CHRIS FROOME starts the defence of his Tour de France title tomorrow (Saturday), with the race kicking off in Yorkshire.
Resident tipster Bobby Dubz takes us through his predictions and previews the race.
FOR only the second time in 111-years of racing, Le Tour de France departs from the UK, with three stages on the cards.
The first is Leeds to Harrogate, a road stage rather than a prologue. With a sprint finish on the cards, expect Man Missile Mark Cavendish to be in with a shout.
The second stage is 201km from York to Sheffield and Slovakian Peter Sagan will excel here, with steep climbs his forte.
Finally, the race heads south and ends on the Mall in London, where Cavendish should perform well again.
So, who will are the favourites? The obvious one is Team Sky's Chris Froome, winner last year and this year is looking to make it three British wins in a row, following Bradley Wiggins' historic ride in 2012.
Froome has had a patchy season though and Spain's Alberto Contador was superior to the Briton at the Dauphiné-Libéré warm-up race in June, so can't be overlooked.
Team Saxobank's Contador is second favourite at 2/1 behind Froome at 5/6.
Fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (16/1) is a good outside bet, as is American Tejay Van Garderen (33/1). Valverde is part of a strong Movistar team and will expect at least a podium place at the end, if not more.
If it's a British outside bet you're after, have a look at Orica-GreenEdge's Simon Yates to win Stage 2 in Yorkshire.
