Track cycling is a sport of the bicycle racing discipline, conducted on velodromes or other specially designed tracks that feature a steep banking. Athletes use specially designed bikes that have no brakes, with a single gear on the front and the rear.
Track cycling races are broadly classified into two different formats which are:
- Sprint: Sprint races are shorter in length, usually between 8 to 10 laps, where the focus is on speed. There are four types of sprint races: sprint, team sprint, keirin, and track time trial.
- Endurance: Endurance races are longer, usually 12 - 16 laps, and focus on the athletes' endurance. The different types of endurance races are: individual pursuit, team pursuit, scratch race, points race, madison, and omnium.
All of these race events have races for individuals and teams. For all events, the rider or team that crosses the finish line first is declared as the winner.
Track cycling is part of the Olympics, and about ten different track race event are conducted for both men and women. UCI Track Cycling World Championships, conducted annually, is another major event for the sport, which features races of 19 different events, for both men and women.
Similar Sports
- About Cycling Sports
- Road Cycling - cycle races held on paved roads, usually over several hours or days.
- Cycling Time Trials — a bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock.
- E-Bike Racing — cycling races on electric bicycles (e-bikes)
- Para-Cycling — cycle racing events using adaptations for disabled athletes, such as tandem bikes and hand-cycling.
Related Pages
- Cycling at the Olympics
- UCI Track Cycling World Championships
- Complete List of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports