How To Bet On Cycling - The Best Bets, Odds and Markets

Different Categories of Races

Cycling has ten categories, with the following being the primary races:

• Road Cycling
• Track Cycling
• Cyclo-Cross
• Mountain Bike

Road racing involves team and individual competitions contested in different ways. The races range from one-day to stage races like the Tour de France. On the other hand, track cycling happens indoors, making it an all-year-round affair. The races take place on velodromes or banked tracks.

Cyclo-cross races occur in the autumn or winter and entail multiple laps of 2km to 3km with different obstacles. Finally, mountain bikes take place off-road and involve a moderate to a high degree of technical riding.

Popular Events

So far, there are three major grand tours in Cycling:

• Giro d'Italia
• Tour de France
• Vuelta a España

The Giro d'Italia is an annual multi-stage bicycle race in Italy. This competition contains 20 to 21 stages, a prologue, and two to three rest days. On the other hand, the Tour de France is a 23-day event with 21 long stages of varying terrain and difficulty. Similarly, Vuelta a España is a 23-day race with multiple stages (21) and two rest days.

Top Cyclists

Cycling competitions have seen the rise of incredible athletes over the years. One of the most notable athletes is Eddy Merckx, nicknamed the 'cannibal.' Merckx is a former road racing cyclist from Belgium known for his aggressiveness. He won the Tour de France overall combative award in 1969, 1970, 1974, and 1975.

Tadej Pogačar is yet another top cycling athlete from Slovenia. Pogačar has won two Tour de France titles for the 2020 and 2021 editions. Julian Alaphilippe is also a top cyclist. He wore the Tour de France yellow jersey for 14 stages in 2019 and holds titles for the Tour of California and Tour of Britain.

Outright Winner

Outright Winner is a long-term betting market that involves wagering on the winner of a cycling competition. You can hence bet on the Winner of the Tour de France represented as

• Jonas Vingegaard – 4/7

Podium Finish

The podium finish betting market requires you to wager on the cyclist finishing in the top 3. With the market, you can bet on Sepp Kuss to have a podium finish in Vuelta a España as follows

• Sepp Kuss – 5/7

Points Classification Winner

The points classification winner lets you predict the cyclist winning the green jersey in the competitions. For example, you can bet on points classification winner to be:

• Tadej Pogačar – 1/1

Winning Team

As the name suggests, winning team betting involves wagering on the cycling team that will triumph in the event based on the number of collected points. So, with this market, you can bet on the following team to win the Tour de France:

• Team Jumbo–Visma – 4/5

Match Ups

In matchups, the bookmaker will pit two race cyclists against each other. You are then required to predict the cyclist to make it to the top 10 after the race. So, the matchup can be presented as follows:

• Tadej Pogačar (5/4) vs Adam Yates (1/1)

Winning Margin

In Cycling, the winning margin market requires you to bet on the point difference between the top and bottom teams after the race. This can be presented as an Over/Under bet type. So, in the Tour de France

• Winning Margin (Over/Under – 250.5)

Stage Winner

Time trials are mostly a track race betting market where you bet on a competitor that will compete in a particular course within the shortest time. Some of the bets you can place under this market include:

• Team Time Trials
• Individual Time Trials
• Totals Time Trials

Special (Prop) Bets

Proposition bets or prop bets are markets where you wager on events that will likely happen during the race but will not influence the results. Some bets you can place under this market include:

• Nationality of Winner
• The Winning Margin of Each Stage

Know The Cyclists And Recent Form

Do comprehensive research on the cyclists to know their form. Some cyclists excel in different stages of the competitions and flop in others. Get facts about their form by monitoring their past performance.

Consider Weather Conditions

The weather conditions impact the outcome of every race. While some cyclists thrive in dry weather, others perform well in wet conditions. Aspects like wind strength may also affect the cyclists' performances.

Course/Velodrome Knowledge

Study the course or velodrome when betting on cycling races. Know whether the course favours climbers or sprinters and how this will impact the cyclists. For velodrome, check the steepness of the banked curves.

Odds Comparison - Get The Best Cycling Betting Odds

Get value for your bets by comparing cycling odds across different bookmakers. Do not settle for the market prices a particular site provides, but rather. With an in-depth comparison, you may land better odds.

Know the Race and Format

Understanding the race and format will make research easier! You will know which stages to review and how to analyse the riders. Also, you will know whether the race favours climbers or sprinters and some key areas to focus on when betting. So check the current location of the race and use it to place live or pre-live bets.

Take The Small Wins And Profits - Start Small

Always take small wins and profits. The risk is often minimal despite the average payouts. On the other hand, big wins involve significant risk with slim winning chances. This betting strategy is crucial if you are a new bettor.

Specialise

There are ten categories of race cycling, making it hard to comprehend each competition perfectly. So, specialise. You can bet on road races or narrow down to the Tour de France. Specialisation will make research easy. You will also have an effortless time keeping up with the race news.

Stay Informed

Keep up with cycling news. Gather information from cyclists' social media pages and credited sites to stay ahead. This will ensure you get all the critical details that will change the course of the race.

Make Use of Bonuses and Promotions?

Always make use of bonuses and promotions so that you can bet more inexpensively. Some betting sites are generous enough to offer race-specific bonuses, which you can use to wager on select events. But before utilising a bonus, read the terms and conditions to ascertain its suitability.

Select The Best Cycling Bookmakers

Though an underestimated strategy, selecting the best cycling bookmaker is mandatory. Some things to check to ensure you land on the best betting site include legitimacy and security. Also, consider the bookmaker's coverage of cycling events and the available promotions.

Betting Without Research

Placing cycling bets without doing research will put you at a disadvantage. You will need to find out the form of the cyclists and who is likely to dominate different stages of the race. Therefore, always do extensive research so that your cycling predictions are fact-based.

Mismanaging Your Bankroll - Not Setting Budget Limits

Bankroll mismanagement is a common mistake among new gamblers. Most new bettors avoid developing betting budgets, while others develop and fail to adhere to the budget. Always set budget limits and follow them to prevent wagering more than you can, ultimately plunging into debt.

Ignoring the Race Type

The type of race you are betting on determines the obstacles and difficulty levels riders will face. Therefore, you must consider the race type to make the correct prediction.

Over-Dependence on Favourites

While bookmakers use computer software and algorithms to determine the cyclists likely to win the race, the predictions are only sometimes correct. Over-dependence on favourites can lead to avoidable losses. That said, always do research and let facts dictate whether or not you should bet on the favourite.

Betting Emotionally

Emotional betting is highly discouraged when placing cycling bets. Avoid wagering on your favourite teams or cyclists. Instead, research the cyclists and racing teams before making any predictions. If you decide to bet on the favourites, ensure facts, figures, and statistics back your decision.

Ignoring Live Betting Opportunities

Live betting is one of the best options, as it is sometimes flooded with opportunities. By ignoring such chances, you miss out on big payouts. Therefore, remain vigilant on live betting opportunities and take chances whenever they present themselves.

Neglecting Smaller Races

Since Cycling is not too popular, most bettors only focus on big races like the Tour de France. This keeps you from taking advantage of opportunities presented by smaller races. That said, check the cycling calendar and note the small races worth betting on.

Ignoring the Weather

Ignoring the weather is a common mistake despite its apparent impact on cycling races. In that case, always check the country's weather or location where the race will occur and use the information to make predictions.

Not Understanding the Odds

Betting odds are essential to gambling as they hint at events likely to happen. So, make sure you study and understand the odds. With the information, you will also know how much you will likely make from a particular bet.

Chasing Losses

No one likes losing a bet. However, that should not be a motivating factor to chase losses as it may lead to even more significant losses. Instead, develop a betting system like Martingale to help you make informed bets and avoid losses.