Know More About Cycle Racing
Bicycle racing is a competitive sport conducted all over the world. It is a recognized Olympics event and has several categories based on the type of bicycle used for racing. International cycling events as well as the sport of cycling are governed by an international body called the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), which was formed on April 14, 1900.
Bicycle racing is quite popular all over the world, especially in countries like France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, and Belgium. The first bicycle race was purportedly held on May 31, 1868, at the Parc de Saint-Cloud in Paris.
There are various types of bicycle races – for individuals as well as teams, and for amateurs as well as professionals. Mountain bike racing, track cycling, road bicycle racing, and time-trialling are a few of the categories of bicycle racing events.
Road races usually take place between spring and fall. There are professional one-day road races such as the Milan – San Remo and Ronde van Vlaanderen. There are also races that take place in several stages and span multiple days. These multi-day races include the very popular Tour de France, Tour of California, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a Espana.
Track cycling takes place on banked tracks called velodromes. The bicycles used in track cycling do not have freewheels or brakes.
Cyclocross racing is another type of cycle racing. It originated as a sport after it served as a sort of training for cyclists during the cold months, i.e., during the off season. Cyclocross races usually take place during the autumn and winter months. They consist of many laps of a 2-3 km course that features steep hills, grass, pavements, wooded trails, and other obstacles. The cyclist is required to dismount, carry the bicycle and remount it, all in one smooth motion.
Cyclists achieve higher speeds on indoor tracks than on the roads. Some other factors that affect bicycle racing speeds are weather conditions, elevation, temperatures, and the route profile which maps the flat and elevated areas of the terrain. As expected, the average cycling speeds decrease with distance.
The bicycles used for cycle racing are specially designed and engineered to adhere to the rules of the UCI. They usually sacrifice comfort in favor of speed. The drop handlebars are placed in a lower position than the saddle. This helps the cyclist maintain a highly aerodynamic posture. These bicycles also have their front and rear wheels positioned close together to facilitate quicker handling. There are some racing bicycles modeled for recreational use also.
With the advent of numerous types of digital technologies, you can keep track of cycling events all over the world through videos, photos, satellite trackings, blogs, voice-casts, and more. Of course, watching a cycle racing event first hand is an adventure in itself.
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