Cycling. Cycling in Russia

It's no secret that for a person a bicycle is a popular and necessary means of transportation from early childhood. At first the kid will test his forces on a three-wheeled "horse", then transplanted to a two-wheeled "aggregate", more speedy. For boys, he becomes a valuable and beloved thing, almost a true friend.

Today, many families prefer to spend their leisure time walking around the city or on a dacha on a two-wheeled vehicle.

If we consider cycling, then, of course, it requires full return and maximum effort. It assumes a high level of concentration of attention to achieve the set goals. Naturally, people engaged in cycling professionally are different from those who like to sometimes ride with a breeze on a two-wheeled vehicle.

Cycling is a marathon that is included in the Olympic program of competitions. What is the meaning of this exciting sporting event? Everything is very simple. It is necessary to overcome the distance on a bicycle for a short period of time.

Historical digression

Cycling began to form from the moment the two-wheel vehicle was invented.

For the first time a man sat behind his steering wheel in order to compete in speed in the first third of the XIX century. After a bit of time, the connecting rod was installed on the front wheel of the bicycle , and its design was modernized. In the second half of the XIX century the device was equipped with a chain transmission, and a few years later pneumatic springs appeared instead of rubber tires.

In 1869, the first sports competition was organized, the route of which ran between Paris and Rouen. The distance between the cities was 120 kilometers. The first place in this competition was awarded to the British Moore: he managed to develop a speed of up to 11 km per hour.

In Russia, cycling appeared in July 1883. Then there was a competition at one of the capital's hippodromes. By the beginning of the 20th century, more than two dozen clubs were established in our country, of which thousands of cyclists were members. They not only participated in competitions, but also helped in their organization.

In 1918 there were competitions, the winner of which was awarded the right to wear the title of the champion of the RSFSR. He rightly deserved the athletes M. Boisher and F. Kryuchkov. After that, in the Soviet Union began to organize competitions in cycling. However, only in the mid-50s our athletes were able to participate in the world championship, which was the seventh in a row.

It should be noted that the International Union of Cyclists was established in 1900. This structure included the amateur federation of cycling sports of international level (FIAC), as well as the federation of professional sports of international level (FICP). In 1993, the separate existence of these associations was deemed inexpedient, so it was decided to unite them in the International Union of Cyclists, which included 160 federations.

Variations of cycling

It should be noted that cycling is classified into a number of varieties, depending on which route the competition is taking.

Racers can sprint not only on a flat and smooth surface, cycle tracks, but also on the rough, as well as the mountainous terrain. Of course, today, Russia's cycling is experiencing a "second wind", as the country has a heightened interest not only in racing on the highway and sprint, but also in cycling and cycling.

So, let's dwell on some varieties of cycling.

Road race

On which track are the competitions most often held and the fans who prefer cycling ride? Highway, of course. This type of competition involves a general start. The athlete who first crosses the finish line, and will be recognized by the champion. The distance for men is 239 km, and for women - 120 km. There are points along the whole route where athletes can rest for a bit: drink water or eat a sandwich. The drivers are accompanied by a technical support team that will always help replace the damaged wheel or provide a new vehicle if necessary.

And, of course, many sports fans know that in Italy in the summer time the road race cycle Giro regularly starts. The year 2014 was no exception for this grandiose sports event.

It is a kind of analogue of the Tour de France, it was organized by the editor of the popular Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

Sprint

This competition is held in three circles, taking into account the indicators fixed at the last 200 meters. Also, athletes compete in a gita (a series of three best), when two riders follow one after another. The winner is the one who gets to the finish line first.

Race for glasses

The goal of the athlete is to get maximum points at a distance of 40 km for men and 25 km for women. An unlimited number of cyclists are allowed to start. After overcoming the first round, the efforts of the athletes focus on the intermediate tracks, as a result of which earned points are earned. In this case, they are credited only to four cyclists, who first came to the finish line for 10 laps. The principle of scoring is the following: 1 point for the fourth place, 2 points for the third place, 3 points for the second place, 5 points for the first place.

After the athletes overcome the distance, the winner is determined: he becomes the one who has overtaken the last rider in the main group on a circle. And these athletes can be two, three, or even four. In this case, the champion is identified based on whoever scored the most points.

Mountain bike

Cycling Russia, like other countries, was formed gradually: first there were races on the highway, then the practice began to race on the track, and only in the 50s of the last century a man tried to ride a bike in a mountainous area. Mountain biking, which is called mountain biking, is now considered by experts to be one of the most popular for leisure activities, and riding on it is the youngest sport.

It should be noted that a two-wheeled vehicle specially designed for driving in the mountains has been modernized annually, which can not be said of a standard road bike that has not undergone significant changes in half a century.

In 1990, the mountain bike received official recognition from the International Union of Cyclists.