Best Cycling Betting Sites Ireland for 2023 – Free Bets

How we Rank the Best Cycling Betting Sites

Odds and Markets	We go through cycling betting sites with a fine-tooth comb when assessing them for the competitiveness of their odds and the diversity of their markets. A wide variety of betting options – including outright winner, stage wins, and various cycling-specific proposition bets – are essential to any great cycling betting site.
Live Betting	Cycling races are dynamic and famously unpredictable, with fortunes often changing in the blink of an eye on the road or track. Live betting functionalities, such as real-time odds updates and in-play betting options, are vital. Such features as these afford bettors the ability to adjust their bets to the often-volatile unfolding of each race – an invaluable facility for any cycling event.
Data and Analysis	Accurate and timely data are the lifeblood of cycling betting. Top-ranking sites provide comprehensive statistics, rider profiles, and historical race data, empowering you to make well-informed bets. In a sport where variables matter so much, having access to reliable information is paramount.
Payment Options	Convenience matters. We assess betting sites for the breadth and comprehensiveness of their array of payment options. The ability to deposit and withdraw funds with ease is essential for any betting site, and cycling betting sites are no different. Fast payouts are particularly essential to our rankings, and the cycling betting sites with the speediest withdrawal times tend to score highest with us.
Bonuses and Promotions	All cycling betting sites will offer enticing bonuses and promotions. It is part of our job to scour the marketplace of promotions to find the very best deals available, and the sites offering said deals score highly with us.
Customer Support	Quality customer service distinguishes great betting sites from outstanding ones. We evaluate the responsiveness, availability, and range of options of the customer support sections of every cycling betting site. The best cycling betting sites offer 24/7 support across a variety of channels.

Best Cycling Betting Sites

Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes is one of the largest and most well-known British bookmakers. Established in 1886, the company has a long and rich history and was a trailblazer in the betting industry. As you would expect for such a titan of the industry, it offers a vast range of betting options, including for cycling. In fact, the sheer variety of cycling markets offered for every major cycling event by Ladbrokes is a large part of the reason why we are recommending it in this article. Let’s look at some of the other pros and cons.

Pros:

• Diverse Markets: As we said, bettors can enjoy arguably the best spread of cycling markets available if they choose to bet with Ladbrokes.
• Cycling Betting Articles: Ladbrokes frequently post articles specifically related to cycling betting, events, and strategy tips. This is a lovely touch that will make cycling bettors feel provided-for.
• Great Modern Features: Ladbrokes offer excellent implementation of features like live streaming, Best Odds Guarantee (only for a limited range of sports, however), and an Exchange service.
• Customer Support: Ladbrokes provides outstanding, industry-leading customer support, available 24/7 and – most impressively – in over 20 languages (at least for the customer support section of the website).
• User-Friendly Interface: The website is easy to navigate, making it accessible for all.
• Loyalty Rewards: Ladbrokes offers bonuses, promotions, and a loyalty scheme (‘The Grid’) for regular customers. The free daily Odds Boost is also an excellent, noteworthy bonus available to all bettors.
• Mobile App: A slick, modern, feature-rich mobile app is available for both iOS and Android, enabling users to access betting markets, live streaming, account information, and promotions whenever and whenever they like.

Cons:

• Limited Odds for Lesser-Known Events: Some users find odds less attractive for smaller cycling events, although this is generally seen to be compensated by the other benefits and bonuses offered by Ladbrokes.

888Sport

888Sport provides a very user-friendly entry point for cycling betting enthusiasts. Its straightforward sign-up process (and the general smoothness of user experience thereafter), plethora of market options, and decent odds make it a solid choice. However, you should be aware of some very minor drawbacks that also exist.

Pros:

• Seamless Onboarding: 888Sport’s user-friendly interface combines with a hassle-free sign-up and verification process to make this platform ideal for newcomers wishing to take a first step into the world of cycling betting.
• Abundant Market Choices: 888Sport stands out for its extensive cycling markets. All the big events are covered extensively, with a diverse array of betting choices available. All in all, 888Sport does a great job of making cycling betting enthusiasts feel catered-for.
• Competitive Odds: While not usually topping the charts for best odds, 888Sport still offers decent odds across its many cycling markets.

Cons:

• Some Regional Restrictions on Bonuses: This is a pretty trivial concern, but one we feel is still worth mentioning. Occasionally, attractive cycling promotions might be region-specific, which may be discouraging for punters who are attracted by a great offer that they quickly discover they are ineligible for.

Kwiff

Kwiff distinguishes itself through its unique boosted odds feature, a standout characteristic in the crowded and competitive arena for cycling betting. Please be aware that the inclusion of Kwiff in this article is quite a wildcard because by default it does not cover cycling markets at all. Read on to see why we have reviewed it nonetheless.

Pros:

• Chance for ‘Supercharged’ Odds: Any bet can occasionally get ‘supercharged’, also known as getting ‘kwiffed’, which means that its odds will be dramatically improved. This boost, which can happen randomly to any bet, can transform even a modest wager into one which is potentially very lucrative.
• In-Play Betting: Kwiff has a great suite of in-play betting options. Combined with the fact that any bet can be “kwiffed”, including any in-play bet, this ups the ante of their live betting experience to rival or surpass even the best of its competitors.
• Mobile-First Design: Kwiff actually began life in 2015 as an app-only experience. After its inception it quickly branched out and became available as a website and as an app for all devices. The point is that Kwiff is, at its innermost core, a betting platform designed from the ground up for mobile, and it shows. Its app is one of the highest-rated ones of all major bookmakers, and this and its website both offer premium UX and UI.

Cons:

• Lack of Live Streaming: At present, Kwiff lacks live streaming services, a feature many bettors find essential to their enjoyment of the in-play betting experience.
• No Regular Cycling Coverage: Kwiff primarily focuses on major sports like football and horse racing. Very notably, cycling isn’t part of their regular offerings. However, Kwiff does tend to offer markets for the largest cycling events when they roll around. For this reason, we thought that Kwiff would make for an interesting wildcard inclusion for you to consider the next time something like the Tour de France is around the corner.

BoyleSports

BoyleSports is a giant, cherished name in the realm of Irish betting. Since its inception in 1989, it has garnered a large and devoted following and is only overshadowed by its very big brother, the Irish-turned-international behemoth that is PaddyPower. It has good reason to have remained popular and successful for decades, as you can see from our list of pros and cons.

Pros:

• Safety, Security, and Reliability: BoyleSports are fully licensed and regulated for safe, worry-free betting in Ireland. As we have said, they are a beloved, respectable institution in Ireland and you can be assured that any cycling bets placed with them will be completely fair and secure.
• Fantastic Customer Service: BoyleSports knocks it out of the park with its support section. It offers an ample selection of contact options available 24/7 and mostly with instant or near-instant response guarantees.
• Generous Regular Offers: BoyleSports is more generous than average with its ongoing deals, including loyalty bonuses, regular free bets, and regular bet enhancements, including bespoke bonuses for all of the major cycling events. Its welcome offer used to be infamously poor, but it is much-improved these days (although still less impressive than the best welcome offers currently available from other betting sites).
• Plethora of Payment Options: BoyleSports accepts all of the major payment options that you might hope it would, including all of the foremost e-wallets, and most of its options offer instant or very fast withdrawals with low minimum withdrawal amounts, however…

Cons:

• Limited Eligibility for Welcome Offer: … bettors who wish to make their first deposit using Skrill, Neteller, or a prepaid card, are sorely out of luck. These bettors will be unable to access BoyleSport’s welcome offer, which leaves a bit of a bad taste in our mouth.
• No Live Streaming (Apart From Horse Racing): It is not a massive surprise whenever we discover that a betting site does not live stream cycling events – cycling, after all, is still much less in-demand than the likes of football and horse racing – however it is still a slight disappointment. This point alone may not have been significant enough to mention on its own, however, the BoyleSports website is marred by a clunky and buggy live betting section. These two discrepancies go hand in hand, and together, they warrant a mention.

Cycling Betting Markets

In cycling betting, understanding the nuances of specific markets is key to making the best wagers. While the sport of cycling pales in comparison to larger betting sports in terms of the sheer volume of bets placed, cycling still offers a curious and colourful spread of markets. Here’s a concise breakdown:

• Race Winner: The simplest and most common bet, this is where you simply predict the winner of a particular race or stage. Odds are determined by myriad factors such as the form of the cyclists, team dynamics, and course terrain.
• Podium Finish: This is a bet on a rider to finish in the top three. This is a safer option with slightly lower odds than a bet on the outright winner.
• Points Classification: Focusing on “sprinters”, this market predicts which rider will accumulate the most points in races based on intermediate sprints and stage finishes.
• King of the Mountain: This is a bet on the best “climber”, usually determined by points earned by cyclists on designated climbs throughout the race.
• Stage Betting: These are bets on specific stage outcomes, like the winner of an individual time trial or a mountain stage.
• Head-to-Head: This bet pits two cyclists against each other, predicting who finishes higher in a race or stage.

These are the most prominent cycling-specific markets, but many more exist if you look for the bookmaker with the best cycling market coverage. As you can see, cycling can offer abundant wagering opportunities for even the most insatiable bettors.

Types of Cycling Betting Offers

For the most part, the types of offers to which you will have access will be just the same, standard offers that are generally available for all sports. This is mainly due to the relatively low engagement that cycling betting has in comparison with the many comparatively enormous betting sports that bookmakers prefer to focus on. However, shrewd punters who keep their eyes peeled will find that they can take advantage of the specific offers that are sometimes aimed at cycling.

• Enhanced Odds: Bookmakers often boost the odds for cycling events, particularly major races like the Tour de France. Keep an eye out for these enhancements, as they can give a sizable boost to your potential winnings.
• Risk-Free Bets: Some platforms offer low-risk or risk-free bets for specific cycling events. For example, with cashback bets, if your selected rider doesn’t win but finishes within a designated position, you get your stake back. It’s a safety net that is well worth considering if you see such a bet come up.
• Accumulator Bonuses: If you think you may ever bet on multiple cycling events at the same time, accumulator bonuses may be for you. These have the potential to greatly enhance your overall payout because they increase the risk/reward factor beyond what you will encounter with more standard bets.
• In-Play Specials: Live betting is very prominent within the world of cycling betting because cycling races are highly dynamic. Many event variables are liable to change, often dramatically, at the drop of a hat. Quick thinking, then, can allow savvy bettors to profit tidily from in-play bets.

Strategies for Betting on Cycling

When it comes to betting on cycling, pragmatism is paramount. In this section, we will divulge our top cycling-specific tips that will help you to achieve the best results from your cycling bets.

• Form Analysis: Being able to assess a cyclist’s recent performance is the first and arguably most important skill that any budding betting analyst must learn. All data is important, from a cyclist’s recent record of wins and podium finishes to gritty, granular data like comparative points scored and times on (for example) climbs versus flat stretches. Being able to usefully analyse this data will put you in the best position to make the best bets.
• Race Terrain: Understanding the race course is pivotal. Is it a flat sprinter’s paradise, a gruelling mountain stage filled with climbs, or a time trial? Different terrains favour distinct rider profiles, and with research, you will find that different riders certainly do have very different profiles. Tailor your bets accordingly.
• Team Dynamics: Cycling isn’t always a solo sport. Depending on the event, teamwork can play a crucial role. It can be extraordinarily fruitful to study a team’s stated tactics, their lead-out trains for sprinters, and which domestiques they have to support a GC contender.
• Weather Conditions: Weather can be the wild card in cycling. Rain, wind, or extreme heat can significantly impact race outcomes. Stay updated on weather forecasts for an edge over other bettors.
• Stage Betting: Betting on individual stages offers a mixed bag of opportunities. Time trials suit specialists, while mountain stages favour climbers. Study stage profiles to identify the most likely potential winners for a particular stage’s specific conditions.
• Head-to-Head Bets: Pairing two cyclists in a head-to-head bet can be an astute move. Focus on individual match-ups, factoring in each cyclist’s strengths in comparison with all of the race conditions.
• Tactical In-Play Betting: In-play betting during races is where your knowledge can shine. Adapt your bets based on real-time race dynamics, breakaways, and attacks.

Mastering these cycling-specific strategies can elevate your betting game. Though many bettors would swear by betting on gut feeling alone, we would argue that making informed, calculated decisions based on data and probability is the path that is more likely to lead you to success.

FAQ

Q1:         Which are the most important races for cycling betting?

A1:         Major stage races like the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España attract significant betting activity. One-day classics such as Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders also garner attention. For Irish fans there is, of course, the Rás Tailteann.

Q2:         How do odds work in cycling betting?

A2:         Odds reflect the probability of an event happening. Shorter odds imply higher probability (favourites), and these yield proportionally smaller payouts. Longer odds indicate lower chances (underdogs) but offer larger potential winnings. Understanding odds is fundamental to making informed bets.

Q3:         How can I stay updated on cycling news and events?

A3:         We suggest that you follow reputable sports news websites, official cycling federation websites, and social media accounts of teams, riders, and organisers. All of these can provide timely updates on race schedules, rider form, injuries, and other crucial information.

Q4:         What should I do if I encounter issues with a bet or payout?

A4:         If you encounter an issue with your bet, contact the bookmaker’s customer support. Any good platform should offer responsive customer service through multiple channels. Keep records of your bets so that, if you ever need to, you can provide all necessary details to (hopefully) allow for a quick and easy resolution.

Q5:         Can I use cycling betting as a source of income?

A5:         While some individuals do profit from cycling betting, it requires extensive knowledge, research, and careful management of your finances. Good luck helps a lot, too, and this is something that no-one can guarantee. We suggest that you treat betting as entertainment and always be mindful of the risks involved.

Q6:         How do I choose a reliable bookmaker for cycling betting?

A6:         If you have read this far, then you should already know the answer to this! You can read other articles on our website for more professional advice and insights into choosing the best bookmaker for your interests and requirements.