Cycle sport

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"Bike racing" redirects here. Not to be confused with Motorbike racing.
"Bicycle race" redirects here. For the Queen song, see Bicycle Race. For the
magazine, see Cycle Sport (magazine).

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Cyclists in the 2021 Giro d'Italia race.

Cycle-racing has a long history.

In many European countries, bicycle racing is a source of national pride: German

Democratic Republic postage stamp depicting Gustav-Adolf Schur, 1960

The final stage in Australia's Tour of Gippsland climbing up "The Gap" to Omeo

The peloton of the Tour de France

OP Grand Prix, a one-hour cycling competition in Porvoo, Finland, on June 11th 2005
Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several
categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain
bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports
include artistic cycling, cycle polo, freestyle BMX and mountain bike trials. The
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling and
international competitive cycling events. The International Human Powered Vehicle
Association is the governing body for human-powered vehicles that imposes far fewer
restrictions on their design than does the UCI. The UltraMarathon Cycling
Association is the governing body for many ultra-distance cycling races.

Bicycle racing is recognised as an Olympic sport. Bicycle races are popular all
over the world, especially in Europe. The countries most devoted to bicycle racing
include Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and
Switzerland.[1] Other countries with international standing include Australia,
Luxembourg, United Kingdom, United States and Colombia.

Contents
1 History
2 Racing
2.1 Road bicycle
2.2 Track cycling
2.3 Cyclo-cross
2.4 Mountain bike
2.5 BMX
2.6 Cycle speedway
2.7 Motor-paced racing
2.8 Gravel racing
2.9 Average speeds
3 Non-racing disciplines
3.1 Mountain bike trials
3.2 Freestyle BMX
3.3 Artistic cycling
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
History
Main article: History of cycling
The first bicycle race is popularly held to have been a 1,200 meter race on the 31
May 1868 at the Parc de Saint-Cloud, Paris.[2] It was won by expatriate Englishman
James Moore who rode a wooden bicycle with solid rubber tires.[3] The machine is
now on display at the museum in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.

The Union Cycliste Internationale was founded on 14 April 1900 by Belgium, the
United States, France, Italy, and Switzerland to replace the International Cycling
Association, which had been formed in 1892, over a row with Great Britain as well
as because of other issues.

Since the rise of the Olympic Movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics, cycling has
been a contestant event in every Summer Olympic Games.[4]

Racing
Road bicycle
Main article: Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing involve both team and individual competition, and races are
contested in various ways. They range from the one-day road race, criterium, and
time trial to multi-stage events like the Tour de France and its sister events
which make up cycling's Grand Tours.

The races typically take place from spring through to autumn. Many riders from the
northern hemisphere spend the winter in countries such as Australia, to compete or
train. Professional races range from the three-week "Grand Tour" stage races such
as the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España to multi-day stage
races such as the Tour de Suisse and Tour of California, to single day "Classics"
such as the Tour of Flanders and Milan–San Remo. The longest one-day road race
sanctioned by USA Cycling is Lotoja which covers the 206 miles (332 km) from Logan,
Utah to Jackson, Wyoming. Criteriums are races based on circuits typically less
than a mile in length and sometimes run for a set time (60 min, 90 min, etc.)
rather than a specific distance. Criteriums are the most popular form of road
racing in North America.[5] In Belgium, kermesses are popular, single-day events of
usually over 120 km. As well as road races in which all riders start
simultaneously, individual time trial and team time trial events are also held on
road-based courses.

Track cycling
Main article: Track cycling
Track cycling has been around since as early as 1870.[6] The riders competed on
wooden indoor tracks that closely resembled the modern velodromes of today. Unlike
road racing, which is dependent on environmental factors, indoor tracks ensure the
sport can be competed all year round.

It encompasses races that take place on banked tracks or velodromes. Events are
quite diverse and can range from individual and team pursuits, two-man sprints, to
various group and mass start races. Competitors use track bicycles which do not
have brakes or freewheels.

Cyclo-cross
Main article: Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross originated as a sport for road racers during the off season, to vary
their training during the cold months. Races typically take place in the autumn and
winter (the international or World Cup season is September–January) and consist of
many laps of a 2–3 km or 1–2 mile course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass,
steep hills, and obstacles requiring the rider to dismount, carry the bike and
remount in one motion. Races for senior categories are generally between 30 minutes
and an hour long, the distance varying depending on the conditions. The sport is
strongest in traditional road cycling countries such as Belgium (Flanders in
particular) and France.

Mountain bike
Main article: Mountain bike racing
Mountain bike races are held off-road and involve moderate to high degree of
technical riding. There are several varieties; the main categories are cross-
country, enduro and downhill but also 4X or four cross racing.

BMX
Main article: BMX
BMX takes place off-road. BMX races are sprints on purpose-built off-road single-
lap tracks typically on single-gear bicycles. Riders navigate a dirt course of
jumps and banked and flat corners.

Cycle speedway
Main article: Cycle speedway
Cycle speedway is bicycle racing on short outdoor dirt tracks, 70–90 m in length.

Motor-paced racing
Main article: Motor-paced racing
Motor-paced racing and Keirin use motorcycles for pacing so cyclists achieve higher
speeds.

Gravel racing
Main article: Gravel cycling
Gravel racing is one of the newest disciplines of bicycle racing, emerging in the
21st century. For example, one of the premiere gravel races, Unbound Gravel,
started in 2006.[7] Some precursors to gravel racing in its current form include
road races like the Tour of the Battenkill and Boulder-Roubaix (named after Paris -
Roubaix) which are road races with gravel sections. The distinguishing features of
gravel racing include long distances, often 100 to 200 miles, and mass starts that
include all categories of racers, similar to Gran Fondo rides. The bicycles and
courses in gravel racing vary widely, from road bicycles with wide tires used on
smooth gravel roads to bicycles that are similar to mountain bike used on courses
that include technical trails.

Average speeds
Speeds achieved on indoor tracks are usually greater than those on roads. Other
factors affecting speed are the route profile (flats and hills), wind conditions,
temperatures and elevation. At a 2013 event in Mexico, François Pervis achieved an
average of 21.40 metres per second (77.0 km/h; 47.9 mph) with a flying start over
200 meters. The top average speed over the men's 1 km time trial at the 2004 Summer
Olympics was 16.4 metres per second (59 km/h; 37 mph) recorded by Chris Hoy.
Average speeds clearly drop with increasing distance, so that over the 120 km
Cootamundra Annual Classic it is 11.8 metres per second (42 km/h; 26 mph). In the
259 km 2010 Paris-Roubaix, Fabian Cancellara set a speed of 10.9 metres per second
(39 km/h; 24 mph), while over the 818 km Furnace Creek 508, the speed drops
dramatically to 8.3 metres per second (30 km/h; 19 mph). For an extreme road
distance such as the 4800 km Race Across America, the average speed of the record
holder is 5.7 metres per second (21 km/h; 13 mph), while the 2350 km Freedom Trail
over mountainous terrain in South Africa is at a record speed of 1.9 metres per
second (6.8 km/h; 4.3 mph).

Non-racing disciplines
[icon]
This section needs expansion with: Cycle polo. You can help by adding to it. (June
2017)
Mountain bike trials
Mountain bike trials is a sport where riders navigate natural and man-made
obstacles without putting down their foot, or "dabbing". It is similar to
motorcycle trials. Points are awarded for bike handling skills.

Freestyle BMX
Freestyle BMX is an extreme sport of stunt riding BMX bikes.

Artistic cycling
Artistic cycling is a discipline where athletes perform tricks (called exercises)
in a format similar to ballet or gymnastics.

See also
Portal:
Sports
2018 European Cycling Championships
Alleycat races
Cycling
Dirt jumping
Downhill mountain biking
Freestyle BMX
Glossary of cycling
History of cycling
List of doping cases in cycling
List of racing cyclists and pacemakers with a cycling-related death
Mountain bike trials
Mountain biking
Outline of cycling
The Cyclists' Alliance
References
Co, Copenhagenize Design. "The 20 Most Bike-Friendly Cities on the Planet,
Ranked". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
"cycling | sport | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
Maso, B; Horn, M, Translator (2005). The sweat of the gods: myths and legends of
bicycle racing. Norwich, England: Mousehold Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 1-874739-37-4.
{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
Torres-Davis, Rosael (2021-07-30). "Compared to Other Disciplines, Track Cycling
Involves the Most Strategy". Bicycling. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
"Road Bicycle Racing". Bicycle Racing. Archived from the original on 2017-08-04.
Retrieved 2017-08-04.
"Cycling Track".
Ostanek, Daniel (16 June 2020). "Top 10 gravel races in the USA". Cyclingnews.
Retrieved 11 August 2021.
External links

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