cycling

Introduction
Early history of the sport
Modern sport racing
Competition
Doping
Recreation
Transportation
Winners of the Tour de France
Winners of Cycling World Road-Racing Championships
Winners of Cycling World Track Championships

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Nakano Koichi racing at the 1986 World Track Championships

Six BMX racers wearing numbered jerseys launch from the starting gate onto a dirt track at the USA Olympic Trials in Chula Vista, California, with spectators and mountains in the background.

Four children wearing safety helmets ride bicycles together on a gravel path in a park, with trees and a wooden fence in the background.

Tandem sprinters at the World Cycling Championships (Leicester, Eng., 1970)

Learn about the importance of aesthetics, branding, and other related accessories of the bicycle

At a Glance

cycling summary

Quizzes

horse racing. thoroughbred racing. Jockeys in racing silks race horses on an oval grass race track.

Turn Up the Heat

Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.

American Sports Nicknames

The peloton, including Thomas Voeckler-Europcar, passing the Col de Val Lauron-Azet during the stage 9 of Le Tour de France on July 7,2013. (cycling, extreme sports)

Quick Quiz: All About Cycling

Rich Harden no. 40 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers. July 31, 2008 at Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Cubs defeated the Brewers 11-4. Major League Baseball (MLB).

Sports Firsts Through the Ages Quiz

Related Questions

How are BMX race tracks designed to challenge cyclists?
How did BMX racing develop from motocross?
How did Charles M. Murphy earn the nickname Mile-a-Minute Murphy?
How did Greg LeMond’s Tour de France victories affect cycling in the United States?
How did motocross racing influence the development of BMX racing?
How did pacers affect early American track races?
How do teams score goals in cycle ball?
How do time trials work in bicycle racing?
How is cycle ball played on bicycles?
How is the winner of a multiday stage race decided?
How long are professional one-day cycling races?
How long did James Moore take to complete the first Paris-to-Rouen bicycle race?
How long does the Tour de France usually last?
How many Olympic gold medals did Christopher Hoy win?
What does the yellow jersey represent in the Tour de France?
What features are found on BMX dirt tracks?
What obstacles are commonly found on cyclo-cross courses?
When did BMX racing make its Olympic debut?
When did cycling first become an Olympic sport?
When did mountain biking first become an Olympic event?
When did women first compete in Olympic road cycling?
When did women first compete in Olympic track cycling?
When was the Tour de France first held?
When was the first recorded bicycle race held in the United States?
Where is the Union Cycliste Internationale based?
Which European countries still attracted crowds to six-day races after the sport declined in the United States?
Which cyclist won the most Olympic gold medals in cycling?
Which organization governs international cycling competition?
Which races are considered the three major three-week cycling tours?
Who won the first cycling race at Saint-Cloud Park in 1868?
Why are criterium races popular in Britain and the United States?
Why did American interest in cycling increase during the 1980s?
Why is it difficult for Tour de France riders to excel in both time trials and mountain stages?
Why is keirin racing especially popular in Japan?
Why might cyclo-cross riders need to carry their bicycles during a race?
Why must mountain-bike racers carry tools during a competition?
Why were most early American cycling races held on tracks?
When did the Olympic Games start?
When are the Olympic Games?
Where are the Olympic Games held?
Who started the modern Olympics?
Who has won the most Winter Olympic gold medals?
What is field hockey?
When did field hockey become an Olympic sport?
What are the main differences between field hockey and ice hockey?
How is tennis played?
Who is Victoria Mboko?

Sports & Recreation Olympic Sports

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External Websites

Exploratorium - Science of Cycling

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

cycling - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
cycling - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

cycling

sport

Also known as: bicycle racing, bicycling, biking

Written by

Samuel Abt

Associate Editor, International Herald Tribune, Neuilly, France. Author of In Pursuit of the Yellow Jersey: Bicycle Racing in the Year of the Tortured Tour and others.

Samuel Abt

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

cycling, use of a bicycle for sport, recreation, or transportation. The sport of cycling consists of professional and amateur races, which are held mostly in continental Europe, the United States, and Asia. The recreational use of the bicycle is widespread in Europe and the United States. Use of the bicycle as a mode of transportation is particularly important in non-Western nations and in flatter countries, some of which, like the Netherlands, have a widespread system...

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