Cycle Speedway
Cycle Speedway is a bicycle racing sport which originated as an idea to replicate Motorcycle Speedway using bicycles. Unofficial races were conducted in the UK until the sport was codified in 1971.
The bicycles used for cycle speedway have a single gear at the front and the rear, and do not have any brakes. The bicycles used are lightweight, and resembles a hybrid of road and mountain bikes. Riders wear a full body suit, with protective gear like helmets, and pads for knees, elbows and hips. Races are mostly conducted outdoors on dirt tracks.
Cycle speedway races are conducted in three different formats, individuals, pair, and in a team of four. The tracks are narrow, so, for each race, a maximum of four riders can compete. For each race, riders have to complete four laps around the track. The rider who crosses the finish line first is declared as the winner of the race.
Races are conducted as a series. Each series consists of 8 to 24 races. Points will be awarded to the riders after each race, depending on what position a rider finished. In a single day of racing, multiple series will be conducted. The winner is the individual (or team) that gets the most points in all the series combined.
Most cycle speedway competitions are conducted in the UK. The sport is also has a world championships and European championships.
Similar Sports
- Ice Track Cycling — racing a modified bicycle around a 400 m frozen track.
- Ice Speedway — similar to Speedway Racing, though using bikes developed specifically for racing on ice. The bikes race anti-clockwise around oval tracks between 260 and 425 meters in length.
- Motorcycle Speedway — the motorcycles have one gear and no brakes, and race around a circular track. Also commonly known as just 'speedway'.
- Cycling Sports
Related Pages
- Complete list of sports
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
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