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Cycling Fan Guide
Olympic competition dates: Sept. 16-21 Venue: Dunc Gray Velodrome, Bankstown The outlook France tops the field, challenged by the United States, Germany and Australia. Professional riders, such as two-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, will compete. Armstrong finished a disappointing 14th in the road race in Barcelona before turning pro. The finer points There are five events that have previously been contested at the Olympics: (1) match sprint, in which two riders meet in a best-of-three competition, and one rider, determined first by drawing and alternating thereafter, must lead the first lap of each sprint before the two jockey for position in the final two laps; (2) individual pursuit, in which two riders are positioned opposite each other on the track, and each attempts to pass the other, and if not, then the fastest time wins; (3) team pursuit, which is similar to individual pursuit, except that teams of four go head-to-head, and the third member of the fastest team either crosses the finish line or passes the third member of the slower team; (4) points race, in which the rider who accumulates the most points or laps the field wins the race (points are awarded during lap sprints, which occur every fifth lap, with five to the winner, three to second place, two to third, one to fourth); and (5) 1-kilometer time trial, an all-out race in which the fastest time wins. Making their Olympic debut are the Madison, Keirin and the Olympic sprint. Only men will participate in these new events. The Olympic sprint, in its first appearance despite the name, is raced by three-man teams. Each team member leads for one of the three laps. The eight fastest teams advance to the quarterfinal. Two-man teams race in the 60 kilometer Madison. The men take turns riding and sprinting for points, grasping hands to trade off. Originating as a betting race in Japan, the Keirin is an eight-lap race. A motorbike sets the pace for 5½ laps. The cyclists then sprint for the final 2½ laps. MOUNTAIN BIKING Olympic competition dates: Sept. 23-24 Venue: Fairfield City Farm, Fairfield The outlook There will be 50 riders in the men's, 30 in the women's. Men race between 40 and 50 kilometers, women 30-40. Exact distances are decided the night before the race, determined by weather conditions. The finer points Strategy is seldom a factor as riders explode off the starting line to vie for position at the head of the pack. Cross country events are largely single-track, which makes it difficult to pass another rider. ROAD Olympic competition dates: Sept. 26-30 Venue: Road Cycling Course, Centennial Parklands The finer points There are three events: the individual road race on a 15 kilometer course; the individual time trial, in which riders compete individually, at timed intervals, against the clock; and the team time trial. Men race 239km, women 120. In time trials, men race 46.8km, women 31.2 The Associated Press contributed to this report. |  | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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