Individual pursuit
Encyclopedia
The individual pursuit is a track cycling
event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.
The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the fastest time. They will ride on the pursuit line at the bottom of the track in order to find the fastest line. This race makes for a good spectacle as the two riders pursue each other attempting to catch the other rider that started on the other side of the track. If the catch is achieved, then the successful pursuer is declared the winner. However they can continue to ride the rest of the race distance in order to set the fastest time in a qualifying race or a record in a final. The current Men's Olympic champion in this event is Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins
. The current Men's World Champion in this event is Australia's Jack Bobridge
.
As of December 10, 2009 the IOC approved a UCI recommendation to restructure track events at the 2012 Games in London, including the abandonment of individual pursuit events.
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.
The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the fastest time. They will ride on the pursuit line at the bottom of the track in order to find the fastest line. This race makes for a good spectacle as the two riders pursue each other attempting to catch the other rider that started on the other side of the track. If the catch is achieved, then the successful pursuer is declared the winner. However they can continue to ride the rest of the race distance in order to set the fastest time in a qualifying race or a record in a final. The current Men's Olympic champion in this event is Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Wiggins
Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE is a British professional track and road bicycle racer, currently riding for Team Sky. Wiggins' career began on the track, where he specialised in the pursuit and madison disciplines....
. The current Men's World Champion in this event is Australia's Jack Bobridge
Jack Bobridge
Jack Bobridge is an Australian professional racing cyclist. He came fourth as part of the Australian team pursuit at the 2008 Olympics, losing the bronze medal race to New Zealand. In May 2009, Bobridge signed with , with his contract starting on 1 January 2010 and continuing until 2012...
.
Qualification and race format
The first round of the competition at major events is the qualifying round. This still involves two riders on the track at the same time but they are not directly competing against each other but attempting to set the fastest time to progress in the competition. In the Olympic Games the top riders progress into knock out rounds, with the top two surviving into the Gold and Silver medal race and next two into the Bronze Medal race. In the World Championships or World Cup Classic events, the top two riders from the qualifying round progress directly to the Gold and Silver medal race while the third and forth qualifiers fight it out for Bronze.As of December 10, 2009 the IOC approved a UCI recommendation to restructure track events at the 2012 Games in London, including the abandonment of individual pursuit events.
Notable performers
Notable performers in this discipline include:- British professional Hugh PorterHugh PorterHugh Porter MBE is one of Britain's greatest former professional cyclists, winning four world titles in the individual pursuit as well as a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1966...
(four times world professional champion - over 5000 metres) - FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
man Roger RivièreRoger RivièreRoger Rivière was a French track and road bicycle racer. He raced as a professional from 1957 to 1960....
(three times world professional champion, 1957-1959) - Chris BoardmanChris BoardmanChristopher "Chris" Boardman MBE is a former English racing cyclist who won an individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics and broke the world hour record three times, as well as winning three stages and wearing the yellow jersey on three separate occasions at the Tour de France...
- Jack BobridgeJack BobridgeJack Bobridge is an Australian professional racing cyclist. He came fourth as part of the Australian team pursuit at the 2008 Olympics, losing the bronze medal race to New Zealand. In May 2009, Bobridge signed with , with his contract starting on 1 January 2010 and continuing until 2012...
, set world's record in 4K individual pursuit 2011 - Graeme ObreeGraeme ObreeGraeme Obree is a Scottish racing cyclist who twice broke the world hour record, in July 1993 and April 1994, and was the individual pursuit world champion in 1993 and 1995. He was known for his unusual riding positions and for the "Old Faithful" bicycle he built which included parts from a...
- Bradley WigginsBradley WigginsBradley Marc Wiggins, CBE is a British professional track and road bicycle racer, currently riding for Team Sky. Wiggins' career began on the track, where he specialised in the pursuit and madison disciplines....
, Twice Olympic champion and three times world champion - six time women's champion Rebecca TwiggRebecca TwiggRebecca Twigg is an American former racing cyclist, who won six world track cycling championships in the individual pursuit...
- five time women's champion Beryl BurtonBeryl BurtonBeryl Burton, MBE OBE was an English racing cyclist and one of Britain's greatest ever athletes.She dominated women’s cycle racing in the UK, winning more than 90 domestic championships and seven world titles, and setting numerous national records...
- Sarah UlmerSarah UlmerSarah Elizabeth Ulmer, ONZM is the first New Zealander to win an Olympic cycling gold. She won a gold medal and set world records at the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens,....
from New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... - Rebecca RomeroRebecca RomeroRebecca Jayne Romero MBE is an English sportsperson, a former World Champion and Olympic Games medallist at rowing, and a former World champion and reigning Olympic champion track cyclist.-Biography:...
, world and Olympic champion - Taylor PhinneyTaylor PhinneyTaylor Phinney is a world champion American racing cyclist, specialising on the track in individual pursuit. He is the son of former professional racing cyclist Davis Phinney and former Olympic gold medal racing cyclist and speed skater Connie Carpenter-Phinney...
, double world champion - Sarah HammerSarah HammerSarah Kathryn Hammer is an American professional racing cyclist.-Career:Hammer is a four-time champion in the individual pursuit at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships....
, three times world champion