Betting on bike races

In bicycle racing, there are road races, such as the world-renowned Tour de France. And then there are track races, which take place on large oval tracks with curved banks. One form of track racing, called keirin, is a sprint event involving multiple cyclists at the same time. It became an Olympic sport in 2000, and people also compete professionally. In Japan, where the sport originated, it’s a major draw for gamblers. Bets are placed much like they would be in a horse or dog race. Unlike the fixed-gear bikes used in keirin, which have no brakes, the men betting on these races all appeared to be stopped, or “frozen in time,” as photographer Tim Bowditch explained about his recent visit to some of Japan’s keirin circuits.

Read more at: http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2014/04/17/betting-on-bike-races/

#keirin #cyclist #olympics #gambling #horserace #dograce