Conflicting Opinions On Tour de France
Yesterday was an interesting sequence of events for bike racing enthusiasts, as two well known sportsbooks released opening odds for the 2005 Tour de France race. What is most surprising is that the odds makers' for these betting sites (Sportsbook.com and PinnacleSports.com) came to two entirely different conclusions on the outcome of the race.
During early morning hours, Sportsbook.com issued the initial release, naming Lance Armstrong as the odds on favorite to win the Tour de France for a 7th consecutive year. From the release:
Sportsbook.com expects Lance Armstrong to retire with yellow jersey
NEW YORK, NY, May 31, 2005 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Sportsbook.com has posted odds on the 2005 Tour de France, calling Lance Armstrong a 5-6 favorite to make history with a seventh consecutive Tour win. Odds on Armstrong failing to win are 10-11.
This was expected from Armstrong fans, but what was not expected was that a few hours later, another leading sportsbook would issue the opposite odds, projecting that Armstrong would actually finish in 7th place. From the announcement:
Lance Armstrong an Underdog to Win Seventh Tour de France at PinnacleSports.com
WILLEMSTAD, Curacao, May 31, 2005 -- With Lance Armstrong announcing that this year's Tour de France will be his final race, expectations are that he'll retire as the only seven time winner of the event. Although many believe that he'll continue his reign in the world's most grueling cycling event, PinnacleSports.com has listed Lance Armstrong as an underdog to win the 2005 Tour de France.
While this was initially a bit confusing, I have come to view it as a very interesting marketing effort on behalf of Pinnacle. Armstrong is the public favorite to win, and one can expect most Tour de France wagers to go his direction. With this in mind, it would make more sense for those punters to go to the sportsbook offering the best odds for their wager, which would be Pinnacle, in this comparison. Pinnacle's opening odds were 4/5 that Armstrong will lose the race, and 23/20 that he will take home another yellow jersey.
Regardless of who wins or loses, I'm sure this year's race will be an interesting event, especially in light of it being Armstrong's last race before retirement. I'm sure all competitors involved are honored to ride in the final race with an athlete who has been fortunate enough to win for six years running.
Additional information on the Tour de France can be obtained by visiting LeTour.fr
~ Max Bet ;)
