Here at NetBet, we’ve got a whole load of great markets for sports betting, and we offer some of the best Cycling odds around. We don’t just take bets on individual races, we offer online betting on plenty of deeper markets on our UK betting site. If you want to place any sport bet, here’s a quick guide on how exactly you should go about it.
What is Cycling?
Cycling is a popular recreational activity, method of transportation and competitive sport. You will see many different variations of the sport taking place across multiple terrains and locations around the world. Road races tend to be longer in distance and can move between countries, cross-country features rough terrain, and pursuit can be watched at the Olympics in an arena. Whilst cycling at the Olympics has become increasingly popular, the biggest events in the sport are the Grand Tours. The Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana are the three major professional cycling races that take place over three weeks and feature a number of stages such as flat, mountainous and time trials. Britain has emerged as a force in world cycling in the last decade, but the most Grand Tours winners have come from the host nations – in particular Italy who have 85 wins.
History of Cycling
Cycling as a recreational activity has a shorter history than you might imagine. The first ever bicycle is believed to have been invented by Karl von Drais in 1817 – although it was hardly recognisable as a bike due to a lack of pedals and was instead self-propelled. Remarkably, it took around 50 years for someone to better this initial invention, when Pierre Michaux added some mechanisms and pedals to the front wheel. The impact on the rider from the ground was thought to be very intense, thus this version was named the ‘boneshaker’.
Following this came the iconic penny-farthing, famed for an enormous front wheel which nullified the impact of the ground and allowed for faster movement. In 1885 – some 68 years after the first bike had been made – John Kemp Starley invented the ‘rover’, or safety bicycle. The addition of a chain and gear allowed for the removal of the giant front wheel, and this bike is largely similar to the ones we see around the world today.
The first ever cycling race was held not long after the invention of the bike – a 1,200 metre race in Paris in 1868. The excitement soon spread to North America and a decade later the United States hosted their first ever event. The USA also developed the format, having longer races take place over an extended period of time, introducing team races to the world at the end of the 19th century.
The emergence of cycling also coincided with the birth of the modern Olympics, and races have been included at every Summer Games since the first event in 1896. Initially, road racing and track events were the main focus, but over the years events such as mountain biking, BMX races and freestyle BMX have been added, broadening the global appeal.
The Grand Tours are widely regarded as some of the most demanding sporting events in the world. The Tour de France is the longest running of the three – first contested in 1903 – and is one of the most attended sporting events of the year. The Giro d’Italia commenced a few years later in 1909, whilst the Vuelta a Espana was not created until 1935. These three races are worth the most points in the overall World Tour standings, and are the only cycling events sanctioned to last longer than two weeks.
Maybe somewhat unsurprisingly, the events have been dominated by the natives of each country. Italy has the most Grand Tour winners with 85, followed by France (51) and Spain (49). That being said, the most decorated rider in Grand Tour history is the Belgian Eddy Merckx, who won an incredible 11 competitions in six years. Whilst there have been plenty of cyclists that have claimed two of three Grand Tours in a calendar year, we are still waiting for someone to claim all three – the sport is so competitive and gruelling that it might never be done.
How do I bet on Cycling?
Here at NetBet, we offer plenty of opportunities to bet on the biggest races and events in the cycling calendar. Here are some of the markets:
- Race winner – Bet on any cyclist to win an individual or team race. When the Olympics rolls around, there are plenty of road and arena races that you can bet on.
- Competition winner – Place a bet on who you think will be the overall winner of a major event such as Tour de France, Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a Espana. These events are decided by accumulated time across each individual stage.
- Stage winner – Place a bet on who you think will win a specific stage of a Grand Tour event. Different cyclists have different strengths, so this bet type allows you to isolate an individual stage.
However, there aren’t just these to choose from. Occasionally, we might choose to Boost a price which you can find at our Promotions page.
When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority – check out our Responsible Gambling tips and tools page for more information.
