Plenty of excitement in cycling betting

The thrills and spills of professional cycling make it an excellent spectator sport, while cycling betting is equally exciting and is becoming very popular.

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For the beauty of competitive cycling, particularly with multi-day events like the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, is the way the cycling odds fluctuate over the course of a race.

Unlike in the days of Lance Armstrong, who won le Tour seven times in a row until 2005, cycling betting is now much more open.

Several likely candidates might stand out in the cycling betting, leading up to the event, but once the race is underway there are many potential pitfalls - crashes, suspensions, mechanical problems - awaiting the main contenders which is reflected in the changing odds.

The 23-day, 21-stage event is the longest cycle race in the world and attracts more cycling bets than any other event.

The traditional home of competitive cycling, France still dominates several of the sport's disciplines. Indeed, it has paid to bet on home riders in the Tour de France, who have won some 36 times with Belgium the next most successful country on 18 wins.

Contador confirmed short cycling odds

The 2007 Tour de France was one of the closest finishes on record, with only 31 seconds separating the top three as Spain's Alberto Contador won for the first time.

Contador's cycling odds on following that up with success in the Giro d'Italia in 2008 were short, and he did not disappoint when he beat Italy's Ricardo Ricco by almost two minutes to win an event that is regarded as the second biggest stage race in the world.

Another big stage popular in cycling betting, is the Vuelta a Espana, with the odds favouring Spanish riders who dominated for seven years until 2004.

Roberto Heras rewarded those with cycling bets on him three times, although Russia's Denis Menchov has won two of the last three races.

Other road races that historically attract plenty of cycling betting interest include the Tour of Flanders, the Milan-Sanremo and the Paris-Roubaix.

More cycling bets available than ever

Olympic year means even more chance to get involved in cycling betting, with a record number of events included in the Beijing Games.

The cream of the world's cyclists contest track, road, mountain bike and for the first time BMX titles at the Olympics.

Track cycling is one of the sport's most popular forms, with cycling odds available on team and individual pursuits, sprints, time trials and points races as well as Keirin and Madison events.

Those with bets on home riders at this year's world track championships were well rewarded as Britain took home exactly half of the 18 gold medals.

Among the most popular figures in the cycling betting who were successful were Chris Hoy in the men's sprint and Keirin and Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Romero who doubled up with golds in the individual and team pursuit events.