SA’s Louis Meintjies tipped to rise in rankings.
The evidence of the first week of the 2025 Vuelta a España has forced bookmakers to tighten up on race favourite Jonas Vingegaard and price him out of the reach of most players.
After the Danish star won two of the opening nine stages, his odds were cut to an measly 1.14 for the general classification (overall) win.
That bet is not worth the risk in a contest that sees bicycle riders descending mountains at 70km an hour, but there might be other chances to profit from Vingegaard’s talent.
He is a better climber than any of the 169 riders who remain in the race at the start of the second week of the three-week Grand Tour. And the route prospectus states that the most severe ascents are still to come.
Friday’s Stage 13, up the 13km Angliru, is one of the most feared climbs in the sport and Vingegaard will back his ability on it – and so should we. Watch for the odds that day.
Other options
Patriotic South Africans will be interested to learn that Louis Meintjies was in 22nd in the GC on Monday’s rest day, eight minutes off the lead.
He is a good climber and will probably improve ranking this week, making his 8.00 for a top 10 finish appealing.
Olympic hero Tom Pidcock showed his determination when finishing third on Sunday’s Stage 9, failing to catch Vingegaard on the Valdezcaray but keeping the deficit to 24 seconds.
Pidcock, fourth in the GC, has said his ambition is to make the top 10 at the finish in Madrid on 14 September. A 5.00 bet on the Briton to be in the top three is an attractive proposition – less so the 3.00 on him winning one of the remaining 12 stages.
All Betway odds correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
