Why Spring Classics Betting Markets Are Booming This Year

Tadej Pogacar averaged 380 watts over the final 80 kilometres of Strade Bianche on 7 March. That's roughly 40 watts more than he produced over the same stretch in 2024 and 2025, according to analysis by former pro Laurens ten Dam on the Live Slow Ride Fast podcast. He attacked with 78 kilometres still to race, rode alone across the Tuscan gravel and won by a minute. It was his record fourth title at the event.

Numbers like these are reshaping how sportsbooks price one-day classics. Major operators have been steadily broadening their cycling coverage since the early 2010s, and Spring Classics are increasingly treated as premium calendar events, with dedicated markets opening weeks before race day and pricing adjusted in near real-time as early-season results come in. That expansion shows in the search activity operators are generating around their promotions; the bet365 promo code is among those appearing in broader sportsbook coverage of the Milan-San Remo and Tour of Flanders market build-up. For anyone who follows professional cycling closely, the early-season results have already given bookmakers and fans alike plenty to work with.

The broader picture tells its own story. Americans legally wagered $166.94 billion on sports in 2025, an 11% increase on the previous year, generating a record $16.96 billion in revenue according to the American Gaming Association. Globally, the online gambling market is projected to reach $143.17 billion in 2026, per Research and Markets. Sports betting alone accounted for 56.19% of total online gambling revenue in 2024, according to Grand View Research.

Cycling has carved out its own corner of that growth. In-play betting markets have been expanding cycling coverage since the early 2010s, and the range of wagers available on a single one-day classic today would have seemed unlikely a decade ago. Bettors can now choose from:

One-day classics sit in a sweet spot for punters. They're short enough to follow from start to finish, dramatic enough to produce regular upsets and feature a concentrated field of elite riders whose week-to-week form is visible in real time. There's no three-week buffer to absorb a bad day. One race, one result.

The rivalry between Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel has done more for cycling betting interest than any marketing campaign could. Milan-San Remo odds on Oddschecker currently list van der Poel at 19/10 and Pogacar at 21/10, with the next closest rider at 14/1. That gap between the top two and the rest tells you everything about how concentrated the market is.

Van der Poel reinforced his credentials on 10 March, winning Stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico after attacking on the gravel in the final eight kilometres. He edged out Isaac del Toro and Giulio Pellizzari in a three-man sprint in San Gimignano. The stage was chaotic; Matteo Jorgenson crashed on the preceding climb, and Thymen Arensman went down heavily, losing his strong position in the general classification.

Here's what makes this rivalry compelling from a betting perspective. Both riders are clearly a level above the field, yet one-day racing has a way of tearing up the formbook. A single crash, a mechanical failure, a missed split in crosswinds; any of these can upend even the shortest-priced favourite. Grand Tour betting gives the strongest rider weeks to recover from a setback. A one-day classic offers no such luxury.

It's worth considering what's happening just below that top tier, too. Paul Seixas, who finished second at Strade Bianche at just 19 years old, averaged around 330 watts over the final two hours, according to ten Dam's analysis. That's the level Pogacar himself held in 2024 and 2025. The talent beneath the headline names is rising fast, and that adds another layer for anyone studying the form book before placing a bet.

The 2026 spring season has already served up a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong. Jonas Vingegaard began his campaign at Paris-Nice on 8 March and publicly criticised the dangerous road conditions after the opening stage, warning that several riders shared his concerns, as reported by CyclingUpToDate.

At Tirreno-Adriatico, the gravel finale on Stage 2 delivered wet surfaces, crashes and a GC reshuffle. Arensman, who had finished second in the opening time trial, lost his position entirely through a crash rather than a lack of ability. Jorgenson, another GC contender, was also brought down.

This kind of unpredictability is precisely what makes spring classics attractive to sportsbooks. When any favourite can lose through a crash on a wet gravel sector, the odds carry real tension, and that keeps bettors engaged. It explains why major bookmakers now treat races like Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as premium events with expanded market offerings. The cobblestones, gravel and narrow roads that define these races also define their appeal to bettors.

With Milan-San Remo on 21 March and the Tour of Flanders on 5 April, both Pogacar and van der Poel are in peak early-season form. The question for anyone placing a bet is whether the favourites can stay upright long enough to deliver on their odds.

The spring classics have always been cycling's most unpredictable spectacle. What's changed in 2026 is that the betting industry has caught on. Record revenues, a generational rivalry between two riders who refuse to share the spotlight and a racing calendar built on chaos have combined to make this the most compelling period for cycling betting in years.

As the cobbled monuments approach over the coming weeks, the markets will only sharpen. The performances at Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico have set the baseline. The emerging talents, the power data and the ever-present risk of a cobblestone crash will keep bettors and fans alike glued to their screens through April. Could the spring classics, long celebrated as cycling's greatest theatre, become its most popular betting product too?