The cost of cycling is sometimes held up as prohibitive and, according to a new survey, that isn’t entirely without reason. Among a selection of 22 sports, cycling came out as the most expensive to participate in – based on equipment cost alone.
Conducted by UK betting site Betway, the survey put the cost of cycling at £2,302 ($3,118). That was almost £600 ($812) more than the second-most expensive sport of ice hockey – or simply hockey if you’re Stateside. Using Betway’s protocols, the cost of cycling would have enabled 46 people to take up the cheapest sport on the list – swimming which, in the survey’s view, cost just £50 ($68) to dip a toe into.
The survey also lists the number of items required for each sport: cycling requires five, it says, with what it calls a “proper road-safety bike” taking up the vast majority of that at £2,097 ($2,841).
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Others among the most expensive sports on the list included skiing and golf (the cost of both which would likely have propelled them to the top once club and / or travel fees were included). American football, or just ‘football’, depending on where you are, was also up there at fifth most costly, with estimated start-up fees of £823 ($1,115). Its namesake football (soccer) could be found much lower down in 17th place, with costs of £115 ($155).
Mid-table entries include running (£253 / $342), basketball (£236 / $320) and darts, with a head-scratchingly weighty cost of £198 ($268).
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