As Qatar prepares itself for the UCI Road World Championships 2016, can the riders handle the intense heat and fulfil expectations?

Almost every sport has a World Championship and cycling is no different. UCI Road World Championships is the event to pick out the best cyclists from around the world. This annual event is held in different locations around the world and the UCI Road World Championships 2016 will be held in Qatar from 9-th till 16-th of October.

The Middle Eastern powerhouse is scheduled to host a lot of top sporting events and the annual cycling is one of them. Consisting of individual time trial and road race events, this tournament offers a lot of opportunities for cycling betting.

History

Started in 1921, UCI Road World Championships was transformed into its existing format only in 1927. The Championships featured events for professionals and amateurs. Over the years, the time trail events have been on and off in the event. The revival of the men’s time trail event in 2012 has added to the popularity of the event as a whole. The increase presence of cycling bets may be down to the addition of these popular events to the race.

UCI Road World Championships has been a summer race since its inception, but a change came about in 1995. Since then, the event has been held as an autumn event. Qatar being the location of the 2016 event has led to the issue of heat forcing organisers to reduce the event distance by around 100 km. Still, this is not likely to be a deterrent factor when it comes to the cycling odds.

Course

The 2016 edition will see the race begin in the city of Doha. The time trail events for men and women will see the start of the race. It would be followed by events for junior men and women; they cover a distance of 150 km on average. The men’s elite event sees the riders cover a whopping 257 km on Sunday.

Competition

The men’s time trail event is expected to have intense competition with the likes of Tony Martin of Germany, Rohan Dennis of Australia, and Tom Dumoulin of Netherlands going up against the reigning world champion - Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus. In terms of the women’s time trail event, Lisa Brennauer and Anna van der Breggen are expected to be the favourites according to the best odds.

For the overall event, Kirsten Wild is a favourite in the women’s event along with Jolien d'Hoore. In terms of the men's road race, English rider Mark Cavendish will be a top favourite amongst cycling betting tips.

Men's Road Race Favourites - Odds

• Peter Sagan - 7/2
• Marcel Kittel - 7/1
• Nacer Bouhanni - 15/1
• Caleb Ewan - 28/1
• Elia Viviani 30/1

Bet Today

Mark Cavendish was the winner in the men's race the last time the UCI Road World Championship was raced on a quite flat route in Denmark back in 2011 - he will be amongst the favourites to win in the Middle East again.

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