About
About
Aim of the game
Cyclists compete to achieve the fastest times on an oval-shaped 250m wooden track
Why should you watch this?
With aerodynamically clad athletes in hot pursuit of each other on super-fast high-tech bikes, with no brakes, track cycling is pure adrenaline!
Venues
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Breakaway
When an individual cyclist or small group opens up a gap ahead of the pack (or peloton) to get ahead in time or find more space
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Derny
The electric bike that sets the pace and creates a slipstream for the cyclists in the keirin event – it is named after its creator, Frenchman Roger Derny
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Flyer
A surprise attack of pace, usually by a single competitor
Impress your friends
Sprint
Only the last 200m of the 1000m total are timed, resulting in explosive bursts of speed in the last few seconds. Athletes compete on a one-versus-one basis, with the first across the line going through to the next phase.
Team sprint
Competing teams start on opposite sides of the velodrome. Men's teams consist of three riders who start the three-lap race together. Each lap must be led by a different team member, who drops out at the end of his lead lap. Women's races have the same format, but are contested over two laps by teams of two cyclists.
Team pursuit
Competing teams of four riders start on opposite sides of the velodrome. The team that completes 4000m in the shortest time goes through to the next phase. In the final, if one team catches up with the other, the race finishes.
Keirin
An electric bike sets the pace at the front of the pack and cannot be overtaken. In the final 700m, the pacer leaves the track and the athletes race as fast as they can to the finish line.
Omnium
Known as the decathlon or heptathlon of cycling, with riders competing in six disciplines that demand both power and endurance: a flying lap time trial, points race, elimination race, individual pursuit, scratch race and time trial. The athlete who accumulates the highest points total is the winner.
Track
Blue Band: there’s a arm-up area inside the track, prohibited territory during races
Sprinter's Lane: the space between the black 'measurement line' and the red line is the shortest path around the circuit, known as the sprinter's lane. In this lane, overtaking on the left (inside) is not allowed.
Bikes
Lightweight and robust, the bikes are designed to reach maximum speed as quickly as possible. They have one gear and no brakes, which means that any sudden change in direction or speed can result in a crash.
Cyclists wear spandex outfits and aerodynamic helmets because every smoothed corner and non-resistant fibre helps when you're out to knock a thousandth of a second off your time.
Stats
Top Medalists
| Men | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
GBR
Chris Hoy
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
|
GBR
Bradley Wiggins
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
|
USA
Burton Downing
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | |
| Women | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CHN
Shuang Guo
|
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
|
FRA
Felicia Ballanger
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
|
GBR
Victoria Pendleton
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
