Cycling

The BMX races are held on a short outdoor track, with the riders starting on an 8m-high ramp. Each race lasts around 40 seconds.

BMX bikes have only one gear and one brake. Most racing riders use wheels that are 20 inches in diameter – roughly two-thirds the size of wheels used on a standard road bike. Bikes need to be strong enough to endure the wear and tear from the jarring landings after jumps, yet light enough to remain fast and competitive.

Competition format

Each rider runs the track once to determine the seedings, which ensures that the fastest riders don’t meet before the final.

The women progress straight to the semi-finals and the men’s event continues with the quarter-finals, which are held over five runs, with points for places on each run. After three runs, the best two riders from each quarter-final progress to the semi-finals. The remaining riders compete in the final two quarter-final runs and the best two from each quarter-final also progress to the semi-finals.

From here, the semi-finals in both the men’s and women’s events follow a three-run format. The top four riders from each semi-final advance to the final, where the medals are decided over one run.

Cycling – Mountain Bike

The basics

Mountain Bike competitions at the Olympic Games take place over rough and hilly countryside. All riders start together and must complete a set number of laps of the course, with races lasting a minimum of 1hour 30mins and maximum of 1hour 45mins for both men and women. All competitors start together and the first rider to cross the finish line wins the gold.

Bicycles used in Mountain Bike events are built for speed, durability and comfort – no easy task given the variety of terrain. They need to be quick and light enough to aid climbing through uneven terrain, but sturdy and stable enough to handle descents at extreme speeds.

Feed and technical stations are set at designated parts of the course where athletes can make repairs to their bikes and take on much-needed energy.

Competition format

The men’s and women’s Mountain Bike competitions at London 2012 are mass start events. Riders are seeded into a starting grid, according to their world ranking, and the first to cross the finish line is the winner.

Cycling – Road

The basics

The Olympic programme includes two Road Cycling events for both men and women. For the Road Race all competitors start together; the first rider to cross the finish line wins gold. For the shorter Time Trial, the riders start at 90-second intervals and the winner is the rider with the fastest time over the course.

Great stamina, astute strategy and powerful acceleration are essential to success in both events, with teamwork also playing a big part in the Road Races.

Competition format

The men’s and women’s Road Race is a straight final. In each event all athletes start together, and the first to cross the finish line is the winner. In the Time Trials, athletes start at 90-second intervals and the one to complete the course in the fastest time is the winner.

The Road Race course

The Road Race starts on The Mall before the riders head south-west through the city. They then cross the River Thames at Putney Bridge and continue out through Richmond Park, Bushy Park and past Hampton Court Palace.
The Surrey section of the course incorporates several circuits of a challenging loop around Box Hill (nine for the men’s Road Race, two loops for the women’s), before the riders head north through Leatherhead, Esher, Kingston-upon-Thames, Richmond Park and back to The Mall for a dramatic finish.

The Time Trial course

The Time Trial starts and finishes at Hampton Court Palace in south-west London, and incorporates sections of Richmond, Kingston-upon-Thames and Surrey. Both events are held over a single lap, with slight variations in the men’s and women’s courses reflecting the different distances.

Cycling – Track

The basics

There are 10 Olympic Track Cycling events (five for men, five for women), which between them test speed, endurance and teamwork. The Sprint consists of a series of three-lap races, with riders racing head-to-head. The Keirin features up to seven riders sprinting for victory, after following a pacing motorcycle at the beginning of the race.

There are two team events: the Team Sprint, with teams of three for the men’s competition and teams of two for the women, and the Team Pursuit, which is held over 16 laps for men and 12 laps for women. Finally, there’s the Omnium. Making its Olympic debut at London 2012, the Omnium features individual riders competing against each other across six different elements on the track.

Officials

There are a host of officials (or commissaires) for Olympic Track Cycling, including start and finish judges, referees, timekeepers and scorers.

Jargon buster

Derny – the pacing motorcycle used in Keirin races

Gear ratio – the number of cogs on the front chainring divided by the number of cogs on the rear sprocket