Explain Olympic bicycling please

[northoftheborder]

I must have missed the explanation for this Olympic sport; maybe I've never seen it before; but I would like to know why they start out so slowly on the track; also I can't tell the marker when the race actually begins; why do they start out with one in front, instead of side by side??????

Thanks for info for a "no-nuttin' " about bicycling.

[Gregorian]

1. It's track sprinting in a velodrome.

I'll admit that as far back as the late 60's I had friends who did this at the local velodrome. I read about it, but never saw it. The women's final was the first time in my life I've ever seen it. I waited my entire life to see this amazing activity. Namely, the track stand.

They start out by a draw. That's just how it's done. It's not suppose to start fast. The whole idea is that no human can sprint that distance without fading. And if they did try to sprint, the other rider would just sit in their slipstream until the one in the front was tired, and then jump out and race ahead to win. The wind resistance plays a big role in just how much power it takes to ride in the front, or alone. So the game is to see who can get behind the other person towards the end of the laps, and thereby gain an advantage by being in their slipstream. Then at the last moment, jump out with fresh legs and sprint ahead to win. In fact, that track stand I mentioned has been known to go on for a long time. One rider completely still, next to the other rider, just waiting for one or the other to make a move to try and get enough room that they can get enough of a jump on the other rider that they can completely avoid the two riding to the finish together at all, and thereby win by just getting to the finish first. But that's only if they can get enough of a lead, and if the remaining distance is such that they don't weaken enough to let the other rider pass them. It's simple, yet complex.

I never understood the track stand part of it until today. I waited my entire life to see it. Pretty weird.

[northoftheborder]

2. Thanks, interesting.