Cycling Best Betting Sites India
Although cycling is not too popular among the people outside its trusted circle of fans, it has been gaining its momentum in many countries across the world, including India. An increased number of viewers have been tuning in to watch some of the most exciting bike races in the world, such as the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. As a result, more bettors have started trying their luck at betting on cycling as well.
Betting on this sport is quite interesting because cycling is neither an individual nor a group sport. To put it simply — cycling is an individual sport performed in teams. So, if you are interested in cycling betting, but you haven’t had the chance to place a bet before, you will surely need some guidance.
Of course, choosing trustworthy bookmakers should be your number one priority. However, finding the best cycling betting sites can be challenging. That’s why we’ve taken the matter into our own hands and found the top cycling betting sites out there targeted towards Indian players.
Feel free to check them out and learn more about betting on cycling overall.
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Most Popular Cycling Fixtures and How to Bet on Them
Cycling events are not only about the competition itself. Their viewers also expect to see some of the most beautiful scenery and breathtaking biking trails around the world. As a result, cycling events cannot just take place anywhere.
A lot of preparation and effort goes into perfecting a cycling event so that viewers and fans worldwide can witness some of the greatest tour races out there.
Before we cover some of the most important cycling fixtures you can bet on, let’s see how professional cycling ranks in India.
Cycling in India
As a professional sport, cycling has been flying under the radar in India. Until recently, there weren’t too many Indian people who showed great interest in this sport.
However, its popularity has increased over the years. In fact, the engagement probably started growing after Lance Armstrong had won Tour de France a record seven times. Funnily enough, the interest did not seem to wane even after he had been stripped of his titles.
Nevertheless, cycling in this country dates back to 1938. Eight years later, the Cycling Federation of India was formed. The federation oversees all professional cycling in the country, and it has even sent teams to the Olympic Games and the Asian Games.
Currently, there are no competing tour races organised in India, but there are a few non-competitive and non-commercial touring events. The most notable one is the tour of Nilgiris, which has been present since 2008. It covers 1,000 kilometres in under 10 days.
On top of that, there are more than 15 cycling clubs in India operating under the aegis of Audax Club Parisien, with a focus on randonneuring events.
Grand Tours
A Grand Tour refers to each of the three prestigious European cycling tournaments — Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a Espana. Together they are known as Grand Tours. A Grand Tour is allowed to last 15–23 days. Normally, each event has 20 to 22 teams with eight riders. Each rider needs to cycle over 3,500 kilometres. All three tours have a special status in the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) regulations.
Tour de France
Tour de France is probably the most popular Grand Tour. This cycling event has been around since 1903, and it’s one of the oldest and longest races in the world. It’s a test of pure strength and determination.
Tour de France is probably the most famous cycling tournament to bet on. If you want to try your luck at this event, you will need to determine the winner based on the riders’ pure skill and performance. You’ll have a chance to follow each of the riders and enjoy the mesmerising scenery over the three-week-long cycling tour through villages, towns, and beautiful landscapes.
The race is typically held from July to August, so it’s a perfect summertime betting activity that will help get you through those dreadfully hot summer days.
Giro d’Italia
The second longest-running cycling tour among the three is Giro d’Italia. The first race was held in 1909 and it has been a yearly event since. The tour predominantly takes place in Italy. However, it runs through 6 neighbouring countries and 10 other countries, as well. The race is typically held from May to June. It is considered one of the most challenging cycling events to predict because its stages take part in various countries.
If you’re interested in betting on cycling, you definitely shouldn’t miss out on Giro d’Italia.
Vuelta a Espana
Vuelta a Espana is the third and the youngest Grand Tour race. It has been held annually from 1935. It used to start in April, but, nowadays, it is scheduled for August and September.
Vuelta is also considered to be the least predictable of the three races. In fact, what makes this event quite exciting is the mountain scenery, as it takes the racers through the mountain range of the Pyrenees. It is also seen as the hot spot for the young, up-and-coming cyclists.
So, if you’re interested in unpredictable cycling betting, this Spanish tour might just be the one.
Other Notable Tours
The Grand Tours aren’t the only ones worth mentioning, as there are plenty of other cycling events that you can place bets on, including:
- Santos Tour Down Under — The most notable racing event in Australia takes place every January. This 10-day race is the perfect kick-off competition for the start of the season.
- Amgen Tour of California — This is the only top-level cycling race in the USA, and it has been modelled on Tour de France, making it the top cycling betting event for Americans. The Amgen Tour is eight days long, and it covers around 1,100 kilometres.
- Milan — San Remo — This race is the longest one-day race, covering 298 kilometres. It starts in Milan and ends in San Remo. It can be quite unpredictable, which makes it the perfect race for cycling betting.
- UCI Road World Championships — From 1921, the UCI Road has been an annual world championship for bicycle road racing. Its location changes every year. It is one of the most interesting sports betting events, as it consists of a road race, individual time trial, and mixed team relay event.
- Paris — Roubaix — This race is the oldest one-day cycling event. It starts in Paris and ends in Roubaix. The race first took place in 1896 and it’s 259 kilometres long.
Betting Platforms
Online betting has come a long way since it was first introduced. These days, there is an abundance of online betting sites in India that cater to all types of punters — in fact, you will find sportsbooks, betting exchanges, spread betting sites, matched betting sites, and sports trading platforms.
We will take a closer look at each of them because we want you to be fully informed before you start betting on cycling.
Betting Exchanges
For a bit more excitement, you can bet against other users instead of betting against a bookmaker. This is one of the more interesting betting options because you will be placing regular cycling bets but at specific odds. Ultimately, you will be “buying” or “selling” the outcome of the race. To be more specific, you can back a racer to win or to lose — this type of betting is known as lay betting. Betting exchanges allow you to take larger risks compared to other cycling betting sites.
Cycling Sportsbooks
Sportsbooks or bookmakers are the traditional gambling sites that you can come across almost anywhere. Indian punters generally use these kinds of websites. What makes them popular are the numerous real money welcome bonuses and promotions that players can take advantage of. You will likely find Grand Tours racing events, but most of them offer other events as well. This is the most common online sports betting service that you will find online.
Cycling Spread Betting
Spread betting is another exciting form of betting because it allows you to win real money based on how accurate your bet is, not whether you’ve actually won it. Cycling betting sites allow you to cover spread bets however you want. This betting type has been gaining momentum among Indian punters. However, it’s already extremely popular in the US and some other countries.
Cycling Sports Trading
Sports trading is quite similar to betting exchanges. Once again, players place wagers against each other on the same race, with both back and lay wagers included. The difference is that sports trading resembles stock market trading a bit more. Think of it this way — instead of shares, you will be trading outcomes of cycling races.
Cycling Matched Betting
Technically, matched betting can be considered as risk-free betting. This is a popular type of betting for newcomers, as there is no or minimum investment from the punter’s side. Ultimately, you will use welcome bonuses and other bonuses and promotions on the betting platform to place a wager. So, if you’re interested in cycling matched betting, you’ll be glad to know that many of the top cycling sites from our list offer this type of betting. However, keep in mind that winning is not guaranteed.
The Most Popular Cycling Betting Markets
Just as any bettors across the world, Indian punters also have a variety of options when it comes to cycling betting markets.
Betting markets are ultimately different types of bets that you can make in a sportsbook or betting exchange. All betting platforms come with their own particular sets of betting markets, but some of them, such as outright bets, are universal. We’ll take a closer look at each of the cycling bet types, so you can be fully informed before investing your hard-earned money.
Outright Betting/Moneyline Betting
As you might’ve already guessed by the name, outright or moneyline betting refers to predicting which cyclist will be the winner of the race. As you can see, this is quite a straightforward bet and it’s a common choice among inexperienced punters. Depending on the race, you might need to wait more than 20 days to see if your outright wager is correct. If you’re a patient person, this shouldn’t be a problem, but if not, it might be best to focus on one-day races or shorter cycling events, such as the Tour Down Under.
The same bet type can be used for stage winners, as well. Each stage has a different set of demands, so it’s quite a feat to finish the race first. This is considered to be a more exciting outright bet, as there are numerous stages in one race that you will get to follow closely throughout the event.
Futures Betting
Similarly to many other sports, cycling also allows bettors to place futures wagers. As the name suggests, you will need to predict the winner of the race or a certain stage before the event even starts, typically months in advance. This could be quite a risky bet, as you will have to correctly guess the outcome long before the race has commenced, but if you get it right, it could be quite profitable as the odds are normally higher than usual.
Top 3 and Top 10 Finish
If you have a cyclist in mind but you’re not quite sure whether they will finish first, you can place a top 3 finish bet. That means that the cyclist of your choice can finish in any of the first three places and you will have a winning bet. The same conditions go for the top 10 finish bet, but with an expansion. So, if the cyclist of your choice finishes in the top 10, you will be rewarded.
King of the Mountains
The title of the king of the mountains goes out to the cyclist who has turned out to be the best overall climber. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in cycling. Winning the king of the mountains jersey is an honour in Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and many other competitions that feature mountain stages. Likewise, you can place cycling wagers on which cyclist will take home the jersey. This could be quite an unpredictable bet, as foretelling the best overall climber of the competition is quite a feat.
The Yellow Jersey
If you’ve watched a few cycling events, you’ve probably noticed the cyclist in the yellow jersey. It is worn by the leader of any tour. The cyclist who wears it needs to have the shortest cumulative time around the route. This person usually has an immense will and power to finish highly in all stages of the race. Still, the cyclist relies heavily on the team as well. So, if you like this bet type, make sure to first consider the team and not just the individual cyclist.
Head to Head Betting
Choose two cyclists and see which of them will cross the finish line first. It’s a simple yet exciting bet that is commonly chosen by inexperienced bettors.
Over/Under Betting
As cycling events are quite long, there are all kinds of over/under betting opportunities. If you’re betting on the whole race, there are over/under stage wins odds for your favourite cyclists, or over/under time trial victories for the experts in that discipline.
Winning Margin
Think the next stage will be won easily by a solo breakaway? Perhaps it will be a sprint with only the width of a tyre separting the winner from the second-placed rider? If you like exciting bets that will keep you on the edge of your seat, you can choose to bet how close you think the race will be.
In-Play Betting
Although in-play betting or live betting isn’t exactly a betting market, we will categorize it as one. Basically, in in-play betting, you are able to place wagers as races are underway. This bet is quite different in cycling compared to other sports, as some cycling events last up to 23 days. However, that does not make it any less exciting if you’re a cycling fan.
Naturally, one of the most common live cycling wagers is guessing who will triumph in the current stage. Of course, you can place a live bet on the winner of the race, but it might not be as interesting if the race is long. One-day races are perfect for live betting, as they are thrilling and fast-paced.
All top-rated betting platforms offer live betting on cycling, including the ones mentioned in this article, so you shouldn’t have problems finding quality live betting wagers. Moreover, you will be able to find different bet types (the ones we’ve mentioned above) when placing live bets. The only difference is that odds are set based on the rankings and performances of the riders at that particular moment during the race.
Top cycling betting sites also have a live streaming option that will be of help when placing live bets, as you will be able to watch the races live and place bets at the same time.
Conclusion
To sum up, cycling races might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Still, one thing is for certain — cycling offers some of the most intriguing betting options out there. So, if you want to make your experience with cycling more exciting, all you need to do is place a few cycling bets.
If you’re located in India, check out some of the top cycling betting sites from our list and choose your favourite betting platform. If you need any help to come to the right decision, don’t hesitate to ask us by leaving a comment below.
Try out your luck, but make sure you’re familiar with all the betting options and bet types that we have listed above. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the lucky duck in the tough and competitive online gambling world.
FAQ
What are the best cycling betting sites for punters in India?
It’s challenging to choose only one online betting site, so feel free to check out our list above and find the one that suits you. All these sites welcome Indian punters. You can find different bonuses and promotions to claim and try to win big. If you’re not sure where to look, get started by reading our comprehensive cycling betting guide to understand betting platforms and bet types better.
Are there bonuses for punters who want to bet on cycling in India?
Punters from India can look forward to numerous welcome offers and bonuses from legitimate betting sites. Since you are playing for real money, don’t stray away from our list of respectable and regulated betting sites, as others might trick you.
If you’re interested in larger sums of money, you might need to make a deposit first, which will then open many other doors towards your online betting journey. Namely, you’ll get a chance to claim plenty of other bonuses and promotions that you can use to put wagers on the betting markets of your choice.
Is live betting an option with cycling?
Of course, it is. Like with any other sport, you will find that cycling also allows live betting. Cycling is an exciting sport that offers many opportunities for live betting that you will be able to find once the race starts. Follow closely so as not to miss out on any fantastic betting odds.
What cycling events should I bet on?
You’ll find that almost all cycling betting sites offer to bet on the top three tours — Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta e Espana. However, if you’re interested in smaller cycling events, you will surely be able to find them on the best cycling betting sites that we’ve listed above.
