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A unique Tour de France will take place this year when 22 teams and 176 riders go on their punishing three-week journey in the 2024 Tour de France beginning Saturday at 6:30 a.m. ET. Because of the Summer Olympics in Paris beginning in a month, this year's Tour de France is unable to have its traditional finish on the Champs Elysees. Instead, the Tour will conclude on July 21 in Nice. This will be the first time in the 121-year history of the race that it will not finish in Paris. 

Two-time winner Tadej Pogacar is the -190 favorite (risk $190 to win $100) to win the yellow jersey in the latest 2024 Tour de France odds, while rival Jonas Vingegaard is the +200 second choice in the odds. Primoz Roglic (+800), Remco Evenepoel (+1400) and Adam Yates (+2800) round out the top five choices on the odds board among the Tour de France riders. With so many variables in every Tour de France, you'll want to see how SportsLine senior writer Gene Menez, who hit a +3300 best bet in last year's race, breaks down the race before making any 2024 Tour de France picks of your own.

A former reporter and associate editor for Sports Illustrated, where he covered an array of sports for almost 14 years, Menez has been obsessed with the Tour de France for almost four decades. He has been following the iconic three-week race since the mid-1980s when Greg LeMond was riding to three yellow jerseys. Last year, Menez correctly hit Adam Yates to finish in the top three overall, at +3300.

Now Menez has analyzed the 2024 Tour de France route and contenders and has identified five best bets. He's sharing his expert Tour de France 2024 picks only at SportsLine

Top 2024 Tour de France picks

Menez, who studied this year's Tour de France route and riders, has landed on the emerging Matteo Jorgenson to finish in the top three, at +1000. A rider for Team Visma-Lease a Bike, Jorgenson will be racing in his third Tour de France. Two years ago he finished 20th, and last year he was forced to abandon the race after tearing a thigh muscle.

But since joining Team Visma-Lease a Bike in the offseason, Jorgenson has had a breakthrough season. Earlier this year he became just the third American to win the storied Paris-Nice stage race, and earlier this month he finished second in the Criterium du Dauphine in preparation for the Tour de France. "This budding American star already is one of the best riders in the world at age 24," Menez told SportsLine. You can see whom else to back here.

How to make 2024 Tour de France picks

Moreover, Menez has four other best bets, including one on a rider to win the Tour de France at odds longer than +2500. This rider is in "his best career form" and could surprise. He's sharing his Tour de France picks and analysis only at SportsLine.

So what rider in career-best form is the one to bet at odds of more than +2500, and what other best bets does Menez like? Visit SportsLine now to see Menez's detailed Tour de France picks, all from the SportsLine staff writer who hit a +3300 best bet in last year's Tour de France, and find out.

2024 Tour de France odds, top contenders

See 2024 Tour de France picks at SportsLine

Tadej Pogacar -190
Jonas Vingegaard +200
Primoz Roglic +800
Remco Evenepoel +1400
Adam Yates +2800
Juan Ayuso +3000
Carlos Rodriguez +3000
Matteo Jorgenson +4000
Joao Almeida +4000
Jai Hindley +6500
Egan Bernal +6500
Simon Yates +7000
Felix Gall +8000
Tom Pidcock +10000
Enric Mas Nicolau +10000
Alexander Vlasov +10000
Richard Carapaz +15000
Mikel Landa +15000
Pello Bilbao +20000
David Gaudu +20000
Daniel Martinez +20000
Wout Van Aert +25000
Wilco Kelderman +25000
Laurens De Plus +25000
Geraint Thomas +25000
Derek Gee +25000
Santiago Buitrago +40000
Louis Meintjes +40000
Romain Bardet +50000
Pavel Sivakov +50000
Oscar Onley +50000
Hugh Carthy +50000
Giulio Ciccone +50000
Ben O'Connor +50000
Chris Harper +50000
Marc Soler +70000
Kevin Vauquelin +70000
Jack Haig +70000
Ilan Van Wilder +70000
Eddie Dunbar +70000
Ben Healy +70000
Alexey Lutsenko +70000
Tobias Halland Johannessen +80000
Rigoberto Uran +80000
Oier Lazkano +80000
Torstein Traeen +100000
Steff Cras +100000
Sergio Higuita +100000
Romain Gregoire +100000
Neilson Powless +100000
Michael Woods +100000
Mauri Vansevenant +100000
Mathieu van der Poel +100000
Kobe Goossens +100000
Johan Esteban Chaves +100000
Jakob Fuglsang +100000
Ivan Ramiro Sosa +100000
Fausto Masnada +100000
Chris Froome +100000
Wout Poels +100000
Valentin Madouas +150000
Tiesj Benoot +150000
Pierre Latour +150000
Maximilian Schachmann +150000
Mattia Cattaneo +150000
Matej Mohoric +150000
Koen Bouwman +150000
Darren Rafferty +150000
Carlos Verona +150000
Johannes Kulset +150000
Davide Formolo +150000
Stephen Williams +150000
Jesus Herrada +200000
Harm Vanhoucke +200000
Dylan Van Baarle +200000
Bauke Mollema +200000
Victor Campenaerts +200000
Odd Christian Eiking +200000
Louis Vervaeke +200000
Dylan Teuns +200000
Archie Ryan +200000
Alexy Faure Prost +200000
Michal Kwiatkowski +250000
Joshua Tarling +250000
Ethan Hayter +250000
Mark Cavendish +250000