Team pursuit

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The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, start on opposite sides of the velodrome.

Race format

The men's event is competed over a distance of 16 laps, 4km, by a team of 4 riders. The new women's event is competed over a distance of 12 laps, 3km, by a team of three riders.

As with the Individual pursuit the objective is to cover the distance in the fastest time or to catch and overtake the other team in a final. Riders in a team follow each other closely in line to minimise total drag, and periodically the lead rider (who works the hardest) peels off the front, swings up the track banking and rejoins the team at the rear. Since the winning team is decided by the third rider, it is common for one rider to take a "death pull," where they ride so hard that they cannot maintain the group-pace afterwards. This allows their team-mates to briefly recover behind him before they make a final three-man acceleration towards the finish line.

Qualifying

The first round of the competition at major events is the qualifying round. This still involves two teams on the track at the same time but they are not directly competing against each other but attempting to set the fastest time to progress in the competition. In the Olympic Games the top teams progress into knock out rounds, with the top two surviving into the Gold and Silver medal race and next two into the Bronze Medal race. In the World Championships or World Cup Classic events the top two teams from the qualifying round progress directly to the Gold and Silver medal race while the third and forth qualifers fight it out for Bronze.

Specialists

Great Britain's men, including Individual Champion Bradley Wiggins specialize in the team pursuit event, they are the current Olympic, World Champions and World Record holders in this event. Historically, Australia and Germany have also been very strong Teams Pursuit nations. Germany were the first team to break the 4 minute barrier - at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, whilst Australia shattered this record at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and were World Champions four out of the five years from 2002 - 2006 as well as 2004 Olympic Champions. In the women's event, new for 2007–2008 season, Great Britain are also the World Champions. The women event is not yet an Olympic event.

Speed Skating

In long track speed skating, team pursuit was a new event in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided in February 2004 to add this event, which was allowed due to available competition days after restructuring the Olympic competition schedule for speed skating. The event was introduced at international level at the world junior championships around the turn of the millennium, and to the World Cup in 2003. Turin in 2006 was the first Winter Olympics to host the event.

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