Top South American Contenders to Win the Tour de France 2022 According to Betting Markets
In recent years, the cycling world has seen several riders from the East of Europe showcase powerful performances and establish dominance in the sport. However, simultaneously, South American cyclists have also proved strong contenders in all Grand Tours.
As punters prepare for next year’s cycling season, new and well-known talents from Latin America have been the focus of speculation regarding their chances at winning one of the most prestigious titles in cycling, the Tour de France. In this article, we will discuss some of these names and their past performances.
Egan Bernal
After becoming the first South American cyclist to ever win the Tour de France in 2019, when he was only 22 years old, Bernal instantly became one of the main faces of modern cycling. Known for his climbing skills, the Columbian ended up underperforming in 2020 but returned to his best form in 2021 by winning the Giro d’Italia and placing 6th at the Vuelta a España. As a result, going into the new season, Bernal is currently priced as one of the favorites to win the 2022 edition of the French Tour and reclaim his title at odds of 12/1 according to outright odds for betting on cycling.
The Columbian cyclist first made headlines back in 2017 when he won the Tour de l’Avenir, which serves as a showcase for young talents. He was then signed by Team Sky, now renamed Ineos Grenadiers, and in 2018, in his first season with his new team, he has crowned champion of the Tour Colombia and the Tour of California. In that same year, he cycled his first Tour de France and drew attention from the cycling community for his role in helping Geraint Thomas win the Alpe d’Huez stage and, ultimately, the Tour.
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Richard Carapaz
Richard Carapaz began his career in cycling in his home country, Ecuador. Not long after, in 2013, he won the Pan-American Road Championship, which resulted in his move to Colombia where he became the first foreign rider to win the Youth Vuelta de Colombia. In 2016, after winning the Vuelta a Navarra, in Spain, he took the leap to Europe, joining the Spanish cycling team, Movistar.
From here on, he only became better. After placing 4th in his first Giro d’Italia in 2018, he returned the following year to dominate the race and become the second Latin American rider to win the Italian Tour. In 2021, after a fantastic run at the Tour de France, where he finished 3rd, he made history once again by winning the Road Race at the Tokyo Olympics and the second gold medal in Ecuador’s history. All these recent accomplishments haven’t gone unnoticed and, consequently, he is now expected to run his 3rd Tour de France next year, where he is priced to win at odds of 22/1.
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Daniel Martínez
Daniel Martínez’s international career started in 2013 when he won the Pan American Junior Road Championships in the time trial category and came 2nd in the road race. After a brief stay at the Southeast-Venezuela, his first cycling team, Martínez signed with Education First in 2018. In that same year, he achieved his first top 10 since arriving in Europe at the Vuelta a Catalunya and ran the Tour de France for the first time.
However, it was in his second Tour de France, in 2020, that he managed to win a stage. This achievement caught Ineos Grenadiers’ attention and in 2021 he joined the team and took the chance to show his true potential. In his third Giro, he showcased his high resistance and power to break away from the pack, which saw him earn 5th place in the overall classification. Nonetheless, what truly stood out was his great ability to support other riders. In fact, he was one of the key assets in Egan Bernal’s victory in the race, which instantly made him a strong candidate at next year’s Tour de France. He is currently priced at odds of 70/1 to win the race.
In addition to these contenders, other powerful Latin American riders, such as Miguel Ángel López, Rigoberto Urán, or Nairo Quintana are also favorites to win the most famous tour in the world.
