Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles.
The 1900 Summer Olympics were held as part of the 1900 World's Fair, during which many cycling events were contested. The IOC website currently affirms a total of 3 medal events, after accepting, as it appears, the recommendation of Olympic historian Bill Mallon regarding events that should be considered "Olympic". These additional events include the men's points race. Thus, three cycling events are considered Olympic events. These three competitions were held between 9 September and 16 September 1900. The cycling part of the World's Fair included 250 competitors, 160 of them French. In the sprint and 25 km events, 72 competitors, all men, from seven nations competed.
Sydney Patterson was a world champion amateur and professional track cyclist from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. While a teenager, Patterson won every Victorian and Australian title between 1,000 metres and ten miles (16.1 km). He represented Australia in cycling at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
Cycling has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics, at which a road race and five track events were held. Mountain bike racing entered the Olympic programme at the Atlanta Olympics, followed by BMX racing in 2008 and freestyle BMX in 2020. Before the 2020 Summer Olympics, all events were speed races, but the 2020 programme featured BMX freestyle for the first time.
The Herne Hill Velodrome is an outdoor velodrome in Herne Hill, in south London. It is one of the oldest cycling tracks in the world, having been built in 1891. It hosted the track cycling events in the 1948 Summer Olympics and was briefly the home of Crystal Palace Football Club during World War I.
The men's 10 kilometres was one of the five track cycling races on the Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 11 April and comprised 30 laps of the track. The 1896 Games was the only time that the 10 kilometres track race was part of the cycling program at an Olympic Games. Six cyclists from four nations competed. The event was won by Paul Masson of France, the second of his three victories that day. His countryman Léon Flameng finished second, while Austrian Adolf Schmal was third.
The men's sprint was a track cycling event held as part of the Cycling at the 1964 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 17 and 18 October 1964 at the Hachioji Velodrome. 39 cyclists from 22 nations competed. Nations were limited to two cyclists each. The event was won by Giovanni Pettenella of Italy, the nation's second consecutive and fourth overall victory in the men's sprint. Sergio Bianchetto took silver, making it the second consecutive Games in which Italy had two men on the podium in the event. It was also the fifth straight Games with Italy taking at least silver. Daniel Morelon of France took bronze, the first of his record four medals in the event.
The 1⁄4 mile was a track cycling event held as part of the cycling programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the only time this 0.25 miles (400 m) event was held at the Olympics. 11 cyclists competed.
The 1⁄3 mile was a track cycling event held as part of the cycling programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the only time this .333 miles (536 m) event was held at the Olympics. 10 American cyclists competed. The names of 4 of the competitors are not known.
The 1⁄2 mile was a track cycling event held as part of the cycling programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the only time this .5 miles (800 m) event was held at the Olympics. 16 American cyclists competed. The names of 2 of the competitors are not known.
The 1 mile was a track cycling event held as part of the cycling programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the only time this 1.0 mile (1,600 m) event was held at the Olympics. 8 American cyclists competed.
The 2 miles was a track cycling event held as part of the cycling programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the only time this 2.0 miles (3,200 m) event was held at the Olympics. 13 American cyclists competed.
The 25 miles was a track cycling event held as part of the cycling programme at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was the only time this 25.0 miles (40.2 km) event was held at the Olympics. 10 American cyclists competed.
The men's individual time trial was a road bicycle racing event held as part of the cycling at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of the event. The competition was held on Sunday July 7, 1912. The course was 320 kilometers long and the cyclists started at two minute interval, starting at 2:00 a.m.
Leonard "Leon" Lewis Meredith was a British track and road racing cyclist who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics, in the 1912 Summer Olympics, and in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He won seven world championships, set up one of Britain's largest cycle-parts companies, and ran a roller skating rink and ballroom.
The men's Keirin at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on August 16 at the Laoshan Velodrome.
The men's sprint at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on August 17–19 at the Laoshan Velodrome. There were 21 competitors from 15 nations, with each nation limited to two cyclists. The event was won by Chris Hoy of Great Britain, the nation's first victory in the men's sprint and first medal in the event since 1948. He faced his teammate Jason Kenny in the final, the first time since 1984 that one nation had taken the top two spots. Mickaël Bourgain of France earned bronze. Germany's four-Games podium streak ended.
Jay Nash McCrea was an American cyclist and newspaper editor. Nicknamed "Crash" for his "dangerous" and "wild" riding style, he competed in the men's one mile and men's five mile events at the 1904 Summer Olympics, but did not finish either event.
Cycling at the 2020 Summer Paralympics took place in two separate locations. Track cycling took place at the Izu Velodrome from 25 to 28 August 2021 and road cycling took place on the Fuji Speedway from 31 August to 3 September 2021.
The men's sprint event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place from 4 to 6 August 2021 at the Izu Velodrome. 30 cyclists from 18 nations competed.
