Olympia 2024: These are the cycling disciplines at the Olympic Games in Paris

Mountain bike

Since the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, there have also been mountain bike and cross-country races for men and women at the Olympics. The race begins with a mass start, after which the riders have to complete several hilly laps of a circuit consisting mainly of unpaved paths. There are different types of terrain such as forest, meadow, field or gravel paths. Above all, technique, endurance and strength are required. The laps are usually four to six kilometres long and the race lasts around 90 minutes. The Women's race will be held on 28 Julythat Men's race one day later were held. The Olympic champions in Tokyo were Thomas Pidcock and Jolanda Neff.

BMX

There are two different disciplines in BMX. BMX racing was introduced to the Olympic competitions in 2008, while BMX freestyle has only existed since 2020.

1st BMX race

In BMX racing, up to eight riders compete against each other at the same time. They duel it out on a circuit with straights, jumps and bends. The winner is the one who crosses the finish line first. The riders can qualify for the final, which consists of eight riders and selects the Olympic champion. In 2021, this was Niek Kimmann and Bethany Shriever. Who will become Olympic champion in 2024 will be decided in both the men's and women's races on 2 August.

2. BMX Freestyle

The riders perform tricks on flat ground, dirt jumps, a halfpipe and/or ramps. The higher the quality of the tricks, the higher the score awarded by the jury. The riders have 60 seconds and receive points depending on the difficulty of the tricks, the height of the jumps, creativity and style. Whoever scores the most points at the end becomes the Olympic champion. Logan Martin and Charlotte Worthington achieved this in 2021. In Paris, the decisions will be made in the BMX freestyle on 31 July fall.

Road bike

Road cycling was already represented at the first Olympic Games in 1896. Over 125 years later, the discipline is of course back in the programme. There are two disciplines each for men and women:

1st individual time trial

The individual time trial is one of the first medal events of the 2024 Olympic Games. 27 July the two races are held. For the first time ever in Olympic history, men and women will tackle the same course. The 35 riders start individually at intervals of one and a half minutes and have to complete the 32.4 kilometre course in the fastest possible time. The time trials are characterised by the particularly aerodynamic bikes, which are equipped with aero bars that are prohibited in road races.

Bora-Hansgrohe star Primoz Roglic won the men's time trial at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Numerous top riders are also expected in Paris, with Remco Evenepoel's participation already confirmed. Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten, who ended her career last season, won the women's race.

2. road race

In addition, the 3 and 4 August the men's and women's road races will take place. This will also have the same start and finish point in 2024. However, unlike the time trial, the start will be a mass start. This means that whoever crosses the finish line first wins the gold medal. The men's and women's courses differ in length and course layout, but both races are long. At 273 kilometres, the men's race is the longest course ever in a road race. The women have to cover 158 kilometres.

The reigning Olympic champion in the men's road race is Ecuador's Richard Carapaz, while Austria's Anna Kiesenhofer won the women's race. Numerous stars will also be competing in Paris. Tokyo silver medallist Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock have already confirmed their participation. The reigning world road race champion Lotte Kopecky will be taking part in the women's race.

Track bike

With the exception of the 1912 Olympic Games, track cycling has been part of every Olympic Games so far. The disciplines have changed regularly. While in 1896 there was even a 12-hour race on the track, there are now six significantly shorter track cycling disciplines for women and men.

1st team sprint

In the team sprint, two nations compete against each other, each starting on the opposite straight. Each team consists of three riders for the men and two riders for the women, with a total of three or two laps of 250 metres. After each lap, the rider in front is eliminated so that only one rider crosses the finish line at the end. The rider with the fastest time wins the race. The decision in the Paris Velodrome will be made on 5 August for the women, one day later for the men. In 2021, a Dutch trio won the men's event, while China won the women's event ahead of Germany.

2nd sprint

Three individual riders compete against each other in the sprint and two in the final. As in the team sprint, there are three laps. The three or two riders start from the same starting line, so that in the end the rider who finishes ahead of their rivals wins. A maximum of three races are held, so the final winner must win two sprints in the final. The The men's race will be decided on 9 August, the women's race two days later. In 2021, Harrie Lavreysen was crowned Olympic champion in the men's event and Kelsey Mitchell in the women's event.

3. keirin

The "combat sprint" from Japan consists of eight 250 metre laps of the velodrome, which must be completed by six riders. A pacemaker rides in front, the so-called "derny", which must not be overtaken. This is motorised and accelerates the race from around 30 to 50 km/h. With 2.5 laps to go, the derny leaves the track and the sprint begins. Body contact and crashes occur again and again in the keirin, which is why it is nicknamed the "combat sprint". The Olympic decisions are made at the Women on 8 August, men from 11 August. In 2021, Shanne Braspennincx and Jason Kenny secured the gold medals.

4th team pursuit

As with the team sprint, two teams always compete against each other in the team pursuit, starting on opposite straights. A team consists of four riders. The aim is to complete the distance of 4000 metres in as short a time as possible, whereby the time of the third rider in a team is measured at the finish. One rider may therefore drop out during the race. Compared to the previous disciplines, the team pursuit is more focussed on endurance. In Paris, the decisions are made in the Men as with the women on 7 August. In 2021, the Italian men and the German women won the gold medal.

5th Madison

In the Madison, teams of two must cover a distance of 50 kilometres (200 laps) for men and 30 kilometres (120 laps) for women. Both riders do not have to cover the full distance, they alternate and are allowed to take over from each other via the so-called "spin attack". There are intermediate sprints every 10 laps, where different amounts of points are awarded depending on positioning. Double points can even be collected on the last lap. In the end, the team that has collected the most points overall wins. At the 2024 Olympics, the decisions will be made in the Women on 9 and men on 10 August. In Tokyo, the British women and the Danish men won the Olympic title in the discipline.

6. omnium

The Omnium is held in one day and aims to collect as many points as possible. A nation may provide one rider who must complete the following four disciplines:

Scratch

Men cover 15 kilometres in the scratch race, women 10 kilometres. The start is a mass start. The winner is the first to cross the finish line. Anyone who is lapped by the peloton has to leave the race.

Speed race

In the speed race, the men cover 10 kilometres and the women 7.5 kilometres. After a mass start, the leader receives one point after every tenth lap. 20 points are also awarded to the rider who laps the rest of the field. In the end, the winner is the one who has collected the most points.

Elimination driving

The elimination race begins with a mass start before a sprint classification follows every two laps, in which the last rider is eliminated. The decisive factor for elimination is the rear wheel. If there are only two riders left, the front wheel decides in a direct duel.

Points driving

The points race is 25 kilometres long for men and 20 kilometres for women. After every tenth lap, the first four riders are awarded 5, 3, 2 and 1 point. Whoever has collected the most points at the end wins the omnium race.