Heart pounding action, digging deeper than deep, in a race against the clock and fellow racers. Check out Team USA riders competing in Sprint, Keirin, Time Trial, and other races, and the programs that help Team USA dominate international events.
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.
Hard work does pay off. USA Cycling is proud to support high-performing athletes with financial, technological, and logistical programs that allow them to focus their efforts even further. USA Cycling believes that using time standards for international team qualification and continually raising the bar related to athlete support programs have been the catalysts for the fourteen World Championship medals won in the past quadrennium—the most American medals in a quad.
Here's a look at how you can enter the Olympic Development pathway and work your way on to Team USA:
USA Cycling's Olympic Development Academy (ODA) for track is the best comprehensive development program in North America. The program was designed to provide an athlete with experience, knowledge, skills and guidance to build a solid foundation and be prepared to take the next step forward in their progression.
TBD
The Olympic Development Academy costs $10,000 per semester with the add-on of team clothing for $500 each year. Other additional cost may be incurred. For a cost breakdown and information on scholarships, click here.
USA Cycling is proud to support our National Team athletes who champion the sport of cycling and are the ultimate ambassadors for Track Cycling. USA Cycling will support National Team elite athletes with logistical and team support upon request. Each athlete on the national team will receive unique support to best address each athlete’s needs in terms of timing and type of resources. USA Cycling will work with our elite athletes’ trade teams to help maximize the combined resources. Our goal is to ensure that our top riders have everything they need to perform at the highest level.
For criteria on how to qualify for the national team and information on the levels of support, visit the Endurance Team or the Sprint Team.
July 23 - August 8, 2021: Tokyo, Japan
USA Cycling Olympic Games Athlete Selection Criteria - Updated October 28, 2020
USA Cycling Olympic Games Staff Selection Criteria - Updated October 29, 2020
For more official documents, please visit: Olympic Games - Track Cycling
October 20-24, 2021: Roubaix, France
Track World Championships Selection Criteria
Track World Championships Discretionary Petition Form
For the most up-to-date information, please visit: UCI Track Cycling - World Championships
Sept. 1-5, 2021: Cairo, Egypt
Junior Track World Championships Selection Criteria
Junior Track World Championships Discretionary Athlete Petition
For the most up-to-date information, please visit: UCI Junior Track Cycling - World Championships
Starting in 2021, the UCI has renamed the Track World Cups to Nations’ Cup. The series will be reduced from 6 events to 3, and will now compete from April through September with World Championships to be in October.
April 22-25, 2021 Newport, Great Britain
May 13-16, 2021: Hong Kong, China
June 3-6, 2021: Cali, Colombia
For the most up-to-date information, please visit: UCI Track Cycling Nations Cups
Track Nations Cup Selection Criteria
Track Nations Cups Discretionary Petition Form
September 4-9, 2019: Cochabamba, Bolivia
Pan American Continental Championships Selection Criteria
Pan American Continental Championships Discretionary Athlete Petition
USA Cycling is responsible for selecting the athletes who represent the United States in the highest level of international competition. For more information on the general selection process, click here.
Did you just have a top result in the World Championships or Olympic Games? You may be eligible for a bonus from the USOPC and USA Cycling. Click here to learn more.
Gary leads the women’s endurance track program at USA Cycling. With more than 25 years of coaching experience, Sutton has a distinctive track record in the sport. Most recently, he was the Women's Track Endurance Coach for Cycling Australia, serving in that role since 2010 and achieving international success at the highest level with multiple athletes across multiple events. Highly respected for his technical skills, Gary is equally praised for his commitment to individual athletes and focus on developing good people – not just great athletes. Prior to coaching, he was an outstanding elite cyclist in his own right having competed in the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games and winning the amateur World Championship in the Points Race. Gary is based at the USA Cycling headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
USA Cycling has brought on three-time U.S. Olympian Erin Hartwell to lead the National Track Sprint Program. Hartwell is a decorated track cyclist with two Olympic medals from Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 in the Men's 1000-meter Time Trial, making him the first American to medal in this event. Hartwell also saw himself on the podium at the UCI Track World Championships in 1994, 1995, and 1998. Additionally, Hartwell won 13 U.S. National Titles and held the 1000-meter Time Trial National Record from 1995-2008. In 2012, the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame inducted Hartwell for his performances.
After his retirement, Hartwell became the CEO at the world-class velodrome Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. He left the velodrome in 2008 to focus on his own sports management company, Athletics Cubed. Hartwell has had various roles over the years with several other national cycling federations' track programs, like Welsh Cycling, Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation, Cycling Canada, and Chinese Cycling. Now he's back to his roots working with USA Cycling athletes as they head to Tokyo and prepare for Paris 2024 and LA 2028.
Combining a passion for cycling with a love of critical thinking, Robert has forged a career in high performance sport. After completing his coaching qualifications at British Cycling, Robert set about coaching at local Velodromes alongside studying for a Masters in Exercise and Nutrition Science. Shortly after graduating, Robert enrolled on a PhD at Leeds Beckett University studying Determinate's of Performance in World Class Omnium Racing. His research and coaching experience lead him to work with the Japanese Cycling Federation, supporting the development of elite athletes in track cycling. Robert first joined USA Cycling in 2019 supporting the elite track cycling team through World Cups and World Championships. Robert continues to combine applied practice with research. His current research interests include racecraft, physiology, modelling performance and high performance systems, all of which help in the development of effective day-to-day and long term training and preparation for athletes.
Although Robert works predominantly in track cycling, Robert has supported athletes across a range of disciplines. Robert originally comes from Yorkshire, England, and is always looking for opportunities to ride bikes!
