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Cycling
Photo from Goldberg, S. (1997).
Athlete first, disabled second. Olympian, 23(3), 38.
Road racing is an official sport of the Paralympic
Games, Deaflympics, and Special Olympics World Games. Track cycling is
an official sport of the Paralympic Games and the Deaflympics.
Athlete Eligibility and Classification
Paralympic competition is offered for cyclists who
are blind, those with lower limb impairments and amputations, those with
cerebral palsy and related neurological conditions, and those who use
handcycles.
For more information, consult the IPC web site at
http://www.paralympic.org. Click
on "sports," then "cycling," then "classification."
 | Cyclists who are
blind. Any cyclist who qualifies as a B1, B2, or B3 athlete
according to IPC rules is eligible to compete as a stoker with a sighted
partner in tandem cycling races. Athletes compete in the same events
regardless of their B1, B2, or B3 classification. |
| Cyclists with lower limb impairments and
amputations. The LC 1 (mild disability) through LC 4 (severe
disability) designate athletes with lower limb disability such as
amputation or leg length discrepancy. |
| Cyclists with cerebral palsy and related
neurological conditions. Athletes are grouped according to their
CP-ISRA classifications. Cycling class CP 4
accommodates those in CP-ISRA classes 7 and 8; CP 3 accommodates classes
5 and 6 who use bicycles; CP 2 accommodates classes 5 and 6 who use
tricycles; and CP 1 accommodates classes 1 through 4 who use tricycles. |
| Cyclists who use handcycles. Cycling
class HC 4/3 accommodates cyclists with spinal injuries and related
conditions who have good trunk stability. Cycling class HC 2/1
accommodates those with more severe conditions. |
In the Deaflympics, cyclists who are deaf compete
under CISS rules which
require a minimum hearing loss of 55 dB in the better ear.
Classification procedures and criteria are described on the CISS web
site at http://www.ciss.org. Click on
"about," then "regulations," then scroll down to Article 1.3 on
eligibility.
Cyclists who compete in Special Olympics events
must have a primary diagnosis of mental retardation. They are classified
according to a process called divisioning, where prior competition results are used to
group athletes by ability level. Divisioning is described on the SOI
web site at
http://www.specialolympics.org. Click on "games and competition,"
then choose "general rules" from the drop-down menu, then go to
"Section V - Special Olympics Divisioning."
Events
The following events are authorized by Paralympic,
Deaflympics, and Special Olympics rules. However, all of these events
are not contested at every international competition.
| Road racing events |
|
Paralympics |
Road Racing |
Time Trials |
| Blind men |
100-120K |
10-50K |
| Blind women |
50-70K |
5-40K |
| Blind mixed |
60-80K |
5-40K |
| LC 1 |
70-110K |
5-40K |
| LC 2 |
60-90K |
5-40K |
| LC 3 |
50-70K |
5-30K |
| LC 4 |
40-60K |
5-30K |
| CP 4 |
35-70K |
5-40K |
| CP 3 |
35-70K |
5-30K |
| CP 2 |
15-30K |
1.5-10K |
| CP 1 |
15-30K |
1.5-10K |
| HC 4/3 men |
35-70K |
5-30K |
| HC 4/3 women |
20-60K |
5-30K |
| HC 2/1 men |
35-70K |
5-30K |
| HC 2/1 women |
20-60K |
5-30K |
|
Deaflympics |
Road Racing |
Time Trials |
| Men and women |
100K |
35K |
|
SOI Games |
Road Racing |
Time Trials |
Men and women
individual events |
5K, 10K, 15K,
25K, and 40K |
500m, 1K, 5K,
and 10K |
| Unified Sports tandem events |
|
500m, 25K,
and 40K |
Unified Sports
team events |
5K, 10K, 15K,
25K, and 40K |
1K, 5K, and 10K |
| Track events |
|
Paralympics |
Classifications |
Standing
start 1K
time trial |
Blind men,
women, mixed
LC 1 through LC 4
CP 3 and CP 4 |
| Individual
pursuit |
Blind men
- 4,000m
Blind women and mixed - 3,000m
LC 1 and LC 2 - 4,000m
LC 3 and LC 4 - 3,000m
CP 3 and CP 4 - 3,000m |
| Tandem
sprint |
Blind men,
women, mixed |
| Olympic
sprint |
LC 1
through LC 4 |
|
Deaflympics |
|
| 1,000m
sprint |
Men and
women |
| Individual
points race |
Men and
women |
Playing Area
Cycling road races can be held on any well paved road.
Usually, a road race course combines both flat
segments and hills. In Paralympic competition, each climb has a maximum
of 15% grade, with an average of not more than 6% grade across all hills
on the course. Furthermore, a maximum of 25% of the course may consist
of climbs.
Track races are held on a velodrome, a steeply-banked, oval, track built
specifically for cycle racing. The inside dimension
of the track is 250m and the outside dimension is 285m. The track is 7m
wide.
Photo from Mind, Body, Spirit:
Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Official Souvenir Book (p. 94).
Southbank, Victoria: News Custom Publishing. |
|
Photo from
Mind, Body, Spirit: Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Official Souvenir
Book (p. 66). Southbank, Victoria: News Custom Publishing.
|
Rules
The international governing body for cycling is
the International Cycling Union (UCI). The Paralympic, Deaflympic, and
Special Olympics cycling rules all are based upon UCI rules, posted at
http://www.uci.ch.
|
Road races. At
the beginning of the race, cyclists are typically placed on the start
line in the order of their world rankings. Cyclists must complete the
race under their own power, though they may accept refreshments and help
with mechanical repairs during the race. Drafting is allowed in road
races, but not in time trials. When a rider is lapped (except on the
final lap), s/he must leave the course. |
|
Track events
 |
Standing start time
trial. From a standing start, the cyclist completes 1,000m (men) or
500m (women) as fast as possible. |
|
Individual pursuit.
Two cyclists complete a five-lap race; however, only the final two laps
(500m) are timed. Cyclists must beat the opponent on two of three races
to win the event. |
|
Olympic sprint.
Two teams of three cyclists each start from opposite sides of the track
in a three-lap race. The first and second riders from a team each lead a
lap, then they swing up and out of the way so that the third rider can
lead the last lap for the team. The team's time is not recorded until
the last cyclist on the team finishes the race. |
|
Tandem sprint.
The rules for the tandem sprint were not posted on the IPC web site.
|
|
Individual points
race. Cyclists collect points for sprints held every 10 laps in a
50K (men) or 25K (women) race. |
|
|
Modifications for
Paralympic events. Tricycles are not allowed in track events. Mixed
events, move up class. Mixed events are held in the LA and CP classes
when the number of female athletes in a classification is insufficient
to contest the event. In LC mixed events only, female cyclists may ride
down a class with male cyclists (e.g., LC 2 woman races with LC 3 men). |
|
Modifications for
Deaflympics events. There are no modifications allowed. |
|
Modifications for Special Olympics events. In
Unified Sports events, the athlete with mental retardation competes as a partner
or member of a team with an athlete who does not have mental retardation. The
team's score is determined by the finish of the last rider to complete the
course. Athletes who are legally blind may compete only as the stoker in a
tandem race. |
Equipment
Road racing bikes have up to eight gears and do
have brakes. Track cycles have only one gear and no brakes. Blind
athletes compete using tandem cycles, some athletes with cerebral palsy
and related neurological conditions compete using tricycles, and some
athletes with spinal cord injury compete using hand cycles.
Helmets are required in all competitions and must be either ANSI or
Snell approved. During competition cycling shorts, jerseys, and shoes
with a cleat/pedal system must be worn.
Links
Page prepared by Brian J. Simmerman and revised by
Gail Dummer |
|
