Cycling- The ultimate test of stamina

Cycling is one of the most popular forms of exercise practiced worldwide but as a professional competitive sport it takes on a whole new level. Pro cyclists are some of the fittest, most disciplined and bravest athletes on the planet.

The biggest races to bet on in the Betsson Sportsbook are the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, which are collectively known as the Grand Tours. All three of them are multi-week cycling races divided into stages where every day there’s a stage winner award on offer and where there will be an overall winner at the end, the cyclist who completed the whole Tour in the quickest time.

So, difficult and challenging are the three races collectively that no-one has ever managed to win all three races in the same year; only a handful have won all three throughout their careers.

The Tour de France is the biggest of the lot and has had some bad publicity in recent years with disgraced US cyclist Lance Armstrong losing all of the titles he won after being found guilty of taking prohibited drugs, though he wasn’t the only one. And in recent years it’s been dominated for the first time ever by British cyclists with Bradley Wiggins (once) and Chris Froome (three) winning four of the last five editions between them. But it’s still France, Belgium and Spain who have had the most winners of the General Classification between them.

It’s worth remembering that cycling is a team sport rather than an individual one so when picking the winner look at the strength of the team as a whole rather than just their star rider. You can also bet on who will be the stage winner, the king of the sprints and who will be leading at the end of each day.

Betsson also offers odds on other cycling events such as the World Road Championship Time Trials and the Olympic Games.