Track

About Track Cycling

One of the most spectator-friendly disciplines of competitive cycling, track racing seems to have something for everybody. A plethora of events makes track cycling an interesting mix of sprint and endurance events in which athletes or teams compete in individual or mass-start races. Contested on a velodrome, track events offer non-stop action and some of the most impressive and exhilarating moments in cycling. Each track cycling event is a unique competition that relies on the strength, power, speed, endurance, strategy and tactics of its competitors to determine a winner.

Velodromes vary widely in total distance, shape and degree of banking, giving each velodrome its own personality. Riding the velodrome requires a fixed gear bike, meaning it has one gear and no brakes.

There are a variety of lines painted on the velodrome:

• The apron is the flat area between the infield and the track. This area is where you will start to ride before progressing onto the boards and is often painted concrete.
• The cote d'azur are light blue painted boards signal the edge of the track.
• The black line - also known as the datum line - is 20cm above the cote d'azur and denotes the shortest and therefore fastest way to cover the length of the track.
• The red line - also known as the sprinter's line - is 70cm above the black line and exists for rules to be implemented in competition.
• The blue line - also known as the stayer's line - is a safe spot to ride if you’re not actively engaged in a sprint effort.

All riders start together in this individual race over a set distance. It’s the most straightforward event in track cycling where the first person to cross the finish line wins. The race typically ends in a fast and furious bunch sprint.

All riders start together, and after the first four laps, riders sprint for points on every subsequent lap. The first rider across the line each lap earns 1 point. Gaining a lap on the main field awards a bonus of 20 points, while being lapped by the main field results in a loss of 20 points. The rider with the most points at the end of the race wins.

Also known as the “miss and out,” this race eliminates the last rider to cross the line every other lap, until only one rider remains. Tactics and positioning are critical; riders aim to stay near the front of the pack, but not necessarily at the very front, to conserve energy in the slipstream while avoiding elimination.

Points are awarded on specific laps throughout the race, typically every tenth lap. The leading rider, and sometimes the second-place rider, earns points during these designated sprints. The structure and timing of points races can vary, but the winner is determined by the total number of points accumulated, not necessarily by who crosses the finish line first.

The Omnium is a multi-race competition where riders accumulate points based on their finishing positions in each event. It is not a single race but a combination of several events. In the Olympic format, the Omnium includes the Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race, and Points Race.

In this event, two riders (or two teams of four in the team event) start from opposite sides of the track and compete to complete the race distance in the fastest time. If one rider (or team) catches the other, they are declared the winner.

In this team event, paired riders take turns racing and resting. One rider races while the other circles at the top of the track at a slower pace. To exchange positions, the active rider "slings" their teammate forward to maintain high speeds. Madison races are usually much longer than other track events (often 30 km or 19 miles). The event gets its name from Madison Square Garden, where the format became popular in the early 1900s.

Riders face off in a fast and furious head-to-head race. The competition begins with a qualifying round in which each rider aims to set their fastest time over a flying 200 meters. The four fastest riders advance to best-of-three semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals race for gold and silver, while the defeated riders compete for the bronze medal.

The team sprint is contested over three laps of the track by two teams of three riders. All three riders start together, with the lead rider pulling off after the first lap and the second rider doing the same after the second lap. The final rider completes the last lap alone, and their time determines the team’s result. 

In the Keirin, 6 to 9 riders are paced by a motorized bike known as a Derny, which gradually increases speed before pulling off the track with a lap and a half to go. The riders then sprint to the finish, with the first across the line declared the winner.