Tour de France stage one predictions and cycling betting tips: Wout van Aert may seize his chance

Where to watch stage one of the 2023 Tour de France

Eurosport & ITV4, from 11.30am Saturday

Best bet

Wout van Aert to win stage one
2pts each-way 5-1 BoyleSports

Tour de France stage one predictions

Belgian superstar Wout van Aert turned the points classification into a procession in 2022, racking up 194 points more than his nearest rival.

Van Aert has said that defending the green jersey is not on his radar this time and that stage wins and next month’s world championships in Glasgow are his priority.

That will be welcome news to his Jumbo-Visma teammate and reigning Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard, who will rely on Van Aert to provide vital support throughout the race.

So if stage wins are at the top of Van Aert’s hit list as he says, Saturday's opening assignment should be one of his principle targets.

The 110th Tour begins across the border in Spain’s Basque country and its largest city Bilbao. The 182km route looks one for the one-day specialists, of which Van Aert is unquestionably one of the best around.

The Belgian endured plenty of near misses in the spring, playing second fiddle to Tadej Pogacar and long-standing rival Mathieu van der Poel in the Classics. But he invariably arrives at the Tour in prime condition, as advertised by his nine stage wins to date, and you can bet he will be determined to take every opportunity he can get to win a stage.

At 5-1 Van Aert looks a stonking each-way bet with BoyleSports, who go a fifth the odds the first five home.

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