Tour de France 2023: Can wildcard Israel-Premier Tech claim more success?

The second Grand Tour event of the year is just around the corner as the world’s best cyclists flock to France for a grueling three-week contest. Dane Jonas Vingegaard will be looking to retain his title after dethroning back-to-back champion Tadej Pogacar, with the two currently leading the odds as favorites.

Not too many would have been expecting Israel-Premier Tech to make an appearance after their relegation from the UCI World Tour to the ProSeries at the end of 2022. However, they have been given an opportunity to compete as a wildcard and they will be hoping to build on their 2022 Tour de France successes in this year’s event.

Tour de France odds: Israel-Premier Tech’s best bet

The cycling bets are rolling in as we approach the first stage of the Tour de France, with Vingegaard and Pogacar tied as +125 favorites for Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates, respectively. You have to travel a little further down the Tour de France odds to find Israel-Premier Tech’s riders.

It has not been confirmed whether Chris Froome will race, but the four-time champion is currently at a huge +17,500 to come out on top. He has not been the same since suffering a plethora of injuries in a serious crash in 2019, but he remains the most accomplished general classification rider still competing. His third-place finish on the Alpe d’Huez last year shows he still has the desire, but should the 38-year-old finish on top, it would be up there with the most unexpected sporting achievements.

At even longer odds of +50,000, you’ll find Nick Schultz and Jakob Fuglsang. The former registered a respectable 22nd place finish in last year’s Tour, finishing just ahead of former Israel-Premier Tech rider Hugo Houle. Fuglsang didn’t have quite so strong a Tour, failing to finish for the second time in a row. In truth, the Swiss cyclist has struggled to compete at the very top following his seventh-place finish a decade ago.

Israel-Premier Tech’s acquisition of Dylan Teuns from Bahrain-Merida looks like a solid addition, with the Belgian probably their best bet of a stage win or strong general classification finish. The 31-year-old won a stage in both 2019 and 2021 and has registered 17th and 19th place finishes in his last two Tour de France appearances.

So, whilst the odds aren’t looking great for Israel-Premier Tech to shock the world and go all the way, they will definitely fancy their chances of building on last year’s performance with a couple of stage victories.

The Israel-Premier Tech history-makers

2022 may not have been the most successful year for Israel-Premier Tech in terms of performance, but they continue to push boundaries off the track. Not only are they Israel’s first elite cycling team, but they have also gone one step further with the formation of the only women’s cycling team in Rwanda, the Bugesera Cycling Team.

Not only will they be dreaming of victory at the 2023 Tour de France, but they will continue to inspire aspiring cyclists of the future with their selfless philanthropic endeavors.