Track Racing Disciplines
(Text copied from Wikipedia and freshened by me)
Use the links below to learn more about the different types of track racing disciplines:
A handicap race is similar to a Scratch Race, in that it's a mass-start race, contested over a fixed number of laps (usually 5 laps), and the first person across the finish line wins. However in the handicap race, competitors are split into at least two groups according to their ability. Usually this is just a "faster" group and a "slower" group. The slower group is givin a head start of about half of one lap, and then the faster group is allowed to start. The faster group has 5 laps to catch the slower group, and the slower group tries to stay in front for the 5 laps.
This is a great race because it allows different levels of racers to compete simultaneously. It's great training, and there's different tactics to employ depending on which group you end up in.
The keirin is a mass-start race in which 6 to 9 sprinters compete together with a motorpaced start. Riders draw lots to determine starting positions and start as the pacer (which could be a motorcycle, a derny, or a tandem bicycle, for example) approaches. The riders are required to remain behind the pacer, which starts at the deliberately slow speed of about 25 km/h, gradually increasing in speed and leaves the track approximately 600-700 meters before the end, at a speed of about 50 km/h. The first cyclist to finish the race is the winner (sometimes finishing at 70 km/h). Keirin races are about 2 kilometers in length (8 laps on a 250m track, 6 laps on a 333m track, and 5 laps on a 400m track).
In competitions, this event is often conducted in several rounds in order to reduce the number of competitors to one "final" round of 6-9 riders. Eliminated cyclists may get the opportunity try again in the repechages.
Keirin began in 1948 in Japan, and has become very popular there as a betting sport. In 1957, the Japanese Keirin Association was founded to establish a uniform system of standards for the sport in Japan. Japanese cyclists do not usually feature in the medal contenders for this event at international championships, largely due to the fact that the Japanese keirin circuit is more lucrative and prestigious for the Japanese than are competitions such as the world championships and the Olympic Games. Koichi Nakano was one of the first Japanese keirin riders to compete outside Japan.
Aspiring professional keirin riders in Japan compete for entrance into the Japan Keirin School. The 10 per cent of applicants who are accepted then undergo a strict, 15-hours per day, training regime. Those who pass the graduation exams, and are approved by the Nihon Jitensha Shinkokai become eligible for professional keirin races in Japan.
Keirin racing became an event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in 2000 at Sydney, Australia.
The 1 Kilometer TT or "Kilo" as it's often called is one of the most difficult events in all of track racing. It demands sprint ability, endurance, and technique all at the same time. It is conducted from a standing start, over 4 laps of a 250M track, or 3 laps of a 333M track. This race is also referred to as the "Killer-meter" for reasons that are obvious to anyone who has ever done a Kilo. The most often repeated sentiment is "After the race, if you have enough energy to get off the bike without help, then you didn't work hard enough".
The Madison is an event in track cycling, named after Madison Square Garden in New York, and known as the "American race" in French (course à l'américaine).
The race format is a variation of the points race. Teams of two (seldom three) compete, but only one rider needs to be racing at any stage. Periodically, the teams change riders by "tagging" their teammates, usually performing slingshot action with linked hands to transfer as much of their momentum as possible to the racing rider, though a team-mate may also be propelled into the race by a push of the rider's racing shorts. The non-racing team-mate then moves to the top of the circular banked track to recover before his next stint.
Team pairs are ranked according to laps gained or lost on their opposition and by points obtained by performing well in sprints which occur periodically during the race and are signalled by a bell on the preceding lap.
The match sprint is a one-on-one track race involving opponents who, unlike in the individual pursuit, start next to each other.
At major championships, the title is decided on a 'best of three races' format. The initial races may involve more than two riders, with the winners automatically advancing to the next round while the losing riders get a second chance by competing in repechage races.
The early parts of each race will often be highly tactical with riders pedaling slowly, as they carefully watch each other and try to get their rivals to make the first move. Some even bring their bicycles to a complete stop, balanced upright with both feet still on the pedals (a track stand), in an attempt to make the other rider take the lead. The reason for this apparently strange behavior, like in many track cycling events, is aerodynamics.
When racing at high speed, the rider who manages to stay just behind their opponent can draft off of the other rider, expending up to 30% less effort. Just before the finish, the trailing rider pulls out of the slipstream, and using their fresher legs may be able to overtake their opponent. Some riders choose to accelerate quickly before the last lap, hoping to catch their opponents unaware and establish a large enough gap to negate the aerodynamic effect!
Only the last 200m is actually timed. The final 200m is measured along a 'sprint line' close to the inside edge of the track. The 'lead out' rider will often hug this line forcing his opponent to come the long way round; he is not allowed to swing significantly off this line and deliberately impede his opponent.
Miss and Out or "Devil Take the Hindmost" is a mass-start race. It is not a World Championship or Olympic discipline but is a popular event for both spectators and riders at track meetings at a lower level and is usually incorporated into Six-Day races.
The race is run for individual competitors or, more rarely, for teams of two relaying each other as in the Madison; field sizes are up to the maximum permitted for the track in question. The main feature of the event is that every lap, or every X laps (with sprint laps generally announced by the lap bell or a whistle), the last rider or X riders to cross the line is eliminated from the race, until a predetermined number of riders remain to fight out a final sprint for the win on normal lines. The parameters can be adapted to suit the desired race length, the track size and the size of the field. A rarer variant for a smaller field is to give each rider or team a number of 'lives' which are lost when crossing the line in the last position, with riders only eliminated when all their lives are lost.
Tactically, the real racing in a devil tends to happen at the back of the field - attacks on the front are rare and not really in the spirit of the race. With riders who are safely at the front riding relatively steadily and those behind moving up and around on the elimination laps to try and find a safe spot, the race favours riders with a certain amount of nerve and track-craft; it is sometimes safer (and more entertaining) to ride from the back where you can see what is going on, than to try and hide in the middle of the bunch only to be eliminated when all the riders behind you suddenly find gaps to get past you. This telescoping of the field does mean that crashes are more common than in some other related types of racing, especially among inexperienced riders.
A rider playing "The Devil" is one who sits in the back of the pack until just before the finish line in which he tries to sprint around the top of the pack so as not to be the last rider across the line.
Another type of devil is a more uncommon one and called a "red and blue line" devil. It follows the same rules as a normal devil except for a few changes. The riders must stay within the red and blue lines on the track until the final lap. If you ride outside (or get pushed outside) of the red or blue line you have to go to the back of the group. Due to the limited space crashes are more common than even the normal devil.
The Team Sprint / Olympic Sprint is a track cycling event. Despite its name it is not a conventional cycling sprint event. Rather it is a three-man team time trial held over three laps of a velodrome. It was first introduced into championship racing in 1996.
Like the team pursuit event, two teams race against each other, starting on opposite sides of the track. At the end of the first lap, the leading rider in each team pulls up the banking leaving the second rider to lead for the next lap; at the end of the second lap, the second rider does the same, leaving the third rider to complete the last lap on his own. The team with the fastest time is the winner.
The third rider needs good endurance qualities to maintain high speed to the finish. Kilometre track time trial specialists are usually chosen for this role. The first rider obviously need to be the best starter of the three, but he must be careful not to go so fast as to "drop" the other two riders at the start. If this happens, the other two riders need to spend extra energy just to get back onto the first rider's wheel.
A Points Race is a mass-start race with many riders on the track simultaneously. It is an Olympic event.
Points racing is largely an endurance event, with a sprinting aspect as well. Points are awarded to the first five finishers of each intermediate sprint. The intermediate sprints are usually once every ten laps on a 250m track, or more often on bigger tracks. At Brian Piccolo, we sprint once every five laps. The winner of the race is the person who accumulates the most points and is on the leading lap. Sometimes laps will not take automatic precedence, and instead 20 points are awarded to a rider who gains a lap on the rest of the field.
Because a large group of riders has an aerodynamic advantage over riders on their own or in a small group, races typically proceed with most riders in a large bunch and then sprinting at each point-scoring interval (often assisted by teammates, who expend energy to aerodynamically "tow" their colleagues to the front of the pack, then peel off to let them sprint for the line). However, the points race also offers opportunities for riders who cannot sprint as fast but can maintain a high speed for some distance, as they - either individually or in small groups - attempt to break away from the main field.
With so many competing riders on a relatively small track all sticking closely together to gain optimum aerodynamic advantage, crashes are not uncommon. Similarly, because of the large numbers of racers involved, abject confusion on the part of the viewer is not uncommon, either.
The points race (because of its length) is not usually held in an omnium track race (unless it is a shortened distance). This means cyclists often have to go to larger events to take part in a major points race. Cyclists determine position in a points race whilst riding at high speeds around a banked track with 30 or more riders.
The individual pursuit is an event where two cyclists begin their race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track. If one cyclist manages to catch the other, the successful pursuer is declared the winner. Otherwise, the first one to complete the required distance (usually 4000 metres for men, 3000 metres for women) is declared the winner.
Competitions are decided on a knock-out format, where the competitors with the best recent results seeded so that they do not meet each other until later rounds.
Notable performers in this discipline include:
The team pursuit is an event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of four riders, compete. The riders start on opposite sides of the velodrome. The objective is to catch and overtake the other team, but most events are decided on the fastest time over the race distance, normally 4,000 meters.
Riders in a team follow each other very closely in line to minimise total drag, and periodically the lead rider in the team (who works the hardest) will peel off the front, swing up the track banking and join the "train" of riders at the rear of the team. Since the winning team is decided by whichever team's third rider crosses the line first, it is common for one rider in the team to do more than their share of the front position in the first part of the race, then drop out towards the end. The remaining three riders stay together and complete the race.
In the team pursuit it is imperative to keep these remaining three riders together. If one of the remaining three cannot maintain the pace and drops off the back of the group, it does not matter how fast the other two riders are going because the time is taken on the third rider, who is "dropped" in our example.
A Scratch Race is a race in which all contestants start from scratch (on equal terms). If one or more riders gains an entire lap on the peloton and keeps this to the finish, this advantage places them ahead of the other riders with less laps completed.
On the track, scratch races can be over various distances e.g.
Commonwealth Games - 20 km
British Championships - 15 km
UCI Track World Championships - Elite man - 15 km
Since 2002 the scratch race is part of the UCI track world championships
