Cycling Betting Strategy
Author: Josh Stewart
Last Updated: 17th February 2021
Cycling Betting Strategy
You have decided to take your passion for cycling and make the most of it by placing a bet or two. Possibly making it work in the long run by becoming a pro tipster in the area and someone who people will turn to for guidance and help? Here is our beginner guide and cycling betting tips to how you can make a profit from cycling betting and learn how to bet on cycling and which are the best websites to use.
The first step you need to make is to go through thorough research that will help you get behind all of the details you thought you knew about betting and cycling in a combination. We bet you’d be surprised with what you’d find out.
Doing research prior to making a sports bet it, by placing actual money on a selection of your choice and at the best value odds you found with your favourite cycling betting sites, could make a world’s difference in separating a successful tipster from a poor one.
A sound strategy as to how to spend your money wisely and which betting moves to take will make it all worthwhile in the long run. So, it is strongly advised that you take some time preparing yourself like a proper bookworm. Take a pen and a piece of paper if you need to and write down some of the little cycling betting tips, we have prepared to help you with creating the best betting strategy for you.
Bear in mind that no strategy will guarantee you winning, but it will significantly increase your odds of winning as you won’t be just shooting in the dark, but rather be making knowledgeable betting moves, backed by numbers and solid evidence.
First of all, put on the paper everything you know about cycling. It is a sport that has been making headlines for years and for some pretty nasty reasons and controversies, but it remains as popular as it’s ever been. The sport offers a number of greatly enjoyed popular cycling events such as Tour de France, Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a Espana, all of which are covered with a huge variety of markets by some of the world’s top bookmakers such as Bet365, PaddyPower, William Hill or BetVictor.
The major cycling competitions in the cycling world and the most exciting races consist of different stages which make cycling a rather difficult sport to predict – most of all in the short run – so it is warmly advised that you stick to longer periods and picks that could grant you a win at favourable odds.
The four stages of a race
All of the types of races require a different approach which is why you need to deepen your knowledge of cycling and make sure you have ticked all the boxes when it comes to the race types which go as follows:
- Sprint/individual Stage or Flat Stages
- Tough Mountain Stages
- One-Day Race
- Time Trial Stages
The four stages of a cycling race are different from one another no matter whether it is one of the major cycling races or a smaller one, but no stage is the same through all various major events and tours, which is a pretty important factor to consider as well. Make sure to remember and take into consideration the fact that a race might be flat, uphill
or downhill, but that the surface could play a determining factor in all of the racing scenarios.
Paris-Roubaix’s cobbled surface is the biggest example. Those bumpy rides are particularly tricky and can be dangerous to bet on principally during different weather conditions, so elements are truly an important aspect that needs to be taken into consideration as well.
With all the aforementioned funnelled into one stream of information, arguably the crucial feature with betting on cycling is to know your rider. Thorough research will tell you all and reveal whether your rider likes those cobbled surfaces or prefers them slick and flat. Some people enjoy the rain, others love it when it’s hot while some even time their form particularly for difficult terrains. Analyse their track record, racing history and statistics per event to get your facts straight and reach a final verdict on the one racer you want to back in a certain stage of the race, or in the long-run.
Where to Bet and What to Bet On?
Now that you have all of it planned out in detail, it is important to find a great place to place the bet and – you guessed it – research is needed. Don’t be afraid to do a bit of shopping around to find the bookies that will suit you best.
Remember with Bet365 you will be getting the best welcome bonus worth 100% deposit match up to £200, so they are definitely one of the best cycling betting sites to look at. William Hill, Paddy Power and BetVictor will probably offer the highest-value odds on all of the selections but do bear in mind that Betfair are the ones who offer a chance to ‘trade’ the price in running. This is great if you originally backed a rider at a high price of let’s say 30/1 and now have the possibility to lay a bet at 4/1 as he gets a break which builds up in a five-minute lead in front of the pack.
Laying a bet will let you have a free bet with no losses at the odds of 26/1 which is a great way to clear the money and swipe it into your pocket.
When it comes to what to bet on, you should probably consider betting on favourites. It might not be as good of a choice for many sports out there which offer great suspense and uncertainty. However, in cycling, it often comes down to the usual suspects who claim the best time in Time Trials and take advantage of their start times to emerge victorious in the end and make great value on your Outright winner choices.
Cycling has often been explained as a wide-open 190 runner handicap. However, in reality, it is more of a race between a couple of standout cyclists who will probably win it in the end and justify their favourite tags. Names of those riders will present themselves to you on their own after you have done your research right of course. Not only should you do your research on the competitors themselves, but choosing the right bookmakers is also a big part of it.
So, if you are one of the many punters looking for some better luck when it comes to winning some cash on cycling markets, then why not take a look at some of our other online sports betting guides that we have for you, including how to bet on horse racing, how to bet on football, golf betting strategies and more.