Cycling on track

The cycling on track is composed of several tests and is held on a Vélodrome, oval track, generally of 200 m, 250 m or 333,33 m, having two banked corners with approximately 40°.
Cycling on track was present at all the Olympic Games since 1896, except for those of Stockholm in 1912. Female cycling on track appeared in 1988 with a test of vitesse.
Cycling on track is always practiced on bicycles with fixed pinions, which obliges to crush and turn the wheels until the stop. The feet are tight in toe-clips what obliges also the trainers to maintain their runners upright on the line of départ.
Since 1993 and the reunification of the professional titles and amateurs, a championship of the world takes place every year and decrees from now on 15 titles (9 for the men and 6 for the women).

  • See: Championship of the world of cycling on track

Tests

Individual speed

Speed on track, also called " sprint" according to the English term, is a test which is run between two runners in direct opposition, sometimes three for repéchages for example, four or more exceptionally. The distance to be traversed is of 2 or 3 solo circuits according to the length of the track. The goal is to pass the finishing line the premier.
The tactics of race are very important because that which is at the head can be made exceed on the line because of aspiration. The starting order is drawn with the fate. The first turn is tactical and it is usually done with a pace moderated to observe the adversary (*). To avoid the first place at the time of final launching, it is allowed that the two runners carry out “balance” in a zone delimited to oblige the other to pass devant.
(*) The observation of the adversary is facilitated by the fact that, like all the pistards, they use pinions fixes.
The professional more titrated was Japanese Koichi Nakano with ten titers.
The test is practiced by the female ones with the championship of the world since 1988.

A recent discovery. show the real preponderance of the left-handeds person in the sprint. Laurent Gané, Frederic Magné, Gerard Quintyn, Arnault Revolving, Sebastien Desplanques and Félicia Ballanger all left-handeds person collect the world records, the world titles and Olympic.

  • See championships: male individual Speed

  • See championships: female Speed

The kilometer (or 500 meters for the women)

It is a test of against-the-watch standing start on 1 km for the men or 500 m for the women.
The world records of the kilometer are held by the French Arnaud Tournant in 58" 875 (La Paz, Bolivia, 10/10/2001).

Speed by teams

Two teams of three runners clash on three solo circuits, each runner carries out a turn at the head to involve its fellow-members then deviates.

Individual pursuit

Test putting in opposition two runners out of 4000 m (3000 m for the women) standing start. At the beginning of the race the runners are on the other hand one of the other. The gaining runner is that which manages to exceed its adversary or finishes in first the quatre  kilometers. or then that which makes best time.

The test is practiced by the female ones since 1958.

  • Voir championships: Continuation amateur
  • See championships: professional Continuation
  • See championships: female Continuation

Continuation by teams

Even test but carried out this time by teams of four runners taking turns.

The Tandem

The competition of tandem is a test speed between two teams of two runners out of two tandems. As for individual speed, the distance is of two kilomètres.
This discipline was registered with the Olympic calendar until in 1972, and with that of the championships of the world until in 1994.
French Fabrice Colas and Frederic Magné was quadruple world champions of tandem in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1994.

The keirin

Keirin is a very popular test in Japan and which was introduced in 1980 only into the competitions internationales.
This test opposes a group from six to eight runners. During the first turn they are obliged to follow a motor cycle (the hare) in the order predetermined by a drawing lot. The motor cycle, also called " derny" or " burdin" , its pace by 35 to 45 km/h increases gradually. It deviates with approximately 700 meters from the arrival to leave room to the sprint final.
This very spectacular race often gives place to contacts between the participants and many falls. it is also practiced by the cyclists female since 2002.
  • Voir championships: Keirin Men
  • See championships: Keirin Women

The race at the points

Tests where about thirty runners clash on a long distance (up to 30 kilometers). The runners accumulate the points by gaining the intermediate sprints, every two kilometers, and the final sprint.

American

The race with American opposes teams of two runners. The races make 50 kilometers in general. In each team, two runners take turns permanently, one of both, alternatively, can put back some turns before taking again the relay.
The classification is made starting from the number of revolutions traversed then according to the number of points obtained with the intermediate classifications (every five kilometers). Until in the large Sixties American would be run on 100 km or lasted even 3 hours. This test is also known under the name of Madison.
  • See championships: Race with American the

The scratch

The scratch is a race of 15 kilometers, departure on line. It is also practiced by the female ones.

The medium-distance race

It is a race of long distances from 30 to 100 kilometers (or one hour) carried out behind a motor bike. There even existed until 1950 a test of 100 miles is 167 km.

The middle-distance runners are also called " stayers" according to the English term.

Middle-distance runners of reputation: one will quote among amateurs the British Leon Meredith, world champion of medium-distance race to 7 recoveries and at the professionals Spanish Guillermo Timoner.
The tests of medium-distance race became " open" in 1992 and they were withdrawn from the championships of the world in 1994.

  • Voir Championships: Medium-distance race amateur
  • See championships: professional Medium-distance race

6 days

Test putting in competition teams of two runners during six days ( Madison in English). American is the principal discipline. The six days tests are very popular beginning of the century at the years 1950. They are médiatisées aujourd'hui.
The 6 day old great champions were: Piet Van Kempen, Oscar Egg, Rik Van Steenbergen, Peter Post, Rene Pijnen, Patrick Sercu. Eddy Merckx itself was one of the last large runners 6 day old before these tests do not lose of their interest for the public in the whole world, except for Germany to a certain extent.
One of the most prestigious tests of this category were the Six days of Paris.

See also: Race the six days

The omnium

See also: Omnium

It is an individual test which gathers several tests of the track by using a scale of points for each test which is agreed in advance, in the same idea which is practiced for the Décathlon in athletics.

Forgotten tests

With the passing of years, the following distances disappeared from the calendar of the international tests (between (): last official date of organization at a type of race or a distance given): 12 hours: 1896 (OJ); 10 kilometers: 1904 (OJ); 1 turn (+ 600 m): 1908 (OJ); 5 kilometers: 1908 (OJ); 20 kilometers: 1908 (OJ); 100 kilometers: 1908 (OJ); 50 kilometers: 1924 (OJ); Gold bowl (24 hours of Paris): 1928; Six-Jours of Paris: 1989 (after one 1st eclipse in 1958); tandem (2, then 1 km): 1994 (CM); medium-distance race (30 to 100 km, behind a trainer with motor bike): 1994 (CM)); against-the-watch by ladies teams: 1994 (CM); ; Six-Jours of Bordeaux: 1997).

the 200 m

It is an individual race or the runner will have to carry out 200m in less possible time

Places of the championships of the world since 1980

  • 1980 Besancon (France)
  • 1989 Lyon (France)
  • 1993 Hamar (Norway)
  • 1994 Palermo (Italy)
  • 1995 Bogota (Colombia)
  • 1996 Manchester (Great Britain)
  • 1997 Perth (Australia)
  • 1998 Bordeaux (France)
  • 1999 Berlin (Germany)
  • 2000 Manchester (Great Britain)
  • 2001 Antwerp (Belgium)
  • 2002 Copenhagen (Denmark)
  • 2003 Stuttgart (Germany)
  • 2004 Melbourne (Australia)
  • 2005: Los Angeles (the United States)
  • 2006: Bordeaux (France)
  • 2007: Majorque (Spain)… to come.

External reference and bonds