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Cycling isn’t as popular as say basketball, baseball or football. But unlike those team sports where betting is a little bit complicated, betting on cycling is a whole lot easier, even for beginners.
Basics of Cycling Betting
For punters who live in countries where cycling is popular, they have the clear advantage because they know who the cyclists are. But even if you live thousands of miles away from where the cycling events happen, the internet is there to neutralize the disadvantage because with just a couple of clicks, you will be able to know these cyclists like they were your neighbors and these races as if they were happening outside your house.
But before you do that, let us help you with the basics of betting on cycling:
There are number of cycling betting markets available but the most common one is also the simplest: the simple single bets. These bets are the ones made on the winner of a race. There are races that are run with many stages and then there are those one-day races only. Make sure you know which one are you betting on because there’s a difference.
Aside from picking the outright race winner, some sportsbooks also have proposition bets that ask which nationality will the winner of the race come from or there are those who ask which cyclist wins a particular stage, in the case of a race that has multiple stages. These kind of prop bets are more difficult than just picking the winner of the race and need some research regarding the profiles of the cyclists and their specialties. There are those who are good in one-day races and there are those who prefer long races.
Major Cycling Races
When you aren’t an expert in or a big fan of cycling, then it is advisable that you stick to betting on the major races. These major races have coverage and usually, the top cyclists join this race. So if you know just a handful or riders, you’ll be lucky to find them in the major races. Having these top cyclists around makes it easier for you to pick the favorites.
Here are the major cycling races held annually:
Tour De France– The Tour de France is the Holy Grail of cycling. It is the most important, prestigious and popular cycling race in the world and one of the Grand Tours. The Tour de France takes place every summer, in France. All of the world’s top cyclists are in this race which ends in Paris.
Aside from the winner of the Tour de France who is the top rider in the general classification category, there are other winners in this race like the points classification for sprinters, mountains classification for climbers, young riders classification for cyclists under the age of 26 and team classification for the fastest teams. This means that there are many bets that can be made in the Tour de France based on the race classifications.
Giro’d Italia–The Giro d’Italia is one of the Grand Races and as it name suggests, it is held in Italy and lasts for about three weeks. The Giro is a UCI World Tour event which means that teams in the race are mostly UCI Pro Teams. Like the Tour de France, the Giro also has multiple classification races that will open more cycling bets in many sportsbooks.
Vuelta a Espana– The Vuelta a Espana is another multi-stage cycling race and it is held annually in Spain. The Vuelta is the third and last of the Grand Tours after the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. Like the other two Grand Tours, it is also a UCI World Tour event. As with the other two Grand Tours there are several race classifications, hence there are also more betting markets here.
Betting Strategy and Tips
As with other forms of sports betting, the first tip on betting in cycling is never to make your bet on the first sportsbook. Shop around, for there may be better prices for your picks. For your convenience, pick the world’s top betting sites because you will be assured of the best odds too.
Do your research and identify the top teams and the top cyclists per team. Know the cyclists and their history: Which races have they won in the past? Which races have they not won before? Information like these will tell you which races a particular rider will excel and which race he won’t.
Cycling is a more complex sport, given the teams, the types of races, the types of stages, the climbs, the sprints and all. But the internet is very rich in information. You can find the information you need on the web. Lastly, don’t bet more than what you should. Sometimes a favorite may be too tempting but not all of them win, especially in cycling. Like the sport itself, you should be able to determine when to pedal and when to hit the brakes when it comes to betting.
