Cycle sports

Competitive cycling, or bicycle racing, is a popular sport that enjoys a strong international following. A sport that has evolved over the course of two centuries from its recreational roots, professional cycling is best known for the iconic Tour de France race. Cycling’s popularity has also been bolstered by its longtime inclusion in the modern Summer Olympics.

Professional cycling has long been a marketable sport. Cycling teams rely heavily on corporate sponsors, whose support helps teams purchase not only equipment and uniforms but also training facilities and other highly expensive items that contribute to a team’s success. In return, these companies get their names on uniform logos and signage at the Tour de France, one of the most-watched sporting events in the world, and other events.

However, the professional sport of cycling has received a substantial amount of negative publicity in the form of scandals over the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)—known as doping—by some of cycling’s most prominent figures. The revelation that such illicit activity was widespread has led to fan cynicism about the sport’s viability, as well as criticism of cycling’s world governing body, Union Cycliste Internationale (the International Cycling Union or UCI).

Despite the scandals that have plagued international cycling, the sport continues to enjoy a solid base of support. This support largely comes from Great Britain and Europe, although Latin American nations have shown increased fan numbers. In the United States, cycling suffered a major blow when seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong admitted to doping during the height of his competitive career.

Origins and History

The history of cycling dates to the early nineteenth century, when the first incarnations of the bicycle appeared. In 1817, German inventor Karl Drais introduced his draisine (also called a laufmaschine or “running machine”), which was essentially two wagon wheels attached to one another in linear fashion with a piece of wood and adorned with a crude steering mechanism. People would sit on the crossbeam and propel the vehicle with their feet or lift their legs to coast. Over the course of several decades, the draisine underwent an evolution that eventually gave rise to the modern bicycle.

The first of these cycles was the Rover, which was introduced in 1885 by British engineers J. K. Starley and James Starley. Also known as “Starley bikes,” these bicycles had pedals and the now-standard rear-wheel chain-drive system that helped the rider travel over greater distances and more varied terrain than before. Soon, factories all over the world were producing different versions of the bicycle for anticipatory customers.

The novelty of cycling as recreation gave rise to competitive cycling as a sport. A number of road races were organized in Europe, including courses between Milan and Turin, Italy; Liège and Bastogne, Belgium; and Paris and Roubaix, France. Cycling’s popularity led to its inclusion in the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. Although it was not included in the program for the subsequent three Olympic Games, it returned at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912 and has remained in the Summer Olympics since.

Shortly after the first appearance of cycling in the Olympics, French journalist Géo Lefèvre of L’Auto, a sports newspaper, and his editor, Henri Desgrange, organized a nearly 2,500-kilometer (more than 1,500-miles) “Tour de France.” On July 1, 1903, sixty cyclists started the race in Montgeron (a southeast suburb of Paris). Twenty-one completed the grueling race over eighteen days, with Frenchman Maurice Garin winning the inaugural race.

Since the first Tour de France, cycling as a sport has evolved considerably (even if the evolution of the bicycle has been comparatively incremental). Road races remained highly popular over the course of the twentieth century. However, many of the newer races were shorter than the now three-week Tour de France. In the 1920s, triathlons came into the sporting arena, with cycling joining cross-country running and swimming in these events. Three-hundred-kilometer races appeared throughout Europe and North America.

In the latter twentieth century, cycling began moving off paved roads and onto the dirt. Bicycles were built with sturdier frames and larger tires to enable riders to ride on dirt tracks and other terrains. BMX (bicycle motocross), cyclocross (featuring varied courses with obstacles), and mountain biking generated strong support during this period, particularly in the United States. These types of cycling, along with the traditional road-racing format, continue to enjoy popularity in the twenty-first century.

Rules and Regulations

The rules and regulations governing professional and amateur cycling vary based on the type of race, the venue at which the race is taking place, and the entity governing the event. UCI is the world governing body of sport cycling, with associated national federations such as USA Cycling in the United States. The International Olympic Committee also has parameters for its cycling programs, although many of the rules involved are those originally written by other governing cycling organizations.

There are, however, a wide range of common rules, regulations, and protocols pertaining to cycling. For example, because the track or course is frequently crowded with competitors, most cycling organizations strictly enforce rules against blocking the path of passing racers and against making contact with other cyclists. Such rules exist for the safety of the competitors, preventing crashes and promoting good sportsmanship.

Other rules common to various governing cycling organizations pertain to the cyclists’ appearance and equipment. For example, riders are typically required to clearly display their race numbers on both their bicycles and uniforms. The UCI’s rules and regulations clearly state that a bicycle used in a UCI race be one that was produced commercially and therefore available for all cyclists. Prototypes and other specially designed and constructed bicycles are strictly prohibited from UCI races.

In addition to rules and regulations focusing on the cyclists and their equipment, there are generally accepted guidelines surrounding the courses on which the races take place. For example, road races are normally designed in such a way that cyclists will not repeat the course and thereby potentially cut into other groups of cyclists who are behind or ahead of them by one lap. Other rules call for markers at certain distances along the course so that cyclists can assess their locations and plan the next leg of their journeys. Furthermore, road races are expected to have well-marked barriers between the cyclists and spectators to avoid any distractions and/or contact between the two parties from the race start to the finish line.

Strategy and Tactics

Depending on the type of race involved, cyclists must employ a number of different tactics in order to achieve victory, including ensuring that their bicycles are well-maintained. In general, however, cyclists rely on just a few critical strategies. One of these is pacing. The 2014 Tour de France, for example, covered nine flat stretches, five hilly stretches, and six mountain passes. Some riders excel at climbing mountains, while others are stronger on flat terrain. However, all riders in such a race must keep pace with one another. It is therefore imperative for each rider to gauge his or her ability and modify his or her pace to account for areas of the race that are advantageous and disadvantageous. By doing so, they may maximize their speed at the opportune times.

Cyclists must also carefully plan each stage. Knowing who is in front of or behind them is important, particularly when the cyclist in question knows the strengths and weaknesses of those opponents. Events like the Tour de France are, in fact, team races. When a team invests in its leader, they will attempt to slow the forward progress of oncoming opponents by blocking their paths (without deliberately cutting them off or making contact with them).

Furthermore, cyclists must take advantage of opportunities to save their energy. Multiday races have rest periods along the way—cyclists must make sure to eat nutritious foods and rehydrate, as well as sleep, whenever these breaks take place. Even when the race recommences, there are opportunities for a cyclist to save his or energy. For example, he or she can carefully position him- or herself behind a competitor who is riding ahead. Known as “drafting,” this allows the cyclist to travel with less wind resistance, saving his or her energy while maintaining a reasonable speed.

Professional Leagues and Series

National organizations such as USA Cycling provide licensing, advocacy, networking, and other informational resources to members, as well as host events for road racing, mountain biking, and BMX riders across the country. USA Cycling recognizes its members’ top riders through major championship races at both the collegiate and professional levels. These races include the USA Cycling Elite BMX National Championships, the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships, and the USA Cycling Marathon Mountain Bike National Championships.

Another growing regional professional cycling association is the International Cycling Federation (ICF). This organization, based in Belgium, began as an amalgamation of a number of smaller Belgian cycling associations. Today, the ICF has membership spanning across northern Europe and acts as a less expansive but nonetheless competitive alternative to the UCI. The ICF hosts a large number of championship-level races across Belgium and Europe.

The largest and perhaps most revered international cycling organization is the UCI. Headquartered in Switzerland, UCI offers membership to male and female cyclists from every nation and area of the sport: BMX, mountain biking, track, road, cyclocross, and paracycling. The International Olympic Committee recognizes the UCI as the official governing body of international cycling for the Summer Olympic Games.

The crown jewel of the UCI schedule is what most cyclists consider the premier event in the sport: the Tour de France. The route, which changes every year, takes the competitors (all men) along flat stretches, hills, and mountain ranges as they ride primarily across mainland France, although more than twenty races since 1950 have started in neighboring countries, such as Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and even the United Kingdom. The finish line, however, is always in Paris. Overall, the race, which involves around twenty teams of nine riders each, takes place in twenty-one daylong stages and covers some 2,200 miles, with only two days of rest.

During the Tour, each team attempts to win the largest number of stages. Each team leader is identified as a “one” (his race number is 1, 11, 21, and so on). The rider who has the aggregate lowest time during the race is given the “yellow jersey,” recognizing him as the leader. The cyclist with the overall lowest aggregate time by the time he reaches Paris wins the race and a purse of some $600,000. Stage winners are also recognized for their accomplishments, winning more than $30,000 per stage. The Tour is an enormous event, generating highly competitive international corporate sponsorships (including team naming rights and logo placement on jerseys).

Popularity

Professional cycling has enjoyed increasing popularity since the bicycle first came into existence during the early to mid-nineteenth century. Whether it is mountain biking, BMX, track cycling, or road racing, the sport continues to experience strong turnout and participation rates at its myriad events.

To be sure, cycling received a black eye in the first few years of the twenty-first century, because of a widespread blood-doping scandal—one that resulted in international cycling superstar Lance Armstrong’s expulsion from the sport in 2012 and erasure of his championships from the Tour de France’s archives. The UCI, however, implemented a strict antidoping policy after the Armstrong scandal, and the hope is that crowds will take notice of the sport’s attention to this issue.

Despite the scandal, the Tour de France has continued to draw millions of spectators and millions of fans at home. According to one study, 12 million spectators lined the streets along the route during the 2012 race. Two million fans were located at the first few stages of the 2014 Tour, which began in Leeds, England, and an estimated 3.5 billion viewers tuned in to the Tour on television. Cycling remains one of the most popular sports in the world, even in the face of the highly public downfall of one of its most decorated figures.

Bibliography

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