And, no, that’s not a misprint. The Tour De France has degenerated into a Tour De Farce with riders falling, crashing and being run into by a dog – and didn’t it cause a major accident. Almost ten percent of the field is now sidelined with broken bones and serious injuries.  Having a dog run into the middle of the pelloton was an absolute farce.

For punters, they must have been left scratching their heads after riders refused to race for the finish. Officials canceled all points for that stage – fortunately, most bookmakers refunded bets made on the stage’s outcome.  A huge field of riders has not been helped by such narrow, windy streets and cobblestones only added to the drama.

Hopefully the race can get back on track, especially once the mountain stages begin. Bookmakers have been unfazed by the events having left the betting odds of the favourites pretty much unchanged.  Alberto Contador is still the favourite at 8/15 with Andy Schleck second pick at 13/2. Lance Armstrong is still well considered at 14/1 together with Cadel Evans. He has been the biggest mover in betting, firming from 25/1 to 14/1.

It’s still early stages and riders like Evans are predicted to dominate the sprint stages. He almost won the race last year just failing over the last few stages. He is the world champion and probably worth keeping an eye on – particularly in these early sprint stages. His failing in the past has been the lack of stamina at the finish for the final sprints.

Armstrong is well placed and you can’t deny the experience of this rider. He has won this event more times than any other rider and, although getting on in years, is still showing good early form. The question mark really is whether or not his legs will go the distance now.

Contador is the class rider in this field, however, at 8/15 is not good value – particularly when there are so many riders being knocked down. The class riders are trying to stay at the front of the pelloton, but you can only squeeze so many in there, the rest have to trail and that is where the accidents are coming from.

Hopefully the Tour De Farce will return to being the Tour De France. In the meantime, no matter what betting odds the online bookmakers are offering, I suggest you keep your money safe until things settle down a bit.  If you do want to have a bet, follow Evans in the sprint stages – he is still good value.