An outdoor track race in Paris in 1908 featuring Major Taylor, the first African-American cyclist to become world championAero Special track bicycle, original, c. 1910
Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it was held on velodromes similar to the ones used today.[1] These velodromes consisted of two straights and slightly banked turns, though they varied more in length and material than the modern 250 m track.[2][3]
One appeal of indoor track racing was that spectators could be easily controlled, and hence an entrance fee could be charged, making track racing a lucrative sport. Early track races attracted crowds of up to 2,000 people. Indoor tracks also enabled year-round cycling for the first time. The main early centers for track racing in Britain were Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester and London.
The most noticeable changes in over a century of track cycling have concerned the bikes themselves, engineered to be lighter and more aerodynamic to enable ever-faster times.
Track cycling has been featured in every modern Olympic Games except the 1912 Games. Women's track cycling events were first included in the modern Olympics in 1988.[4] The sport was moved indoors since 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, mainly because of the hot weather.[5]
Along the decades, track lengths have been gradually reduced. Early velodromes varied in length between 130 and 500 metres long. By the 1960s to 1989, a standard length of 333.333 metres (1,093ft 7.346in) length was commonly used for international competitions. Since 1990, international velodromes are built with a length of 250 metres (273.403yd), though tracks of many lengths are still in use.[6]
Track cycling is particularly popular in Europe, notably Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom where it is often used as off-season training by road racers who can frequently be seen at professional six-day events (races entered by two-rider teams.)
In the United States, track racing reached a peak of popularity in the 1930s when six-day races were held in Madison Square Garden in New York. The word "Madison" is still used as the name for a type of race.
In Japan, the keirin race format is a very popular betting sport. The sport is well-regarded, and riders are extensively trained through the Japanese Keirin School.[7]
Race formats
Track cycling events fit into two broad categories: sprint races and endurance races. Riders will typically fall into one category and not compete in the other.
The bicycles used are optimized for track racing; they are fixed-gear bicycles without freewheel or brakes, with narrow tires inflated to high pressure. Frame and other components are designed for rigidity and lightness, to give maximum speed over the distance of the race (sprint or longer).
Sprint
Sprint races are generally between 3 and 8 laps in length and focus on raw sprinting power and race tactics over a small number of laps to defeat opponents.[8] Sprint riders train specifically to compete in races of this length, and do not generally compete in endurance events.
Endurance races are held over longer distances. These races test the riders' endurance capacity, as well as tactics and speed. The length of track endurance events varies by race type, whether it is a part of the Omnium or not, and the gender of the competitors.[9] Many track endurance riders also compete in road cycling events.[10]
The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are held every year, usually in March or April at the end of the winter track season. There are currently (2024) 22 events in the World Championships, 11 for men and 11 for women. Qualification places are determined by different countries performance during the World Cup Classic series held through the season.
World Cup
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup series consists of six meetings, held in different countries beginning annually in October, and finishing in January.[13] These meetings include 17 of the 19 events (excluding the omnium for men and women) that take place in a World Championship over three days.
Events won and points scored by the riders throughout this series count towards qualification places individually and for their nation in the World Championships at the end of the season. The overall leader in each event may wear a white points leaders jersey at each race, with the overall winner at the end of the season may keep the jersey and wear it at the World Championships.[14] Riders compete for either national teams or trade teams, though the future of trade teams is unknown after controversial decisions by the UCI to eliminate World Cup events, and replace them with Nation's Cup events.[15]
Women's track cycling was only introduced as an Olympic sport in 1988, and women were not permitted to compete in the same number of events as men until 2012.[17] Though men and women currently compete in the same number of events, there are still significant differences between men's and women's races of the same type. For example, in the team sprint, men race three riders over three laps, whereas women race two riders over two laps, and men's individual pursuit is a 4km race and women only race 3km.[18] It is also the case that women race shorter distances than men in mass start events such as stand-alone scratch and points races, and omnium events.[19]
In many cycling sports, women raced shorter distances, are paid less, and receive less air-time.[20][21] It was not until 2018 that the UCI mandated minimum wages for women's cycling at all.[22] It is unclear how this will impact female track cyclists, as track cycling is generally not an athlete's primary source of income (rather they are road cyclists selected for specific events by their national team). There is no talk of changing race distances to create gender parity in time for the 2020 Olympics.[23]
In 2018, Veronica Ivy (then known as Rachel McKinnon) became the first transgender World Champion in any sport, with a victory in the Masters Women Age 35-44 age category.[24] In 2019, Ivy became a repeat champion in the same discipline. Though met with some criticism, Ivy holds her title as transgender athletes are permitted to compete as per the International Olympic Committee.[25]
Aerodynamic drag is a significant factor in both road and track racing.[26] Frames are often constructed of moulded carbon fiber, for a lightweight design. More recently, track bikes have employed airfoil designs on the tubes of the frame to reduce aerodynamic drag.
Given the importance of aerodynamics, the riders' sitting position becomes extremely important. The riding position is similar to the road racing position, but is ultimately dependent on the frame geometry of the bicycle and the handlebars used. Handlebars on track bikes used for longer events such as the points race are similar to the drop bars found on road bicycles. However, in the sprint event the rider's position is more extreme compared with a road rider. The bars are lower and the saddle is higher and more forward. Bars are often narrower with a deeper drop. Carbon fiber bars of many shapes, as opposed to lighter alloys, are used by many riders for their higher stiffness and durability.[27]
In timed events such as the pursuit and the time trial, riders often use aerobars or 'triathlon bars' similar to those found on road time trial bicycles, allowing the rider to position the arms closer together in front of the body.[28] This results in a more horizontal back and presents the minimum frontal area to reduce drag. Aerobars can be separate bars that are attached to time trial or bull horn bars, or they can be part of a one-piece monocoque design. Use of aerobars is permitted only in pursuit and time trial events.
Formats of track cycle races are also heavily influenced by aerodynamics. If one rider closely follows, they draft or slipstream another, because the leading rider pushes air around themselves; any rider closely following has to push out less air than the lead rider and thus can travel at the same speed while expending less effort.[29] This fact has led to a variety of racing styles that allow skilled riders or teams to exploit this tactical advantage, as well as formats that simply test strength, speed and endurance.
During the early 1990s in individual pursuit events, some riders, including Graeme Obree, adopted a straight-armed Superman-like position with their arms fully extended horizontally, but this position was subsequently outlawed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the sport's ruling body.[citation needed]
In addition to regular track racing, tracks are also the venue for many speed records. These are over either a fixed distance or for a fixed period of time. Generally, time trial events (200 m, 500 m, 1km, and Individual Pursuit) will be recorded for both gender categories as well as several age categories on each track, for each nation, and for the world.
One of the most heavily contested records is the hour record, which involves simply riding as far as possible in one hour.[30]
Attempts are generally made at velodromes with a reputation for being fast. Recently, these have mostly been at high-altitude locations, such as Mexico City, Mexico or Aguascalientes, Mexico, where the thinner air results in lower aerodynamic drag, offsetting the added difficulty of breathing. Innovations in equipment and the rider's position on the bike have also led to dramatic improvements in the hour record, but have also been a source of controversy (see Graeme Obree).
In 2019, the Pan Am Championships held at the newly built velodrome in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Kelsey Mitchell and Nicholas Paul broke the 200 m world records in their respective gender categories. The track proved fast for many other events, with Pan Am records being set in nearly all timed events.[31][32]
Keirin – literally "racing cycle" – is a form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan around 1948 for gambling purposes and became an official event at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
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 UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Before 1900, they were administered by the UCI's predecessor, the International Cycling Association (ICA).
Revolution was a series of track cycling events primarily held at the Manchester Velodrome in the north west of England. It was solely held in Manchester between 2003 and 2012. From Season 10 (2012–2013), meetings were additionally held at the new UK velodromes; in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, the Olympic Velodrome in London from Season 11 (2013–2014), and the Derby Arena from 2015 to 2016.
The 2011–12 UCI Track Cycling World Cup was a multi-race tournament over a season of track cycling. The season ran from 4 November 2011 to 19 February 2012. The World Cup is organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale. In this edition the World Cup consisted of four rounds in Astana, Cali, Beijing and London.
Annette Edmondson is an Australian former cyclist who competed on the track with Cycling Australia's High Performance Unit (HPU). She also competed on the road for the Wiggle High5 team between 2015 and 2018.
Katie Archibald, is an elite racing cyclist, specialising in endurance track cycling events in which she represents Great Britain and Scotland.
The 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championships for track cycling in 2015. They took place in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines at the Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines from 18–22 February 2015.
The 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championships for track cycling in 2016. They took place in London in the Lee Valley VeloPark from 2–6 March 2016.
Jennifer Marie Valente is an American professional racing cyclist who is a two-time gold medalist in women's omnium at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics. As part of the U.S. team, she has also won the team pursuit at the Paris Olympics. Valente has ridden for UCI Women's Team Virginia's Blue Ridge–TWENTY24. She has won seven gold medals in the World Championships and five Olympic medals, making her the most decorated U.S. female cyclist in Olympic history.
The 2017 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championships for track cycling in 2017. They took place in Hong Kong in the Hong Kong Velodrome from 12 to 16 April 2017. The last time the championships took place in Asia was at the 1990 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Japan at the Green Dome Maebashi.
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 2016–17 UCI Track Cycling World Cup was a multi-race series over a track cycling season. It was the 25th edition of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup organised by the UCI. The series ran from 4 November 2016 to 26 February 2017 and consisted of four rounds.
Neah Alexina Evans is a Scottish professional racing cyclist specialising in track endurance events. Representing Great Britain at the Olympic Games, European Championships and World Championships, and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, Evans is an Olympic medalist in the team pursuit, a World points race champion, a six-time European champion in team pursuit (4), individual pursuit and the madison, and a Commonwealth Games medalist.
The 2017–18 UCI Track Cycling World Cup was a multi-race tournament over a track cycling season. It was the 26th series of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup organised by the UCI. The series was run from 3 November 2017 to 21 January 2018 and consisted of five rounds.
For the cycling competitions at the 2020 Summer Olympics, the following qualification systems are in place.
The 2018–19 UCI Track Cycling World Cup was a multi-race tournament over a track cycling season. It was the 27th series of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup organised by the UCI.
The 2019–20 UCI Track Cycling World Cup is a multi-race tournament over a track cycling season. It is the 28th series of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup organised by the UCI. This was the last season of the competition as World Cup because from 2021, the competition will be renamed to UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup.
The 2021 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were held from 20 to 24 October 2021 at the Velodrome Couvert Regional Jean-Stablinski in Roubaix, France. The championships were originally scheduled to be held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The elimination race was introduced for the first time in the history of World Championships.
This article details the qualifying phase for cycling at the 2024 Summer Olympics. A total of 514 cyclists, with an equal distribution between men and women, competed in twenty-two medal events across five disciplines at these Games.
1 2 "UCI OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION RANKINGS – TOKYO 2020"(PDF). Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). 13 December 2019. Archived(PDF) from the original on 27 September 2021. Nation ranking per gender established for each of the Olympic events (Team Sprint, Sprint, Keirin, Team Pursuit, Madison, Omnium)
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