nice pic here
can anyone direct me to a source that would explain the rules? have only ever watched live road races before and am rather baffled - what was with the women's sprint where they had two bits of standing still?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Sport
track cycling
(11 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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You don't want to go ahead early on because then you're doing 30% more work than the person tucked in behind you. When you make an attack you want to get well clear so the other dude can't slip stream.
Then there is the Pursuit where they start 180° round the track from each other and you have to catch the other guy.
Posted 13 years ago # -
There's the Keiren, which is the clip chdot posted where Hoy won and every else fell over. There's a pace moped that gradually builds up the speed. Riders can jostle for an attacking position but can't pass the pace bike. The pace bike pulls over with about 2 laps to go at which point it's death or glory and sprint for the finish. You can see how Hoy sat back and let the other riders fight amongst themselves and got himself into a good position to take the lead using his ability to out-accelerate them (helped by their inability to stay upright!)
Team pursuit is my favourite event. Like the pursuit (start at opposite sides of the track and chase eachother down) but with a team of four (or three for the women's event). The riders stick close together for aerodynamic advantage with the lead rider occasionally peeling off and joining in at the back for a rest. It's decided by the third rider to cross the finish line so there's all sorts of tactics to be played by the fourth rider, who can do more work at the front to let the other 3 have more in them for the finish. It doesn't matter if the 4th rider knackers out and trails in behind them, he's done his job.
Then there's the Madison. Don't ask! I still can't figure it out.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"Then there's the Madison. Don't ask! I still can't figure it out."
"
The madison began as a way of circumventing laws passed in New York, USA, aimed at restricting the exhaustion of cyclists taking part in six-day races"
The official rules of the madison, traditionally regarded as being hard to follow"
Posted 13 years ago # -
Rather than start a new thread, I'll link an article on BBC news about the campaign to save Herne Hill velodrome
Worth it for the newsreel footage of the 1946 cycle races. No skinsuits, aerohelmets or carbon fibre back then, just putting a steel framed, spoked bike into a big fixed gear and having a strong cup of bovril (probably with rum in it) before hand and it was every chap for himself.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Did you see the pic after Hoy's keirin win of the chap with the splinter through his calf? Quite literally in one side and out the other. Nice.
Hoy actually changed from his usual tactics (he's apparently trying to dominate by showing he can win from anywhere). Until recently he alwys got himself to the front behind the Derny and when it pulled off just hit the gas and no-one could stay with him. At these Champs he decided to see if he could ride past everyone from the back.
He could (he was going to win that by a country mile even before everyone else had a disagreement with gravity).
Posted 13 years ago # -
It's truly impressive how fast he was able to pass those guys, on the outside, cycling the long route.
He should do it on a touring bike at the Olympics, just to show off.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Pashley maybe?
Posted 13 years ago # -
I find something inextricably amusing about the guy on the Derny. I think it's the slipstream outfit worn in the least aerodynamic riding position imaginable. Looks like a postie from the future riding a bike from the past.
I'm guessing it's quite a skilled position though.
Posted 13 years ago # -
And I liked:
"He's not the only one with a hardy attitude towards physical injury - following the crash in which Aziz Awang was hurt, fellow cyclist Edward Dawkins was approached by a medic and asked: ‘Where do you hurt?’
He replied: ‘I’m from New Zealand.’ When the question was repeated, he said: ‘I heard you, mate. I’m from New Zealand. We don’t feel pain.’"
Posted 13 years ago # -
Why did Hoy let that gap open up? My guess is that he was luring the riders behind him into overtaking at which point he closed the gap and left them stranded on the outside.
Posted 13 years ago #
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