Tour de France stage 18 predictions and cycling betting tips

Free cycling tips, best bets and analysis for stage 18 of the 2022 Tour de France

Where to watch

Eurosport 1 & ITV4, 12.30pm Thursday

Stage 18 preview

Jonas Vingegaard's hopes of keeping the yellow jersey all the way to Paris strengthened on Wednesday after he followed defending champion Tadej Pogacar over the line on a gruelling day in the Pyrenees.

The Dane was cut to 1-6 to see the job through after the gutsy ride to Peyragudes, where he lost only bonus seconds in finishing second behind Pogacar.

With four stages to go – one pancake flat, the last purely processional – that just leaves a time trial and one final day in the mountains between Vingegaard and glory.

That final mountain stage on Thursday is an absolute brute, cresting the daunting Col d'Aubisque and Col de Spandelles before taking on the sapping near-14km ascent of the iconic Hautacam.

Pogacar has got two minutes and 18 seconds to make up and won't find that in Saturday's time trial, which means the Slovenian is going to have to go on the attack on stage 18.

On the evidence of previous lumpy days, and with Pogacar short of a support cast and Vingegaard not needing to leave his rival's wheel, it's pretty hard to visualise the race leader being distanced.

Pogacar had been a strong favourite before the race was blown wide open on the Col du Granon, but is now a remote 5-1 shot ahead of the unmissable grind up the Hautacam.

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