This weekend sees all eyes in the road cycling world fix on Wollongong, Australia, for the UCI Road Cycling World Championships.
With the Women Elite Road Race taking place on September 23rd from 6:00 PM ET and the Men Elite Road Race getting underway at 8:15 PM ET on September 24th, this will be a packed cycling schedule of racing.
Below we preview the betting odds and what to expect from this event.
UCI Road World Championships Betting Preview
While this event is occurring for the 101st time, it’s only the second time road cycling at this level has made its way to the Southern Hemisphere.
The mountainous terrain of Wollongong cycling will present a challenge for the world’s best road cyclists, as well as navigating some of the urban environments in which the race passes. Below is a look at some of the top contenders in this race, and their odds to win.
Men Elite Road Race Betting Analysis
Here is how the men’s top 20 cycling betting odds are shaping up at the bookies so far:
- Wout Van Aert +250
- Tadej Pogacar +350
- Mathieu Van Der Poel +350
- Remco Evenepoel +450
- Julian Alaphilippe +900
- Michael Matthews +1400
- Biniam Girmay +1600
- Christophe Laporte +2500
- Alberto Bettiol +4000
- Jasper Stuyven +5000
- Jan Tratnik +6500
- Michael Woods +6500
- Magnus Cort Nielsen +6500
- Peter Sagan +6500
- Dylan van Baarle +6500
- Quinten Hermans +6500
- Matteo Trentin +6500
- Magnus Sheffield +8000
- Valentin Madouas +8000
Clearly, there are a select few men who are heavily favored to win this Wollongong cycling race. Only four riders are paying odds of less than +500—Wout Van Aert, Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu Van Der Poel, and Remco Evenepoel.
Julian Alaphilippe then sits back on +900, and the rest of the pack are looking like long shots, with the next closest odds at +1400. Here’s a closer look at the chances of each of these top contenders.
Wout Van Aert
Wout Van Aert is currently in excellent form and has won the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2016, 2017, and 2018 is one of the best road cyclists in the world right now, leading the cycling standings.
The 28-year-old Belgian was beaten last week in Montreal but impressed on some of the hilly legs in that race, further solidifying confidence that he’ll have what it takes to get a win down under.
At +250, Wout Van Aert is the strong favorite to pick up a win in the Men Elite Road Race on the weekend.
Tadej Pogacar
One of the younger men in the field, 23-year-old Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, sits second in the odds behind Van Aert for the rainbow jersey heading into Wollongong.
Already in his short career, Pogacar has won the 2020 and 2021 Tour de France, winning three different jerseys across each Tour—something that cycling has not seen in almost 40 years.
Having just beaten Van Aert in a sprint at Montreal last week, the Slovenian’s confidence will be high as he heads into this weekend’s Wollongong cycling race paying odds of +350.
Mathieu Van Der Poel
Also on +350 at the bookies is Matthieu Van Der Poel, who hails from the Netherlands and races for the UCI ProTeam Alpecin-Deceuninck.
A multi-disciplinary rider, the 27-year-old also competes in cyclo-cross and mountain biking and is expected to put in a strong showing here.
Second equal in the odds, Van Der Poel is coming off a recent win at the 2022 GP de Wallonie and will be full of belief that he can win the rainbow jersey in Wollongong as well.
Remco Evenepoel
As a member of the UCI WorldTeam Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team, Remco Evenepoel is one of the most promising young cyclists heading to Wollongong this weekend.
Just off the pace at +450 in the odds, bookies have Evenepoel as the fourth most likely man to walk away with the rainbow jersey this weekend.
Cycling is in his blood, as his father, Patrick Evenepoel, won the Grand Prix de Wallonie in 1993, and the younger Evenepoel will be looking to replicate his father’s achievements by taking home a win this weekend.
Evenepoel enters this race off the back of the most significant win of his career, claiming the Vuelta a Espana late last week.
Julian Alaphillippe
This time last year, Julian Alaphillippe sat atop the road racing world, having won the UCI Road World Championships for the second time in a row.
However, with odds of +900, Alaphillippe is only the fifth favorite to win the title and defend his rainbow jersey this year.
The reason for Alaphillippe’s lack of favor in the odds is because the Frenchman suffered a shoulder injury at the Vuelta recently, and while he is fit enough to compete this weekend, there’s a good chance the injury will have an impact on performance.
Wollongong UCI Road Cycling World Championships 2022 Betting Pick
Wout Van Aert at +250 should win this one and become the new UCI Road World Championships rainbow jersey holder.
Cycling Pick: Wout Van Aert (+250)
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