Press Release - Bid for the Record

June 30, 2004

Bodog.com Sportsbook, Casino and Poker™ has released odds on the outright winner of the 2004 Tour De France.

Lance Armstrong has captured 5 consecutive Tour De France titles, and, this year, could be the first to win 6 straight unless the field continues to catch up to the cycling poster boy.

“Jan Ullrich has been hot on Armstrong’s tail for the past few years, and he would certainly be a strong favorite to knock Lance’s bid for the record,” said Rob Gillespie, former book manager and respected industry author. “Armstrong has made a name for himself by winning the mountain stages and time trials, so it will be interesting to see if the other riders have adapted their training rituals to take that advantage away from him.”

In his bid for the record, Armstrong is heavily favored to win the 2004 Tour De France, with his odds currently listed at 11/10. Jan Ullrich, considered by most to be the real competition for Armstrong, is close behind at 5/2 odds. After a terrible crash at last year’s event, Tyler Hamilton is back in the hunt at 4/1 odds, with Iban Mayo close behind at 5/1. Also in the hunt to win the 2004 Tour De France are Roberto Heras at 20/1 odds, and Ivan Basso at 25/1. The long shot option for this wager has a tie between Gilberto Simoni and Levi Leiphmer. Both riders are listed at 66/1 odds.

“Last year’s race produced some spectacular crashes. Most notably, the one that Armstrong took and proceeded to pull himself up to win the stage,” said Gillespie. “If the top riders go mistake-free, I think it will be one of the tightest races in history.”

View all the 2004 Tour De France odds here.