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Union Cycliste Internationale

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Motor-paced racing and motor-paced cycling refer to cycling behind a pacer in a car or more usually on a motorcycle. The cyclist (or stayer in this case) follows as close as they can to benefit from the slipstream of their pacer. The first paced races were behind other cyclists, sometimes as many as five riders on the same tandem. Bordeaux-Paris and record attempts have been ridden behind cars. More usually races or training are behind motorcycles.

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68-479: The Union Cycliste Internationale ( French pronunciation: [ynjɔ̃ siklist ɛ̃tɛʁnɑsjɔnal] ; UCI ; English: International Cycling Union ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle , Switzerland. The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces disciplinary rules, such as in matters of doping . The UCI also manages

136-618: A 4 + 1 ⁄ 2  bhp (4.6 PS) motorcycle to pace him to 37 miles 196 yards (59.725 km) in a private test at The Crystal Palace , south London, in July 1900 but riders in the USA and in Paris had already done better. Some races mixed pacing with solo bicycles, tandem and motorcycle, with the riders given different start points in compensation. Bordeaux–Paris , a race of nearly 600 km (370 mi) from south-west France to

204-556: A 130-tooth chainring and wooden rims. Fred Rompelberg , using a dragster with a large shield as pacer, achieved 268.831 km/h (167.044 mph) on the Bonneville Salt Flats on 15 October 1995. The British absolute speed record is held by Neil Campbell, pedaling at a speed of 183.75 km/h (114.18 mph) on 25 April 2016 behind a modified Volkswagen Passat . He broke the previous record of 181.76 km/h (112.94 mph) set by Guy Martin in 2013 behind

272-473: A Dunlop quintuplet on 27 September 1897. The pacing tandems were ridden by professionals, of whom as many as 100 were under contract. Each competitor had six to eight pacing teams for races between 50 and 100 miles (80 and 160 km). Speeds rose when engines were added to pacing tandems. Arthur Chase and the Frenchman Émile Bouhours set English records behind powered tandems in 1898 and 1899. Chase used

340-571: A certain group, such as the Catholic or Jewish sports groups. General sports organizations and multi-sport events also exist for other groups such as the Invictus Games for military veterans. Professional sports leagues are usually the highest level of play in sport, specifically if they consist of the best players around the world in a certain sport. Because of this, they usually work with national or international federations, but there

408-574: A championship or series of championships was required to pay the UCI 30 per cent of ticket receipts from the track and 10 per cent from the road. Of this, the UCI kept 30 per cent and gave the rest to competing nations in proportion to the number of events in which it competed. The highest gate money in this pre-war era was 600 000 francs in Paris in 1903. There were originally five championships: amateur and professional sprint, amateur and professional road race, and professional Motor-paced racing . The road race

476-499: A congress or general assembly of the international federation and is responsible for defining its sports policies. It consists of all of the national federations, each of which receives one vote. On the other hand, the executive branch, which is often referred to as the council or executive committee, consists of elected members by the legislative branch and is responsible for directing, managing, and representing their federation. Trusts are organizations or groups that have control over

544-466: A crash in front of 10 000 spectators at Boston, Massachusetts, USA. His rear tire exploded at 100 km/h (62 mph) and he was thrown under another rider's pacing machine, which "crushed the prostrate man in a dreadful manner." George Leander of Chicago said, "Only the clumsy get themselves killed" before starting a race at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Leander was thrown five metres (16 ft) into

612-540: A group of similar sport disciplines, such as aquatics or skiing ) and administers its sport at the highest level. These federations work to create a common set of rules, promote their sport, and organize international competitions. International sports federations represent their sport at the Olympic level where applicable. About 30 international sport federations are located in Switzerland , with about 20 or so in

680-743: A legal defense fund was set up to assist him. Under approval of the UCI, the Free Rate Downhill Race took place in May 2015 on Crimea , an internationally recognised Ukrainian territory that was annexed by the Russian Federation in March 2014. By officially overseeing an international competition with Russian license on the Ukrainian peninsula, the UCI was the first and only international sports governing body which undermined

748-506: A modified racing truck. Denise Mueller-Korenek claimed a women's bicycle land speed record at 147 mph (237 km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats on 12 September 2016. Mueller was coached by former record holder John Howard. It is not clear which authority was supervising the record attempt. On 16 September 2018, again at Bonneville, she took the world record with a top speed of 183.93 mph (296 km/h) behind

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816-477: A new women's paced hour record of 43.461 at Vélodrome Buffalo. The first hour record behind a motorcycle was set at 34 miles (55 km) by Harry Elkes of the USA in 1898. He rode behind a motor-powered tandem. The first record behind a pure motorcycle was 68 km (42 mi) by Tom Linton of Britain at the Parc des Princes track in northwest Paris in 1902. The speed increased but records become more hazy because some were made under restrictions imposed by

884-584: A particular sport, as evident in the example of the Northern Ireland Federation of Sub-Aqua Clubs . Multi-sport event organizers are responsible for the organization of an event that includes more than one sport. The best-known example is the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the organizer of the modern Olympic Games . General sports organizations are responsible for sports-related topics, usually for

952-442: A process to review and allow Russian and Belarusian riders to participant UCI events under Individual neutral athlete. The UCI organises cycling's world championships, administration of which it gives to member nations. The first championships were on the road and on the track. They were allocated originally to member nations in turn, on condition the country was deemed competent and that it could guarantee ticket sales. A nation given

1020-780: A role coordinating both bodies. The FIAC was based in Rome , the FICP in Luxembourg, and the UCI in Geneva . The FIAC was the bigger of the two organisations, with 127 member federations across all five continents. It was dominated by the countries of the Eastern Bloc which were amateur. The FIAC arranged representation of cycling at the Olympic Games , and FIAC cyclists competed against FICP members on only rare occasions. In 1992,

1088-403: A roller on a frame at the rear to create a uniform distance to the cyclist. Some riders objected when the UCI insisted on them in 1920. The pacer stands or sits upright to offer a maximum windbreak , and the handlebars are extended to facilitate the stance, in a standardized leather suit that allows for the same slipstream effect for any rider. Speeds of 100 km/h (62 mph) can be reached;

1156-566: A season-long competition of elite-level. The UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships for men and women offers individual and team championships in several track cycling disciplines. Each UCI-sponsored event feeds into the season-long competition known as the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup . In addition, a series of single-day events are held each year to determine the Cyclo-cross World Champion at

1224-577: A team in the minor leagues . This enables them to shuffle players who are not doing well to the minor leagues, which will inspire them to contribute more to the team by playing better. A 2014 study by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) criticized major international sports governing bodies including the International Olympic Committee and FIFA for not having sufficient provisions for human and labor rights. Motor-paced racing Cyclists started to use tandem bicycles as pacers in

1292-469: A type of national federation, as they are responsible for a country's participation in the Olympic Games and in the Paralympic Games respectively. However, a national governing body (NGB) can be different from a national federation due to government recognition requirements. Also, national governing bodies can be a supraorganization representing a range of unrelated organizations operating in

1360-402: Is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sports governing bodies come in various forms and have a variety of regulatory functions, including disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport that they govern. Governing bodies have different scopes. They may cover a range of sport at an internationally acceptable level, such as

1428-500: Is the most important international event for boys and girls under 16 years old, the first edition of which took place in 2000. The UCI sponsors world championships for artistic cycling and cycle ball at an annual event known as the UCI Indoor Cycling World Championships . The national federations form confederations by continent : Sport governing body A sports governing body

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1496-494: Is usually a separation between the different federations. Most North American professional leagues usually do not have amateur divisions, as the amateur divisions are mostly run in separate leagues. Also, most professional leagues are related to other leagues, as players usually attempt to play in the league with the highest level of play. Because of this, promotion and relegation can occur; or, in league systems without promotion and relegation, clubs in professional leagues can have

1564-564: The International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee , or only a single sport at a national level, such as the Rugby Football League . National bodies will largely have to be affiliated with international bodies for the same sport. The first international federations were formed at the end of the 19th century. Every sport has a different governing body that can define

1632-622: The Lausanne area, where the International Olympic Committee is located. International federations for sports that do not participate in the Olympic Games are managed by equivalent organizations to the International Olympic Committee , such as the SportAccord . International federations are typically organized with legislative and executive branches at the top. The legislative body is usually referred to as

1700-564: The UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships . In mountain bike racing , the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships is the most important and prestigious competition each year. This includes the disciplines of cross-country and downhill . In addition, this event consists of world championship events for bike trials riding . In 2012 the first cross-country eliminator world championship

1768-729: The UCI Women's WorldTeams , who are invited to all UCI World Tour races. Between 1998 and 2015, the UCI Women's Road World Cup served as a season-long competition of elite-level one-day events. From 2016, the competition was replaced by the UCI Women's World Tour - which includes stage stages as well as one-day events, including many races used in the World Cup. The UCI Track Cycling World Championships for men and women offers individual and team championships in several track cycling disciplines. The UCI Track Cycling World Cup serves as

1836-666: The territorial integrity of Ukraine. Yet, in the aftermath of this "scandal of sports and international law" the UCI negotiated with the Cycling Federation of Ukraine and, in November 2015, announced to remove the Free Rate Downhill Race officially from the UCI international calendar. Turkmenistan 's authoritarian leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was awarded the highest award of the Union Cycliste Internationale for his country's commitment to

1904-623: The 1970s. Derny also built a street adaptation called the Solo as well as tandems and mopeds. The name derny is now applied to all such vehicles, regardless of manufacturer. It is used by the Larousse dictionary as a generic term for a small pacing motorcycle used in cycle races. The machine has to be bump-started. It can then pace riders up to 90 km/h (56 mph), although races rarely exceed 80 km/h (50 mph). Riders behind Derny-pacers ride conventional track bicycles. Bordeaux–Paris

1972-542: The Chain . In 2004 the UCI won the case, and in 2006 won the appeal. Voet had made various claims about UCI and Verbruggen's behavior related to the Laurent Brochard Lidocaine case at the 1997 UCI Road World Championships . In 2006, according to Cycling News, the UCI contacted Greg LeMond after an interview he did in 2006 with L'Equipe , and threatened to sue him for defamation. LeMond mentioned

2040-611: The Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia. The announcement followed negotiations between UCI President Pat McQuaid and South Australian Premier Mike Rann . In 2013 Tracey Gaudry became the first woman appointed as vice president of the UCI. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the UCI said that Russian and Belarusian teams are forbidden from competing in international events. It also stripped both Russia and Belarus of scheduled events. In 3 May 2023, UIC approved

2108-683: The UCI Ethics Committee to investigate Pat McQuaid actions after the UCI Licence Commission denied team Katusha a place in the 2013 WorldTour – the action which was promptly reversed. Kimmage had been a racer and had a long history of investigating doping in the sport, including a book and, more recent to the suit, articles for the Sunday Times and L'Equipe which discussed doping and UCI. Greg LeMond, David Walsh and others voiced their support for Kimmage and

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2176-693: The UCI World Tour. To expand the participation and popularity of professional road bicycle racing throughout the globe, the UCI develop a series of races collectively known as the UCI Continental Circuits for each region of the world. The UCI organize the Road World Championships (road race first held in 1959, time trial first held in 1994), as well as administer the premier tier UCI Women's World Tour races. The highest level teams in women's road cycling are

2244-654: The UCI administered the UCI Road World Cup , a season-long competition incorporating all the major one-day professional road races. In 2005 this was replaced by the UCI ProTour series which initially included the Grand Tour road cycling stage races (the Tour de France , Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España ) and a wider range of other one-day and stage races. However, the three Grand Tour races withdrew from

2312-564: The UCI reunified the FIAC and FICP, and merged them back into the UCI. The combined organisation then relocated to Aigle, close to the IOC in Lausanne. In 2004, the UCI constructed a 200-metre velodrome at the new World Cycling Centre adjacent to its headquarters. In September 2007 the UCI announced that it had decided to award ProTour status for the first time ever to an event outside of Europe;

2380-648: The UCI-commissioned Vrijman report, as well as Operacion Puerto , and called the body "corrupt". Another lawsuit was by Hein Verbruggen against WADA Chief Dick Pound in Swiss court regarding his comments about doping and the UCI. The lawsuit was settled by the parties in 2009. In 2011, the UCI sued Floyd Landis in Switzerland after Landis accused the body of several misdeeds, including

2448-478: The Union Cycliste Internationale and others with no rules at all. On 12 October 1950, Karl-Heinz Kramer set the world record for absolute speed behind a motorcycle with 154.506 km/h (96.006 mph) on the Grenzlandring . Frenchman José Meiffret , set a record 204.73 km/h (127.21 mph) behind a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL on an Autobahn at Freiburg , Germany, on 16 July 1962. His bicycle had

2516-467: The aforementioned alleged coverup involving Lance Armstrong and the 2001 Tour de Suisse . In 2012 Cycling News reported that a District Court had ruled for UCI against Landis. In 2012 UCI president Pat McQuaid and former president Hein Verbruggen , as well as the UCI itself, sued journalist Paul Kimmage in Switzerland for defamation . In 2013, the President of Cycling Federation of Russia called

2584-492: The air after 80 km (50 mi), fell to the track, bounced into the seating and died 36 hours later. A crash in Berlin on 18 July 1909 killed nine when a motorcycle careened into the stands and exploded. The historian Peter Nye wrote: The biggest machines were built by the pacers, using parts from other motorcycles, with engines as large as 2,400 cc (150 cu in). The largest had two riders, one crouched over

2652-485: The average is 60–70 km/h (37–43 mph). The bicycles are steel, sturdy and have a smaller front wheel to let the stayer bend forward into the slipstream. A Derny is a light motorbike typically driven by a 98 cc (6.0 cu in) Zurcher two-stroke engine and by being pedaled through a fixed gear, typically of 70 teeth on the front chainring and 11 on the sprocket on the back wheel. The combination allows for smooth acceleration and slowing, important when

2720-423: The back wheel to avoid crashes caused by the rider touching the back of the motorcycle, but there were few other regulations. Race distances extended to six days, although one-hour and 100-mile (160 km) contests were more common. Windshields were briefly allowed but abandoned after the world championship in 1904. Speeds rose and accidents became commonplace. An American, Harry Elkes, died of his injuries from

2788-458: The capital, was paced part of the way by cars in 1897, 1898 and 1899. So was Paris–Roubaix . The historian Pierre Chany said: "Cars made only a brief appearance in Paris–Roubaix. On the roads of the north, these noisy cars, high with wooden wheels with their tires nailed in place, raised huge clouds of dust. The drivers, wearing leathers, their eyes protected by huge goggles, were stepping into

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2856-546: The classification of races and the points ranking system in various cycling disciplines including road and track cycling , mountain biking , Gravel, and BMX , for both men and women, amateur and professional. It also oversees the World Championships . After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the UCI said that Russian and Belarusian teams were forbidden from competing in international events. It also stripped both Russia and Belarus of scheduled events. UCI

2924-419: The cuffs and collar of their clothing. For decades, professional road cyclists refused to wear helmets . The first serious attempt by the UCI to introduce compulsory helmet use was the 1991 Paris–Nice race, which resulted in a riders' strike, and the UCI abandoned the idea. After the death of Andrei Kivilev in the 2003 Paris–Nice, new rules were introduced on 5 May 2003, with the 2003 Giro d'Italia being

2992-535: The first major race affected. The 2003 rules allowed for discarding the helmets during final climbs of at least 5 kilometres in length; subsequent revisions made helmet use mandatory at all times. The UCI was accused of accepting a bribe in the 1990s to introduce the keirin , a track cycling race, into the Olympics. An investigation by the BBC claims that the UCI was paid approximately $ 3,000,000 by Japanese sources to add

3060-470: The first sport to introduce the test for EPO". The UCI has sued or threatened to sue several cyclists, journalists, and writers for defamation after they accused it of corruption or other misdeeds related to doping. Many, though not all, of these suits are heard in the Est Vaudois district court of Vevey , Switzerland In 2002 UCI sued Festina soigneur Willy Voet over claims in his book Breaking

3128-537: The handlebars to steer and the other sitting upright above the back wheel to protect the rider and to operate the engine. The pacers wore leathers, goggles and helmets but many riders wore a flat cap. The world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale , set regulations for pacing motorcycles in 1920. Until then standards had been set by the police, particularly in Germany, or by

3196-515: The historian H. M. Ellis. The races became faster as the pacers became faster. Paced races kept audiences enthralled for many decades in Europe and, at one time, in North America. Tens of thousands watched, especially in Germany. The popularity of this form of pacing declined in the latter part of the 20th century. There were few rules. Pacing machines had small rollers set sideways behind

3264-447: The late 19th century. There could be as many as five riders on the pacing machine. Because of the long distances covered when following a pacer, these cyclists were called stayers, a term used in long-distance horse racing. Companies such as Dunlop sponsored pacing teams, and "tens of thousands" turned out to watch. A south London rider, J. W. Stocks, set British record of 32 miles 1,086 yards (52.492 km) in an hour behind

3332-436: The longer passing lane from the inner. Typically four to six couples compete in a race, covering up to 100 kilometres (62 mi) or racing over a set time. The keirin , a Japanese sprint with a paced start which has spread across the world, is a variation of motor-paced racing. A group of cyclists use a single pacer to get to speed and then sprint to the finish on their own. The first registered distance record behind pacers

3400-477: The money that will be used to help someone else, such as the Youth Sport Trust . National governing bodies have the same objectives as those of an international federation, but within the scope of one country, or even part of a country, as the name implies. They support local clubs and are often responsible for national teams . National Olympic Committees and National Paralympic Committees are both

3468-625: The one-day world championships for BMX racing (bicycle motocross) cycling. Unlike other types of cycling disciplines, trials is a sport where the main factors are the stability and the control of the bike in extreme situations where speed also plays an important role. The first UCI Trials World Championships took place in 1986. Fourteen years later, in 2000, the UCI Trials World Cup made its debut. The most World Champions titles have been won by riders from Belgium, France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. The UCI Trials World Youth Games

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3536-443: The race to the Olympic programme, something denied by the UCI. When Floyd Landis confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career in May 2010, he alleged that the UCI had accepted a bribe from Lance Armstrong to cover up an EPO positive after the 2001 Tour de Suisse. Discussing doping in 2012, UCI president Pat McQuaid emphasised the fact that his organisation was "the first entity to introduce blood tests,

3604-472: The rider taking pace is centimetres from the pacer's shielded back wheel. A coupling between the motor and the back wheel ensures the machine will not stop dead if the motor seizes. The first Entraineur or Bordeaux–Paris models, with a petrol tank across the handlebars, were built by Roger Derny et Fils of the avenue de St Mandé, Paris, France in 1938. That closed in 1957, though another company, Derny Service of rue de Picpus serviced and rebuilt machines into

3672-471: The series, and in July 2008 all the major professional teams threatened to quit the series, putting its future in doubt. The ProTour was replaced as a ranking system the following year by the UCI World Ranking , which added the three Grand Tours , two early season stage races, and five more one-day classics to the 14 remaining ProTour events. The World Ranking and ProTour merged in 2011, becoming

3740-408: The slipstream effect and will quickly fall further back. The pacer then has to slow down so he can catch up and then accelerate without again losing his rider. Races are in velodromes or on other oval and steeply banked tracks to allow high-speed racing. After a flying start the cyclists link up with their pacers. Riding counterclockwise, passing can only be done on the right, a blue line separating

3808-482: The sort that affected Graeme Obree in the 1990s and the banning in 2000 of all frames that did not have a seat tube. The winner of a UCI World Championship title is awarded a rainbow jersey , white with five coloured bands on the chest. This jersey can be worn in only the discipline, specialty and category of competition in which it was awarded, and expires on the day before the following world championship event. Former champions are permitted to wear rainbow piping on

3876-578: The sport. The UCI organize the Road World Championships (road race first held in 1921, time trial first held in 1994), as well as administer the premier tier UCI World Tour and second tier UCI ProSeries races. The highest level teams in men's road cycling are the UCI WorldTeam , who are obliged to take part in all UCI World Tour races. On top of having organized the Road World Championships since 1921, from 1989 until 2004,

3944-478: The track promoters. World championships were held annually, except during wars, for 100 years, often separately for amateurs and professionals. Carsten Podlesch , who won in 1994, is the last and reigning world champion. National championships continue in several European countries and European championships are conducted annually. Motorcycles now used include the 750 cc (46 cu in) Triumph Tiger or BMW machines. The motorcycle for motor-pacing has

4012-440: The track: unpaced, human-paced and mechanically paced. They were promoted for three classes of bicycle: solos, tandems and unusual machines such as what are now known as recumbents, on which the rider lies horizontal. Distances were imperial and metric, from 440 yards and 500 metres to 24 hours. The UCI banned recumbents in competitions and in record attempts on 1 April 1934. Later changes included restrictions on riding positions of

4080-417: The unknown! The riders hidden in all this chaos could see absolutely nothing and risked their life at 50 km/h (31 mph) on the edge of a razor. The noise was infernal and the column advanced in the stink of exhaust pipes." The first races were limited more by the speed a motorcycle could achieve than the ability of the rider to follow, with 50 km/h (31 mph) being a good average, according to

4148-399: The way that the sport operates through its affiliated clubs and societies. This is because sports have different levels of difficulty and skill, so they can try to organize the people playing their sport by ability and by age. The different types of sport governing bodies are all shown below: International sports federations are non-governmental non-profit organizations for a given sport (or

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4216-709: The writer Bill Mills said was acquired "by including many rather doubtful grass tracks." In 1965, under the pressure of the IOC , when the Olympics was an amateur event, the UCI created two subsidiary bodies, the International Amateur Cycling Federation ( Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme or FIAC) and the International Professional Cycling Federation ( Fédération Internationale de Cyclisme Professionnel or FICP). The UCI assumed

4284-512: Was by Frederick Lindley Dodds of Britain, who on a solid-tired bicycle rode close to 16 miles (26 km) in the grounds of Cambridge University in 1876 during a 20-mile scratch race. A south London rider, J. W. Stocks, set an unbeaten British record of 32 miles 1,086 yards (52.492 km) in an hour behind pacers on 27 September 1897. From 1893 to 1895, Hélène Dutrieu set several women's paced hour records, ending with 39.190 km at Vélodrome Roubaisien. In 1896, Amélie Le Gall set

4352-632: Was founded in 1900 in Paris by the national cycling sports organisations of Belgium, the United States, France, Italy, and Switzerland. It replaced the International Cycling Association (ICA) by setting up in opposition in a row over whether Great Britain should be allowed just one team at the world Championships or separate teams representing England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Britain found itself outflanked, and it

4420-742: Was held in Saalfelden. The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a series of races, held annually since 1991. At the 2011 World Championships held in Champéry, Switzerland the UCI announced a controversial new sponsorship deal with the previously unheard of RockyRoads Network. The season-long competition is known as the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup and the UCI BMX World Championships serves as

4488-404: Was not able to join the UCI – under the conditions the UCI had imposed – until 1903. There were originally 30 countries affiliated to the union. They did not have equal voting power and some had no vote at all. Votes were distributed by the number of tracks, or velodromes , that each nation claimed. France had 18 votes, the highest number, and Germany and Italy 14 each. Britain had eight, a number

4556-408: Was paced by Dernys for part of its route from 1946 to 1985. Cooperation between pacer and stayer includes the use of terms and signals understood internationally, because pacers and stayers may be of different nationalities. The stayer needs to be close to the roller to gain maximum profit from the slipstream; if he gets too close he may hit the roller and fall, if he falls too far behind it, he loses

4624-518: Was traditionally a massed start but did not have to be: Britain organised its road championship before the war as a time trial, the National Cyclists Union believing it best to run races against the clock, and without publicity before the start, to avoid police attention. Continental European organisers generally preferred massed races on circuits, fenced throughout or along the finish to charge for entry. The original records were on

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