Icetrack cycling is a bicycle racing

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

usually held on 400m

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skatin ...

ice ovals. However, any ice sheet can be used, including

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

rinks and frozen lakes.

History

The sport of cycling on ice is probably as old as the sport of cycling. Icetrack cycling has many similarities to

track cycling Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it ...

. There are many examples of bikes that have been built or adapted to cope with the hard and slippery surface of ice. Usually practiced in places where a winter freeze turns lakes into inviting sheets of ice, annual events attract all types of ice bikes and competitors. Various ice rinks also host (annual) events. In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, icetrack cycling is developing rapidly due to the availability of ''standard'' ice bikes, making the sport more accessible. The term ''icetrack'' is specifically used for cycling on ice suitable for skating on (i.e., not on snow or rough ice).

Equipment

Many types of bike have been tried over the years. The current ''standard'' bikes use one drive wheel at the back, a steering skate at the front and a cornering skate out to the right. The ''drive wheel'' is a 20" bicycle wheel with

derailleur gears Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980) A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another. Modern front and rea ...

. Various tyres can be selected to suit the ice surface. Spikes are not used on a 400m ice oval. The ''steering skate'' is ground to a profile which ensures the bike turns when the skate is turned - the skate being attached to handlebars operated by the user. The ''cornering skate'' provides the force needed to get the bike round the left hand corners at either end of the ice oval. The user sits in a recumbent position to ensure a low centre of gravity on the slippery ice.

Race formats

Icetrack cycling events fit into two broad categories: timed/individual races and multiple bike races. ''Timed races'' use the same format as

events.Wat is Langebaanschaatsen
, KNSB.nl Various distances between 500 m and 10,000 m are completed against the clock, with a maximum of two competitors on the ice at any one time. Many ice ovals include a wire loop embedded in the ice along the finish line which can detect the passing of a transponder attached to the competitor, thus providing automated timing (often linked to the internet). ''Multiple bike'' races of up to 20 bikes use a standing start from a grid with races held over three, five or nine laps. The position on the start grid is decided based on a timed qualifying flying lap. ''Keirin''. The bikes are also used to start a

Keirin – literally "racing cycle" – is a form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan around 1948 for gambling ...

race for

(replacing the

Derny A Derny is a motorized bicycle for motor-paced cycling events such as during six-day and Keirin racing and motor-paced road races. Some riders train behind a derny on the road. The Derny is so-called as it was originally produced by the Fren ...

in a

velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...

). In a keirin for skaters, the bike starts on the opposite side of the oval and the skaters then start from a standing start as the bike passes them. The bike then regulates the speed, which increases over two laps, before slowing and moving to the left. The skaters then sprint the last lap to the finish. Any number of skaters between six and 16 can take part in a race, depending on the local club. Championship races have eight competitors.

Track records

The current record for one flying lap of a 400m ice oval stands at 33.18s, set on 11 December 2015 in De Bonte Wever Assen NL The ice track hour record stands at 35.258 km, set by Eva Navratilova (CZE) on 14 November 2015 in

Thialf Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Thialf consists of the Thialf-hal (a 12,500-capacity speed skating venue) and the Elfstedenhal (a 2,500-capacity ice hockey venue). Thialf is used for long track speed skating, short track spee ...

(Heerenveen, NL). This record is recognised by the WHPVA. Eva Navratilova IceTrackHourRecord

References

External links

IceTrack Cycling
{{DEFAULTSORT:Icetrack Cycling Cycle racing Speed skating