Road bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing sport held on roads (following the geography of the area), using racing bicycles. The Rund um den Henninger-Turm (sometimes called the Frankfurt Grand Prix in English is a semi classic cycling race which is based around the German city of Bicycle racing encompasses many forms in which Bicycles are used for competition Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively Road cycling is the most widespread form of Cycling. It takes place primarily on paved surfaces Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena A racing bicycle is a Bicycle designed for road cycling according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI The term 'road racing' is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously (unless riding a handicap event) with the winner being the first at the end of the course (individual and team time trials are another form of cycle racing on roads). An individual time trial (ITT is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French contre la montre - literally "against A team time trial (TTT is a road-based Bicycle race in which teams of Cyclists race against the clock (see Individual time trial for a more detailed
Road racing is popular all over the world, but especially in Europe. The most competitive and devoted countries are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, although the sport is popular also in Australia, Russia, and the United States. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Road bicycle racing began as an organized sport in 1868. [1] The first world championship was in 1893 and cycling has been part of the Olympic Games since the modern sequence started in Athens in 1896. Cycling is the use of Bicycles or - less commonly - Unicycles Tricycles Quadricycles and other similar wheeled Human powered vehicles The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's
Road racing in its modern form originated in the late 19th century. The sport was popular in the western European countries of France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy. Some of Europe's earliest road bicycle races remain among the sport's marquee events. These early races include Liège-Bastogne-Liège (established 1892), Paris-Roubaix (1896), the Tour de France (1903), the Giro d'Italia (1909) and the Ronde van Vlaanderen (1913). Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne ("the oldest" is one of the five ' Monuments ' of the European professional road cycling calendar Paris-Roubaix is a single-day professional bicycle road race held in northern France starting in Compiègne and finishing in Roubaix, near the History See also:CategoryTour de France by year The dominant sports newspaper in France The Giro d'Italia ( Tour of Italy) also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance Road bicycle racing Stage race for professional The Ronde van Vlaanderen ( English: Tour of Flanders) is a road cycling race held in Flanders, Belgium. They provided a template for other races around the world. While the sport has spread throughout the world, these historic races remain the most prestigious for a cyclist to win.
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Road race types
- Single-day races: The first competitor to cross the finish line after completing the prescribed course is declared the winner. Race distances vary from a few kilometres to more than 200 km. Courses may run from place to place or comprise one or more laps of a circuit; some courses combine both, ie: taking the riders from a starting place and then finishing with several laps of a circuit (usually to ensure a good spectacle for spectators at the finish). Races over short circuits (often in town or city centres) are known as criteriums. A criterium, or crit, is a type of bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km) often run on closed-off city centre streets Some races, known as handicaps, are designed to match riders of different abilities and/or ages; groups of slower riders start first, with the fastest riders starting last and so having to race harder and faster to catch other competitors.
- Stage races: Consists of several races - 'stages' - ridden consecutively. The competitor with the lowest cumulative time to complete all the stages is declared the overall, or General Classification (GC), winner. The general classification (or the GC) in Bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi- stage bicycle races Stage races may also have other classifications and awards, such as individual stage winners, the points classification winner, and the "King of the Mountains" (or Mountains classification) winner. The points classification is an award category in Road bicycle racing that recognizes the most consistent finisher in a Stage race. The King of the Mountains (KoM is the title given to the best climber in a Cycling road race usually and officially known as the Mountains classification A stage race can also be a series of road races and individual time trials (some events include team time trials). An individual time trial (ITT is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French contre la montre - literally "against A team time trial (TTT is a road-based Bicycle race in which teams of Cyclists race against the clock (see Individual time trial for a more detailed The stage winner is the first person to cross the finish line that day or the time trial rider (or team) with the lowest time on the course. The overall winner of a stage race is the rider who takes the lowest aggregate time to complete all stages (accordingly, a rider does not have to win all or any of the individual stages to win overall).
Tactics
Though the objective of a race is quite simple - to be the first rider to cross the line - a number of tactics are employed. They are based on the benefit of riding in the slipstream of another rider and thus making it possible to save a considerable amount of energy. A group that breaks away (break) from the main field, bunch or peloton, has more space and freedom and can therefore be at an advantage in certain situations. For the supercomputing project at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory see Peloton (super computer, and for the military unit see Peloton (military. A small group of riders can work together smoothly and efficiently to maintain a higher speed than the peloton, where the remaining riders may not be as motivated or organized to chase effectively. Usually a rider or group of riders will try to break from the peloton by attacking and riding ahead to reduce the number of riders competing for the win. If the break doesn't succeed, and the body of cyclists comes back together, the winner will often be a sprinter. A cycling sprinter is a Road bicycle racer or track racer who can finish a race very explosively by accelerating quickly to a high speed often using the Teamwork between riders (both pre-arranged and ad-hoc) is important in many aspects: to prevent a break from getting away, helping riders in a break get clear of the bunch, and sometimes in delivering a sprinter to the front of the field.
Races often feature difficult sections such as tough climbs, fast descents, and sometimes technical surfaces (such as the cobbled pave used in the Paris-Roubaix race) to make the course more selective. Paris-Roubaix is a single-day professional bicycle road race held in northern France starting in Compiègne and finishing in Roubaix, near the Stronger riders will be able to drop weaker riders during such sections to reduce the number of direct competitors able to take the win. In order to be successful, riders must develop excellent bike handling skills in order to be able ride at high speeds in close quarters with other riders. Individual riders can approach speeds of 110 km/h while descending winding mountain roads and may reach speeds of 60-80 km/h during the final sprint to the finish line.
In more organized races there is a bus (the Broom waggon) that follows the race, picking up stragglers. The Broom Waggon (also referred to as Sag Waggon) is the affectionate name for the vehicle that follows a Cycle Road Race picking up stragglers (or sweeping them up
In all road racing, drafting is a very important concept whereby one rider can save a lot of effort by closely following the rider in front in order to stay in his slipstream. A slipstream is a region of reduced Pressure produced behind an object as it moves through a fluid medium (usually air or as that medium moves around an object Riding in a peloton can save as much as 35% of the energy employed in forward motion when compared to riding in the wind. . Some teams will designate a leader, while the rest of the team is charged with keeping that rider out of the wind and in a good position until a critical section of the race. . This can be used as a strength or a weakness by competitors; riders can cooperate and draft each other to ride at high speed (a paceline or echelon), or one rider can sit on a competitor's wheel, forcing him to do a greater share of the work to maintain the pace and potentially tiring earlier. Drafting may not be employed in a time trial, unless it is a team time trial.
Teams
While the principle remains of the winner being the first to cross the line, many of the riders are grouped together in teams, usually with commercial sponsors. On professional and semi-professional teams, names are typically synonymous with the primary sponsors. The size of the team varies, from three in an amateur event for club riders to a dozen in professional races. Team riders decide between themselves, before and during the race, which has the best chance of winning. The choice will depend on hills, the chances that the whole field will finish together in a sprint, and other factors. The rest of the team will devote itself to promoting its leader's chances, taking turns into the wind for him, refusing to chase with the peloton when he escapes, and so on.
Types of riders
The main specialities in road bicycle racing are:
Famous bicycle races
The Grand Tours
The most famous cycling race is the Tour de France, a multi-stage tour over three weeks nominally through France, traditionally ending in Paris. A time trialist is a Road bicycle racer who can maintain high speeds for long periods of time to maximize performance during individual or Team time trials A cycling sprinter is a Road bicycle racer or track racer who can finish a race very explosively by accelerating quickly to a high speed often using the Domestique redirects here For other similar terms see Domestic. The following terminology is used in the general Cycling, as well as the more specific sports of Road bicycle racing and Mountain bicycle racing. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Similar long multi-stage tours are held in Italy (the Giro d'Italia) and Spain (the Vuelta a España). Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. These three races make up the "Grand Tours". In Road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour refers to one of the three major European professional cycling stage races Tour de France
Olympic games
The historian Wlodzimierz Golebiewski says: "Cycling has become a major event on the Olympic programme. . . Like many other sports it has undergone several changes over the years. Just as there used to be track and field events such as the standing high jump or throwing the javelin with both hands, cyclists, too, used to compete for medals in events which today have been forgotten; for example in Athens in 1896, they attempted a 12-hour race, and in London, in 1908, one of the events was a sprint for 603. The high jump is an Athletics (track and field event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of any devices For the athletic event see Javelin throw. For other uses see Javelin (disambiguation A javelin is a light Spear designed Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. 49 metres (660 yards). " [2] The Olympic Games has never been as important in road cycling as in other sports. Until the distinction ended, the best riders were professionals rather than amateurs and so didn't take part. [3]
UCI ProTour events
Professional racing is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI is a Cycling association that oversees competitive cycling events internationally In 2005 it instituted the UCI ProTour to replace the UCI Road World Cup series. The UCI ProTour is a competition under the International Cycling Union ( UCI) The UCI Road World Cup was a season-long Road bicycle racing competition comprised to ten one-day events While the World Cup contained only one-day races, the ProTour includes the Grand Tours and other large stage races such as Tour de Suisse, Paris-Nice and the Critérium de Dauphiné Libéré. The Tour de Suisse ( English: Tour of Switzerland) is a UCI ProTour stage race held annually in June Paris–Nice, "the race to the sun" is a professional cycling stage race held each March The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual Cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first
The former UCI Road World Cup one-day races - which include all five Classic cycle races or 'Monuments' - are also part of the ProTour: Milan-Sanremo (Italy), Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium), Paris-Roubaix (France), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Belgium) and Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands) in the spring, and Clásica de San Sebastián (Spain), HEW Cyclassics (Germany), Züri-Metzgete (Switzerland), Paris-Tours (France) and Giro di Lombardia (Italy) in the autumn season. The UCI Road World Cup was a season-long Road bicycle racing competition comprised to ten one-day events The classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional cycling road races in the international calendar. Milan-Sanremo or Milan-San Remo, nicknamed la classica di Primavera ("the Spring classic" is an annual cycle race between Milan and Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Ronde van Vlaanderen ( English: Tour of Flanders) is a road cycling race held in Flanders, Belgium. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Paris-Roubaix is a single-day professional bicycle road race held in northern France starting in Compiègne and finishing in Roubaix, near the This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne ("the oldest" is one of the five ' Monuments ' of the European professional road cycling calendar The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Amstel Gold Race is a Road bicycle race held (mostly in the southern part of the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa - Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic is a cycle race that has been held every summer since 1981 in Spain Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Vattenfall Cyclassics is an annual one-day pro and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Züri-Metzgete ( Zürich German; Championship of Zürich Meisterschaft von Zürich is a European Classic cycle race held annually in Zürich, Switzerland Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Paris-Tours is a French single-day classic Cycling race which takes place every October towards the end of the European season This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Giro di Lombardia ( English: Tour of Lombardy) is an Italian cycle race based in the Lombardy region Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest
The season
Cycle racing on the road is a summer sport, although the season can start in early spring and end in autumn. The months of the season depend on the hemisphere. A racing year is divided between lesser races, single-day classics and stage races. "Classical literature" redirects here For literature in Classical languages outside the Graeco-Roman sphere see Ancient literature. The classics include the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo. The Ronde van Vlaanderen ( English: Tour of Flanders) is a road cycling race held in Flanders, Belgium. Paris-Roubaix is a single-day professional bicycle road race held in northern France starting in Compiègne and finishing in Roubaix, near the Milan-Sanremo or Milan-San Remo, nicknamed la classica di Primavera ("the Spring classic" is an annual cycle race between Milan and The other important one-day race is the World Championships. Unlike other classics, the World Championships is held on a different course each year and ridden by national rather than sponsored teams. The winner wears a white jersey with coloured bands (often called "rainbow bands") around the chest. There are numerous stage races, that include the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta à España.
History of road races
The first races
The acknowledged first races were held in the Parc de St-Cloud, now in western Paris on 31 May 1868. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Events 1279 BC - Rameses II (The Great (19th dynasty becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap They were held there because of the influence of the former royal family of France, which owned the park and which had been caught up in the enthusiasm for riding the newly devised bicycles with pedals. It explains too the accounts of spectators dressed in their finery.
The races were organised by the Compagnie Parisienne, which the previous year had taken over the bicycle company run by Pierre Michaux and his family. Pierre Michaux ( Bar le Duc June 25, 1813 - Paris - 1883 was a Blacksmith who furnished parts for the Carriage trade in Paris In 1866, Michaux produced a new machine with an iron frame which sloped down to contain the back wheel, made like the front, of wood. [1]
Historians dispute in which order races were run, although it seems certain there was more than one. One of those races was won by a 19-year-old English immigrant called James Moore. James Moore and Jim Moore are the names of Cowboy Jimmy Moore (b He was a friend of the Michaux family and rode one of their new bicycles. It is now in the museum at Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. Ely (, rhyming with "freely" is a Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England. History Cambridgeshire is noted as the site of some of the earliest known Neolithic permanent settlement in the United Kingdom, along with sites at Fengate England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland At the time, Cycling Record wrote that he set off "as fast as lightning,"[4] overtook the favourite, François Drouet and then another rider, Palocini, and won by 20 metres. The race ran 1,200 m from the fountains to the gates of the park and back.
Paris-Rouen
The success of the races in the Parc de St-Cloud inspired the Compagnie Parisienne and the magazine Le Vélocipède Illustré to run a race from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to the cathedral in Rouen on 7 November 1869. The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris, France that stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle also known as the Place de l'Étoile. Rouen (ʁwɑ̃ in French) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year It was the world's first long-distance road race and also won by Moore, who took 10 hours and 25 minutes to cover 134 km. The runners-up were the Count André Castéra, who had come second to Moore at St-Cloud, and Jean Bobillier, riding a farm bike that weighed 35 kg. The only woman to finish within 24 hours was the self-styled Miss America, in reality an unknown English woman who, like several in the field, had preferred not to compete under her real name. The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands
International development
The growth of organised cycle racing led to the development of national administrative bodies, in Britain in 1878, France 1881, the Netherlands 1883, Germany 1884 and Sweden 1900. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Sometimes, as in Britain, cycling was originally administered as part of athletics, since cyclists often used the tracks used by runners. This could, says the historian James McGurn, lead to disputes within countries and internationally.
- "The Bicycle Union [of Britain], having quarrelled with the Amateur Athletic Association over cycle race jurisdiction on AAA premises, took issue with the Union Vélocipèdique de France over the French body's willingness to allows its 'amateurs' to compete for prizes of up to 2,000 francs, the equivalent of about sixteen months' pay for a French manual worker. The Amateur Athletic Association of England (formerly simply the Amateur Athletic Association) or AAA (pronounced 'three As' is the oldest athletics organization An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit study or science without formal training or pay "[1]
The first international body was the International Cycling Association (ICA), established by an English schoolteacher called Henry Sturmey. It opened in 1893 and held its first world championship in Chicago, USA, the same year. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A new organisation, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), was set up on 15 April 1900 during the Olympic Games in Paris. Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI is a Cycling association that oversees competitive cycling events internationally Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Britain was not initially a member. It joined in 1903. The UCI has run the sport ever since. It is based in Switzerland. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation
Bicycle championships
References
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