A cache in the Geocaching Olympics series.
The first bicycles were invented in the 1850s and looked quite different to the bikes we know today. But it wasn’t until the 1870s that the first competitions for cycling indoors on wooden tracks were staged, with the first six‑day race taking place in London in 1878. Track cycling quickly grew in popularity and continued to develop with the creation of the International Cycling Association in 1892 and the organisation of the first world championships in Chicago in 1893.
Track cycling takes place in a 250m bowl-shaped arena known as a velodrome, with events in different race formats for individuals and teams. Track bicycles differ from road bicycles in that they are fixed gear and do not have brakes.
Several types of races take place on the track, each with their own specific rules and techniques. Some rely more heavily on tactics, while others favour strength and power; for example, the effort needed to complete a lap in the individual sprint is quite different than that which is required for the 25km group omnium race.
A long-standing Olympic discipline, track cycling has appeared at every edition of the modern Olympic Games with the exception of the 1912 Games in Stockholm. Women first competed in track events at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games.
Cycling Track features six disciplines (three sprints and three endurance) for both female and male athletes, of which are detailed below:
Team Sprint
The team sprint is an incredible demonstration of a track cyclist’s strength and power. After a sinew straining standing start, two teams of either three for the men or two for the women, race on opposite sides of the track in a line. After the end of each lap, the rider on the front will peel off until one remains to battle it out to the line.
Sprint
The match sprint is a race between two riders over three laps of the track. Unlike the team sprint, the riders don’t go off full pelt from the gun. Although the goal is simple, get to the line ahead of your opponent, there are serious amounts of tactics involved. You will often see the pair engage in ‘cat and mouse’ tactics by doing a track stand in an attempt to force the other rider to come through and lead out the sprint instead of themselves providing a drafting opportunity going into the final bank.
Keirin S 34° 52.089 E 138° 33.109
The last of the sprint events is the keirin. Rather excitingly, the event returns to its homeland this year as the race originated in Japan. The word translates to 'racing wheels', and the event is a six-lap race featuring seven riders who follow a 'derny' pacing motorbike for five and a half laps as it gets increasingly faster. With two and a half to go, the derny leaves the track and it becomes a who dares wins jostling race to the line. Chaotic and fast, you don't dare blink during this edge of your seat race.
Team Pursuit
A race against the clock
Sadly the 12-hour race hasn't stood the test of time but that doesn't mean the endurance events are any less brutal. The distance and intensity of the races mean that to win at the Olympics, riders must be exemplary athletes. The team pursuit will kick off the action, and this is where both the men and women race over four kilometres in squads of four with their rivals on the opposite side of the track. They race with their wheels millimetres away from touching, with each rider sharing the workload and peeling off on the banks to re-join the rear when their pull is complete. The time is taken on the third member of the squad to cross the line, but the race can also end if one team catches the other.
Madison
The Madison is named after Madison Square Garden in New York, a crucible of early track cycling. A relay of sorts, it is raced in teams of two inside a mass field. The aim of the game is to take maximum points on a sprint lap, which are held every 20 laps or gain a lap by attacking. Only one rider in a pair is racing at any given time so the other rider circles the track at the top of the banking waiting for their moment to 'tag in'. The handover isn't with a baton (although that would be fun). Instead, riders indicate the switch over with a hand-sling, propelling their teammate into the race. This usually happens to set up a sprint or attack. It is one of the most complex but gripping races of the schedule so be sure to tune in.
Omnium
The heptathlon of track cycling
The heptathlon of the velodrome, the omnium crowns the best all-around track athlete. The number of track cycling events in the schedule was reduced after Beijing 2008 so the omnium was brought in as an all in one display of the four mass field races. These are the tempo race, the scratch race, the ever-popular elimination race and the points race. Riders are awarded points according to their finishing position in each event before the points race where their totals can either increase or decrease depending on their result.
Throughout the sport’s 120‑year Olympic history, European nations—particularly Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Italy—have taken the majority of medals on offer at the Games.
