Elimination races or "snap-dragon" races in
bicycle racing are a form of race wherein during the course of the race, certain participants are eliminated through various criteria. The most common types of elimination races are the miss and out and the win and out.
The
omnium
An omnium (from Latin '' Omni'': of all, belonging to all) is a multiple race event in track cycling. Historically the omnium has had a variety of formats. In recent years, road racing has also adopted the term to describe multi-day races that fe ...
event has an elimination race. In 2015 at the
2015 UEC European Track Championships
The 2015 UEC European Track Championships was the sixth edition of the elite UEC European Track Championships in track cycling and took place at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland, between 14 and 18 October. The Event was organised by ...
, an elimination race was contested for the first time as a full standalone event at an international championship.
Miss and out
The miss and out, or devil take the hindmost, is a race run for individual
competitor
Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
s or, more rarely, for teams of two relaying each other as in the
madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
. At the end of every lap or every set number of laps the last rider to cross the line is eliminated from the race. When just a handful of riders remain, they sprint for the finish.
Tactically, the real racing in a "devil" happens at the back of the field. With riders at the front riding steadily and those behind moving up on the elimination laps to find a safe spot, the race favours riders with nerve and
track-craft. Crashes are more common than in other races, especially among inexperienced riders.
Win and out
The win and out is similar to the miss and out, however, rather than the last rider being eliminated the first rider to cross the line is removed from the race. The first rider removed wins first place, the second rider removed wins second place, and so on.
Events in track cycling
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