logo
A reckoning on Mont Ventoux

A reckoning on Mont Ventoux

The Citizen6 days ago
Can scary mountain catch out Tour favourite?
There will be plenty of cheering from the fans during Tuesday's Tour de France mountain stage. Picture:Mont Ventoux, the most feared mountain in cycling, is the destination of Stage 16 of the Tour de France on Tuesday.
The finishing stretch is so steep only a handful the very best climbers stand any chance of winning the stage – which means Tadej Pogacar is hot favourite again, this time at 1.44.
Pogacar has already won four stages of this year's Tour and looks invincible on any sort of uphill.
The only man to get anywhere near challenging the mighty Slovenian, Dane Jonas Vingegaard, is at 7.00 for the Win. Third on the board is Germany's youthful Florian Lipowitz at 21.00.
Outside of the stage win, plenty of other wagering options are available – on both the stage and overall results. Betway has made a number of matchups between pairs of competitors, for example, allowing a bet on one or the other to finish first.
Known at 'The Beast of Provence' or 'The Bald Mountain', the rocky colossus has delivered drama on the 18 times the Tour de France has ventured onto its slopes – most tragically in 1967 when British cyclist Tom Simpson collapsed and died as he strove to be the first to summit.
More recently, four-time Tour winner Chris Froome's bike punctured and he couldn't find a quick replacement so had to run part of the way up. In 2021, Wout van Aert established his legend by leading the way over the top before going on to win solo in Malaucène.
Pogacar looks home and hosed in the Tour overall, with a price of 1.04! But cycling is dangerous and unpredictable, with calamity always lurking.
Also, opposition teams will be furiously plotting against Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates. Vingegaard's Visma Lease A Bike is a potent outfit with better climbing talent than UAE as the Tour enters the Alps in its final week.
If Pogacar or Vingegaard falter on Ventoux, any one of latter's climbing helpers – Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss or Simon Yates – could pounce. All three of those riders are at 51.00 for the stage and might be worth a tickle.
All Betway odds correct at publishing and subject to change.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Predator and puppeteer: Pogacar turns the Tour into his stage
Predator and puppeteer: Pogacar turns the Tour into his stage

TimesLIVE

time7 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

Predator and puppeteer: Pogacar turns the Tour into his stage

At just 26, Tadej Pogacar has turned the Tour de France into his kingdom, claiming his fourth title on Sunday and cementing a reign that recalls the hunger of Eddy Merckx and the iron grip of Lance Armstrong — yet feels entirely his own. This victory was more than just a triumph — it was a showcase of transformation. Pogacar started the race as a lively, daring rider, delighting fans with audacious attacks and celebrating stage wins with unrestrained exuberance. Yet as the gruelling three-week event wore on, the Slovenian's demeanour shifted. The joy gave way to cold, calculating focus, showcasing his ability to transition from a crowd-pleaser to a commanding leader. Only in the final stage did Pogacar spring back to life in a ride resembling a one-day classic, during which he fought an epic duel with Belgian Wout van Aert. While he did not win, the joy of racing was briefly back as the world champion found a challenge at his measure. 🎙️ The winning speech of a 4 time Tour de France winner! 🤩 🎙️ Le discours d'un quadruple vainqueur du Tour de France ! 🤩 #TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 27, 2025 Through the first two weeks, Pogacar appeared unstoppable, claiming four stage wins, putting the hammer down on the climb to Hautacam and adding a dominant performance in the uphill time trial on Stage 13. That victory stretched his lead over Jonas Vingegaard to more than four minutes, reinforcing his position as the man to beat. His early attacks were bold, his energy seemingly endless. Fans witnessed the Pogacar they adored — smiling at the summit, waving to children on the roadside, and revelling in the pure joy of racing. However, the Alpine stages brought a noticeable change. Pogacar's appetite for stage victories diminished, replaced by a deliberate focus on controlling the race. On the climb to La Plagne, Pogacar allowed Thymen Arensman to claim the stage win, focusing instead on neutralizing Vingegaard's chances of winning the stage. That level of authority brought echoes of Armstrong's dominance in the early 2000s, though the context was vastly different. The psychological command over the race, however, felt familiar. Rivals stopped plotting to beat Pogacar, they plotted to survive. 💚💛🤍⚪🔴 #TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 27, 2025 'It was one of the hardest, if not the hardest, Tours I've been in,' Pogacar told reporters, emphasising the physical and mental challenges of defending his lead over three weeks. The Slovenian's calm demeanour occasionally cracked under pressure. After enduring repeated accelerations from rivals during a mountain stage, he described their tactics as 'a bit annoying.' While Pogacar never appeared physically vulnerable, his transition from carefree to businesslike reflected the immense weight of leadership. Even when Matteo Jorgenson launched an attack, Pogacar personally shut it down despite the American posing no threat to his overall lead — a testament to his meticulous control. Every milestone Pogacar achieves revives comparisons with Merckx, cycling's 'Cannibal,' who devoured everything in his path. The Belgian claimed five Tours, Giro-Tour doubles, and Monument wins during his remarkable career. With four Tour titles, one Giro win, multiple Monuments, and a world championship to his name, Pogacar is the closest to Merckx's level seen in decades. Bernard Hinault, one of four riders with five Tour wins, remarked that Pogacar is 'like me and Merckx,' while Merckx himself admitted that Pogacar's world title ride surpassed his own on that day. The defining question now is whether Pogacar can match Merckx's record of five Tour victories. His 2024 season — winning the Giro, Tour, and World Championships — echoes Merckx's mythical 1974 campaign. The way Pogacar is able to control a race feels organic, driven by raw talent, versatility, and a calm confidence that suggests inevitability rather than fear. Yet the final week of the Tour revealed another layer to Pogacar's character: the strain of expectation. Though his joy faded as the race progressed, replaced by steely determination, it is this duality — exuberance and strain, predator and puppet master — that makes Pogacar a compelling figure in modern cycling. With four Tour wins at 26, Pogacar stands tantalisingly close to the immortal mark of five titles, cementing his place among cycling's greats.

Can the West Indies prevent a 5-0 whitewash by Australia?
Can the West Indies prevent a 5-0 whitewash by Australia?

The Citizen

time8 hours ago

  • The Citizen

Can the West Indies prevent a 5-0 whitewash by Australia?

The hosts from the Caribbean have played well but failed to get over the line up to now. Aussie batter Tim David has been in good form against the West Indies. Picture:Can the West Indies restore some pride today in the final match of their five-game series against the touring Australians. The men from Down Under have had all the goods to win all four matches so far, but they've hardly all been one-sided, with some big scoring being the order of the day. Australia have won by three wickets (seven balls remaining), eight wickets (28 balls remaining), six wickets (23 balls remaining) and three wickets (four balls remaining). The fifth and final match takes place late Monday in Basseterre and while the Australians will again be the favourites, a wager on the West Indies pulling off a last-gasp win isn't the worst idea. According to Betway, Australia are 1.50 for the win while the West Indies are 2.60. One other match that might interest punters this week is the first Test between Zimbabwe and New Zealand, taking place in Bulawayo from Wednesday. Zimbabwe have recently been well-beaten by the Proteas and not likely to put up much of a fight and the odds say the same. If you're keen to have a go, Betway have Zimbabwe winning the first Test at 11.50. New Zealand are at 1.12. These odds are correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Time for long-range thinking on the sports betting front
Time for long-range thinking on the sports betting front

The Citizen

time9 hours ago

  • The Citizen

Time for long-range thinking on the sports betting front

Surprisingly, the Boks are not considered favourites for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Members of the Springbok team in a huddle during the 2023 Rugby World Cup final in Paris. Picture: Steve Haag/Gallo Images The sports bonanza of July 2025 is drawing to a close but that doesn't mean wagering opportunities are over – far from it. Many a life-changing coup has been landed at a humble August Vaal race meeting – or a canny long-range flutter on the footie has come to bountiful fruition. Remember Leicester City! Hopefully we've prospered from a brilliant horse racing season in KwaZulu-Natal, the Open Championship, the Tour de France, Grands Prix and MotoGPs, the Women's African Cup of Nations, the Women's Euros and even the World Darts Matchplay and have a tidy fund with which to tackle the rest of the year – and the next one. Speaking of long-range, it might be a tad surprising for Springbok fans to learn that their heroes are not favourites to win the 2027 Rugby World Cup. South Africa are 3.65 to complete a hat-trick of titles, with New Zealand preferred at 3.50. France are a 5.00 chance, ahead of Ireland 6.00, Australia 8.00, England 8.95 and Argentina 29.00. Much sooner, though, there's the southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, starting in mid-August, and the Women's Rugby World Cup, starting a week later. Billions of sports bettor eyes around the world will turn to the English Premier League, which kicks off on 15 August. Defending champions Liverpool are 2.90 favourites to do it again, with Arsenal at 3.25, Manchester City at 3.95 and Chelsea at 9.50. Newly promoted Sunderland and Burnley are 1,000-1 chances – and 1.33 and 1.36 favourites for relegation. Those odds will change a lot in time and, to tie up the value of your hunch, this might be a good time to strike. In Italy's Serie A, Napoli are 2.80 for another win. In Spain's La Liga, Real Madrid (1.72) edge perennial fierce rivals Barcelona (2.20). It's not only the strongest country competitions that are open for a football bet. Punters can venture as far afield as leagues in Finland, Mexico, China, Slovenia and Ecuador. Horse racing On the horse racing front, locally it's a fairly quiet time as everyone catches their breath and starts preparing for the Highveld spring season. For the farsighted, Betway odds are available on next year's Cheltenham Festival in the UK. As if to mock the long-range forecasters, the favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup is a horse called Inothewayyourthinkin (4.50). These Betway odds are correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store