Cycling: Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021

Given its consistency at being a part of the Olympic Games, Cycling is what many sports fans regard as a legacy sport. It has been held at every single Olympics and has evolved to include a multitude of events. 22 gold medals will be up for grabs at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021. 

France is the most successful nation in cycling at the Olympic Games with 91 medals (47 Gold, 27 Silver, 23 Bronze). Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Bradley Wiggins 8 medals (5, Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze) is the most successful cyclist in Olympic Games history. 

Cycling at Tokyo 2020

Cycling at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021 will see the debut of the BMX freestyle events. Furthermore, alongside the debut of the women's Madison event, the men's Madison will make its comeback to the Olympic fold for the first time since 2012.

Top Cyclists at the Tokyo Olympics

In the women's road race, all eyes will be on the Dutch team and the defending gold medalist Anna van der Breggen. In the individual time trial, watch out for Tom Dumoulin and Remco Evenepoel. 

Team USA will see Brandon McNulty, Chloe Dygert (she will also compete in track cycling), Ruth Winder, Amber Neben, Coryn Rivera, Leah Thomas, and Lawson Craddock compete in the road race and time trial. Meanwhile, the mountain bike team will see the likes of Kate Courtney, Erin Huck, Christopher Blevins, and Haley Batten. 

The track Cyclists include Lily Williams, Emma White, Jennifer Valente, Megan Jastrab, Maddie Godby, Adrian Hegyvary, and Gavin Hoover. And finally, team BMX will see Felicia Stancil, Payton Ridenour, Connor Fields, Corben Sharrah, Alise Willoughby, Hannah Roberts, Perris Benegas, Nick Bruce, and Justin Dowell. 

Types of Cycling

Cycling is divided into track cycling and BMX (freestyle and racing), Cross Country, and mountain cycling. Track cycling is further divided into multiple events. These include the sprints (individual and team) the team pursuit (a 16 lap race where one team can win by catching up with the other team that starts at the halfway point of the track). The other types of track cycling include Keirin, Omnium, and Madison. 

Competition Format for Cycling at Tokyo 2020

In BMX freestyle, there are no eliminations. Instead, the riders compete per the world ranking to determine the order for the final day. Here, they compete in reverse order of their heats standings with two/five judges' scores being considered.

For BMX Racing, riders are split into pools and they engage in runs with the winner getting one point, the second-placed rider getting 2, and so on. The ones with the least points after the quarter-finals advance to the semis. Their results here determine the semi-final pools where they compete akin to the quarter-final competition. Things in the final are much simpler with the gold medal awarded to the winner of the single race. 

Mountain Biking, Road Race, and Time Trial start and end directly with the finals of the event. 

The track cycling events begin with the heats and proceed with the quarterfinals (for Sprint and Keirin) Semi-Finals and Finals (Madison begins directly with the final). The format for Omnium is different with four separate races (Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race, Points Race) taking place on the same day. 

Schedule for Cycling at Tokyo Olympics 2020

Cycling will begin on day 2 of the Olympics with the men’s road race. It will conclude on the final day of the quadrennial meet with the women’s sprint, women’s omnium, and men’s Keirin. 

BMX, Cross-Country, and Road Race schedule for the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021. 

Track Cycling Schedule for Tokyo Olympics

Venue for Cycling at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021

Cycling at the Tokyo Olympics 2020-2021 will take place across multiple venues, based on the specific event. The venues will include the Fuji International Speedway, Izu Velodrome, Izu MTB Course, Ariake Urban Sports Park, Olympic BMX course.