Horse Racing, greyhounds and snooker specialist with thirty years experience of writing about sport across multiple platforms. A QPR and Snooker fan
Stage Racing In Cycling
The three grand tours are the :
These form much of the road racing calendar, and are usually a mixture of daily races over varying terrain.
Different skills from the riders are required on these stages.
Bookmakers offer different types of bets these days on Cycling, with the best betting sites always covering the three grand tours.
Best Bookmakers for Cycling Betting
Finding The Winner
Many punters shy away from trying to find the winner of a stage that is less predictable.
That is, they only bet if the race seems likely to end in a bunch sprint or if it's a big mountaintop finish that the main contenders will fight for, but not if it's just likely to be left to a breakaway group to try for the stage win.
Finding the right man for the breakaway is challenging, but it isn't unpredictable, and I'll try to show you where to look.
First, barring some miscalculations from the main bunch, a breakaway can only sometimes stay out in front.
Riders in the peloton are said to be saving around 30% of their energy compared to those in a five —or six-man breakaway.
When the breakaway is bigger, it tends to work less well because some riders don't pull their weight, and the others resent this and won't put in the required effort. (There will be exceptions.)
Breakaways succeed when the overall lead and pecking order have been firmly established, usually after at least one big mountain stage or in less demanding races, perhaps after the time trial.
Thereafter, any quality rider who is in good shape and not threatening the podium positions (or even top tens in the case of a grand tour) might be allowed to ride away and take a stage win.
Always remember that each stage is a race in itself, and it carries prize money and prestige for winners, their teams, and their sponsors, so nothing is gifted.
Making A Selection
Now, choosing from over 160 riders requires some homework.
There will likely be some challenging climbing on the stage; therefore, the climbs and their proximity to the finish must be considered.
If it's a mountaintop finish, a climber will likely take the win.
If the mountain is some distance from the finish, a stronger, punchier rider might prevail.
Two things to look out for once you've assessed the course.
First of all, consider a team's ambitions.
Are they working hard for their leader to the extent that all will remain with him throughout the race?
Again, this is likely to be influenced by whether the stage is deemed difficult enough to affect the general classification standings.
Teams who, for whatever reason, have no chance in the overall standings will likely set a stage win as their primary target for the contest, and their riders need to be viewed as contenders.
The second thing to look for, often overlooked, is to observe which riders have tried, successfully or otherwise, to get into a breakaway on previous days.
Unless the race begins going up a mountain, getting into a breakaway is by no means easy.
Those who try to display both ambition and well-being must be considered likely to try again.
The breakaway winner is likely to be offered at big betting odds, and even if you think it's a stage a rider may not be best suited to, the betting exchanges of Betfair, Betdaq, Matchbook and Smarkets present an opportunity to bet and lay back once in the breakaway.
How to Effectively Use a Betting Exchange: The Ultimate Guide
This only applies to the more significant events, where a strong enough market is formed, and there's good television coverage.
Occasionally, finding the right one seems obvious, but that is unusual.
What makes this worth looking into is the very big odds on offer.
Team Ambitions
Therefore, you don't need to be right all the time, and I generally back several riders in such a stage, always hopeful that one will get into the breakaway.
I recommend you keep your stakes small and give it a try.
Finally, on that day when the breakaway looks likely to succeed, consider a bet in-play on the rider you think most likely to succeed from within the break.
In Running Betting Basics
The biggest betting sites depending upon the event, are likely to offer prices in play once television coverage begins.
If you have limited knowledge of the riders' specific attributes, and new riders always come along, take a quick look in the form book at procyclingstats.com.
That website will show you everything you need to know about the riders and often offers the opportunity to bet with odds in your favour.
If you wish to place tips on the major tours, cycling tipping is available on OLBG.
