Evolution of Cycling as an Olympic Sport
by admin
Cycling has been part of the Olympic Games since the first modern Olympics in 1896. There were less than two hundred and fifty athletes at these games, which featured nine disciplines - shooting, cycling, fencing, tennis, wrestling, weight lifting, gymnatics, athletics and swimming. The first modern games were held in Greece, and six cycling events were held, including the sprint, road race, time trial, ten km race, 100 km race, and twelve hour race.
There are a lot more cycling events in the modern games, including BMX, road races, track racing, sprints, cross country and more. Let's take a look at some of these cycling events and how they're integrated into the games of today. Their history can be very interesting to modern enthusiasts.
BMX
BMX racing, or Bicycle Moto Cross, is a relatively new cycling sport. It got started in California in the late 1960s, about the time that regular motocross was becoming a popular sport. The sport has only been included in the Olympic Games recently, with the International Olympic Committee deciding to include it in the 2008 Bejing Games as of 2003. BMX races in the Olympics are held on 350 meter tracks with obstacles like banked corners and jumps. Eight riders compete in each heat, and the top four in each qualify for the next round.
Road Racing
Bicycle racing in this form has been around since the first bicycle was given pedals. This sport was held at the first modern Olypics in 1896, on a marathon course. Riders completed two laps to cover eighty-seven kilometers total. Over the years, new developments were put into place, but it was a surprising ninety-eight years before women were allowed to compete in cycle races. Twelve years later, time trials were introduced at the 1996 games in Atlanta.
The Olympic bicycle road racing program is now made up of the men's and women's road races and time trials. They begin with mass starts, with men racing over a distance of 239 km and women over 120 km. Time trials are raced to get the most distance in a set time. Riders start at ninety second intervals, and women race over 31.2 km, with men racing over 46.8.
Track Cycling
This type of race is less familiar to most of us, with riders going around an oval track with a bank of forty two degrees. This is also called velodrome racing, and cyclists in this type of race wear unusual helmets and suits, and ride machines that look nearly futuristic. These bikes have poor maneuverability, but excellent speed, despite their looks. Spokeless disc wheels have been in use since the 1984 games, and in 1992, a bike weighing less than nine kilograms broke world speed records.
A new range of races was added in 2000, with women competing in a 500 meter time trial and men adding the Olympic sprint, Madison, and keirin. The entire track cycling program includes team and individual events, endurance races, sprints, time trials, pursuits and standard first over the finish line races.
Mountain Biking
Olympic mountain biking is also a relative newcomer - around only since 1996. This sport was only about forty years old at the time. Cross country riding uses a hilly and sometimes truly mountainous course on natural terrain, with riders needing to navigate over or around streams, trees, rocks and branches. Races for men are 40-50 km, and for women 30-40 km. Distances are decided the evening before the race, with officials deciding based on weather conditions and allowed times.
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