History: It was a far cry from the Los Angeles Games in 1984, when cyclists had just eight events including the first-ever women's contest -- the road race. Still, that Olympiad proved to be a catalyst for American cycling, giving the sport's followers added enthusiasm for its future after Atlanta. The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games will see the additional of four Olympic events to increase the number of cycling medal events to 18. Cycling has been a part of the Olympics since the start of the modern movement, with five events contested in Athens a century ago.

Glossary:

Palavra	Significado
Attack	A sudden acceleration to move ahead of another rider or group of riders.
Block	In road racing, an attempt to disrupt a chase by slowing down a paceline.
Bottom bracket	A hole in the base of a bike frame where the axle unit is attached.
Break/breakaway	A rider or group of riders that has left the main group behind.
Bridge	To leave one group of riders and join another one that is further ahead.
Brodie/broadie	In mountain biking, a locking up of the rear brake to force the rear end to skid around so as to make a sharp turn.
Bunny-hop	To jump the bike, without dismounting, over an obstacle.
Caliper brakes	A brake consisting of two brake blocks which are drawn towards each other through a central pivot and which grip the rim of the wheel.
Carve	1. to make a hard turn with a smooth, clean line. 2. to gouge a groove or rut into dirt by sliding or spinning the rear tyre.
Chainring	A large toothed ring (part of the chain set) that drives the chain via the pedals and cranks.
Chainset	The setup comprising the chainwheels, chain and rear sprocket.
Chainstay	The two horizontal parts of the bike frame that join the bottom bracket to the rear wheel.
Chainsuck	The chain getting caught between the chainstay and the rear wheel.
Chasers	Riders trying to catch a breakaway group.
Clunking	The original term for mountain biking, when the practice involved stripping down cruiser bicycles and racing them down fire roads, trails etc.
Cogwheel	A less commonly used term for a sprocket.
Cornering clearance	The amount of lean angle a bicycle can have without digging a pedal; also called pedal clearance or road clearance.
Countersteering	A manoeuvre used by expert riders to control a skid, executed by steering the bike momentarily in the opposite direction from which they want to turn.
Cranks	The arms which drive the chainwheels. Cranks are bolted to the crankshaft.
Crankshaft	The axle to which the cranks are attached.
Cross country	A mountain bike race contested over trails, bush or forest roads, tracks etc.
Derailleur	The mechanism which moves the chain from one chainring or sprocket to another.
Digging a pedal	A pedal hitting the ground while the rider is leaning into a turn.
Domestique	A team rider who will sacrifice his / her individual performance to help a designated team-mate.
Downhill	A non-Olympic mountain bike event in which riders race down a hill one-by-one, the winner being the rider with the fastest time.
Draft	To ride closely behind a competitor, saving energy by using that racer as a windbreak.
Drift	The bike slipping sideways while going forward, usually as a result of taking a corner too hard.
Echelon	A staggered line of riders, each downwind of the rider ahead, allowing them to move considerably faster than a solo rider or small group of riders.
Fairings	A non-essential part of the bicycle designed to reduce drag.
Fat-tyre	A term for a mountain bike, so called because of their comparatively wide tyres.
Feeding station / zone	Terms for areas where riders in mountain bike or road races can pick up both food and liquid refreshments.
False start	An illegal start to a race by a rider or riders, resulting in a restart.
Field sprint	A sprint at the finish among the main group of riders in a road race.
Force the pace	To increase speed to make the group to go faster
Flyer	A surprise attack, usually by a solo rider.
Gear	The mechanism on a bike that changes its rate of motion; low gears make it harder to pedal while high gears make it easier.
Granny gear	The smallest chain ring on a mountain bike, combined with the biggest sprocket to make the lowest gear; also called pixie gear or weenie gear.
Hammer	To ride hard.
Handlebars	The part of the bicycle which the rider takes hold of.
Handsling	In the Madison track event, the way in which team-mates exchange positions by one gripping the hand of the other and then propelling him forward.
Hardtail	A mountain bike with no rear suspension.
Highside	Being thrown from the bicycle in a direction counter to the turn.
Hook	To suddenly move one's back wheel to the side, forcing the following rider to slow down to avoid running into it.
Individual pursuit race	A track race in which two competitors starting at opposite sides of the track try to catch the other or finish in the fastest time.
Jump	A quick acceleration which usually develops into a sprint.
Keirin	A track race in which riders compete in a sprint after completing a certain number of laps behind a motorcycle pacer (pronounced kay-rin).
Kick	A burst of acceleration for the final sprint.
Kick out	1. a cornering technique in mountain biking that involves putting weight on the front wheel and shifting the body to one side so that the back wheel slides outwards. 2. the airborne lateral movement of a wheel when it loses contact with the riding surface in a turn.
Lap	One loop of the track, course or circuit.
Lapped	A rider who has fallen behind another rider by one lap of the track, course or circuit is said to have been lapped.
Lead-out	A racing tactic whereby one rider races at high speed to give a head start to the rider on his /her wheel.
Madison	A track race over a distance of 60km in which teams of two riders accumulate points in intermediate sprints.
Mass start	A race start in which all racers start at the same time.
Mechanical	Slang for a mechanical problem with the bicycle.
Monocycle	A one-wheeled cycle; also called a unicycle.
Neutralisation	In the event of a danger on the track, officials will tell all riders to go to the top of the track, ride at a steady pace and maintain their relative position.
Neutral support	The support given to a rider by a neutral party, i.e. a mechanic in a follow vehicle.
Off-camber	A curve in the trail that throws riders to the outside of the turn.
Paceline	A string of riders that moves at high speed with each individual taking turns setting the pace and riding in the draft of the others.
Pedal clearance	The amount of lean angle a bicycle can have without digging a pedal; also known as "cornering clearance" or "road clearance".
Peloton	The main group of riders; also called the pack, bunch or field.
Penny farthing	A tall bicycle which features one large wheel in front and one small wheel behind.
Pits	Stations along the course where repairs can be made.
Pixie gear	The smallest chainring on a mountain bike, combined with the biggest sprocket to make the lowest gear; also called granny gear or weenie gear.
Points race	A race in which riders are awarded points according to their finishing position in intermediate sprints.
Pole line	The innermost line on the velodrome surface, used to measure the length of the track; also called the measuring line.
Pole position	The front-most position in race with a mass start.
Pull	To take a turn at the front of the group, maintaining the same speed of the group
Pushclimb	A section of a mountain biking trail with inadequate traction or too-steep a pitch, that forces cyclists to dismount and carry their bikes.
Rail	To ride fast and cleanly through a corner.
Repechage	A round (usually in sprint competitions) in which losers of previous heats race against each other to gain re-entry into the competition.
Road clearance	The amount of lean angle a bicycle can have without digging a pedal; also known as cornering clearance or pedal clearance.
Rock dodge	To steer the handlebars quickly to one side to avoid small road hazards.
Saddle	The seat of a bicycle.
Shock absorber	A part of a bicycle which absorbs the impact of a wheel going over an obstacle, making for a smoother ride.
Single track	A path or trail wide enough for only one rider at a time.
Sitting in	Drafting, or sitting closely behind the rider immediately in front.
Skid	To lose tyre traction, causing the bike to slide off course.
Slipstream	The area of least wind resistance behind a rider.
Snakebite	The most common type of flat tyre, caused by hitting an obstacle so hard that the innertube is pinched against the rim.
Softtail	A mountain bike with rear suspension.
Spin out	To lose rear wheel traction in a turn and have the rear of the bike slide outwards so that the bike turns completely around.
Spokes	The arms inside a wheel rim.
Sprint	1. a high-speed race, usually over a short distance. 2. the final high-speed dash for the finish line in race of any distance.
Sprinters lane	The inner area on a cycling track bounded by the pole line and the sprinters line which marks the territory within which cyclists must obey certain rules while sprinting for the finish.
Sprinters line	A red line which marks the outside edge of the sprinters lane.
Sprocket	The rear cog, normally a smaller toothed ring, which fits onto the rear wheel; also called a cog or cogwheel.
Stand Still	A sprint manoeuvre in which neither rider wishes to lead, resulting in both remaining motionless and balancing on the track for a maximum of three minutes; also called a standstill.
Starting block	The object which holds the bicycle at the starting line until the starting signal.
Suspension	A system designed to absorb shock on a mountain bike, similar to that of a motorbike.
Sweeper	A wide turn.
Switchback	A tight, zigzag turn on the face of a mountain, either uphill or downhill.
Team pursuit	A track race in which two teams of four riders each start on opposite sides of the track and try to catch one another or finish in the fastest time.
Technical	A section of trail fraught with obstacles designed to test a mountain biker's skill.
Time trial	A race in which riders start individually and race against the clock.
Toe strap	A strap on a pedal which holds a foot in place.
Track bike	A bike with a 'fixed' single-speed gear and no brakes.
Velodrome	A banked bicycle racing track..
Waterbar	A sharp-sided trench that criss-crosses a descent in mountain biking.
Weenie gear	The smallest chainring on a mountain bike, combined with the biggest sprocket to make the lowest gear; also called pixie gear or granny gear.