Someone explain this Olympic event to me

Re: Someone explain this Olympic event to me

• Avion22 member

  

  August 2012

  I'm not really sure.  I remember when I was little my dad used to take my sister and I to see indoor bike racing, and he explained it to me once.  But I can't remember to save my life.

  

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• lindsaynewbride10 member

  

  August 2012

  Sorry I can't offer any answers, but I will say that I was wondering about this myself. I saw it on yesterday and was completely baffled. I was like "GO! Why are you going to slow!?"

  

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• NcsuPsych member

  

  August 2012

  I was looking up stuff about it last night because neither DH or I had ever seen anything like it, but heres something from Wiki
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_%28cycling%29
  
  Also, Im pretty sure the reason why the team members switch position (taking over the top positions), is to help 'rest' the team. The rider out front is a pace setting and so everyone behind fights to keep up and the pace setter fights to stay out front. The pace setter tires faster and so in order to keep that top position, they'll switch spots with their teammates and go rest for a little bit in the back.
  
  Im sure there is a better way to explain that and I hope it makes sense. I'm half asleep over here. )

  

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• cwaggoner07 member

  

  August 2012

  My parents cycle a lot, and when there is a big group of cyclists (the pelaton) taking turns, they are drafting'. You can draft with as few as 2 people, and my mom will draft off my dad and she says it helps tremendously. I cycle, too, but I've always been too scared to draft because you have to ride really close. In science-y terms, the person in front creates a wind tunnel of sorts, and the person behind them doesn't have to exert near as much effort. It's very similar to when you see birds flying in a flock.
  As for the Olympic cycling, they were talking about it on the sports station a bit this morning, and from what I gather, you want to be in the back for the first 1.5 laps, and the last 1.5 laps you sprint. Maybe it has to do with the drafting, because they said if you are in the back when the last half starts you can be slingshot forward. I am not totally sure, though...

  It was a fairytale.

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• emeejeeayen member

  

  August 2012

  I guess I just don't get it but have to accept it the way I accept gravity. 

  
  

  I think it's like traffic: why can't they all just keep moving forward at the same speed! Ha. 

  whatshouldwecallweddings.tumblr.com

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• BostonGIrl4732 member

  

  August 2012

  I needed someone to explain it to me at lunch.

  
  

  My friend who bikes told me that each person has an optimum distance to start sprinting from.  Go too soon and you get tired.  Go too late and you can't build up.  It doesn't matter how long it takes for the race to finish, just that you finish first.  So they go slow to save up energy and then start sprinting at their optimal distance unless the other person does something that makes them go too soon.  It's a cat and mouse game apparently.

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