Track cycling is a high-speed, adrenaline-fueled sport that takes place in a specially designed venue known as a velodrome. Unlike road cycling, which occurs on open roads and involves long-distance races, track cycling is performed on a smooth, oval track with steeply banked sides. The sport is characterized by its unique bikes, lack of brakes, and the explosive power required to compete. Track cycling is a true test of speed, strategy, and endurance, making it one of the most exciting forms of competitive cycling.
Main Centres
Track cycling is particularly popular in Europe, notably Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom where it is often used as off-season training by road racers who can frequently be seen at professional six-day events.
In the United States, track racing reached a peak of popularity in the 1930s when six-day races were held in Madison Square Garden in New York. The word “Madison” is still used as the name for a type of race.
In Japan, the keirin race format is a very popular betting sport. The sport is well-regarded, and riders are extensively trained through the Japanese Keirin School.
Major Competitive Events
Olympic Games
There were six events in track cycling at the Olympics in 2024: team sprint, match sprint, keirin, omnium, team pursuit, and Madison.The Madison was added in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics held in 2021;the other races had been held in previous Games. There are separate races of each type for men and women;until the 2012 Summer Olympics there were fewer events for women.
World Cup
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup series consists of six meetings, held in different countries beginning annually in October, and finishing in January.These meetings include 17 of the 19 events (excluding the omnium for men and women) that take place in a World Championship over three days.
Events won and points scored by the riders throughout this series count towards qualification places individually and for their nation in the World Championships at the end of the season. The overall leader in each event may wear a white points leaders jersey at each race, with the overall winner at the end of the season may keep the jersey and wear it at the World Championships.Riders compete for either national teams or trade teams, though the future of trade teams is unknown after controversial decisions by the UCI to eliminate World Cup events, and replace them with Nation’s Cup events.
Gender in Track Cycling
Women’s track cycling was only introduced as an Olympic sport in 1988, and women were not permitted to compete in the same number of events as men until 2012.Though men and women currently compete in the same number of events, there are still significant differences between men’s and women’s races of the same type. For example, in the team sprint, men race three riders over three laps, whereas women race two riders over two laps, and men’s individual pursuit is a 4 km race and women only race 3 km.It is also the case that women race shorter distances than men in mass start events such as stand-alone scratch and points races, and omnium events.
In many cycling sports, women raced shorter distances, are paid less, and receive less air-time.It was not until 2018 that the UCI mandated minimum wages for women’s cycling at all.It is unclear how this will impact female track cyclists, as track cycling is generally not an athlete’s primary source of income (rather they are road cyclists selected for specific events by their national team). There is no talk of changing race distances to create gender parity in time for the 2020 Olympics.
In 2018, Veronica Ivy (then known as Rachel McKinnon) became the first transgender World Champion in any sport, with a victory in the Masters Women Age 35-44 age category.In 2019, Ivy became a repeat champion in the same discipline. Though met with some criticism, Ivy holds her title as transgender athletes are permitted to compete as per the International Olympic Committee.
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Riding Position
Aerodynamic drag is a significant factor in both road and track racing.[26] Frames are often constructed of moulded carbon fiber, for a lightweight design. More recently, track bikes have employed airfoil designs on the tubes of the frame to reduce aerodynamic drag.
Given the importance of aerodynamics, the riders’ sitting position becomes extremely important. The riding position is similar to the road racing position, but is ultimately dependent on the frame geometry of the bicycle and the handlebars used. Handlebars on track bikes used for longer events such as the points race are similar to the drop bars found on road bicycles. However, in the sprint event the rider’s position is more extreme compared with a road rider. The bars are lower and the saddle is higher and more forward. Bars are often narrower with adeeper drop. Carbon fiber bars of many shapes, as opposed to lighter alloys, are used by many riders for their higher stiffness and durability.
In timed events such as the pursuit and the time trial, riders often use aerobars or ‘triathlon bars’ similar to those found on road time trial bicycles, allowing the rider to position the arms closer together in front of the body. This results in a more horizontal back and presents the minimum frontal area to reduce drag. Aerobars can be separate bars that are attached to time trial or bull horn bars, or they can be part of a one-piece monocoque design. Use of aerobars is permitted only in pursuit and time trial events.
Conclusion
Why not give track cycling a try? Many velodromes offer taster sessions for beginners, providing a safe and controlled environment to learn the basics. If you’re more of a spectator, check out the calendar of events at your nearest velodrome and experience the thrill of live track cycling. Whether you’re riding or watching, track cycling is a sport that promises excitement and entertainment at every turn.