Competitive Rider

There are a number of different disciplines in competitive cycling. The sport can be loosely categorised into road cycling, track cycling and off-road cycling. Of course each discipline has a number of aspects to it.

Road cycling takes place at many different levels, from handicapped club races to massed start open races. There may be different categories of rider competing together, or a race might be for one category only. A time-trial is where a competitor sets off alone to cover a set distance in as fast a time as possible. There may be individual or team time trials.

Track cycling events can cover a huge variety of events covering pursuits, sprints, flying kilometre, devil take the hindmost - there is a huge array of disciplines on the track!  Again, events may be team based or solo efforts.

Off road cycling used to be the preserve of the road cyclist who turned to cyclo-cross racing in the winter to keep fit. With the boom in mountain bike sales in recent years, off road cycling has now developed into a year-round sport. MTB events can take the form of cross country races or downhill events where a competitor races against the clock. In the winter, there are cyclo-cross races that involve running and tackling obstacles as well as cycling.