Road bicycle racing

For road cycling including cycling races ( Switzerland: Velo race), which will be held on roads. The term thus distinguishes itself from cycling races, which are held on cycle tracks (→ Track Cycling ) racing or off-road (English offroad ), as in cyclocross, mountain bike and BMX.

The first official road race was held on 31 May 1868, a distance of 1200 meters in the Paris suburb of Saint- Cloud. The winner was the Briton James Moore, who won the first street race between two cities, Paris -Rouen about 123 kilometers in 10:25 h and on 7 November 1869. The intention of the organizers of Paris -Rouen was to promote cycling and to show that considerable distances can be completed by bicycle. Since 1896, the road racing is part of the program of the Olympic Games.

• 2.1 attack
• 2.2 pursuit of a breakaway group / an outlier
• 2.3 sprint finish

Competitions

Winner of a road bicycle race is basically the one that has traveled a certain distance the fastest. But there are also forms of competition in which it matters who runs over the finish line at a certain distance point to numbered position. Here, points ( criterion ) and / or time bonuses ( intermediate sprint in stage races ) are awarded. These criteria are added in the course of the race, each day result in points or in the travel time added on tours or withdrawn, but only considers the overall result.

In road cycling a larger number of cyclists usually compete against each other. The competitions are organized for men and women. In organized by the UCI member associations road cycling races for male and female participants will be carried out separately.

Road cycling can be initially regarding the duration and shape of the discharge into the categories of one-day races and stage races and time trials divided. Day races can be combined into racing series. The main forms are:

One-day race

As a one-day races (also road race or the one road driving) are all designated road race that have been completed with the finish. They represent the oldest discipline of cycling in general represents the path lengths of one-day races can vary widely, with few exceptions, be no more than 250 kilometers. The oldest and most famous one-day races are referred to as classics.

Circuit race / criteria

For criteria and circuit races as opposed to the one-day races a mostly inner city circular route is traveled, which must measure between 800 meters and ten kilometers. Circuit races offer with their short courses, especially in cities where there is minimized road closures, unlike normal day races of the effort. So viewers can experience the driver several times up close and understand the course of the race by the speaker at the track live. Such races are often Scattered through premiums ratings, in which the winner of intermediate sprints can erspurten cash or in kind bonuses.

A form of circuit races represent the so-called criteria, in which the winner does not have to be the one driver who crosses the finish line at the end of the race first. In tests at regular intervals (eg, every five rounds) with scores held which usually receive the first four riders 5, 3, 2 and a point. The winner is the driver the most points can be booked on its account at the end of the race. However, a round of profitability before the profit of these points, so quite a rider can win, who has not won a single championship.

Stage races (round trips)

As a stage race events are referred to, where for several days in succession individual competitions - are discharged, their respective results are added in a total evaluation and summarized so - called stages. As the oldest and most famous stage race in the world applies the Tour de France. With a few exceptions, stage races are conducted primarily in professional cycling, where amateur teams, depending on the nature of the tender are at least entitled to sign or may be invited by the organizers.

Individual and team time trial

A special form of road cycling race form the time trial in which either launch individual drivers ( ITT ) or entire teams ( team time trial ) in succession, and the winner will be determined by the individual timing. Time trials are often held within stage races or take place within the framework of national championships. ITT are also part of the Olympic Games, the team time trial it was.

Other competitions

In amateur sports regularly Every man race - even in the context of one-day races - instead of having up to five-digit numbers of participants. Similarly, one organized marathons as individual and team competitions, single and multi- day event with up to four -digit kilometer distances. A form of multi-day stage race is not, for example, the Race Across America dar.

UCI Category

The race of the international calendar are divided by the International Cycling Union UCI UCI in so-called categories.

These categories consist of two electrodes separated by a point components: The first digit indicates the type of race (1 = one-day races, including time trials, 2 = stage races ), the second digit indicates the significance of the race in descending order (1 = first category, 2 = second category ), ie category 1 is the highest. So, for example, referred to UCI category 2.2 a stage race in the second category. If a race in the second category is reserved U23 riders, a U will be appended (eg 1.2U ).

Above this designated by numerals categories, there are men in cycling, the UCI World Tour and race hors categorie (French, except category, 1.HC or 2.HC ) of the UCI Continental Circuits, which are located even higher in their significance than the Cat 1 the same applies in the women's cycling for the World Cup races (abbreviated CDM, French for Coupe du Monde) and in the male junior classes for the race of the Nations Cup for U23 and Junior ( 1.Ncup or 2.Ncup ).

In addition, other abbreviations are awarded for UCI Road World Championships (abbr. CM, French for Championnat du monde ), Olympic cycling competitions (abbr. JO, French Jeux Olympiques for ), Continental Championships (abbreviated CC, French for Championnats Continentaux ), regional games (abbr. JR, French for Jeux Régionaux ) and national championships (abbreviated CN, French for Championnats Nationaux ).

The categorization of race, inter alia, of importance for the composition of the starting grid and the. Cycling for the rankings, such as the rankings of the Continental Circuits and the world ranking of women in road cycling

Typical sequence

Although the different forms of competition described above in their sequence even for the novice visible, there are road bicycle racing a typical sequence with certain recurring strategic and tactical situations and the use of appropriate resources and physical skills.

Attack

As in the race of the main reference point is the closed driver's field, significant time differences in the race are achieved almost exclusively by attacks to which is then followed by a longer continue a group or individual driver. Required physical performance factors: endurance skills over shorter distances ( 1 min), high performance in the aerobic- anaerobic transition range, high lactate tolerance.

Pursuit of a breakaway group / an outlier

In the modern road racing will usually attempt to neutralize breakaway groups and individual drivers by a uniform tracking of the field, which is usually supported by three to five riders in the team, none of which drivers are included in the top group.

Sprint finals

In the final, a race occurs when the profile was not selective enough (mountains, wind ), often to sprint finishes of the closed main field. The sprinters teams prepare this by increasing the tempo and launching their sprinters before the last approximately five kilometers.

In this case, the skills and the overall strength of the teams are back in demand. In addition to the largest possible number of drivers who have excellent endurance capabilities and a high tempo hardness, here drivers are asked with great experience and an eye for the tactical situation.

Popularity of road cycling

In Western and Central Europe, the popularity of road bike racing has received since its beginnings until today. Widespread Popularity enjoys cycling in France, Italy, Spain (mainly in the Basque Country ) and Switzerland, which finds its expression in established here great country tours Tour de France, Giro d' Italia, Vuelta a España and the Tour de Suisse, as well as in Belgium (especially Flanders), Luxembourg and the Netherlands. There are many important one-day races take place in front of all the so-called spring classics. Also in other countries enjoy the cycling and his idols of high popularity, so in the UK, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia and the Scandinavian countries.

Outside Europe, the U.S., Colombia and Australia to call, where road cyclists can become idols by success in the major European races. However, the discharged since 1921 UCI Road World Championships took until 1976 only and then place predominantly in European countries.

Road cycling in Germany

In Germany, the cycling was after the Second World War in East Germany a very popular sport. After the world title Gustav -Adolf Schur especially the Peace Race was enthusiastically pursued as a "Tour de France of the East" and transferred in detail by television. In West Germany the cycling experienced especially in the time Rudi Altigs and Dietrich Thuraus greater popularity. After reunification, it came through the successes Erik Zabel and particularly of Jan Ullrich in a temporary marriage, in which managed three German professional teams to establish themselves in the Tour de France, and thus beyond the stage of a fringe sport out in public: Team T- Mobile, Team Milram, Gerolsteiner and. After doping scandals, the eponymous German sponsors of the first two teams in late 2007 and 2008, but moved back. T-Mobile team found a Californian successor, Team Gerolsteiner was completely dissolved. The Team Milram was disbanded in 2010 after withdrew the main sponsor and no new one has been found.

The correlation between the popularity of the sport and the existence of idols illustrates the doubling of the market share of racing wheels in Germany to Ullrich's Tour victory in 1997 parallel extended the TV coverage. During 1995, only the third program of the ARD half hour of the Tour de France reported could be traced from 1998 to 2006 every day up to eight hours cycling in ARD and ZDF.

2007, this report was first issued in response to the positive A - samples -doping findings of Patrik Sinkewitz during the Tour de France. Critics point to the ARD that the demanded as a public service broadcaster objectivity was not guaranteed due to their temporary role as a sponsor of the tour.