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A points race is a mass start track cycling event involving large numbers of riders simultaneously on track. It was an Olympic event for men from 1984 to 2008 and for women from 1996 to 2008. Since 2012, the points race has been one of the omnium events in the Olympics. [1]
The races are run over 40 km for men and 25 km for women in UCI championships. A sprint is held every ten laps, with 5, 3, 2, and 1 point(s) being awarded to the top four finishers in each sprint. The winner of the race is the one to have the most points at the end of the race. In addition to the sprints, any riders managing to lap the main field are awarded an extra 20 points. [1] This is therefore a popular way of gaining the points required to win the race and leads to many such attempts to gain a lap during the race.
Different tactics can be employed to win the race. Some riders may sit back in the main bunch conserving energy, only attacking for the sprints to gain points. Other riders may attempt to gain the lead early on in the race and try to defend the advantage. The most common breakaways seen in the points race are groups of two to five riders, sharing the work to enable them to gain a lap. Although it is a difficult feat to gain the lap on your own, it is not uncommon for the top riders to be able to do this in order to win the race.
At the Olympic Games and World Championships qualification is determined by performance at the World Cup Classics events throughout the season. At the World Cup Classics meetings two heats usually take place to decide qualification for the final. These are commonly half the race distance of the final.
The snowball is a variation on the points race where every sprint, only the first-place finisher is awarded any points. The number of points awarded increases with each sprint: the first sprint gives one point, the second gives two points, the third gives three points, etc. The sprints are also more frequent than in the normal points race, and can happen every lap or every two laps. In the case of a tie, the order of the final sprint is used to break the tie.
The point-a-lap (course de primes), as its name would imply, a variation on the points race where a single point is awarded to the first rider to finish each lap. Typically more points are awarded on the final lap, going several riders deep.
The tempo race is the second event of the new Omnium format. It lasts 7.5 km (30 laps on a 250-m-track) for women and 10 km (40 laps on a 250-m-track) for men. During this race one point is awarded to the first rider each lap from the end of the fifth lap. If a rider gains a lap, he or she scores 20 points; if a rider loses a lap, he or she loses 20 points.
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles.
The track time trial is a track cycling event where cyclists compete individually against the clock to record the fastest time over the specified distance from a standing start.
The Madison is a relay race event in track cycling, named after the first Madison Square Garden in New York, and known as the "American race" in French and as Americana in Spanish and in Italian.
The sprint or match sprint is a track cycling event involving between two and four riders, though it is usually run as a one-on-one match race between opponents who, unlike in the individual pursuit, start next to each other. Men's sprint has been an Olympic event at every games except 1904 and 1912. Women's sprints have been contested at every Olympics since 1988.
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement curve.
The men's points race in cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics consisted of a 160 lap points race with 16 sprints where points were awarded. The event was held on 24 August 2004 at the Athens Olympic Velodrome. There were 23 competitors from 23 nations, with each nation limited to one cyclist in the event. The event was won by Mikhail Ignatiev of Russia, the nation's first victory in the men's points race. Spain's Joan Llaneras, the defending champion, took silver; he was the first and only person to win multiple medals in the relatively short-lived points race, and ended with three medals after another gold in 2008. Guido Fulst of Germany took bronze, the first medal in the event for that nation since 1900.
The Men's omnium at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships was first competed in 2007 in Spain.
An omnium is a multiple race event in track cycling. Historically the omnium has had a variety of formats. In recent years, road racing has also adopted the term to describe multi-day races that feature the three primary road race events.
The men's points race at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on August 16 at the Laoshan Velodrome. There were 23 competitors from 23 nations. The event was won by Joan Llaneras of Spain, his second victory in the points race and third consecutive medal in the event. Llaneras was the only person, of any gender, to win multiple medals in the points race, which is no longer on the Olympic programme. His two gold medals made Spain only the second nation to win multiple golds in the men's event; Italy had three. Silver went to Roger Kluge of Germany. Great Britain earned its first medal in the men's points race with Chris Newton's bronze.
The women's cycling omnium at the 2012 Olympic Games in London took place at the London Velopark on 6 and 7 August 2012.
The men's cycling omnium at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro took place at the Rio Olympic Velodrome on 14 and 15 August.
The women's cycling omnium at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro took place at the Rio Olympic Velodrome on 15 and 16 August.
The Six Day London is a six-day track cycling race held annually in London, United Kingdom. The competition consists of six consecutive evening sessions of track cycling: Madison, Sprint, Elimination, Keirin, Derny and Team Time Trial disciplines. Six day invites the world's elite Men's and Women's riders, as well as sprinters and emerging talent from around the world. The overall winner is the team which takes the most laps.
The Men's omnium competition at the 2017 World Championships will be held on 15 April 2017.
The men's madison event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 7 August 2021 at the Izu Velodrome. 32 cyclists from 16 nations competed.
The women's Madison event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 6 August 2021 at the Izu Velodrome. 30 cyclists from 15 nations competed.
The men's omnium event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 5 August 2021 at the Izu Velodrome. 20 cyclists from 20 nations competed.
The women's omnium event at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place on 8 August 2021 at the Izu Velodrome. 21 cyclists from 21 nations competed.
The men's omnium event at the 2024 Summer Olympics took place on 8 August 2024 at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
The women's omnium event at the 2024 Summer Olympics take place on 11 August 2024 at the Vélodrome National.