July 4th marked the beginning of the Tour de France.  180 riders have started the prestigious 3,500 km race through the French terrain and have now just completed Stage 3.  This year stands out for a couple of reasons, including the return of seven times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong after a three-year retirement.  It has also seen a resurgence of British power as Mark Cavendish has emerged as the first Brit in 25 years with a chance at the Paris podium.

Riders readied themselves for the first stage of the race on Saturday, July 4.  It was to be a 15.5-kilometer time trial through the Principality of Monaco.   It was all up-hill and peaked at a class 4 summit that gave way to a very technical descent and a final three-kilometer flat sprint.  Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara of the Saxo Bank team took the first stage of the race with a time of 19:32, which should come as little surprise, as Cancellara is a time trial specialist.  The 2007 champion, Alberto Contador of the Astana team finished second, 18 seconds behind Cancellara.  Armstrong, also racing for the Astana team, had a time of 20:12 that put him in 10th place.

Cavendish reignited hopes for a British winner in this year’s race after a surge to the front in the 187-kilometer Stage 2 from Monaco to Brignoles.  He managed to hold off Wenatchee’s Tyler Farrar to claim the stage win.  Cavendish is regarded by many as the best sprinter in the world.  His stage win not only marks his fifth career Tour de France win, but also saw him donning the green jersey.  He was poised to become the first British rider to hold onto that jersey for more than a day.

And, hold onto it he did when he took Stage 3.  In the sweltering heat, Cavendish’s Team Columbia engineered a breakaway in the last 30 kilometers.  Armstrong latched on to the initial 29-man group, leaving many of the big names behind.  He managed to keep up with the pace as 29 turned to four racers from Team Columbia with Cavendish leading the way.  Armstrong’s move helped him gain valuable time and jump into third place overall.  If his Astana team can finish Stage 4’s team time trial more than 40 seconds faster than the Saxo Bank team, Armstrong will once again see himself sporting the yellow jersey.

As the race moves on, it will be interesting to see just what Armstrong has left to prove, and if Cavendish will be able to put an end to the 25 year dry spell for the British.  The race continues tomorrow with Stage 4.  BetUS is offering odds on team matchups, so be sure to check it out if you want to put down a wager on your favorite rider’s team.  Some of the more notable matches include:

Astana v The Field
Astana: -160
The Field: +120

Garmin Slipstream v Team Columbia
Slipstream: -150
Columbia: +110

Garmin Slipstream v Team Saxo Bank
Slipstream: -250
Saxo Bank: +185

Cervelo Test Team v Silence Lotto
Test Team: +145
Lotto: -190