Whilst the climbers fight it out up the mountains for the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, a number of subplots take place over the 21 stages for the other prizes on offer. One of the most coveted of these is the green sprint jersey.
Mark Cavendish took the points classification in 2011, and since then Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) has claimed the jersey six out of seven times, with race commissaires removing the Slovakian from the race in 2017 after a crash with the Manxman, handing the green jersey to Michael Matthews (Sunweb).
While everyone will be looking forward to watching Sagan hoovering up intermediate sprints over three weeks of racing in France, his form so far in 2019 hasn't been at the level compared with previous years.
Of course, the three-time world champion will still likely have enough form to win the points classification with ease, but one marker that a change of guard is on the horizon is that Sagan will start this year's Tour without a distinctive jersey for the fist time since 2011, after Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) thwarted his fourth consecutive world champion title and his brother Juraj took the Slovakian national road race win.
Here's how the favourites for the green jersey stack up, including their odds to be on the podium alongside the yellow jersey holder on the Champs-Élysées. As a bonus prize, consider it our very own combativity award, we'll also take a brief look at the contenders for the other coloured jersey competitions running alongside the overall classification.
Of course, Peter Sagan is the nailed on favourite, with odds of 4/9 to win a seventh green jersey. While the Slovakian hasn't necessarily had the best first half to 2019, with a fairly anonymous spring Classics campaign compared to previous lucrative years, he did pick up his thirtieth points classification victory at the recent Tour de Suisse. Regardless, everyone will be fixated on Sagan as he animates the race once more.
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Peter Sagan wins stage 13 of the Tour de France 2018 (Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty)
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)
Of the pure sprinters who will line up in Brussels for the Grand Départ on July 6, Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) is the most likely to take the first yellow jersey. Two stage wins at last year's Tour have been followed up in 2019 with a Three Days of Bruges-De Panne and the green jersey at the preparatory ZLM Tour in June. The Dutchman's fourth Tour de France could the one where the 26-year-old announces himself as the dominant sprinter of the next generation.
Elia Viviani (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) expected to lose the Italian champion's jersey when faced with a lumpy parcours to Campiano, which he did, succeeded by Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) as Viviani failed to finish the race.
More unexpected, though, was Viviani's inability to dominate his home Grand Tour in May, failing to pick up a single stage win at the Giro d'Italia after race commissaires relegated his illegal sprint on stage three and handed the victory to Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates). Viviani will be looking to bounce back at the Tour amongst a carefully selected Deceuninck - Quick-Step squad and finally add Tour de France stage wins to his Giro and Vuelta a España victories, with odds of 5/1 to win the points classification.
Elia Viviani wins stage four of the Tour de Suisse 2019 (Photo by Heinz Zwicky-Pool/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Michael Matthews (Sunweb) saying he's been left "totally confused" after team-mate Tom Dumoulin pulled out of the Tour, meaning Matthews' climbing and time trial training was all a massive waste of time. Maybe Matthews is playing mind games underplaying his chances, maybe he's not, but his lean 7/1 price reflects an ability to get over the steeper climbs and make it all the way to Paris, which can't be said for all of the sprinters heading to France.
Caleb Ewan moved to Lotto-Soudal to guarantee more appearances at Grand Tours to target stage victories and after picking up two at the 2019 Giro d'Italia he'll be hungry to complete his set with some wins at the Tour, having won a stage of the Vuelta a España in 2015. Winning the green jersey is likely to be a step too far, though, but the Australian's price is a reasonable 16/1.
All eyes will be on Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) as the Dutch prodigy rides his first Grand Tour. A sixth place at Milan San-Remo and podiums at Strade Bianche and the E3 Binckbank Classic prove he's quick enough. Should the 24-year-old Belgian deliver victory in Brussels on stage one and pull on yellow his compatriots will promptly lose their minds. For the green jersey, he's valued at 18/1.
Wout van Aert wins stage five of the Critérium du Dauphiné 2019 (Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Alexander Kristoff (UAE Team Emirates) is one of the more experienced sprinters on the list, and after finishing second in last year's points classification competition has odds of 25/1 to go one better this year.
Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) at 50/1 and Tour veteran André Greipel (Arkéa-Samsic) at 80/1 close out the top 10 favourites for the green jersey. Greipel has been unable to add to his 11 Tour stage victories since he won on the Champs-Élysées in 2016, and will be looking to prove he's still able to compete in the world's top races.
Tour de France 2019 green jersey odds (Winner of Points Classification – Oddschecker)
Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
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