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Olympics betting tips: Preview and best bets for outdoor cycling events at Paris 2024
Olympic cycling begins on Saturday July 27 with the men's and women's time trials, which kickstarts a two-week festival of racing. Nathan Jackson has the best bets.
Olympics betting tips: Paris 2024
4pts win Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (women’s mountain bike cross-country) at 23/20 (BoyleSports)
1pt win Grace Brown (women’s time trial) at 4/1 (bet365, Betway)
1pt win Lorena Wiebes (women’s road race) at 5/1 (General)
1pt e.w. Michael Matthews (men’s road race) at 50/1 (BoyleSports 1/5 1,2,3,4)
Brown to time trial to victory
Australian National Time Trial champion GRACE BROWN looks to be the in-form rider to follow. In the two Time Trials that she has competed in this year she finished first at Bretagne Ladies Tour and second at Giro d’Italia Donne.
During the last Games in 2021, Brown just missed out on a podium place by six seconds whilst beating current market leader Chole Dygert by over a minute. Given Brown’s good form and with both market leaders easy to oppose, Chole Dygert’s lacking racing this year and Ellen van Dijk only just recovering from a fractured ankle, I see the Australian as a bigger threat than the market assumes.
Homecoming triumph for Ferrand-Prevot
French Rider PAULINE FERRAND-PREVOT will be looking to give the host country a gold medal to celebrate and is strongly fancied to deliver at around even-money.
The INEOS Grenadiers rider is bidding to end her mountain biking career on a high and what better place to do so in front of your home crowds as she is due to switch her attention to road racing after the Olympics.
This race will have been on the nine-time world champion's mind since Paris was announced as the host city and while Ferrand-Prevot will have to fend off 22-year-old Dutch rider Puck Pieterse, I expect Ferrand-Prevot to draw on her experience to do just that.
Racing in her home country and in front of her own fans, Ferrand-Prevot can produce the fairytale ending to a fantastic career.
Key outdoor cycling dates
Saturday July 27
- Men’s Time Trial
- Women’s Time Trial
Sunday July 28
- Women’s Cross-Country Mountain Biking
Monday July 29
- Men’s Cross-Country Mountain Biking
Saturday August 3
- Men’s Road Race
Sunday August 4
- Women's Road Race
Matthews can deliver Aussie Gold
No favourite has won the Men’s Road Race in the past three editions, and with that in mind it’s easy to look elsewhere than current favourite Mathieu van der Poel. A chance can instead be taken on Australian and Team Jayco AlUla rider MICHAEL MATTHEWS, who has shown strong form in one-day races this year.
The versatile rider finished second at Milano-San Remo, losing out on a bike throw on the line to Jasper Philipsen, followed by a controversial relegation at Tour of Flanders where he finished third in a reduced sprint but was relegated to 11th place.
A second-place finish on stage two followed at Tour of Suisse then two 10th-place finishes at the Tour de France. It’s fair to say he’s been under the radar since the spring classics and with the parcour that is set to suit Matthews, it looks like he is all set for a big run at gold at what's a big price.
Dutch to dominate
LORENA WIEBES is in good form this year, winning five of six stages at Baloise Ladies Tour this month. Dutch star Wiebes has won 16 stages/races this year when only appearing at the start line 33 times. She is confirmed as the Netherlands' leader and has a strong team to guide her around.
Joining her on the Dutch roster is 2023 Tour de France Femmes Winner Demi Vollering, who will have one eye on Tour de France Femmes which starts after the Olympic Games, as well as 2012 Gold Medallist and vastly experienced Marianne Vos, plus domestique Ellen van Dijk.
With such a dominant team, Wiebes and her squad can take advantage of riders like Lotte Kopecky (BEL), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL) and Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) who will be working for themselves. Given her current form and assertive team, Wiebes can secure gold.
Posted at 1225 BST on 24/07/24
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