Tour de France 2019: Stage seven betting preview, prediction & free tip

TV: Eurosport 1 & ITV4, 10.35am Friday

Geraint Thomas is the new 11-10 favourite to win the 2019 Tour de France after the defending champion advertised his credentials on a brutal finish to stage six.

Belgium's Dylan Teuns gained a memorable first Tour de France stage win atop the punishing slopes of La Planche des Belles Filles. But Thomas will perhaps be the most content of the top riders having finished the stage in fourth place, taking time from all his GC rivals in the process.

Part of the day's breakaway, Teuns finally shook off the attentions of Giulio Ciccone in the final 150m to win the stage, although there was some consolation for the Italian as he moved into the yellow jersey courtesy of the bonus seconds he gained. He holds a six-second advantage over former leader Julian Alaphilippe.

Alaphilippe defied expectations to finish sixth and is 33-1 from 80-1 to win the Tour in a market now headed by Thomas after he moved up to fifth in the overall standings, 49 seconds behind Ciccone. There is no let-up for the peloton who, after the hardest stage of the race so far, tackle the longest stage of the 2019 Tour on Friday.

The road from Belfort to Chalon-sur-Saone is long but it is not the most difficult with just three small climbs in the first half of the stage before a fast and flat final 100km.

For the GC contenders it should be a chance to recover from Thursday's exertions with the sprinter's teams likely to be tasked with doing the work at the front of the peloton as they aim to pilot their chosen speedster into the perfect position to challenge for the stage.

Elia Viviani, winner of stage four, is the bookmaker's favourite with Dylan Groenewegen, who crashed out when favourite for the opening stage in Brussels, closely behind.

Of the pair Groenewegen would be the most likely victor in normal circumstances but he still appears to be suffering the effects of his stage-one fall.

Green jersey Peter Sagan can never be discounted but this could be the stage that Caleb Ewan claims his first victory on the Tour de France.

The ultra-consistent Australian has finished third on each of the bunch sprint he has contested in the opening week. He is a stage winner at both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana and could complete the Grand Tour set in Chalon-sur-Saone.

Recommendation
C Ewan
1.5pts each-way 11-2 Betway

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