As one of the most popular recreation sports in the Western world, the coverage and attention attributed to elite level Cycling has never been higher and Cycling betting is also becoming a more prominent market for punters.

With Track Cycling and Road Cycling events taking place all over the world, there is a wealth of betting opportunities for all levels of punter to utilise.

Here is our guide to how bet on Cycling intelligently:-

• Go Big at the Big Events
The Road Cycling calendar is an exhausting and hugely demanding schedule for the world’s elite and pushes competitors to the physical limits on a seasonal basis. The key events in the calendar centre round the European summer: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta de Espana – these three events comprise the ‘Grand Tour’ and are the pinnacle in any road cyclist’s career. As a result, every competitor is in peak physical condition for these events and will be in prime form to prepare for the demands of all three events. Bookmakers often target these events to offer enhanced odds on bets too, encouraging punters to bet on the biggest events on the cycling calendar. Very rarely are any of these events won by somebody ‘getting lucky’ the very nature of long distance cycling, doesn’t facilitate abnormal results too often – allowing punters to bet with the odds on their side in the big events.

• Target the Milestone Markets
Road cycling races such as the Tour de France, are comprised of a month’s worth of racing meaning betting on the outright winner market can be a rollercoaster of a ride for punters. Each stage, in each race presents an opportunity for punters to bet on the winner of each stage – which can often throw up some lucrative surprises for the customer. In addition, races of this nature will having varying leaders (wearing the Yellow Jersey) and titles such as the ‘King of the Mountains’ and betting on these markets are often good ways of keeping the bank balance ticking over whilst the whole race is taking place.

• Embrace the All-Action Nature of Track Cycling
The complete antithesis to road cycling, track cycling pits opponents head to head in a race to complete a specified distance on a velodrome track in a high-octane, all action encounter. With a surge in popularity around the World Championships and the Olympics, Track Cycling provides punters looking for a more instant return on their investment an opportunity to win big in the head to head racing market.

• Awareness of Cycling Disciplines
Very few cyclists make successful transitions between track and road cycling at the elite level and both require a very different skill set, with Road Cycling centring on endurance and mental toughness whilst Track Cycling comes down to speed and power. Punters need to be knowledgeable on which cyclists are best suited to their specific discipline. Another key consideration is knowledge of which teams the riders compete for in Road Cycling. Each big race will have a team of entrants, with the lead rider of the team ultimately being protected by his or her team of riders. Picking the rider who has the strongest group of team mates is often an effective ploy when looking to maximise winnings in the cycling betting market.