Cycling gained popularity in the mid 19th century with the advent of the bicycle and tires. More than a billion cycles are currently in operation across the world. In fact, in most remote parts of the world, cycling is the number one mode of transport (after walking) for short and medium-long distances. Cycles grew out of the need for efficient transport without the cost of fuel. It was easy for any individual to purchase a cycle and learn how to ride it. Over time, cycling grew to become more adaptive and competitive in nature leading to a professional sports betting market and competitions worldwide. Over the past two decades, betting on cycling has been rife with corruption, banned performance enhancers, match-fixing, and more. Lance Armstrong, the professional cyclist and world champion comes to mind for his bout with banned substances. The cyclist won 7 Tour De France competitions and had all of his trophies stripped from him after the doping scandal came to light. This tarnished the integrity of the sport and punters were weary for a long time. However, with cycling as a sport and competition stepping center stage, we take a look at a guide on how punters can bet on cycling.
Guide To bet On Cycling
For punters looking to take the plunge when betting on new sports such as cycling, it’s important to consider the rules of the game, betting markets, odds and rankings, individual performances, the circuit, etc.
1. Betting Markets
Punters need to understand the different types of betting markets and bets one can make when making a wager across different sports. A betting market gives a punter to bet on a selection apart from the outright winner of the race. For example, predicting the outright winner from among 50+ cyclists is very hard. But making a head to head prediction between two cyclists gives you a 50% chance of being right, while the odds may not be that high. See how you can adapt and modify betting market strategies that best suit your betting needs and objectives.
2. Understanding The Rules
With any game, it’s important that a punter understands the rules of the game. Otherwise, a punter is literally betting his money without knowing in which direction the wager may go and without factoring in the risks involved with making such a wager. Most successful punters take time to understand the rules and regulations of each sport before diving in headfirst. Some punters even prefer to play the sport to gain a competitive betting edge. Punters can bet on who will lead after x amount of laps or after a certain distance, or who will lose points because of fouls.
3. Studying Different Tournaments And The Contestants
Studying the types of cycling tournaments and the tracks help punters understand the various advantages and disadvantages of betting on that track. Punters must also study each contestant or participant to see how each cyclist compares with the other competitors. For example, the easiest bet for a punter to make is 1×2 markets. A punter only needs to choose a team or cyclist that will come out on top for that particular stage. Head-to-head markets also make for competitive viewing and betting. In head-to-head, a punter compares the performance of two individuals with each other in the context of the race.
4. Using Past Results
Most punters across various sports use past results to extrapolate future results. This gives a punter a past frame of reference with respect to how a cyclist performed on a particular platform, race, country, or leg of the race. While past results don’t always accurately predict the future, it gives a punter a reference point with respect to how a team is likely to perform, and not necessarily how a team will perform. Professional punters try to keep up to date with various aspects of cycling, form, contest, ever-changing regulations, etc. to gain an edge over the betting competition.
5. Professional And Casual
Anyone can get on a cycle and pedal away. Not only is the activity healthy, but exercise prevents certain diseases, heart ailments, and more. As a punter, cycling as an activity and watching it as a competitive sport will give you an insight most other punters don’t possess.
