Track is one of the purest forms of bike racing. With no brakes, gears or potholes to worry about, all a track rider needs to concentrate on is beating their opponents. It is an ideal place for a young cyclist to start as a banked cycling track provides a traffic and pedestrian free environment on which to learn key cycling skills and tactics.
There are many different types of races on the track - several of which are explained in our guide to track racing - all of which will be classified as either a sprint or endurance event. Like road cycling, it means there's a race to suit every type of rider - except climbers.
Although track racing doesn't have the major annual events like the Tour de France to boost its appeal, it is the cornerstone of cycling in the Olympic movement with events such as the team pursuit and sprint dating back to the the early 19 hundreds. The International calendar of World Cups runs through the winter, culminating with the world championships in February or March, while events on outdoor tracks continue through the summer, making it a year-round sport.
Key riders: Harrie Lavreysen (Ned), Emma Finucane (GBr), Matt Richardson (GBr), Ally Wollaston (New Zealand), Katie Archibald (GBr)
Key reading: British Cycling's lottery funded revolution
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Track rider runs on foot across line after massive pile-upNikita Kiriltsev qualified to the next round of the keirin thanks to his smart dash at the UCI Track World Cup
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'Regardless of whether I make the official team for LA28 or not, I’m honored to be in the running' - Taylor Phinney is back and aiming for Olympic goldThe 35-year-old US champion is back from retirement
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'I don't think anyone has actually crashed because their bars are too narrow' – riders frustrated by new handlebar width rule at British road racesUCI’s new minimum handlebar width rules continue to ruffle riders' feathers as British Cycling attempts to clarify its position
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'A massive bucket list item' – Six star riders to compete in Japanese keirin series this summerGB's Matthew Richardson and Joe Truman will join Olympic champions invited to race in Japan
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'It's been a whirlwind' – Olympic champion returns at British Track Championships after 15 months outA broken arm and the birth of her second child put Katy Marchant's racing on hold. Now she's back with her sights on the LA Olympics in 2028
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'Like trying to race a rocket ship' – Matthew Richardson and Emma Finucane score clean sweeps at British Track ChampionshipsSprint couple undefeated over four days inside Manchester Velodrome
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'It means the world' – Teenager Erin Boothman pulls off shock victory against Olympians at British Track Championships18-year-old Scot wins elimination race on final day of the event
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'I absolutely sent it' – Emma Finucane stamps dominance with keirin win at British Track ChampionshipsOlympic champion on for clean sweep in Manchester with one day to go
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'That was my first ever bunch race' – Car crash survivor begins new dream at British Track ChampionshipsAfter a car crash left him in a six-day coma, Billy Cookson has now turned to track cycling, with an eye on the LA Paralympics
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'I'm just over the moon' – World record holder Josie Knight wins nail-biting individual pursuit final at British Track ChampionshipsEuropean IP champion topples world champion, while Matthew Richardson wins sprint gold on day two of the event
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'I nearly died' – How one rider came back from four brain bleeds and a coma to compete at the British Track ChampionshipsEighteen-year-old Lewis Fletcher hopes to make the Team GB track sprint squad
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'I'm so surprised, I can't believe it' – Charlie Tanfield downs world champion to win individual pursuit title at British Track ChampionshipsTeam GB's Anna Morris also among winners on day one in Manchester
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British Cycling to show free live stream of National Track Championships on YouTubeOlympic, world and European champions to compete at event in Manchester this week
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'I'm here to stay' – Matthew Richardson stuns with keirin victory at European Track ChampionshipsGreat Britain top medal table at five-day event in Konya, Turkey
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'I never expected it would be possible to do a sub-4:20' – Josie Knight breaks individual pursuit world record on way to European titleGreat Britain cement medal table lead with Matthew Richardson sprint victory
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'I'm really happy and proud' – Great Britain's Emma Finucane and Anna Morris win gold medals at European Track ChampionshipsGreat Britain lead medal table with two days to go in Turkey
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Men's and women's team pursuit world records broken in remarkable day at European Track ChampionshipsGreat Britain women break world record twice, while Danish men become first to go below 3:40
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'I actually can't believe it' – British sprinter Emma Finucane breaks flying 200m world record23-year-old becomes third woman in history to clock below 10 seconds
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'I never told my parents how bad it really was' – How one rider went from cancer diagnosis to medal-winning formA stage-four cancer diagnosis at just 20 threatened to end Yuli van der Molen’s career before it had really begun. She tells Tom Davidson how she made it back
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Chloé Dygert launches fundraiser in support of track star Sarah Hammer amid serious health battleAmerica’s most decorated track cyclist has undergone seven surgeries and faces respiratory complications and mounting medical costs after a sudden vascular emergency
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'The other problem is that it’s not going to slow things down very much' – rating the UCI's rules and regulation updates of 2025The UCI’s tireless crusade for a safer, slicker sport produced plenty of talking points in 2025
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Great Britain dominate with 11 victories at key end-of-year track cycling event in SwitzerlandSquad takes home 18 medals from the Tissot Track Cycling Challenge
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'A bit otherworldly' – Groundbreaking first aluminium velodrome opened in the USThe 250m track is one of only five in the country
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'Can someone write it down this time?' – lost track cycling world record sparks confusionRiders launch own investigation into the history of the women's Madison Kilo record
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Colnago's new track bike looks like a mix between their TT and road options, but you won't see Tadej Pogačar riding itThe T1Rs is an exercise in design specificity, not a melding of the two – designed to be the fastest way around a velodrome.
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Organiser of 'forbidden' track cycling series insists it 'will be implemented', apologises for launch delaysDerbyWheel president says series has experienced 'significant difficulties'
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'It's depriving us athletes' - German track cyclist calls out UCI for 'misconduct' after points scoring delay leads to missed medalRoger Kluge says failure to update Madison scoreboard 'clearly influenced and distorted the race' at the last week's Track World Championships
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'This is really not normal' – The Netherlands' Harrie Lavreysen makes history with four gold medals at Track World ChampionshipsOlympic champion seals clean sweep in Chile
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'Pretty crazy' – Katie Archibald and Maddie Leech win Madison gold on Track World Championships day four, Anna Morris defends individual pursuit crownGreat Britain double tally to four world titles on penultimate day in Chile
