Updated: 2024This guide will provide you everything you need to know to bet online on cycling in the UK. You will get tips, tricks, types of cyclings bets explained and the list of the best online bookies to bet in the UK.
Online bookmakers that offer betting on cycling in the UK
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 a 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 sports betting industry and cycling, to see how the two intertwine 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.
How to Bet 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 simple 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. Make use of boosted odds whenever possible – they are usually offered right before a major 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.
Try online betting on cycling races with a risk free bet
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 grueling 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: The Giro d’Italia is another multi-stage event, with a route that covers more than 3,000 kilometers. Starting in Bologna and ending in Verona, this race has three individual time trials and several different difficulty stages. Set amidst the Italian countryside, this route is full of climbs that even the most seasoned of cyclists can struggle with.
- 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: These races are usually 10 – 15 kilometres, dependent on gender, and the winner is the person who crosses the finishing line first.
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.
- 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: Riders will have to take part in scratch races, time trials and other disciplines to gain points.
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.
- 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.
5 Tips for Developing Your Cycling Betting Strategy
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:
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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 recognize 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. -
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.
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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. Make use of free bets offered to new bettors signing up to a sportsbook – this gives you a chance to test out the bookmaker with extra funds.
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. -
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.
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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. 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.
Online bookmakers to bet on cycling races in the UK
