Competition Format

Only track and road events were held in Delhi 2010. Across the two disciplines there were a total of 18 gold medals contested. In Glasgow Mountain Bike Cross-Country will also be held.

Cycling - Track

The track cycling programme consists of short, medium and long-distance events, where speed, endurance and tactics are all important factors in gaining the victory.

The track, referred to as a velodrome, is a wooden oval consisting of two straights and two bends. The tilt of the track on the straight is 12 degrees and on the bends it can be as much as 40 to 42 degrees. The total length of the track is 250m.

The track competition involved 14 events held across four days and will include team and individual competition:

  • Sprint - Men & Women
  • Team Sprint - Men & Women
  • 500m Time Trial - Women
  • 1000m Time Trial (Kilo) - Men
  • 3000m Individual Pursuit - Women
  • 4000m Individual Pursuit - Men
  • 4000m Team Pursuit - Men
  • 10km Scratch Race - Women
  • 20km Scratch Race - Men
  • 25km Points Race - Women
  • 40km Points Race - Men
  • Keirin - Men

Track events can be split into two main types: sprint events, which generally last for less than two minutes and endurance events which can be up to 40km in length.

Sprint
Simple head-to-head sprinting between two riders over three laps of the track. At the highest level there is usually a qualifying 200m flying start time trial to organise the seeding. From then on there are a series of knockout rounds leading to quarter-finals, semis and the final. These latter rounds are usually ridden on a best of three basis.

Team Sprint
Three man teams ride three laps of the track (750m on Olympic standard 250m Tracks). After the first lap, the first rider peels off and plays no further part in the race. After the second lap the second rider also pulls off, leaving the third rider to complete the event and record the team's time. Technically demanding, the aim is for the first two riders to shield and slipstream the third rider for two laps (slipstreaming can save up to 30% of energy) leaving them relatively fresh for the last lap. Usually ridden two teams at a time (starting opposite sides of the track) with a qualifying round, with the four fastest winning teams going through to the finals for gold/silver and bronze.

Kilometre Time Trial(500m for women)
A time trial against the clock, ridden from a standing start. No qualifying rounds, make this a high-pressure, one-chance event.

Individual Pursuit
The ultimate head-to-head endurance race. Riders begin from a standing start in pairs on opposite sides of the track and literally "pursue" each other for 4000m (3000m for women). There is usually a qualifying round from which the fastest riders progress to ride off for places in the gold/silver and bronze finals. In the finals, the fastest rider wins, unless one rider is caught by the other, at which point the race is over.

Team Pursuit
Team version of the 4000m individual pursuit. A male only discipline. The major difference to the individual version is that the four riders share the workload, with the lead rider staying at the front for only a lap or so before swinging up the track (right) and re-joining the four man line at the back. A technical event, team-mates often ride only centimetres apart to maximise slipstreaming effects. Times are taken on the third rider of the team to cross the line: the slowest rider in a team often sacrifices himself in later stages of the event and pulls up the track to let his team-mates complete the race without him.

Scratch Race
A simple bunch race over 20km with the first over the line the winner. Tactical moves include lapping the field. Riders with endurance but poor sprinting abilities will favour this tactic, whilst riders with a powerful sprint will favour saving their efforts to the very end.

Points Race
A bunch race (20-30 riders) over 40km (men) and 25km (women). Riders aim to gain points, with the highest score winning the event. Points can be scored at intermediate sprints, often every 10, 20 or 25 laps. Points can also be scored by lapping the field. A very tactical event, with alliances being formed and broken and dramatic attacks being chased down by the field. Requires speed, stamina, the ability to sprint quickly to grab points and a cool head.

Keirin
The Keirin (Japanese for "fight") is a race in which riders sprint for the line after completing a series of laps behind a single motorbike pacer (derny). The pacer gradually builds up speed, with riders jockeying for position behind (riders must not pass the "derny" until it pulls off). The derny pulls onto the track infield with two and a half laps to go and from then on it's a free-for-all to the line. Tactical and often very physical, it's a great spectator event.

Cycling - Road

The two road race events for both men and women will follow the track programme.

Road cycling takes place on public roads, with courses that contain uphills and downhills as well as straight stretches and technically difficult turns.

Road Race
The men’s road race in Delhi covered 167km and the women’s covered 100km. This is a race coupling endurance with technique and tactics. The cyclists in each class start together and the first person to finish wins. Competitors are permitted to consume food and liquids during the race: these are supplied at specific points on the course at the so-called “team boxes”. In the event of a mechanical problem there are similar provisions for technical help to the cyclist, in addition to neutral service vehicles which follow the riders.

Individual Time Trial
The men’s individual time trial covered 40km; the women race 29km. Cyclists start from the starting line one by one at 90-second intervals, and compete against the clock, the winner being the competitor with the best time. In this discipline weather conditions (wind volume and direction, temperature, humidity etc.) play an important part.