A scratch race is a

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 ...

race in which all riders

start together ''Start Together'' is compilation box set containing the entire remastered discography of the American rock band Sleater-Kinney. A digital version of the remastered box set was released on September 2, 2014. Three thousand limited edition physi ...

and the objective is simply to be first over the finish line after a certain number of laps. UCI regulations specify that a scratch race should be held over 15 km for Elite Men and 10 km for Elite Women. Shorter distances of 10 km for men and 7.5 km for women may be used for qualifying rounds. Racers line up along the inner sprinter's rail and along the outer railing. The riders take a neutralised lap before the starting pistol is fired for the official start. A lapped rider must leave the race once they are overtaken by the

peloton In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close ( drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reducti ...

. There are no intermediate points or sprints. One tactic is for a rider, or more often a group of riders, to break away and attempt to gain a lap on the rest of the field. The peloton cannot be lapped; but that rider or those riders cannot be beaten by anyone in the peloton. The format favors endurance sprinters.

World championships

The scratch race has been a UCI World Championship event for

men A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chro ...

and

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

since 2002.

Franco Marvulli Franco Marvulli (born 11 November 1978 in Zürich) is a Swiss professional racing cyclist. Palmares ;2000 : 3rd, National U23 Time Trial Championship ;2001 : European Omnium Champion : 1st, Six-Days of Grenoble (with Alexander Äschbach) : 2n ...

of Switzerland and

Alex Rasmussen Alex Nicki Rasmussen (born 9 June 1984) is a Danish former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2009 and 2016 for the , , , , and teams. Primarily specialising in track cycling, Rasmussen was also proficient in road racin ...

of Denmark have both won the men's scratch event twice, while

Wim Stroetinga Willem Stroetinga (born 23 May 1985 in Drachten) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. Major results Track ;2002 : 1st Scratch race, UCI Junior World Championships ;2003 : UEC European Junior Championships ::1st Points race ::2nd T ...

of the Netherlands has the most medals with three between 2007 and 2012. In the women's scratch race,

Yoanka González Yoanka González Pérez (born 9 January 1976 in Villa Clara) is a Cuban racing cyclist, competing in both road cycling and track cycling. She was the 2004 scratch cycling world champion. She is also married to cyclist Pedro Pablo Pérez. Maj ...

of Cuba is the most decorated rider, with five gold or silver medals won between 2004 and 2010.

References

{{Track cycling Events in track cycling