The team sprint (also sometimes known as the Olympic sprint) 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 ...
event. Despite its name, it is not a conventional
cycling sprint event – it is a three-rider
team time trial
A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events).
The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ...
held over three laps of 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 ...
.
The current men's world record time is 41.225 seconds. This was set by the Netherlands team of
Jeffrey Hoogland,
Harrie Lavreysen and
Roy van den Berg at the
2020 World Championships. The women's world record of 46.064 seconds was set by the German team of
Lea Friedrich,
Pauline Grabosch and
Emma Hinze at the
2021 World Championships.
It was first introduced into championship racing in 1995. The team sprint has been an Olympic event for men since 2000 and for women since 2012.
Like the
team pursuit
The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, starting on opposite sides of the velodrome.
Race format
Both men's and women's events are competed over ...
event, two teams race against each other, starting on opposite sides of the track. At the end of the first lap, the leading rider in each team pulls up the banking leaving the second rider to lead for the next lap; at the end of the second lap, the second rider does the same, leaving the third rider to complete the last lap on his own. The team with the faster time is the winner.
The third rider needs good endurance qualities to maintain high speed to the finish. Kilometre
track time trial
The track time trial is a track cycling event where cyclists compete individually against the clock to record the fastest time over the specified distance from a standing start.
Time trial bikes
Track time trial bikes differ from normal track bik ...
specialists are usually chosen for this role.
Rules and format
The qualifying round sees each team racing by themselves against the clock. The aim of the qualifying round is to simply set the fastest possible time out of all the teams. In the Olympic Games qualifying teams will then progress into a knockout round against another team, with the two eventual surviving teams competing for the Gold and Silver and the next two competing for the Bronze medal. In the World Championships and World Cup Classics meetings, the top two from the qualifying round progress straight to the final and the third and fourth quickest fight it out for the bronze medal.
References
Events in track cycling
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