Betting on Cycling Online – Everything You Need to Know
The season of great cycling races is opened and, as we approach the prestigious Tour de France, it seemed opportune to take the time to explain to newcomers, or just as a reminder for regular punters, what is betting on cycling, the basics of the art, and how to safely bet online. Betting on cycling events are becoming increasingly popular though there is a minimum knowledge required to ensure you do not bet on the wrong horse or the wrong cyclist in this case. This is what we are trying to do here. We bring you a concise know-how guide on how to bet, why to bet on cycling, which races to bet on and so on. Ready? Then get into the saddle, let’s go!
Why Bet on Cycling?
To be honest, cycling is not the most accessible sport to bet real money on. However, as for all games, with a little bit of research and shared knowledge, punters can reduce the range of possible bets to a field of optimal probable predictions. That being said, to bet on cycling races and especially on the big tours, offers experienced punters unique advantages, specific to the sport. The first of these advantages is the diversity of categories and riders on each stage. Some riders are known to be the best sprinters, some of the best climbers, others are the fastest time trials runners, and so on. Finding out about the favorite runners in each category offers punters a wide range of possible bets with high winning odds.
Another advantage of betting on cycling is the highly rewarding odds offered by online bookmakers. It is not uncommon for betting odds on favorite runners to win in their categories of preference to be as high as 10/1. Odds easily reach the hundreds for the least likely runners to win a category. Cycling is one of the sports with the highest odds promoted by the best online bookies.
Finally, cycling, especially the three Grand Tours that are the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España, are highly publicized events, making the information on each stage, runner, favorite cyclists and race conditions very easily accessible. Punters do not have to search the depth of the deep web to find information and tips to decide the most likely prognostics.
Best Online Bookmakers to Place Your Bets
To choose where to bet online on your favorite cyclists, you just need to have to base your choice on two essential criteria.
The first being to know if whether the online bookmaker in question is reliable, secure, with excellent customer services and known for not conduct any shady business practices.
The second criteria are to choose, amongst the reliable online bookies, the one displaying the best odds for the events you are interested in. The odds are not always the same depending on the bookmakers, and it is, therefore, appealing for punters to compare them before placing a bet.
Not all websites are equal and only the top online betting websites provide detailed & honest articles on the bookmakers that are worthy of your trust and the ones that should be avoided. Reading the materials produced by these specialized websites is the best way to make informed decisions on which online bookie to adopt and place your bets.
Several Types of Cycling Races
There are two main types of cycling competitions: Circuit Cycling or Track Cycling and Road Cycling. Before placing a bet on your favorite rider, it is essential to differentiate these categories of cycling races and identify the types of specific bets of each of the two race formats.
TRACK CYCLING RACES:
Track races are international competitions where countries compete in several different events or race categories:
Sprint:
Sprint is a usually one-on-one cycling race category where two riders compete on 250 to 1000 meters and where the winner is the one who crosses the finish line first.
Points Race:
Endurance race of 25 km or more where the riders accumulate points by winning sprint sections and overlapping their opponents. The winner is the rider with the most points.
Omnium:
Competition where riders take part in several events and compete in a scartch race, individual pursuit, elimination race, time trial, quickest lap and points race.
ROAD CYCLING RACES:
Road cycling races are divided into three categories: single day races, individual time trials and stage races, the latter being the most popular and a perfect competition to learn the tricks of the trade of betting on cycling races. Road cycling races can vary from 8km long time trial to 3,529km multi-stage tour race. The most popular road races are the three famous stage races, also known as tours, that are the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Spanish Vuelta a España.
Before placing bets head down, it is necessary to do a little research. As with all sports, there are many betting options in Cycling. Some of these options are straightforward, such as betting on the outright winner and do not require much knowledge. However, road cycling races have many different factors that determine the winner, providing the opportunity for punters to place more complicated bets and requiring specific knowledge about cycling in general. One of the cycling’s specificities is the struggle to claim jerseys. The yellow jersey, for example, is given to the leader of the competition while the green jersey is worn by the cyclist with the most sprint points. Let’s take a look at these various betting options that make cycling so exciting.
Betting on the outright winner:
Betting on the winner consists to, as the name indicates, bet on the runner who, according to you, will win the entire competition through all stages of the race. This simple wagering option often comes with an each-way bet option that guarantees a win if the chosen runner finishes the competition in the top three or four depending on the online bookie. To spice up their bets and increase the potential winnings, punters can bet on combinations of at least two riders who, according to their predictions, will finish the competition at the top of the leaderboard.
Betting on point classification:
To bet on points classification is, to put it simply, to guess who will wear the green jersey. Point classification is a secondary prize category in road cycling races. The points reward several factors during the race like finishing a stage in the first position or sometimes winning a sprint at a given moment of the course. Most often, punters can also bet on points classification match-ups where they predict the combination of at least two riders will end the competition with the most points.
The best climber – King of the mountains:
The title of king of the mountains is awarded to the best climber in a road cycling race. Recognizable by the red polka dot jersey (Tour de France), the king of the mountain is the rider having won the most points by being the first to reach the top of significant climbs along the course of a stage in the competition. The points rewarding the climbers are divided into 4 categories depending on the difficulty of the climbs. Most often, punters can also bet on match-ups, similar to points classification, where they predict which combination of at least two cyclists will end a stage of the competition or the entire race with the king of the mountains title.
Young rider classification:
Like the King of the Mountains classification, the Young Rider Classification designates the best rider under 26 years old.
Voila, this is all you need to know to get started in sports betting on cycling competitions, especially on the three big tours. Do not forget to find out about the best bookies by following the links provided by this article, directing you to the best online sports bookies comparators. Once you have chosen your online bookmaker, all that is left is for you to place your bets. Good luck!