When the first bicycle race took place in 1868 in Paris, France, nobody dreamt of cycling becoming a popular sport, and definitely nobody suspected it would turn out to be an Olympic discipline! However, it rose in popularity fairly quickly, gathering large groups of people to watch exciting one day races or staged races that last a couple of days.
If you are only getting into the world of cycling competitions, you might need some help on which races you must watch. The answer is fairly simple – all the races belonging to the Grand Tours are a must! If you are also looking how to bet on them, we’ll help on that as well! This Bwin sportsbook review might also help out.
Giro d’Italia
Giro is one of the most well-known races in the cycling world, more than a hundred years old! It features three different types of stages over the course of three weeks of merciless racing! The cyclists only get two days of rest – other 21 days they cycle either in mass-start stages, individual or team time stages, which is how they are compared and given certain amounts of points. This spectacular race is held during the end of May and goes into mid-June. The race is famous for the pink jersey that is worn by the leader of the race of the general classification.
Vuelta a España
The second giant of the Grand Tours is Vuelta, the big race of Spain! It attracts more than a million viewers every year, which is an enviable number. It has the same length as Giro d’Italia, in the normal format of 21 racing and 2 rest days. Vuelta is adored by more and more people in the UK and the US especially because there are great betting opportunities for these races. Vuelta is not as old as Giro, with barely 70 years under its belt, but it offers great entertainment nonetheless. In contrast to Giro, the leader in Vuelta gets the red jersey, which is color often associated with Spain and passion – definitely symbolic! It is interesting to know that most winners in Vuelta actually came from Spain – thirty-two of them! Vuelta is usually run during August and September, so make sure to catch it!
Tour de France
Maybe it seems logical that the most famous and the most viewed event is left for the last mention – it is of course Tour de France! The famous French race for cyclist is the oldest of the three Grand Tours, with its one hundred and fourteen years of existence. Every July, the whole world turns to France and its roads to watch the best cyclist ride around the beautiful country and compete for the prestigious title. One of the best things about Tour de France is that the audience gets to see them go through both the Alps and the Pyrenees. Amazing landscape is only topped by breathtaking turns and twists in the races. The most titles have gone to the French, but lately the UK’s Chris Froome has been winning pretty comfortably.
Betting on these events
Betting on these events might be tricky – you should follow all the races before the Grand Tours and keep a record of cyclists’ performance. Looking at odds will not help you unless they match the data of previous races, and even then, there are always dark horses who might take away the trophy! Make sure to follow insider sites with information on the form and stamina of cyclist, as well as day to day coverage of the event. And remember, you don’t have to bet on the final outcome, you can also bet on individual stages!
