ACOG - Cycling - IBM

Spectator’s Guide to Cycling-Road

All it takes is a bike. Where a cyclist goes from there is up to them. Following is all the information you’ll need to know to make sense of what you’re seeing, whether you’re at the Stone Mountain Velodrome, on the streets of Atlanta, or on a trail at Georgia International Horse Park.

Cycling Basics

Equipment: Know Your Bikes
Little seems to have happened in the cycling world since inflatable tires, chains and gears made their first appearance at the turn of the century, but bicycles have kept pace with modern society’s penchant for technological advances. Cyclists are finding that even on a machine as simple as a bicycle, a little can go a long way.

Small adjustments can have a tremendous impact on an elite-level rider’s results. Engineers use wind tunnels to test their designs for aerodynamic improvements. After a cyclist reaches 20 mph, aerodynamics become crucial. The way the spokes are designed plays a big role in how much air a cyclist is pushing. Some experts predict that metal spokes will be obsolete in the next few years.

Cyclists also say clipless pedals give them an edge. With them, the shoe hooks directly into the pedal, so that the pull harnesses as much power as the push.

Road
Riders clip their shoes into this 15-gear minimum bike made of titanium.

Distinguishing features:

Mountain
"Fat tires" keep you upright, unbent and moving. Some add hydraulic suspension over the front forks for a smoother ride.

Distinguishing features:

Track
Sprint and Points
This is your basic track bike, made to withstand a pounding in the breakaways.

Distinguishing features:

Pursuit and Time Trial
Aerodynamic molded frame tubing makes these bikes lookers.

Distinguishing features:

On the Road

You thought this was a bike race. So what’s with the cars? Those team cars are there for a reason. You’ll see riders drop back to them. They’re not cheating, just consulting their coach, know in cycling as the "directeru sportif." Higher tech teams communicate with a two-way radio system to plan their strategies.

Road race is an individual event in which each country enters four riders. Bringing home a medal may call for an individual, called a domestique, to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. It’s up to the coach to organize an approach and communicate with the riders.

Coaches use various techniques to optimize expended energy. The most common is called drafting. When riders are tight together, riding one behind the other, the one in the slipstream expends up to 30 percent less energy than the lead. When turning, cyclists form an echelon, or pace line, in which they all take staggered, orderly turns at the lead to get maximum protection from the wind. Sometimes one rider will do a lead-out, intentionally pulling a teammate on the rear wheel in a sprint, then letting him or her jump ahead to take the lead.

But it can get even more aggressive. Riders strike a sprint attack or force the pace by riding faster than others in the pack. They also may stage a block, usually when team members are ahead of the main field in a breakaway, a rider will hold back and keep opponents from passing. And sometimes a rider will hook another, accidentally or purposefully, catching the front wheel of the rider behind him or her with their rear wheel.

Accidents do happen. Cyclists will fix a blown tire. And people have died. Cycling is no ride in the park.

The Course

This is the first time Olympic road cycling is held in a metropolitan area. A 13.05km circuit winds its way through roads in Buckhead. This is one of the only non-ticketed open courses available at the Olympic Games, making it possible for everyone to join in the Olympic spirit of the Centennial Olympic Games.

The road course begins in a northerly counterclockwise direction from the start/finish line at the Cathedral of St. Philip. At the gun, the riders race over rolling hills toward Roswell Road, where they head uphill and are narrowed into the two left lanes. From there, they wind their way through the streets of the Buckhead Community, a wealthy and commercial area of Atlanta, past the Governor’s Mansion. But the cyclists aren’t looking at the houses; their concentration is all on jockeying for place and fighting to pull the strength and stamina from their legs to propel them over the finish line to gold.

ActionLocationTerrainkmmi
StartPeachtree Road, Cathedral of St. Philip0.00.0
LeftRoswell Roadrolling, slightly uphill1.130.7
LeftPowers Ferry Roaduphill after turn, begin downhill3.061.9
LeftPutnam Roadsharp left, downhill3.702.3
RightBlackland Road3.862.4
LeftTuxedo Roadwinding downhill4.342.7
Cross Valley Roadbegin slight uphill
LeftWoodhaven Roaduphill immediately, begin rolling5.073.15
Neutral Pit #1section that flattens
LeftWest Paces Ferry6.283.9
RightArden Road6.444.0
Midway Point6.524.05
LeftNorthside Drivedownhill then rolling7.894.9
LeftWoodward Waysharp left9.495.9
Neutral Pit #2 & Medical
LeftDellwood Drivecourse narrows10.466.5
RightPeachtree Battle11.036.85
LeftPeachtree Roaduphill to finish11.917.4
FinishCathedral of St. Philip13.058.1
Feed Zone
Neutral Pit #3

This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Jennifer Knight.


Olympic Factoid
Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium.