Track race formats
Time trial: you against the clock.
No bunch to hide in and nobody to blame. A standing start, a set distance and no draft. Just you, the boards and the clock.
Free on Ride Cave. A time trial is ridden alone and needs a smart trainer or power meter.
Just you and the clock, and the clock never tires.
How it works
The honest race.
Pick a distance
500 m, the kilo, or a 3 km or 4 km pursuit, on any velodrome or a track you built.
Go from a standstill
No neutral laps. The clock starts at the GO.
Stop the clock
Your time is taken to the thousandth where you cross the distance, which can fall mid lap. A handbell rings your last lap.
How to race it
Spend it evenly, or pay at the end.
Short means savage
Over 500 m and the kilo, get up to speed quickly and hang on. There is not much pacing to do.
Long means patient
In a pursuit, the first kilometre feels easy until it doesn’t. Start under what you think you can hold.
Race your last time
The distances never change, so a time trial is a clean way to see where your track fitness is.
On Ride Cave
Ride it your way.
Practice the start.
The Skills on the velodrome include the 500 m and 1 km standing starts and the 3 km pursuit, with live gauges, personal bests and leaderboards.
The settings
What you can set.
| Distance | 500 m, Kilo (1 km), 3 km pursuit or 4 km pursuit |
|---|---|
| The start | Standing, with no neutral laps |
| Draft | None |
| The field | Ridden alone, with no bots. Not offered as a Group Race. |
Questions
Good to know.
What distances can I ride?
500 m, the kilo (1 km), the 3 km pursuit and the 4 km pursuit.
Can I race other people in a time trial?
A time trial is ridden alone, so it is not offered as a Group Race. Every other format is.
Does the track length matter?
The distance stays the same on every track, and the finish can fall mid lap. The laps it takes follow the track you pick.
More track racing
The other formats.
Madison
The team event. One rider races while the other rests, then a hand sling swaps them over.
Scratch
First over the line wins. The purest race on the track.
Points
Points on the sprint laps, and a lap gained is worth more than any sprint.
Elimination
The last rider over the line is out, again and again, until one is left.
Tempo
After the first four laps, a point to the first rider over the line on every lap.
Keirin
A derny winds up the speed, pulls off, and the sprint is on.
Beat your own time.
Pick a velodrome and a distance. The clock is waiting.
