History
Cycling has proved incredibly popular ever since bicycles were invented in the mid-18th century. It has featured in every Olympic Games.
Early popularity Bicycles were first developed in the mid-18th century and have been a popular form of transport ever since.
Big leap forward In 1885, cycling took a big leap forward when J.K. Starley devised the chain-and-gearing system. Since then, engineers have embraced modern technology to build ever faster, sleeker and lighter bikes.
Popular in Europe From 1880 to 1900, cycling became immensely popular both in Europe and the United States. The professional sport maintained its place in the public imagination, especially in Europe. Over the last 20 years, road cycling has experienced an movement towards globalization.
Long Olympic history Cycling, like fencing and athletics, is one of the few sports to have featured at every Olympic Games. The inaugural Olympic road race was held on the marathon course, with riders completing two laps to cover a total of 87 km. Olympic cycling was added to the women’s program in 1984.
Categories
Track racing
The races take place on 250m long wooden banked oval-shaped tracks. Both sprint races and endurance races are held on the track. Some events are raced in teams, others individually. Track cycling has been an Olympic discipline since 1896.
Road racing
The inaugural Olympic road race was held on the original marathon course in Athens in 1896, with cyclists doing two laps of the course. Modern road racing is made up of road races and time trials. The road races begin with mass starts. The men’s race is usually over 200km and the women’s approximately 120km. Time trials are raced against the clock, with riders starting with intervals.
BMX racing
BMX races are held on circuits of around 350m, including an 8-metre high starting ramp, jumps, banked corners and other obstacles. Eight riders compete in each heat (qualifying rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals), with the top four qualifying for the next round. There are two medal events: men’s and women’s individual. BMX entered the Olympic program at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Mountain Biking
Cross-country sees the riders negotiating what is usually a mountainous course over trees, branches, rocks and streams. The races start with mass starts. Men race around 2 hours, women around 1h45 on a 5 km course. Courses became shorter and more dynamic, creating multiple passages at the finish area. Mountain bike made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Cycling federation
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) was founded in 1900. Cycling has been contested since the inaugural modern Olympic Games in 1896.
(Source: olympic.org)
