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| | Bicycle is a motor less wheeled transport means, driven by driver cyclist and meant for traveling significant distances, active recreation and sports competitions. This can be a two-wheel or three wheeled machine for traveling, driven by pedals through chain drive. Types of bicycles: Utility bicycles for adults, teenagers, children including foldable, sports, including tandems, special cargo bikes, clown, tall bikes and others. Bicycle with internal combustion engine is called moped.
Velodrome originated from two words bicycle and Greek dromos race, place for racing. Velodrome is a sports complex open or closed structure for training and competitions of bicycle sport. Velodrome consists of track with stands, auxiliary premises.
Bicycle sport includes racing on track, highway, cycle cross, mountain bike, competitions in BMX racing and play with the ball on bicycles bicycle polo and bicycle ball. Main aim of the bicycle sport as fast as possible to overcome the emulative distance on bicycles. First bicycle race was held in Europe around 1860.
The first prominent bicycle race was a 120 km race held on 1869 in France along Paris -Rouen route and the participants participated in the race using wooden bicycles. In Olympics, cycling was introduced from 1896 for men and for women from 1984. At first, only men were allowed to participate in competitions and women were allowed to participate in highway racings only in 1984 and track racing starting from 1988. In Olympic Games, from 1896 to 1924, program of Olympic competitions were held arbitrarily: Track racing was included in the list of competitions -1900 and 1904 or only road racing in 1912.
Competition schedules were finalized from 1928 and little changes have taken place till 1992. 1000 m track race was a heat event and records were made and broken especially in this section and also sprinters race, individual & team pursuit 4000m, group and team road races were included. From 1908 till 1972, track racings were conducted on tandems. Every national team was represented by 15 racers and every representing sportsman had the right to participate in any discipline. However, competition regulating authority restricted the number of starters: in heat event, sprint race and individual pursuit single sportsman and in team road race four, in team road race 100 km and team track pursuit one team each made up of 4 sportsmen.
Team and group road races were conducted separately from 1960. Prior to this, aggregate results, demonstrated by sportsmen of each of the participating countries in these competitions, were counted in team race. In 1912 Olympic Games, sum of four results were accounted but from 1920 to 1956 sum of three results.
New types of cycling events for men and women were incorporated in the Olympic Games: Individual racing on road and cross country but team road racing was excluded. Thus, cyclists competed for 14 sets of medals in Olympic Games: Team road race for men and women; individual time trail event for men and women; individual pursuit for men and women; team pursuit for men, points race for men and women; mountain bike cross country for men and women.
System for allowing the participation has changed in Olympic Games: Total number of sportsmen is determined by qualification competition system: not more than 200 men and 60 women are allowed for road race; track event 186 sportsmen for men and women; mountain bike 50 men and 30 women.
World championships for track racing were being conducted from 1893. World championships for road race were started in 1921 and in closed arena from 1929.First world championship for track cycling was in 1893 in Chicago, USA and on road in 1921 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
World championships for cross cycling event were being organized from 1950. Europe championship for racing in closed arenas from 1930. International Cycling Union (UCI) was founded in 1900. According to the 1998 statistics, 167 countries are members of the UCI. Till 1992, only International Amateur Cycling Federation (FIAC), which was created in 1965 and the International Professional Cycling Federation (FICP) were members of the UCI. Starting from 1993, existence of both the amateur and professional federations was considered unadvisable and hence reunited to form International cycling union. |
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Tour de France 2007 brought more doping scandals than even before in the history of this championship.
Michael Rasmussen of Denmark was leading the race until he lied about his whereabouts to avoid the doping tests, and was dropped by his team. Another race-favorite Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazahstan was dismissed from the race after he tested positive for blood doping - transfusion of his own blood saved weeks before - a practice banned in sports. Is if these scandals were not enough, the winner of Tour De France, Alberto Contador of Spain was accused of using doping and his victory was called "the greatest swindle in sporting history".
