About Track Cycling

Sprint Events

Sprint (3 laps): In the qualification rounds, riders start with a flying 200m time trial to compose the 1/16 final with knockout heats of 2 riders (first against the last, the second against penultimate). The winner from each heat will advance to the ¼ final where athletes will race best of three races. The race requires tactic and speed as athletes play a game of cat and mouse before sprinting to the finish reaching speeds of 35 – 70 km/hour.

Team Sprint (3 laps): This is raced by teams of three over three laps of the track. Two teams start on opposite sides of the track, with each rider leading for a lap before peeling off. The final remaining rider for each team sprints for the finish to establish the team’s time. Qualification rounds are on a time trial basis to determine the fastest eight teams, with the two fastest teams in a ride off for gold and silver, and the subsequent teams against each other for their final top eight spots.

Kilometre & 500m Time Trials: Riders race as individuals against the clock with a standing start. Contested over a kilometre for men and 500-metres for women, riders race their respective distances as quickly as possible. Top eight riders match in the final for the win with the fastest time claiming gold.

Keirin (6 laps): The race consists of 3-7 riders over 6 laps. Riders follow in the slipstream of a pacing motorbike for 750m before undertaking a three-lap sprint to the end. The motorbike gradually increases the speed from 30 to 50 km/h before pulling off the track to allow the sprint to begin.

Endurance Events

Individual Pursuit (M: 4km; W: 3km): Two riders start on opposite sides of the track and compete over the respective distances. The first round is held on a time trial basis with the best four riders moving to the final. Like in qualification rounds, the top two riders will race against each other on opposite sides of the track with the fastest time winning.

Team Pursuit (4 km): Raced by a four-athlete team over 4-kilometres. Two teams compete against each other on opposite sides of the track trying to pursue the other. During qualifying heats, each team races against the clock to qualify for the first round.

Points Race (M: 40 km/160 laps; W: 25 km/100 laps): With sprints every 10 laps, the pace of the race varies as each sprint approaches. The first four riders in each sprint are awarded 5, 3, 2 and 1 point(s). The last laps before each sprint are thus highly animated as each rider tries to find the best position to attack. A rider can also gain 20 points if they lap the field and loses 20 points if they are doubled by the main peloton. The ranking is decided by the total number of points.

Madison (M: 50 km/200 laps; W: 30 km/120 laps): Teams of two riders take part in this relay race contested by means of intermediary sprints (every 10 laps). One team member races, while the other slows down to take a rest before being thrown back into the action with a hand sling from their teammate. Any team that gains a lap on the main bunch is awarded 20 points, while any team that is lapped by the bunch has 20 points deducted. Points awarded in the last sprint after the full distance are doubled (10 points, 6 points, 4 points, 2 points), with the final ranking being decided by the total number of points accumulated.

Scratch Race (M: 15 km; W: 10 km): This race consists of an individual bunch event similar to a road race. The first to cross the finish line at the end of the complete distance wins the race. The action is continuous with riders trying to break away from the main field to gain a lap and the adversaries organizing the chase behind until the final sprint.

COMBINED EVENT

Omnium (4 events): The Omnium is made up of 4 events raced on the same day: Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race and Points Race. Riders must show consistency throughout the day to have a chance of topping the final classification as points are awarded based on the rank for each event and a general classification is generated at the end of the 4 races. The points won in the final points race are directly added to the intermediate classification creating reversals of situations and suspense until the last sprint where points are doubled.

Scratch: 10 km for men and 7.5 km for women
Tempo race: 10 km for men and 7.5 km for women
Elimination: Number of laps based on the number of riders
Points race: 25 km for men and 20 km for women