BikeBet is pari-mutuel betting on criterium bike races. Currently all wagers are in fantasy dollars, which means there’s zero risk for players because it’s free.  That’s right, free.

Sound too good to be true … here’s how it works:

FANTASY PARI-MUTUEL WAGERING
All wagers are fantasy wagers. Players receive a set amount of fantasy dollars to place pool wagers on their favorite riders prior to each race. Mock wagers can be placed online at www.bikebet.com on your computer or PDA.

How to Play:
Select the individual rider*

Select the amount of fantasy dollars you would like to wager on the individual rider

Select wager type:

  • Win - rider comes in 1st place
  • Place - rider comes in 1st or 2nd place
  • Show - rider team comes in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place   

*In the case of late entries, the start list posted on BikeBet.com will serve as the official start list for the purpose of the BikeBet game. 

A computer program figures out the total fantasy dollars in the pool and how much has been wagered on each individual rider; it then assigns odds to the riders and teams letting the bettor know how much will he or she will win should their picked rider win.  Riders with the most fantasy dollars wagered on them are the favorites and have the lowest odds.   As more participants place their fantasy wagers the odds will change.  To win the fantasy wagering contest, participants will have to weigh the amount and type of wager they make with the riders they pick.

Information on teams and racers is available here

Winners take home great prizes like gear, clothes, trips and much more!

Where to Bet
Can't make it to the race? no problem! Just click the race you want from the options to the right and make your fantasy bet online, from your computer or PDA. After the starting gun, no wagers will be accepted.

How to Pick
In pari-mutuel gaming, knowledge is king and BikeBet has the skinny on teams and riders racing: who’s hot and who’s not, experience level, prior results, etc. Players can better their chance of winning by making educated choices that can turn into big prizes.

There are big prizes up for grabs. (In the event of a tie among players, a random drawing will be held to determine the winner.)

 


Criterium Racing

Race durations are short but the action is sky-high

Take the high-speed action and crashes of NASCAR and toss in the aggressive adrenaline of Ultimate Fighting and you get criterium bike racing. 

A criterium race is a short, technical and enclosed course that generally runs through cities or downtown areas.  Typically about a kilometer (.62 miles) in length, unlike other bike races where racers ride out of view, in a criterium fans don’t have to miss any of the action. 

The short courses allow spectators to feel the speed, watch as team strategies unfold while witnessing spectacular crashes and feeling the grit of human determination.

The energy of the race is so powerful it ignites the entire venue! Courses are lined with activities for fans to participate in through the event and the air is thick with excitement and anticipation.

The Format
The races kick off with call-ups -- bringing the best rider from each team represented in the race to the front of the group or peloton. National champions and past winners of each respective race are generally those who get a call-up. Don’t miss the beginning of the race since this may be the only time all the riders are together.

See it Unfold
Criterium racing means moving … not just for the racer but for the fans. Watch the race from several different vantage points from around the racecourse so that you can able to see how team strategy and tactics develop.  Checkout how riders navigate through the turns and accelerate down the straight-a-ways. Who’s in Front?

The racer at the front during the race is not necessarily ahead and may not win the race. Strategies like drafting or sitting in, where racers ride close together attempting to limit the effects of air resistance, help save energy throughout the race, and the rider who saves the most energy generally wins the final sprint to the finish. That’s strategy at work!

Team Strategy
Team strategy plays an important role in energy conservation. Team members work together to either keep the peloton together or to keep it a part. Working to keep the field together is important, especially if the team is confident in their sprinter, a rider who specializes in, well, sprinting to the finish.

Drafting
By drafting, the team sets up what is know as a train for a lead-out for the sprinter. The train sets the pace at the front of the pack to ensure that their sprinter will be the first to the line. If a rider is in a break away, the team members remaining in the peloton will attempt to keep the pack away from the lead group. By minimizing attacks from the front of the group by other teams and keeping the group at a slower pace, this allows the rider in the break to maintain his or her chance of winning the race.

Primes
Team strategy also comes into play when talking about the sprint line or primes. Indicated by a bell, primes are races within the race, where riders race around the course, and whomever crosses the sprint line first (which can be the start/finish line or another line marked on the course) in the respective lap wins the prime/sprint prize – which can be points or monetary payout. The overall race continues on after a prime lap is completed.

There can be several primes within one race, and usually there is a mid-race prime signaled halfway through the race, which is a 3-place prime awarded to the first 3 riders across the sprint line.

So why are team tactics important here? Many teams will focus on winning the primes within a race since primes normally are attached with large payouts. Many races also have a sprint jersey. The rider who wins the most prime/sprint points wins the sprint jersey and the prize associated with it.