trial stages that are crucial in determining the eventual wearer of the Maillot Jaune.

These 21 stages have the following profiles:

* 10 flat stages,
* 5 mountain stages,
* 4 medium mountain stages,
* 2 individual time-trial stages.

Tour de France History

Maurice Garin won the inaugural Tour de France in 1903 but fell from grace a year later when Le Tour organisers disqualified him for taking a train through part of the route. The number Tour de France betting options grows with every passing year. Most followers of Le Tour have an opinion as to which cyclist will finish the race in the yellow jersey or bet on the winner of each stage.

Tour de France Betting Online

Betting on the 2008 Tour de France at Island Casino is a great way to increase your enjoyment of the most famous event on the international cycling calendar. Hard though it is to believe, 'Le Tour' as its fans like to call it, started out as a marketing exercise for a French newspaper.

For example, you may want to bet on a Frenchman taking stage honours on Bastille Day or Jan Ullrich winning the first gruelling mountain stage in the Alps.

Island Casino posts prices on the three most significant jerseys (yellow, green and polka dot) before the race begins and revises them at regular intervals as the peloton makes it way to the finishing line in Paris. These options fall under futures betting and are extremely popular. Bet on the green jersey (points classification - Maillot Vert) and polka dot jersey (King of the Mountains - Maillot Blanc à Pois Rouges) classifications.

There are also links to Tour de France betting promotions, the latest Tour de France odds, and some analysis of the number of tips made for each team.