Cycling and Punting?

[doperhopper]

Given the years of soccer punting scandals (including this WC) one can only wonder that there are no cycling equivalents. It's much easier to do it when individual results matter (not only cycling, but also tennis, etc.) than the collective sports (red cards are the best, but there are plenty of uncertainities when it comes to goals, precise result etc.).

Cyclists are certainly not paid like the soccer players, so this would be nice side income. Obviously, all this assumes there are suitable "events" with good odds at the bookies - probably not TdF TOP5 placings, but maybe stuff like "Who will finish better in a given stage?".

Any ideas?

(Not sure where to put this, so Clinic fallback. There might be also odds for "Will XY be busted at the Tour?)

 

[King Boonen]

Err... Are you talking about result fixing?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

The best way to beat the market is having insider information.

Having one man in charge of issuing emergency TUEs can definitely be exploited at least in theory.

Anyway how big is the betting market outside of the top races?

 

[thrawn]

I think it would be pretty hard to get the other 150+ guys in a race to cooperate with fixing a result...

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Cycling markets are so weak that I doubt there is enough money around to make this worthwhile for anyone. If there were stronger betting markets then there is no doubt that it would happen, just as it does on any other sport where the incentive exists.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

I think it would be pretty hard to get the other 150+ guys in a race to cooperate with fixing a result...

You wouldn't need to. Let's say you had inside information that Giant were going to ride for Degenkolb rather than Kittel on saturday. You could go on to betfair and lay Kittel (in other words you'd be backing him to lose). You wouldn't need to bet on the winner of the stage.

 

[Hawkwood]

You know I saw the title for this thread and my immediate thought was how is cycling connected to Cambridge and punting on the River Cam?

 

[Avoriaz]

I think it would be pretty hard to get the other 150+ guys in a race to cooperate with fixing a result...

Doesn't need to be. bet365 for example offers "match up" betting and odds so you say for a given stage or race rider x finishes ahead of rider y. The site chooses the rider. Currently has Armindo Fonseca at 8-13 to beat Julienne Simon on stage 1 of TdF for example

 

[Almeisan]

Match fixing is legal in cycling.

 

[Athame]

Match fixing is legal in cycling.

Would the following be an instance? When everyone let's a chosen rider take the sprint in a post Tour crit?

 

[doperhopper]

Would the following be an instance? When everyone let's a chosen rider take the sprint in a post Tour crit?

Yeah, all you need is love and Odds for post-Tour crits.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Would the following be an instance? When everyone let's a chosen rider take the sprint in a post Tour crit?

More riders buying and selling races from breaks and the like. Ask Aleksandr Kolobnev.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I would never advise cycling on a punt. It would only raise the already high chances of falling in.