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The Match Sprint

The Match Sprint is a championship event ridden at all levels from Provincial to Olympic championships. It is possibly the most exciting race on the track. A test of power, speed and above all, tactics. Cyclist will try to outwit each other as they jockey for position before the ‘sprint’ to the finish line. The race normally has two competitors (somethimes three and very seldom more). They draw straws to determine who will lead the first lap. On Pilditch, the cyclists will complete three full laps of the track, however, the event is only timed over the final 200m. The early stage of this event is typically slow and very tactical as riders jockey for the best position. The first lap must be ridden at walking pace or faster.  It's not unusual to see the riders come to a dead stop or what is called a "track stand," balancing their bike (without putting a foot on the ground), in an effort to force their opponent to pass and therefore provide an opportunity to draft (the rider rides closely behind the other to take advantage of the pocket of still air). The sprint usually hits high gear for the last lap, where riders are in an intense flatout sprint where the best riders in the world will reach speeds of up to 80km/h. Precise timing for the final surge towards the finish line usually makes the difference between winning and losing.

There are many different tactics which riders can employ. These tactics will depend on many things from the weather, to the opposition. Sometimes a rider will jump early (anywhere from the start of the race, to the end of the first lap) usually against a pure sprinter. Sometimes a rider will hold the sprint till as late as possible, especially if his opponenet has a very large gear on (you can see this by his slow pedalling) or if he is known to have a slow acceleration.

The Chariot

The chariot is a short, usually one lap, race (on Pilditch we will be racing 1.5 laps). Depending on track size, between 4 and 8 cyclists start from a standing start (on Pilditch we will be riding 6 riders), and do an all out sprint for one lap. The first rider across the finish line is the winner.

In this race power, acceleration and speed are all important, whereas endurance is basically a non-entity. Another factor which can often dictate the outcome of the race is gearing, however riders must be very careful with the gear they put on. A small gear will give a rider a very quick acceleration, but he will quickly reach his maximum revs and will then have to hold that to the end (similar to trying to sprint across a street block in first gear in your car). A medium gear will give a slower acceleration, but might not give a high enough top speed, meaning that the rider will not be able to close the gap made by those on a smaller gear (similar to driving the same street block in third gear). Finally a big gear will give a very slow start, but will produce a potentially much higher top speed (similar to driving the same street block in fifth gear). Any one of these gears could work for a rider with the right skills, it’s just a matter of knowing which to use against a given set of opponents.

The Keirin

The Keirin originated in Japan in 1948. It is a race in which riders draft behind a motorcycle for the first 4 laps of the 6 lap event.  During these early laps, they jockey for position but may not pass the motorcycle.  With 6 - 8 riders on the track at once, they test each other's bike handling skills bumping and grinding.  The motorcycle gradually accelerates, reaching a terminal velocity of 50 km/h.  With 2 laps remaining the motorcycle pulls off the track releasing the "hounds" for an all out dog fight to the finish line.  Anything goes here; strength, courage and aggression are required to get the optimum position for the final lunge for the line.

The Keirin is all about positioning, since it usually turns out to be a matter of who is in the right place as the motorbike pulls off. Too close to the front and a rider will simply be blocking the wind for the eventual winner, too far to the back, and there might not be enough time (or track space on the side) for a rider to get to the front.

The Snowball

The Snowball (also known as “progressive points” race) is normally a short distance event, held over less than 4 km, and usually based on a set number of laps as opposed to a certain distance e.g. “7 lap Snowball”. In this race the rider who wins the first lap takes one point, the rider who wins the second lap takes two point, third lap; three points and so on. The rider with the most points at the end of the race is the winner. There are many ways to win a Snowball and any one of the riders on the start line could win the race, making this a very hard race to ride and an exciting one to watch. There are basically four different tactics for this race:

  1. Jumping from the gun in the hope that the bunch, not being concerned with the “small” points at the start of the race, will allow the early break to take a few small points, and that no single rider is able to take more than one lap later in the race. If the initial jump gets the gap, this tactic is very often successful, since the bunch usually remains together while chasing the break, and usually each of the latter laps are taken by individual riders sprinting out of the bunch.
  2. Jumping away in the middle laps of the race, can also be successful. Again, the chance exists that the bunch will allow a lone rider to get away for a few laps in the middle, since there still aren’t big points on offer. This can work very well if an early attack gets neutralized quickly and there are still enough points on offer to surpass the early break’s tally.
  3. Waiting for the last two or three laps before making a move is probably the most common tactic in the snowball, the rewards at the end of the race are much greater for the same amount of work. If there is a very strong rider in the race he will usually adopt this tactic. If he is sufficiently strong he should be able to keep the group together through the early and middle stages of the race preventing one rider from amassing a large points tally. Very often by the end of the race this strong rider will quite simply power away from the rest of the bunch and take the last two or three laps on his own.
  4. A further tactic used in the snowball by sprinters is to sit near the front and simply sprint at every opportunity that presents itself. Usually, if the riders in the race are very evenly matched, no one rider is able to get away, and every attack is neutralized. This then plays into the hands of the speed demons, and makes points easy pickings from the slower riders.

 The Tempo

This race is not very popular in South Africa; in fact there might not be another track in South Africa where this race is ridden. Normally slightly longer than the Snowball, the Tempo is still considered to be a “short” track event. Similarly to the Snowball, points are on offer on every lap, making this another very high intensity race (hence its relative short distance). The points remain the same right through the race with the first rider across the line on every lap earning two points, and the second rider across the line earning one point. This even spread of points means that riders are more prepared to work together when in a break, with one rider taking maximum points the one lap, the other taking maximum points the next lap. Also, with the race being slightly longer riders normally don’t stay away in a solo attack. The most common tactic for this race would be to get away with another rider, allowing both to share the work and the points. Possibly staying away from the group till the end, and then usually it is a matter of who wins the last lap who wins the race. Second to this, would probably be where the group remains together, and the fastest rider in the group is able to win the majority of the points on offer.

 The Points Race

This is a championship event, meaning that it is ridden at all championships from provincials, to nationals, to worlds and Olympics. However the UCI is possibly going to remove the points race from the 2012 Olympics lineup. The Elite men normally ride the points race over 40 km, with points on offer every ten laps. On a track like Pilditch there will be a total of 16 sprints through the race. The sprint laps are signaled by a bell. The points allocation for each sprint is five points for first place, three points for second place, two points for third place and one point for fourth place. The Points Race has a slight twist. If a rider breaks away from the group and manages to lap the group, he gains an additional 20 points. This means that the race is not just a matter of who wins the most sprints. Normally the race is decided by points gained by lapping the field, and therefore there are usually many attacks, especially in the middle parts of the race when riders feel the pace has eased slightly and there is a good chance of putting in a lap. This is normally a very difficult race to follow, and one that new spectators usually find very confusing (probably the second most confusing race behind the Points Madison – more on this in a later).

The Scratch Race

The scratch race is the simplest track race there is. Riders start in a group from a rolling start, race a set number of laps, and the first rider across the line wins.
 
As in the points race, the scratch race is held over different distances for the different categories. Elite riders will usually do up to 20km in a scratch race. With the youngest riders doing three kilometers. This is usually a race for the endurance riders, where they put the pace up from the start to tax the sprinters before the finish. Sometimes the sprinters can hang in at the back of the bunch and win the final sprint. With an aggressive field the scratch race can be a very exciting race to watch, usually seeing many attacks through the course of the race. Promoters will very often spice things up a bit by adding interim primes (pronounced pree – m). These primes are basically interim sprints where the first rider across the line the lap after the bell wins a prize. These prizes range from money, to cycling equipment to pizzas! The prime lap is indicated by a bell (or whistle). At many tracks the scratch race has an additional prize awarded if the track record is broken.
 
The 1500
 
This is an uniquely South African event, run as a scratch race over 1500 m. It gets ridden at provincial and national championships, but not at worlds or Olympics. National records for all age groups are kept for the 1500. It is usually a very fast race and riders will often put a bigger gear on for it. Because of the relatively short distance of the race, there are basically two tactics riders will adopt. The endurance riders will try to attack from the start of the race in an attempt to get a big enough gap to hold off the sprinters on the last lap. The sprinters will remain in the bunch and wait for the last lap or two before they start their sprint. If the bunch is together, the race will normally go to one to the sprinters. If there is a rider away, it’s usually touch and go whether or not that rider can stay away.
 
The Unknown Distance
 
In most races riders play cat and mouse with each other. In the unknown distance, it’s usually the lap official who is playing cat and mouse with the riders. As the name suggests, the riders don’t know the distance of the race until the last lap. They ride around the track until the bell is rung. This race is all about knowing when to play your cards. In other words, it’s all a matter of luck! As usual, the sprinters will wait for the last lap or two to unleash their turn of speed. The other riders must then decide when to attack, basically any time is a good time to attack. Often jumping from the gun or on the second lap will leave the bunch behind and allow the rider enough space to hold the sprint off, but often the rider who jumps this early is left without any strength at the bell. On the other hand if you wait too long, there might not be enough time to open up a big enough gap. So, tactics go out the window and brave riders take their chance when they feel lucky!

 

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