Track cycling or cycling is a summer Olympic sport. For the first time this competition was included in the Olympiad program in 1896. This was followed by a 16-year break. But since 1912, track cycling has been held regularly.
Until 1988, only men participated in bicycle races. At the Seoul Olympics, women also began to compete in this sport.
Competitions for men are held in the following disciplines: Sprint, Individual Pursuit, Points Race, Olympic Sprint, Madison, Keirin, and Team Pursuit. Women participate only in competitions in the first three types of cycling.
The sprint is different in that the result is influenced by the time during which the athlete travels the last 200 m. The Olympic sprint is carried out with the participation of a team of three people. The route that the participants of the race should overcome is 750 m. Performance in this discipline is a very interesting sight for the observer. To get a better position, athletes can use a tricky trick called "surprise." In this case, the rider lets the enemy pass by stopping and balancing on his bike.
The pursuit race is held at a distance of 4 km for men and 3 km for women. Its goal is to cover the distance in the shortest possible time. In addition, the athlete needs to catch up with the opponent. According to the Olympic system, this competition is a knockout competition.
The points race is much longer: men have to travel 40 km and women 25 km. Racers receive points for first place in the intermediate laps. Every 10 laps, credit will be awarded to the 4 riders who cross the finish line first. For the first place, 5 points are given, for the second and third - 3 and 2, respectively. For the fourth place, the athlete receives only 1 point.
Madison is characterized by command. Two riders must cover a distance of 60 km. They are also faced with the task of scoring as many points as possible in intermediate sprints. This competition gets its name from the first place in which it was held - Madison Square Garden. Points are awarded every 20 laps in the same way as in the points race.
With keirin, cyclists ride 5 and a half circles of 250 m, first behind a motorcycle, and then compete in the sprint. From 6 to 9 participants can be on the track at the same time. The first keirin competition took place only in 2000 in Sydney.
