What is Olympic Cycling?

Broadly defined, the sport of Olympic bicycling is actually made up of a number of specific events, some very different from another. Road and track racing have been around for a long time -- both present at the first modern games in Athens in 1896 -- while BMX and mountain bike events are both relatively new. Mountain bike racing made its debut in Atlanta in 1996, and 2008 marks the first time that BMX racing has been an official Olympic event.

The four main areas of competition in Olympic cycling are:

• Road Racing
• Track Racing
• BMX Racing
• Mountain Biking

Schedule of events at the Summer Olympics:

• Sorted by Date
  
• Sorted by Event

Each cycling discipline offers different thrills and riders competing in the various events often use very different approaches and strategy. For instance, in track racing, bikes have a single fixed gear and no brakes. Riders wear freaky helmets and look like they come from outer space.

Contrast that with BMX, the dirt riders swooping up and down hills and jumps, as much motorcycle as bicycle in their appearance, or the road racers, who can cover a hundred and twenty miles in a day.

Your Road to Glory: How to Make the Olympic Cycling Team

Though all are overseen by the International Cycling Union (UCI), each event has a slightly different approach to selecting its competitors, though usually placing at the world championships and having a high individual ranking plays a major role. If your eyes are set on Olympic glory, and you see yourself on the medal stand one day, the first thing to know is how to make the team. Here's the process by which competitors are selected: