Cycling at the Olympics

As part of the Summer Olympics , cycling competitions are also held. Until 1992, participation in cycling races was restricted to amateurs . The best professional cyclists have been taking part since 1996 . Cycling disciplines have so far been held at all Summer Olympic Games. The most successful nation in all Olympic cycling disciplines is France with a total of 86 medals. Germany won a total of 36 medals, the FRG 14 and the state amateurs of the GDR were on the podium 16 times, as was Switzerland . Austria has won three medals so far.

Street

The first Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 was cycling on the route of the marathon held back Athens Marathon and. The victorious Greek Aristidis Konstantinidis had a twenty-minute lead over the second-placed German August von Goederich , who won the silver medal.

But it wasn't until 1912 that road cycling returned to the Olympic program. However, in 1912, 1920 and 1924 only an individual time trial, not a road race with a mass start, was held. In 1912 the riders had to cover more than 300 kilometers in the individual time trial; although this distance was shortened in the following games, it was still almost 200 kilometers for the athletes to drive alone. In addition, a team ranking of nations was introduced from 1912, which was carried out until 1956.

In 1928 the time trial was abolished and a street race with mass start - as in 1896 - reintroduced. The team ranking of the nations remained. This model existed up to and including 1956 .

From 1960 the team competition was no longer held. From then on, they were replaced by a so-called “road quad”, a team time trial of four over approximately 100 kilometers. Germany won silver at the very first competition in 1960.

In 1992 the street foursome took place one last time. From 1996 the Olympic competitions were open to professionals. From this year, an individual time trial was held alongside the road race.

The only German individual winners on the road so far have been Jan Ullrich 2000 and Olaf Ludwig 1988. In the team driving, the all-German team won in 1992 and the GDR four-man in 1988.

Since 1984 there has also been an Olympic road race for women, which was supplemented by an individual time trial in 1996 .

Overview competitions for men

Street - Current competitions
competition	96	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Men
Road racing	•			•					•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	25th
Individual time trial						•	•	•																•	•	•	•	•	•	•	10
Street - Former Competitions
competition	96	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Men
Team rating						•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•																	9
Team time trial															•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•								9
Number of competitions	1			1		2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2

Overview competitions for women

Street - Current competitions
competition	96	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Women
Road racing																					•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	10
Individual time trial																								•	•	•	•	•	•	•	7th
Number of competitions																					1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	2

Track cycling

With the exception of the 1912 Olympic Games, track cycling competitions were held at all of the Summer Olympics. In 1896 , the individual sprint, a 10-kilometer race, a 100-kilometer competition, a time trial and the 12-hour race, which only took place at these games, were the first Olympic track disciplines. The 10-kilometer race also took place for the first and last time at the Games in 1896. Since then, the individual sprint has been held at all Summer Olympics except for 1912 and 1904.

In 1900 there was only one race over 25 kilometers in addition to the sprint, but this has not been held since then. Four years later , seven new disciplines were created with the quarter mile, third mile, half mile, mile, 2 mile race, 5 mile race and 25 mile race, but these too Competitions were only held at these games and then no longer appeared at the Olympics.

At the 1908 Games, too , with the 660-yard race, the 5-kilometer competition and the 20-kilometer race, disciplines were introduced that could not remain in the Olympic program beyond these games; this was also the case for the second and last time Olympic 100-kilometer race took place on the track. With the tandem and the team pursuit, which is still held today, it was also possible to establish competitions which from then on became an integral part of Olympic track competitions.

While track cycling was completely abandoned in 1912, a new race over 50 kilometers was added in 1920 . But this competition was only held once again - namely in 1924 .

At the next games in 1928 , the time trial was held for the second time since 1896. The last time this race took place was in 2004 at the Olympic Games.

No changes were made to the track cycling program until 1964 . Only at these games was a new race introduced with the individual pursuit, which was held for the last time at the Olympics in 2008.

The tandem was used for the last time at the 1972 Munich Games , and a new competition was added to the Olympic program with the points run in 1984 .

Some new disciplines were added for the 2000 Millennium Games on the track, namely the keirin , the team sprint, both of which are still in the Olympic program, and the Madison race.

In the following years, some races were taken out of the program. In 2004 the time trial took place for the last time.

In 2012 , the Madison, the points race and the individual pursuit are no longer part of the Olympic program. The Omnium will be added for this .

Competitions for women have been held on the track since 1988 . Since then, the individual sprint has always been part of the program, up to 2008 there was a points race and an individual pursuit, and two individual time trials were also part of the program. For 2012, four races will be added with the Keirin, the Omnium, the team pursuit and the team sprint.

Overview competitions for men

Track cycling - current competitions
competition	96	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Men
sprint	•	•			•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	27
Olympic sprint / team sprint																									•	•	•	•	•	•	6th
Team pursuit					•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	25th
Keirin																									•	•	•	•	•	•	6th
Madison																									•	•	•			•	4th
Omnium																												•	•	•	3
Track Cycling - Former Competitions
competition	96	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Men
10 km	•																														1
100 km	•				•																										2
25 km		•																													1
¼ mile			•																												1
⅓ mile			•																												1
½ mile			•																												1
1 mile			•																												1
2 miles			•																												1
5 miles			•																												1
25 miles			•																												1
5 km				•	•																										1
20 km				•	•																										1
660 yards					•																										1
50 km							•	•																							2
12 hour race	•																														1
tandem				•	•		•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•													13
Time trial	•			• •					•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•					19th
Individual tracking																•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•				18th
Points race																					•	•	•	•	•	•	•				7th
Number of competitions	5	2	7th	5	7th		4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	5	5	5	4th	4th	5	5	5	5	8th	8th	7th	5	5	6th

Overview competitions for women

Track cycling - current competitions
competition	96	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Women
sprint																						•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	9
Olympic sprint / team sprint																												•	•	•	3
Team pursuit																												•	•	•	3
Keirin																												•	•	•	3
Madison																														•	1
Omnium																												•	•	•	3
Track Cycling - Former Competitions
competition	96	00	04	06	08	12	20th	24	28	32	36	48	52	56	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20th	Games
	Women
Individual tracking																							•	•	•	•	•				5
Points race																								•	•	•	•				4th
Time trial																									•	•					2
Number of competitions																						1	2	3	4th	4th	3	5	5	6th

Mountain bike

Mountain bike races for women and men have also been held since the 1996 Summer Games .

Overview competitions for men

Mountain bike - current competitions
competition	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	Games
	Men
Cross country	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	7th
Number of competitions	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

Overview competitions for women

Mountain bike - current competitions
competition	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020	Games
	Women
Cross country	•	•	•	•	•	•	•	7th
Number of competitions	1	1	1	1	1	1	1

BMX

BMX racing

In order to make the Olympic Games more attractive for young people, two competitions on BMX bikes (racing) were organized for the first time in 2008 . In Tokyo 2020 , BMX and Freestyle will be added another competition to rejuvenate the Olympic program even further.

Competitions for men

BMX - Current competitions
competition	2008	2012	2016	2020	Games
	Men
Race	•	•	•	•	4th
Freestyle				•	1
Number of competitions	1	1	1	2

Competitions for women

BMX - Current competitions
competition	2008	2012	2016	2020	Games
	Women
Race	•	•	•	•	4th
Freestyle				•	1
Number of competitions	1	1	1	2

See also

• List of Olympic champions in cycling

Individual evidence

1. ↑ olympic.org: Cycling Road Equipement and History, accessed April 3, 2011
2. ↑ welt.de: BMX riding should make the Olympics more youthful, accessed on April 3, 2011