Tour de France Favorite Settles for Second

Australian Cadel Evans, who was an odds-on favorite throughout the entire 2008 Tour de France, looks set to have to settle for runner-up for a second consecutive year. Evans failed to make up the necessary ground required of him on Tour leader Spaniard Carlos Sastre during the 20th and penultimate stage - the all-important time trial.

Betting for tour winner now takes a backseat at the bookmakers, with the main interest remaining as to who will win the last stage, which ends in Paris' famous avenue - the Champs-Élysées.

With the 143km stage from Étampes taking place on flat ground, the tour leaders take a backseat to the sprint specialists.

Final stage odds
Spaniard Oscar Freire, the holder of the green jersey for sprint leader, is a slight 4/1 favorite at Ladbrokes to win the final stage and clinch the title of sprint champion. Aussie Robbie McEwen, a three-time winner of the tour's sprint classification (in 2002, 2004 and 2006) is 9/2, as is 2005 winner - Norway's Thor Hushovd.

Evans and Sastre, considered little to no chance in the sprint, are well back in the pack at odds of over 100/1.

Next on the cycling tour
For many of the riders, attention now turns to the cycling events - of the track, road and mountain varieties - at the Beijing Olympics, beginning August 8.