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Countries	Athletes	Events
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Schedule & Results

Cycling Track

Daily Calendar

Event

Date		Event		Status

WRWorld Record
OROlympic Record

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About

Key Facts
Rules
30-Second Expert

Aim of the game

Cyclists compete to achieve the fastest times on an oval-shaped 250m wooden track

Why should you watch this?

With aerodynamically clad athletes in hot pursuit of each other on super-fast high-tech bikes, with no brakes, track cycling is pure adrenaline!

Venues

Rio Olympic Velodrome

International Federation

UCI

Olympic debut

Athens 1896

Breakaway

When an individual cyclist or small group opens up a gap ahead of the pack (or peloton) to get ahead in time or find more space
Derny

The electric bike that sets the pace and creates a slipstream for the cyclists in the keirin event – it is named after its creator, Frenchman Roger Derny
Flyer

A surprise attack of pace, usually by a single competitor

Impress your friends

The first velodromes were built in Europe for athletes to train in during the winter months
Cycling has featured in every Olympics of the modern era (1896), though women did not compete until they entered the sprint events at Seoul 1988
At the London 2012 Games, Great Britain's Sir Chris Hoy said goodbye in grand style by winning two gold medals, taking his total to six golds and one silver
At London 2012, Australia's Anna Meares thrilled spectators by ending Britain's dominance of the women's sprint, beating the host's champion, Victoria Pendleton
Great Britain currently dominates tracks cycling: at London 2012, they won 7 of the 10 golds awarded, and only missed out on a medal in the women's team sprint
Britain's Laura Trott is one of the leading lights in the new generation of track cyclists and won two gold medals at London 2012, when she was just 20
Team-mates change positions in team events in order to share the advantage of riding in the slipstream of the leader – and the burden of leading
The ends of the track are banked so that the curves can be ridden safely at high speeds
Track cyclists use 'fixed gear' bikes – the pedals always rotate when the bike is moving, making it impossible to 'free-wheel' and difficult to clip on and off your shoes

Sprint

Only the last 200m of the 1000m total are timed, resulting in explosive bursts of speed in the last few seconds. Athletes compete on a one-versus-one basis, with the first across the line going through to the next phase.

Team sprint

Competing teams start on opposite sides of the velodrome. Men's teams consist of three riders who start the three-lap race together. Each lap must be led by a different team member, who drops out at the end of his lead lap. Women's races have the same format, but are contested over two laps by teams of two cyclists.

Team pursuit

Competing teams of four riders start on opposite sides of the velodrome. The team that completes 4000m in the shortest time goes through to the next phase. In the final, if one team catches up with the other, the race finishes.

Keirin

An electric bike sets the pace at the front of the pack and cannot be overtaken. In the final 700m, the pacer leaves the track and the athletes race as fast as they can to the finish line.

Omnium

Known as the decathlon or heptathlon of cycling, with riders competing in six disciplines that demand both power and endurance: a flying lap time trial, points race, elimination race, individual pursuit, scratch race and time trial. The athlete who accumulates the highest points total is the winner.

Track

Blue Band: there’s a arm-up area inside the track, prohibited territory during races

Sprinter's Lane: the space between the black 'measurement line' and the red line is the shortest path around the circuit, known as the sprinter's lane. In this lane, overtaking on the left (inside) is not allowed.

Bikes

Lightweight and robust, the bikes are designed to reach maximum speed as quickly as possible. They have one gear and no brakes, which means that any sudden change in direction or speed can result in a crash.

Cyclists wear spandex outfits and aerodynamic helmets because every smoothed corner and non-resistant fibre helps when you're out to knock a thousandth of a second off your time.