The Olympic Cycling competition features four disciplines—Mountain Biking, Road Racing, Track Racing and BMX. Road Racing (think France’s Tour de Force) is the original Olympic cycling event (introduced at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896) and the most popular cycling competition worldwide. Though the event has been an Olympics staple, it wasn't until the 1984 Los Angeles Games that women were asked to join. The road race has a mass start and the athletes race directly against one another. The men's distance is 230–250km and the women's distance is 100–140km.
Track Cycling was introduced to the Olympics at the 1964 Tokyo Games. The competition is contained in an oval-shaped track, called a velodrome. The velodrome is banked at a 42 degree angle on the turns and 12.4 degree angle on the straight-aways. The suits, helmets and bikes are designed for the utmost in aerodynamics and the wheels of the bikes are spokeless and made out of virtually weightless carbon fiber. There are many events within Track Cycling, some involving elaborate tactics: The Individual Sprint, The Madison (men only) and the Keirin and the Team Sprint, both men only and both of which debuted in 2000 at Sydney.
Mountain Biking debuted at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. The bikes used are heavier and sturdier, with wider tires. The mountainous courses comprise of winding dirt trails with periodic obstacles. In Beijing, the men will race between 40 and 50 kilometers and the women will go 30 to 40 km. The actual race distance isn't decided until the night before the race, when the event officials consider weather conditions. Unlike road and track cycling, the mountain bike competitors may receive no outside assistance during the race. They must make all repairs to their bikes themselves.
The Beijing Games will be the first to feature men's and women's individual BMX events, which features riders on bikes with 20 inch tires racing over a dirt course that includes numerous tight turns and jumps. The BMX competition, as well as the Track and Mountain Bike events, will be held at the Laoshan venue complex.
