Sports betting has been booming for several years and at the latest, since the advertising with Oli Kahn, you can no longer avoid watching sports. Especially many football fans are a very interesting target group for betting providers. But the market is also growing in cycling. You might even find safe Toto sites in a 먹튀검증 (eat-and-run verification) site just for cycling betting. Sports betting in cycling – how does it work & can it be worthwhile?
About the bets on cycling
Until 2016, I had little to do with cycling myself. Sure, I knew drivers like Marcel Kittel, Tony Martin or Alberto Contador, but nothing more. In May, I got stuck at Eurosport at the Giro. There was the mountain time trial, which finally Alexander Foliforov won completely surprisingly. I saw the interim time of Foliforov and the bookmakers had odds of 101 (€1 bet would be multiplied by 101, meaning €101 would be paid out). Foliforov undercut the time of the leader and so I thought to myself: “If I put a euro on him, why not?” The fact that he actually won this stage came as a surprise and was my starting signal as a cycling fan.
Nevertheless, I would always give the tip – never bet on something you have no idea about.
Making a profit in the long term is very difficult
In many “smaller” races, you can usually only bet on the overall classification winner or the stage winner. Duel bets (which driver achieves a better placement) are also offered. For example, Marcel Kittel and Mark Cavendish are offered against each other in sprints, and Nairo Quintana and Richie Porte against each other in mountain stages. At Grand Tours, you can also guess whether a rider reaches the top 10, who wins the sprint classification, mountain classification, or another special classification, and also how many stages a rider can win.
Sounds simple at first glance, but it is anything but easy to make a profit in the long term. Of course, you can bet on Marcel Kittel in every sprint, but it is clear that he is always one of the favorites in sprints without great obstacles. Therefore, its rate on a flat stage is very low. It is the art of sometimes meeting high odds of drivers who are not exactly among the favorites.
Some time ago it was probably a little easier to score a good hit, but the level of the betting providers has risen significantly. Successes, such as in the spring at the Ruta del Sol, when I got a 101 quota for him with Thomas Boudat, so I got back 101 times my bet, are very rare.
Large community on Twitter – know-how for money
On Twitter, there is a large community of cycling bettors, which is very international. Since few people speak German, most of my tweets about cycling are also in English. Many people share their bets and it’s always a nice moment when an unlikely bet wins that has been previously shared with others. The community is also about exchanging ideas with each other and sometimes you try to convince others to play your own bet. There are also people who make money from their expertise by selling their tips. Against payment, you will then receive information for a certain period of time (e.g. a Grand Tour) about who the favorites are and what you can bet on. For July, this service costs up to 130 €. In other months only around 85 €.
The step of these successful weather is understandable because if you are too successful, you will be restricted by providers. So it is possible that the stake is limited to one euro or even less. Unfortunately, it has already happened to me with some providers and I can say that I am not yet sitting in a villa, because I have become mega rich with large stakes.
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Fun vs. Earn Money
A big factor in betting is also that you should not bet for sympathy. Sure, it’s nicer to bet on a driver from Germany, but you have to stay neutral as much as possible if there is a serious intention to make a profit and not just the entertainment is in the foreground. Once there is the possibility of winning a higher contribution, pulse, emotions, etc. adapt accordingly naturally – this is the basis of the betting provider business. You are excited and excited, but you are absolutely powerless and can only hope.
Professionals are interested but are not allowed to bet themselves
Our international community on Twitter even keeps a few professional cyclists. Of course, they don’t bet and are usually not allowed to share any information, but it’s cool to talk to them about races or send congratulations. The regulations of the Tour de France, for example, stipulate that riders are not allowed to participate in bets. Coaches and supervisors are also prohibited from participating in bets. This also applies to other big races.
With riders like Toms Skujins (Trek-Segafredo) or Sam Brand (Novo-Nordisk) you can exchange ideas from time to time. In addition, there will be a preview show before the race by some tipsters such as @cyclingmole. In the previews of @CyclingHubTV, professionals from the peloton are regularly invited as guests who give their assessments. This is about the sporting aspects and not about betting, but the information from drivers like Michael Valgren (Astana) and Oliver Naesen (AG2R) is very interesting and also helps with the assessment. German drivers have not yet made a great connection with the international Twitter community.