National Hill-Climb attracted Tour de France level of betting, says Paddy Power
Irish bookmaker has confirmed that it will offer odds on future RTTC National Hill-Climb Championships, after more than 500 bets were placed on this year's edition
Forty per cent of bets on the RTTC National Hill-Climb Championships were placed on the defeated defending champion Dan Evans (Cannondale UK – Team Elite), as figures reveal the event attracted as much money as a Tour de France stage would.
Bookmaker Paddy Power responded to a request from a friend of Evans to take bets on the event, and they received in excess of 500 bets.
“The amount of money taken was similar to a Tour de France stage, which is massive for this kind of event given it was not on TV,” a spokesman for Paddy Power told Cycling Weekly.
The Irish company were offering outright and each way bets on the men’s championships and outright bets on the women’s championships, won for a third successive time by Maryka Sennema.
Having won eight hill-climbs this autumn, 40 per cent of bets placed were on Evans, who saw his opening price fall from 9/2 to evens on Sunday morning. He was “massively backed” on Saturday, according to the bookmakers.
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Bussell, who became the first rider to win the National 10-mile and Hill-Climb Championships in the same year, was the second most popular selection, with nine per cent of bets placed on him, falling from starting odds of 14/1 to 9/1.
Becky Lewis, Hill-Climb National Championships 2015
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
The women’s event attracted around 100 bets, with Becky Lewis (Fibrax–Wreham RC) the most popular selection. She missed out on a podium place by 1.2 seconds, finishing fourth.
In total, 33 riders were backed, with Edmund Bradbury the biggest mover – tumbling from 25/1 to 8/1. The NFTO rider, however, finished ninth.
The spokesman added: “Overall it was a popular event for existing cycling customers and it also attracted a good amount of new custom.
“Given the popularity, we’ll definitely be offering again, plus hopefully more similar events next year. We will certainly continue to cover it in the future.”
A breakdown of where the money went:
Dan Evans (40% of the total amount stakes)
Richard Bussell (9%)
Matt Clinton (8%)
Edmund Bradbury (8%)
Adam Kenway (7%)
Joseph Clark (7%)
Jim Henderson (3%)
James Lowden (2%)
Tejvan Pettinger (1.5%)
Tom Bell (1.5%)
Others (13%)
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A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.
