Tour de France 2024 Odds: Everything you need to know about this year's race

The Tour de France is cycling's most famous event was first held in 1903 and, barring breaks for the World Wars, has been staged annually ever since.

Taking place over three weeks, it is one of the most-watched annual sporting events, attracting 3.5 billion viewers across the globe in 2023, including 42.5 million French fans who tuned in at some point during the 2023 edition.

The 111th Tour de France takes place this summer, with this year's Grand Depart hosted by the Italian city of Florence.

What is the Tour de France?

Starting on June 29th, the 2024 Tour is the 111th edition and marks the first time the race has begun in Italy. The final destination will also change. Until now, the race has always finished in or near Paris, but the French capital's preparations for this summer's Olympics and Paralympics mean the race will conclude with a time trial between Monaco and Nice on July 21st. 

The rider who has taken the least time to complete the course to that point after any given day will wear the yellow jersey to signify that they are leading the race, with the overall champion donning the 'maillot jaune' on the final podium. 

Jerseys are also awarded for other competitions - the polka dot for the leader of the mountains classification, the green for the points prize, and the white for the leading rider aged 26 or under. 

When is the 2024 Tour de France? 

The 2024 Tour de France begins on June 29th and finishes on July 21th. There will be 21 days of racing, with two rest days on the second and third Mondays of the competition.  

Always staged in the summer and between cycling's other Grand Tours - May's Giro d'Italia and August/September's Vuelta a Espana - the race is the centrepiece of the cycling calendar.

Where is the 2024 Tour de France route?

The scenery and history on show means the Tour is sometimes seen as the French tourism board's most effective advertising campaign. This year's route again includes stages in the Alps, the Pyrenees, and other picturesque French regions.

The first four days all start in Italy, with the peloton spending time in Florence, Bologna, and Turin among others.

For the finale, rather than the familiar swooping tracking shots of the Parisian skyline bathed in evening sunlight, Nice will host this year's closing stage, the final day's time-trial ending on the Place Massena, just a short ride from the Promenade des Anglais.

What are the 2024 Tour de France Odds?

Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard is the defending champion after winning the race for the second straight year in 2023 and is a general 8/13 to defend his title. A crash in early April saw him break his collarbone and it remains to be seen whether he will be ready to race.

That could present an opportunity to fellow two-time champion Tadej Pogacar, available at around 5/2. However, he will need to recover from his exploits at the Giro d'Italia, which starts on May 4th.

Vingegaard's injuries and Pogacar's other commitments mean another Slovene, Primoz Roglic, could finally win this race and he is available at 8/1, ahead of Remco Evenepoel (10/1) and Juan Ayuso (16/1), while Britain's Adam Yates can be backed at around 34/1.