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The bicycle is very popular with the French! Many want to start cycling. When we mention cycling, we instantly think of the famous Tour de France, the joys of mountain biking or long bike rides. But did you know that there are a whole bunch of other cycling-related disciplines? Track or indoor cycling, triathlon, BMX... overview of cycling practices still unknown.
Track cycling
Olympic discipline since the first Olympics of the modern era, track cycling remains nevertheless rather unknown to the general public. Yet, this spectacular sport has something to surprise many!
The principle is simple: the track riders engage in a frantic race, often against the clock, on a velodrome track whose 40-degree banked turns give the discipline its impressive character. Indeed, this configuration allows cyclists to reach a lightning speed exceeding 70 km/h!
Outdoors or covered, the velodrome track meets strict design requirements, including length, width and surface (wood, concrete or asphalt).
Finally, track bikes are quite original: they have no brakes, no gears, and no freewheels!
The Triathlon
Have you ever heard of this amazing discipline where athletes don't play just one sport, but three at once?
Born in the USA in the 1970s, the triathlon now has more and more followers in France and internationally. The objective is to cover a given distance in swimming, biking and running. The first to cross the finish line is crowned the winner.
The sequence of disciplines is done without stopping the clock, which means that triathletes must make their transitions as quickly as possible. This allows them to gain time on their opponents, or on the contrary, accumulate a disabling delay. These intermediate stages are crucial and often shake up the rankings! The exemplary speed of the professional triathletes leaves more than one spectator stunned.
The bike portion is a road cycling event (or mountain bike in a cross-triathlon). Extreme athletes pedal distances ranging from 10 km (XS format) to 180 km (XXL or Ironman format), or even thousands of kilometers for the ultra-triathlon.
The bike part is a road cycling event (or mountain bike in a cross-triathlon)
Short distance triathlon (M format) is on the Olympic program. The most famous long-distance triathlon race is none other than the legendary Hawaii Ironman, considered one of the toughest competitions in the world. The mythical course in Kona, on the Big Island, is where the Ironman World Championships are contested: 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of biking and a marathon to finish it all off.
If you're interested in learning about the sport, you'll need triathlon-specific gear, including a trifold, neoprene wetsuit and triathlon shoes for the bike.
The Duathlon
Attached to the French Triathlon Federation (FFTRI), duathlon is a high-level discipline derived from triathlon. Duathletes also provide a triple effort, but do not have a swimming event. They start on the run, follow it up with a cycling portion, and then put on their runnings again to finish the course.
The bike and run
This discipline also falls under the FFTRI. It is contested by team of two on race times sometimes less than 45 minutes and can exceed two hours.
The pairing consists of a runner and a cyclist: partners take turns pedaling and switching bikes as they please. The goal is to finish the event together. Bike and run is particularly fun for children and is practiced in the middle of nature.
The cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross, not to be confused with cyclotourism (bicycle tourism), borrows its characteristics from both road cycling and cross-country mountain biking. It is an off-season discipline that takes place in the fall and winter, from October to late February. It is particularly popular with road racers for training purposes in preparation for the upcoming season.
Participants compete on a course of about 3 km over a variety of terrain: tarmac, paths, trails... Some sections require getting out of the saddle to be done on foot.
The BMX
Among other bike-related disciplines is BMX. This extreme sport comes in two formats, both of which are on the Olympic calendar:
- The BMX race or bicross: the race pits eight riders against each other on a bumpy 340-meter circuit.
- The BMX freestyle: riders perform jumped (park) or balance-based (flat) tricks.
A big show acrobatic discipline!
Indoor cycling
Contrary to what you might think, indoor cycling has nothing to do with track cycling. It includes three disciplines:
- Figure cycling: athletes perform a musical performance consisting of figures and acrobatics, similar to figure skating.
- Ball cycling: there's such a thing as bicycle soccer! Two teams of two compete in a match and score goals using the wheels or their bodies.
- Indoor polo-bike: the principle is similar to cycle ball, except that the players hit the ball with a mallet measuring up to one meter high. The polo-bike can also be practiced on grass or asphalt in match conditions however different.
There are many more cycling disciplines, such as gravel. Cycling is definitely represented in many sports! Ekoï suggests you brush up on your classics: learn more about road cycling or the multiple mountain bike events.
