Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles .
39-538: The European Track Cycling Championships are a set of elite level competition events held annually for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling , exclusively for European cyclists, and regulated by the European Cycling Union (UEC). They were first held in their current format in 2010, when elite level cyclists competed for the first time following an overhaul of European track cycling. In line with cycling tradition, winners of an event at
78-560: A lucrative sport. Early track races attracted crowds of up to 2,000 people. Indoor tracks also enabled year-round cycling for the first time. The main early centers for track racing in Britain were Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester and London. The most noticeable changes in over a century of track cycling have concerned the bikes themselves, engineered to be lighter and more aerodynamic to enable ever-faster times. Track cycling has been featured in every modern Olympic Games except
117-498: A repeat champion in the same discipline. Though met with some criticism, Ivy holds her title as transgender athletes are permitted to compete as per the International Olympic Committee . Aerodynamic drag is a significant factor in both road and track racing. Frames are often constructed of moulded carbon fiber , for a lightweight design. More recently, track bikes have employed airfoil designs on
156-450: A reputation for being fast. Recently, these have mostly been at high-altitude locations, such as Mexico City, Mexico or Aguascalientes, Mexico , where the thinner air results in lower aerodynamic drag, offsetting the added difficulty of breathing. Innovations in equipment and the rider's position on the bike have also led to dramatic improvements in the hour record, but have also been a source of controversy (see Graeme Obree ). In 2019,
195-475: A single championships on at least one occasion, the first being the Russian sprinter Anastasia Voynova in 2014: Katie Archibald of Great Britain has achieved the feat on three separate occasions, a record, with three different combinations of events, and is the only rider to achieve such a 'hat-trick' without winning gold in either the team pursuit or team sprint. The most hat-tricks claimed in one championships
234-416: A single nation is most dominant; Great Britain have won nine of the editions of the team pursuit, and medalled on a further two occasions. Kenny is also the most dominant rider in any event for individual riders, with four gold and two silver medals across various editions of the omnium. The records for medals in a single event is the 13 medals won by Russia in the 500 metre time trial. Katie Archibald holds
273-404: A small number of laps to defeat opponents. Sprint riders train specifically to compete in races of this length, and do not generally compete in endurance events. The main sprint events are: Endurance races are held over longer distances. These races test the riders' endurance capacity, as well as tactics and speed. The length of track endurance events varies by race type, whether it is a part of
312-643: A straight-armed Superman -like position with their arms fully extended horizontally, but this position was subsequently outlawed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the sport's ruling body. In addition to regular track racing, tracks are also the venue for many speed records. These are over either a fixed distance or for a fixed period of time. Generally, time trial events (200 m, 500 m, 1 km, and Individual Pursuit) will be recorded for both gender categories as well as several age categories on each track, for each nation, and for
351-481: Is Katie Archibald , with 20 European titles and 26 medals; in the history of the Championships, only Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy and Russia, in addition to her own nation, have won more gold medals than Archibald. The most successful male athlete is Dutch sprinter Jeffrey Hoogland on 14 gold medals and 18 medals total, the same numbers as Archibald's Madison and team pursuit partner Laura Kenny . Kenny
390-467: Is also the case that women race shorter distances than men in mass start events such as stand-alone scratch and points races , and omnium events. In many cycling sports, women raced shorter distances, are paid less, and receive less air-time. It was not until 2018 that the UCI mandated minimum wages for women's cycling at all. It is unclear how this will impact female track cyclists, as track cycling
429-424: Is based upon the results in all UCI -sanctioned races over a twelve-month period. The ranking includes an individual and a nations ranking and includes the disciplines: individual pursuit , points race , scratch , sprint , time trial , keirin , omnium , team pursuit , team sprint and madison . Women's track cycling was only introduced as an Olympic sport in 1988, and women were not permitted to compete in
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#1732793795546468-504: Is generally not an athlete's primary source of income (rather they are road cyclists selected for specific events by their national team). There is no talk of changing race distances to create gender parity in time for the 2020 Olympics. In 2018, Veronica Ivy (then known as Rachel McKinnon) became the first transgender World Champion in any sport, with a victory in the Masters Women Age 35-44 age category. In 2019, Ivy became
507-494: The 1912 Games . Women's track cycling events were first included in the modern Olympics in 1988. The sport was moved indoors since 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney , Australia, mainly because of the hot weather. Along the decades, track lengths have been gradually reduced. Early velodromes varied in length between 130 and 500 metres long. By the 1960s to 1989, a standard length of 333.333 metres (1,093 ft 7.346 in) length
546-598: The 2012 Summer Olympics there were fewer events for women. The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are held every year, usually in March or April at the end of the winter track season. There are currently (2024) 22 events in the World Championships, 11 for men and 11 for women. Qualification places are determined by different countries performance during the World Cup Classic series held through
585-646: The Omnium or not, and the gender of the competitors. Many track endurance riders also compete in road cycling events. The main endurance events are: There were six events in track cycling at the Olympics in 2024: team sprint , match sprint , keirin , omnium , team pursuit , and Madison . The Madison was added in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics held in 2021; the other races had been held in previous Games. There are separate races of each type for men and women; until
624-603: The Pan Am Championships held at the newly built velodrome in Cochabamba, Bolivia , Kelsey Mitchell and Nicholas Paul broke the 200 m world records in their respective gender categories. The track proved fast for many other events, with Pan Am records being set in nearly all timed events. Anastasia Voynova Anastasia Sergeyevna Voynova (Russian: Анастасия Сергеевна Войнова , IPA: [ɐnəstɐˈsʲijə ˈvojnəvə] ; born 5 February 1993)
663-622: The World Championships at the end of the season. The overall leader in each event may wear a white points leaders jersey at each race, with the overall winner at the end of the season may keep the jersey and wear it at the World Championships. Riders compete for either national teams or trade teams, though the future of trade teams is unknown after controversial decisions by the UCI to eliminate World Cup events, and replace them with Nation's Cup events. The UCI Track Cycling World Ranking
702-760: The Cycling programme of the European Games , and the UEC event will also be held later in the same year. Conversely, the events held in Glasgow in 2018, and Munich in 2022 as part of the multi-sport European Championships are treated as official UEA championships Source: Below is a table of the most successful male and female riders at the European Track Cycling Championships from 2010 onwards. The most successful rider of either sex
741-666: The Olympic Games. As a result, the European Championships was also introduced for elite level European cyclists. The first elite championships thereafter took place at the beginning of November 2010. It followed the same ten event schedule for the 2012 Olympics but also included the Madison "due to popular demand". Over the following decade the event grew to include a full programme of World Championship disciplines. Prior to 2010, championship events were run under
780-797: The United States, track racing reached a peak of popularity in the 1930s when six-day races were held in Madison Square Garden in New York. The word " Madison " is still used as the name for a type of race. In Japan, the keirin race format is a very popular betting sport. The sport is well-regarded, and riders are extensively trained through the Japanese Keirin School. Track cycling events fit into two broad categories: sprint races and endurance races. Riders will typically fall into one category and not compete in
819-509: The championships are presented with, in addition to the gold medal, a special, identifiable jersey. This UEC European Champion jersey is a white and blue jersey with gold stars. Gold stars on a blue background have been an identifiably European symbol since the adoption of the Flag of Europe by the Council of Europe . In 2010 the UEC instigated a significant overhaul of how cyclists qualify for
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#1732793795546858-513: The first rider to do an 'Olympic' hat-trick twice. Riders are listed in order of their first 'hat-trick': 22 Events are held as part of the European championships. The table below summarises the most successful athlete and nation in each of the 22 separate events. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of golds, silvers and bronze respectively won by the athlete or nation in that specific event. Athletes and nations are differentiated in
897-496: The governing bodies of six other major European sports from 2018 to integrate its four Olympic-class events, including track cycling, into the new European Championships event on a quadrennial basis. Beginning with 2018, every fourth edition of the competition will form part of the multi-sport event. While track cycling also forms part of the 2019 European Games in Minsk, these events are not regarded as European Championships but as
936-565: The inauguration of the elite event is Great Britain, the event's genesis coinciding with Britain's rise to dominance in world track cycling. The most successful individual rider in the history of the Elite event is Katie Archibald of Great Britain, who has won, as of the 2023 UEC European Track Championships , 20 European titles. Among nations in the championships, aside from Great Britain itself, only Russia, Germany, Netherlands and France have won more gold medals than Archibald. The UEC agreed with
975-476: The leading rider pushes air around themselves; any rider closely following has to push out less air than the lead rider and thus can travel at the same speed while expending less effort. This fact has led to a variety of racing styles that allow skilled riders or teams to exploit this tactical advantage, as well as formats that simply test strength, speed and endurance. During the early 1990s in individual pursuit events, some riders, including Graeme Obree , adopted
1014-420: The other. The bicycles used are optimized for track racing; they are fixed-gear bicycles without freewheel or brakes, with narrow tires inflated to high pressure. Frame and other components are designed for rigidity and lightness, to give maximum speed over the distance of the race (sprint or longer). Sprint races are generally between 3 and 8 laps in length and focus on raw sprinting power and race tactics over
1053-497: The relevant link below:- Track cycling Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it was held on velodromes similar to the ones used today. These velodromes consisted of two straights and slightly banked turns, though they varied more in length and material than the modern 250 m track. One appeal of indoor track racing was that spectators could be easily controlled, and hence an entrance fee could be charged, making track racing
1092-518: The rider to position the arms closer together in front of the body. This results in a more horizontal back and presents the minimum frontal area to reduce drag. Aerobars can be separate bars that are attached to time trial or bull horn bars, or they can be part of a one-piece monocoque design. Use of aerobars is permitted only in pursuit and time trial events. Formats of track cycle races are also heavily influenced by aerodynamics. If one rider closely follows, they draft or slipstream another, because
1131-521: The same name, but solely for junior and under-23 cyclists, and the 2010 event is therefore recognised as the first elite level senior championships. The first European Track Championships of any description were held in Berlin in 1886 and featured only 5 km and 10 km men's scratch races . Since 2010, separate annual European championships for under-23 and junior riders have continued, but described explicitly as such. The most successful nation since
1170-409: The same number of events as men until 2012. Though men and women currently compete in the same number of events, there are still significant differences between men's and women's races of the same type. For example, in the team sprint , men race three riders over three laps, whereas women race two riders over two laps, and men's individual pursuit is a 4 km race and women only race 3 km. It
1209-557: The season. The UCI Track Cycling World Cup series consists of six meetings, held in different countries beginning annually in October, and finishing in January. These meetings include 17 of the 19 events (excluding the omnium for men and women) that take place in a World Championship over three days. Events won and points scored by the riders throughout this series count towards qualification places individually and for their nation in
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1248-494: The sprint event the rider's position is more extreme compared with a road rider. The bars are lower and the saddle is higher and more forward. Bars are often narrower with a deeper drop. Carbon fiber bars of many shapes, as opposed to lighter alloys , are used by many riders for their higher stiffness and durability. In timed events such as the pursuit and the time trial , riders often use aerobars or 'triathlon bars' similar to those found on road time trial bicycles, allowing
1287-462: The standard way, first by number of golds, then silvers, then bronze medals. Although both the Omnium and Madison had stand alone championships prior to 2010, only those contested at the European Track Cycling Championships from that year forward are included. The most dominant rider in a single event is Laura Kenny who has won the women's team pursuit on eight occasions. This is also the event where
1326-438: The tubes of the frame to reduce aerodynamic drag. Given the importance of aerodynamics, the riders' sitting position becomes extremely important. The riding position is similar to the road racing position, but is ultimately dependent on the frame geometry of the bicycle and the handlebars used. Handlebars on track bikes used for longer events such as the points race are similar to the drop bars found on road bicycles. However, in
1365-921: The unique distinction of having been a European Champion across seven different events; team pursuit (7), individual pursuit (4), Scratch race (1), points race (1), Eliminator (1), omnium (4) and madison (2). This table does not include freestanding senior European Championships held prior to the 2010 UEC European Track Championships. Up to date after 2023 UEC European Track Championships . [REDACTED] Daria Shmeleva ( RUS ) [REDACTED] Harrie Lavreysen ( NED ) Exclude Men's Open Madison events from 2001 to 2009 and include Open Omnium events from 2001 to 2009. 2023 UEC European Track Championships (under-23 & junior) Championnats d'Europe de cyclisme sur piste juniors et espoirs 2024 Exclude Men's Open Madison events from 2001 to 2009 and include Open Omnium events from 2001 to 2009. The historic results in each discipline can be found at
1404-476: The world. One of the most heavily contested records is the hour record , which involves simply riding as far as possible in one hour. The history of the hour record has been attempted by some of the greatest names in cycling from both road and track racing (including, among others, Major Taylor , Henri Desgrange , Fausto Coppi , Anna Wilson , Eddy Merckx , Francesco Moser , Jeannie Longo and Tony Rominger ). Attempts are generally made at velodromes with
1443-578: Was commonly used for international competitions. Since 1990, international velodromes are built with a length of 250 metres (273.403 yd), though tracks of many lengths are still in use. Track cycling is particularly popular in Europe, notably Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom where it is often used as off-season training by road racers who can frequently be seen at professional six-day events (races entered by two-rider teams.) In
1482-529: Was in the 2023 championships when Archibald and sprinters Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands, and Lea Friedrich of Germany won three golds apiece. Uniquely, all three won their respective 'Olympic' trebles by winning all three available golds in their Olympic events - Team pursuit, Omnium and Madison for Archibald, Team sprint, sprint and keirin for Lavreysen and Friedrich, a feat achieved by no rider prior to 2023. Lavreysen repeated his hat-trick in 2024,
1521-427: Was the first rider to reach ten championship jerseys, a feat only equalled by Archibald, their fellow Brit Elinor Barker , Hoogland, and Russian sprint pair Anastasia Voynova and Daria Shmeleva . up to date after 2023 UEC European Track Championships . Eliminator, omnium and Madison. No rider has won four gold medals at a single championships. The following riders have won a 'hat-trick' of three gold medals at
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