Betting on cycling

Betting on Cycling in the United Kingdom

If you have ever sat and watched a cycling event on
television, then you will already understand why betting on cycling is becoming
such big business. The competitive sport puts cyclists against each other, with
some competing as individuals and others competing as part of larger teams.

Today, we are going to be taking a look at the betting industry and cycling, to
see how the two interweave and work out how you can benefit from them both.

Cycling as a Competitive Sport

The world of cycling betting is often heavily debated, given
the drug abuse that has been found in the sport. Once upon a time, betting on
cycling would have been a ridiculous concept because the cyclist with the best
physician would naturally have been the winner, or not so naturally.

The world of cycling is now heavily regulated, and the
winner of a race is based more on skill than doping. We do have to question how
well regulations work, but cycling is still an incredibly exciting event to
watch and bet on, regardless of what goes on behind the scenes.

Keeping up to date with cycling events is easy, as a lot of
them are televised. Men on motorbikes with radio cameras can get up close and
personal with cyclists, without putting them off their game and affecting the
outcome of the event.

Betting on Cycling

Given how much cycling has grown as a competitive sport,
it’s only natural that bookmakers all over the country are currently taking
bets on some of the world’s most prestigious cycling events and a series of
lesser known competitions. If you are willing to put the effort into learning
about the sport, then you can stand to see quite a large profit margin on the
bets that you place.

Betting Options

If you find yourself on the best cycling betting website,
then you will quickly notice that you can place a huge number of bets on
different cycling events. This can make betting on cycling look quite
confusing, but it’s actually much more simplistic than it initially appears to
be when you break it down.

We would recommend starting out with betting on who the
winner of the overall event will be, as this is often the easiest bet to place.
But, you can also bet on things like stage winners, podium finishes, team
classifications and a number of other factors that aren’t based on who will win
the race.

Betting Odds

Cycling betting odds can vary massively, even among
different bookmakers whose bets are covering the same events. In our opinion,
you should shop around and make sure that you are receiving the best odds
possible whenever you decide that you would like to bet on a cycling event.

When we take a quick look at cycling odds betting, we can
see that probability is a defining factor in the odds that are offered by
bookmakers. Skilled cyclists are often the favourites of the bookmaker, and yet
underdogs are known to win cycling events frequently.

Most of the odds with cycling are displayed as fractional
odds. If you place a 7/1 bet, then you could stand to win £7 for every £1 that
you are willing to stake. The more likely a cyclist is to win an event, the
lower the odds that you could potentially access will be. We would never
recommend that you bet on people with ridiculous odds if you are betting on
prestigious events, because there will only be a handful of cyclists on the
track who are actually capable of winning.

Placing Bets on Prestigious Events

Most of the bookmakers who are based in the United Kingdom
will only offer bets on European racing events, but some do cover worldwide
events too. Some of the largest events that you can bet on include:

Tour de France

The Tour de France is held in July every year, and it
attracts thousands of spectators from around the world. This gruelling race
occurs in stages, with the first stage going from Brussels to Reims, and the
final stage going from Rambouillet to Paris Champs-Élysées. Altogether, the
twenty-one stages that make up the Tour de France cover thousands of
kilometers.

Giro d’Italia

Vuelta a España

Taking place at the end of August, the Vuelta a España is a
three-week cycling race that starts with a time trial on the Costa Blanca. When
we take a look at the international cycling calendar, we can see that this race
sits amongst the most prestigious and it finishes amongst the sun-kissed
streets of Madrid. Sounds pretty amazing right?

Different Types of Cycling Event

As well as looking at some of the world’s most prestigious
events, you should also take a look at some of the different types of cycling
events that take place around the world. These generally include:

Sprint

Spring races cover relatively short distances, and they
usually only involve two different cyclists at a time. Naturally, the winner is
the person who crosses the line first. These races are really easy to bet on
because of how simple the outcome is.

Pursuit

At pursuit events, individuals or teams of cyclists start at
opposite ends of the course and have to complete a set distance as quickly as
they can. Or, they have to catch the opposing team.

Time Trials

Time trials are notoriously difficult to gamble on because
of the way that they work. The fastest cyclist is the winner, but they’re going
against the clock.

Scratch Races

If you are looking for something longer than a sprint that
is still quite easy to bet on, then scratch races will probably be a good
starting point for you. These races are usually 10 – 15 kilometres, dependent on gender,
and the winner is the person who crosses the finishing line first.

Points Races

For a more complex gambling experience, take a look at
points races. The outcomes of these long-distance affairs are not based on crossing
a line, they are based on a points system. Each rider has the opportunity to
gain points by covering sprint sections the fastest or passing other cyclists.

Omnium Races

We would advise that you steer clear of betting on omnium
races until you have some experience in all four of the competing styles that
we have already mentioned, as omnium races include all of the above. Riders
will have to take part in scratch races, time trials and other disciplines to
gain points.

Madison Races

Madison races are almost identical to points races, but each
cyclist competes as part of a duo. At any one given time, only one of the
cyclists is on the track, but they can substitute the other cyclist whenever
they need to.

 Betting Strategies

As with any sporting bet, it is important that you take a
look at as many cycling betting tips as possible and try to build your own
cycling betting strategy around them before you place your first bet. We would
highly recommend that you act on the following:

1.
Spend some time researching the cyclists who are
involved in the race

If you are already familiar with the world of cycling, then
there are probably a number of riders whose names you recognise because of
their talent. It’s worth acknowledging which riders are known for performing
well before you start betting, as it will help you with making educated bets.

Cycling events are known for their difficulty, and different
cyclists are better at handling different stages than others. Some cyclists are
amazing at handling uphill climbs, whereas others are better at handling
long-distance treks. Different races offer different structures, but if you
spend some time researching you will be able to guess how different cyclists
will perform based on the layout of the race and the terrain that they will be
travelling through.

You should also research the statistics of the players.
Luckily, this is incredibly easy to do as the International Cycling Union
offers a complete database of them. If you are looking to make an informed bet,
then you should be able to use this database to help you on your way.

2.
Look at who the bookmakers are favouring

Remember that the house always wins, no matter what you are
betting on. When you bet on things that offer lower payouts, you are statistically
more likely to win. If you really don’t know who to bet on, you should shop
around and try to work out who the bookkeepers are recommending.

3.
Shop around for the best odds

As well as looking to see who the different bookmakers are
favouring, you should also shop around to make sure that you are receiving the
best odds possible. Some bookmakers offer odds that are surprisingly generous,
whereas others sit on the fence.

Luckily, some bookmakers are known to struggle with cycling
odds and you can use that to your advantage, by enjoying good value bets that
really shouldn’t be good value bets.

One of the best things about betting on cycling events is
the fact that the odds can often be wonderful, regardless of whether or not
you’re betting on the favourite. Even on the favourite, the odds can sometimes
be as stacked as 10/1, which makes spreading small stakes around a few
different cyclists a worthwhile option.

4.
Take a look at who the punters are betting on

One of the oddest things about cycling is the fact that,
with major events, there are probably only a handful of cyclists on the course
who actually have the skills required to win the event. This means that the
favourite is sometimes worth betting on.

Your rider knowledge will help you in this regard, as you
will know which favourite cyclists will fare better on which courses. You will
also be able to look at how fatigued they are, whether or not they are
suffering from illnesses and whether or not they are capable of handling
everything that the event is going to throw at them to place an educated bet.

You could also look at whether or not the cyclists have
previously raced the event before. For example, a lot of cyclists who are set
to compete in the Tour de France have already competed in the Tour de France
previously. You can use this information to see where they performed well and
where they performed poorly last time.

5.
Research each event

As we have mentioned, you should try to learn as much as
possible about each cyclist, but you should also research each event that you
are thinking of betting on. Most major events will have a website online where
you will be able to find out about the course the cyclists will be following,
its difficulty level and even the specific skill sets that cyclists will need to
succeed when they hit certain sections of the course.

We would recommend creating a list of the different
skill sets that cyclists will need to handle different sections, and then adding
the cyclists who you think have those skill sets to your list. This could help
you to make an informed decision as to who the overall winner will be, or which
cyclists are likely to perform well.

Conclusion

Betting on cycling can be whatever you want it to be. If you
want a simple ride, then you can bet on the outcome of a sprint by simply
choosing which of two cyclists will go over the finishing line first. If you
want to do something a little bit more complex, then you could bet on an event
that covers more than one discipline.

Try to remember to thoroughly research each of the cyclists
who are involved in your chosen event, and research the course that they will
be following to see whether it fits in with their current winning statistics.
Avoid betting on the underdog when you are betting on prestigious events, and
make sure that you shop around when you are going to place your bet. But, the
most important thing about betting on cycling events would have to be having
fun.

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