Track time trial

Last updated

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.

Contents

Time trial bikes

Track time trial bikes differ from normal track bikes in two major ways; firstly they have disc or 35 spoked wheels, and secondly they often use aero-bars to allow the rider to adopt a more aerodynamic riding position. The frames are often more streamlined to reduce air resistance.

Men 1000 m time trial

At the UCI Track World Championships, the distance for senior men is 1000 m, hence the event's alternative name, the 'Kilo', short for kilometre. Junior men also race 1000 m. Being such a short, high-intensity event, the kilo is popular with riders who specialise in the sprint. The Kilo time trial was removed from the Olympics programme after 2004 to make way for BMX racing. This led to a number of Kilo riders, most notably Chris Hoy, to begin focusing on other sprint events.

This event is a race against the clock from a standing start over 1000 m. Most indoor tracks are 250 m in length, so a kilo is usually held over four laps. Other common track lengths are 167 m (six laps), 333 m (three laps) or 400 m (2.5 laps). Riders will keep to the black line at the bottom of the track to ensure they have to cover the least distance over the 1000 m. Riders usually only get one attempt to set a time, and the winner of the event is simply the rider to post the quickest time.

A fast time at the elite level is around 1 minute 5 seconds.

The world record is 55.433 seconds (64.943 km/h), set by Jeffrey Hoogland in 2023 at the Aguascalientes Velodrome in Aguascalientes, Mexico. [1]

Women – 500 m time trial

The Women's version of the event is held over 500 m. Other than the race distance this is the same as the men's Kilo event, with the fastest rider over the distance declared the winner. This event was also removed from the Olympic programme after 2004 to make way for BMX.

The world record is held by Russian rider Anastasia Voynova; set on 17 October 2015 in Grenchen, Switzerland during the European championships with 32.794 seconds (54.888 km/h).

Flying 200 m time trial

The flying 200 m time trial (so-called because riders have a flying start, as opposed to the standing start in the kilo/500 m) is rarely held on its own. It is more commonly used as the qualifying event for the sprint competition, or as part of an Omnium competition. Velodromes have a line painted across the track at 200 m before the finish line, for this purpose. Therefore, the size the track will determine where the 200-meter line is (for 250 m tracks, it is about two-thirds of the way through the first bend; for 200-meter tracks, it is the finish line; for 400-meter tracks, it is the start line in the back straight). The clock will start as they cross this line and stop when they reach the finish line.

Depending on the size of the track, riders have between one and three laps to build up speed before the clock starts. They will ride around the very top of the track as they near the start line, then drop down to the bottom to gain as much speed as possible from rolling down the steep inclined banking. The Flying 200 m is ridden on a standard track bike (drop handlebars, spoked front wheel) when it is part of the Sprint competition, and often during the Omnium as well so riders need have only one bike. Disc front wheel is permitted for sprint qualification round. UCI rules and regulations Article 1.3.018 [2]

A fast time at the elite level is just above 10 seconds for men, 11 seconds for women.

The world record of 9.100 seconds was set by Nicholas Paul of Trinidad and Tobago at the Elite Pan American Track Cycling Championships in Coachabamba, Bolivia on September 6, 2019. [3]

The Olympic Record of 9.551 seconds was set by Jason Kenny of Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Olympics, beating his own Olympic Record of 9.713 seconds set at the 2012 London Olympics.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Track cycling</span> Bicycle racing sport

Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprint (track cycling)</span> Event in track cycling

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velodrome</span> Arena for track cycling

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.

Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports include artistic cycling, cycle polo, freestyle BMX and mountain bike trials. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling and international competitive cycling events. The International Human Powered Vehicle Association is the governing body for human-powered vehicles that imposes far fewer restrictions on their design than does the UCI. The UltraMarathon Cycling Association is the governing body for many ultra-distance cycling races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Meares</span> Australian cyclist

Anna Maree Devenish Meares is an Australian retired track cyclist. She currently resides in Adelaide in South Australia where the Australian Institute of Sport's Track Cycling program has its headquarters at the Adelaide Super-Drome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road bicycle racing</span> Bicycle racing sport

Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common competition formats are mass start events, where riders start simultaneously and race to a set finish point; and time trials, where individual riders or teams race a course alone against the clock. Stage races or "tours" take multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively.

The team sprint is a track cycling event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional cycling sprint event – it is a three-rider team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hoy</span> British cyclist (born 1976)

Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy MBE is a former track cyclist and racing driver from Scotland who represented Great Britain at the Olympic and World Championships and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Kelly</span> Australian cyclist

Shane John Kelly OAM is a former professional Australian track racing cyclist. Kelly specialised in the men's 1000 m time trial, commonly known as the Kilo. Kelly announced his retirement from international competition at the end of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Kelly is now working in motivational speaking, team building, and cycling fitness and training programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Staff</span> American Olympic cyclist

Jamie Alan Staff MBE is an English racing cyclist and coach, formerly on BMX and later on the track. A World and Olympic champion, he has also won numerous other medals at World Championships, World Cups and at the Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint</span> Cycling at the Olympics

The men's 1000 metre sprint was one of seven track cycling events on the Cycling at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme. Its distance was the second shortest of the individual event distances. Each nation could enter up to 12 cyclists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">François Pervis</span> French cyclist

François "Franck" Pervis is a French track cyclist. He is a former junior world champion in the team sprint and twice European under 23 champion, as well as a seven-time world champion and a holder of two world records. In 2014 he became the first track cyclist to win three individual world titles at one championship, in the keirin, 1 km and sprint.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UEC European Track Championships</span> Elite level championships

The European Track Cycling Championships are a set of elite level competition events held annually for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling, exclusively for European cyclists, and regulated by the European Cycling Union (UEC). They were first held in their current format in 2010, when elite level cyclists competed for the first time following an overhaul of European track cycling.

Revolution is 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 have been held additionally at the new UK velodromes; in the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Glasgow, the Olympic Velodrome, London from Season 11 (2013–2014) and the Derby Arena from 2015 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint</span>

The men's sprint cycling event at the 1932 Summer Olympics took place on August 1 and 3. The format was a sprint of 1000 metres. There were nine competitors from nine nations, with each nation limited to one cyclist. The event was won by Jacobus van Egmond of the Netherlands, the nation's second victory in the men's sprint. It was the fourth consecutive Games that the Netherlands reached the podium in the event. France made the podium for the third consecutive Games, with Louis Chaillot taking silver. Bruno Pellizzari gave Italy its first men's sprint medal with his bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's sprint</span>

The men's cycling sprint at the 2012 Olympic Games in London took place at the London Velopark from 4 to 6 August. There were 17 competitors from 17 nations, with nations once again limited to one cyclist each. The event was won by Jason Kenny of Great Britain, the nation's second consecutive victory in the men's sprint. Kenny was the eighth man to win multiple medals in the event. Kenny beat Grégory Baugé of France in the final. Australia's Shane Perkins took bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Days of London</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Paul</span> Trinidadian track cyclist (born 1998)

Nicholas Paul is a Trinidadian track cyclist, who specializes in sprinting events.

References

  1. "Jeffrey Hoogland smashes long-standing men's 1km time trial world record". Cycling News. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Union Cycliste Internationale – Men Elite – World Records" (PDF). Union Cycliste Internationale. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.