Tour de France betting **Please use spoiler tags before midnight**

24 hour drug testing, cobbles, thunder and lightening expected, the first week is bound to throw up a few surprises. Here were some bets I made over the past month in advance of the start

Green Jersey - John Degenkolb 33/1 (now 12/1)
With Kittel's form all over the place, Degs was always overpriced to lead the team. Reports are that he's gunning for stages 4 and 5 and will take it from there

White Jersey - Thibaut Pinot 6/1
Quintana will take some stopping if he gets to Week 2 and 3 without incident but cobbles and crosswinds might scupper chances earlydoors. Pinot improves year on year and has taken two major Queen stages in the two feeder races in May and June against the best riders.

Polka Dot Jersey - Romian Bardet 33/1
He can climb, he's got attacking verve and he looks in better shape than last year. He was unlucky not to podium in the Dauphine. He looks like a Virenque in waiting. So many climbs this year, he should be thereabouts

Yellow Jersey - Van Garderen 40/1; Pinot 33/1
TJ is ultra consistent on the big climbs this year, something he was lacking before, very unlucky to get done by Froome in the Dauphine, it's hard to see why he's 40/1 when Froome is 2/1. I don't think he can win in a straight shoot out between the big boys but he comes here in form and fresh with no crashes (he had broken bones only 8 weeks before last year's Tour)
Pinot looks set to improve again and the more mountains the better. Can't see him outside Top 5 and with luck he'll pick up a few stragglers in Week 3

Stage 1 - Michal Kwiatkowski 33/1 (now 16/1)
Just because he hasn't done one in a while doesn't mean he cannot prologue. Kwiatkowski has one of the biggest engines on flat course. He's beaten Martin and Dumoulin over similiar length and terrain so I've no idea why he's this price. He's the likeliest to move into Yellow after Stage 3 Mur du Huy (Top 5 in 2 of last 3 years)

Kwiatkowski for Yellow Anytime 7/2 Paddy Power - A good prologue on Stage 1, a good climb up the Mur on Stage 3 and a repeat of his cobbles effort last year on Stage 4 and Kwiatkowski should be sniffing in or around the Yellow Jersey in the first week.

MatchBet
Valverde 15/8 to beat Purito Rodriguez - in supporting Quintana (and I use that term lightly) Valverde shoudl be thereabouts going into Week 3. Rodrgiuez needs to come on a bit more although he looked good in April but awful in the Dauphine. Thought the price was too big

TOP 20 Bet - Dan Martin 4/6 - I think if Dan stays safe this is a shoo in. One of my bigger bets this year. He's 4/1 to finish TOP 10 which is touch and go for me. I can name 7 or 8 that I think will be better than him so he's vying for between 9th and 15th position with a standardly consistent Tour.

Any other thoughts folks ?