Tour de France 2019: Stage one betting preview, tips, analysis & predictions

TV: Eurosport 1 & ITV4, 11am Saturday

The Grand Depart of the 2019 Tour de France takes place in the cycling stronghold of Belgium and its capital Brussels.

The peloton will tackle two full days in the Flemish countryside before leaving the lowlands midway through stage three.

As is usually the case, stage one is a chance for the sprinters to get their spot in the limelight with a 195km loop through Flanders, into Wallonia and back into Brussels.

It wouldn’t be a celebration of Belgian cycling without a few cobbled climbs thrown into the mix and two, the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg, are tackled in the first 50km. After that it’s a fairly benign day with just a few lumps and bumps to get over.

The anticipation is that we will see a bunch finish back on the streets of the Belgian capital, so on the 100th anniversary of the yellow jersey, this looks an ideal opportunity for Dylan Groenewegen to claim the first one of this year's Tour.

A winner of consecutive stages in last year’s race, Groenewegen has established himself as the fastest man in the peloton this season. The Dutch sprinter has had a stellar campaign, winning nine stages and the Three Days of De Panne.

The slight uphill finish into Brussels shouldn’t be much of a hindrance for the Dutchman as he has won numerous Spring Classics in his fledgling career.

The betting suggests that Elia Viviani will be one of his nearest rivals in sprint finishes throughout the Tour but the Italian has much to prove after a poor Giro and Groenewegen should have his measure over the next three weeks. The Dutchman can be backed at 4-6 in a match bet against Viviani with bet365 which should also be taken.

Australian speedster Caleb Ewan will perhaps provide the biggest threat to the favourite with his confidence high after winning two stages at May’s Giro and the uphill drag to the line sure to play to his strengths.

Recommendations
D Groenewegen to win stage one
3pts 7-4 general
D Groenewegen to beat E Viviani
4pts 4-6 bet365

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