Cyclist
The Olympics needs to add these five cycling events
Paris 2024 is in full swing, with cycling being represented by a variety of BMX, mountain bike, road and track events. Not all cycling disciplines feature in the Olympics – of course, there are a few hoops to jump through for a new sport to be added – but there are some that simply must be added.
The Super World Championships in Scotland in 2023 was a beautiful confluence of almost every branch of cycling and showcased exceptional sporting achievements not on show at the Olympics. These are the five cycling events that the Olympics needs.
Artistic cycling
Artistic cycling combines two wheels with feats of almost incomprehensible prowess. It’s baffling, it’s mystifying, it’s perfect for the Olympics.
It blends cycling and gymnastics, two sports both already in the Olympics and ones that could not look more different if they tried. In this sport, riders perform trick-filled routines on fixed-gear bikes and are scored on factors like difficulty and execution, much like in gymnastics.
It can be undertaken solo, as a duo or part of a team. The riders contort themselves into moves such as the handlebar handstand or flick from saddle to handlebars with a daring Maute jump as the bike heads forwards or backwards, circling or spinning. It’s incredible.
If artistic swimming is in, then artistic cycling should be too.
Cycle-Ball
Cycle-Ball is another merging of two sports, as cycling meets football. The team that scores the most goals wins, but it’s easier said than done.
While constantly balancing on fixed-gear bikes, a team of two must try to shoot the ball with their wheel into the guarded 2m x 2m net. The game lasts seven minutes each way with two minutes for half-time. Balance is key: athletes cannot step foot on the ground and if they do, play must restart from their own goal line.
In a previous interview with Cyclist, eight-time world Cycle-Ball champion Patrick Schnetzer said, ‘shooting the ball or defending the goal are some of the hardest things to learn. But at some point, when you’ve invested a lot of time and been training so hard, you don’t really think about the bike anymore.’
As with artistic cycling, Cycle-Ball was very popular at the Super World Championships in Glasgow. It wouldn’t be the most diverse field, with the sport most popular in European countries such as Germany (where it began) and Austria. Its reach is slowly increasing however, and last year Japan hosted the first UCI World Cup round to be held outside of Europe since 2018, with Hong Kong and Malaysia also competing.
Cyclocross
There’s growing speculation that cyclocross will finally be added to the Winter Olympics in 2030. Sporza commentator Karl Vannieuwkerke said on the ‘Paris by Night’ show that he was 99.99% sure it was happening. It would be a brilliant inclusion.
Cyclocross takes place in the autumn and winter months and consists of riders taking on multiple laps of a course filled with tricky obstacles that require power, endurance, technical skill and some running. It is dominated by soft, slow surfaces such as mud, sand and snow but it’s fast-paced and highly entertaining.
It was held from being integrated with the Winter Olympics due to it not being a snow sport, but the regular World Cup rounds in the snow at Val di Sole in Italy have proved it’s worthy of a place. Hopefully once it’s in there will be freedom in designing Olympic courses and snow won’t be a necessity.
Downhill MTB
Mountain biking takes many forms with the cross-country discipline having been in the Olympics since 1996. But downhill differs to XC as it starts at the top of a mountain with riders reaching hair-raising speeds down super technical trails to the finish at the bottom.
It’s one for the adrenaline hunters and showcases the skills side of cycling rather than the power and endurance of most other disciplines, and it’s an enormous discipline worldwide – so why is it missing from the Olympics?
Mountains might be hard to find in Olympic cities, but not every sport takes place in the city. For the Paris Olympics, the sailing events are taking place off the coast of Marseille and the surfing is taking place on the other side of the world in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. Location is no obstacle.
One unofficial website has sparked a recent rumour that it would feature in Brisbane 2032, but this is still unconfirmed.
Gravel
Gravel’s popularity has been soaring, though not everyone agrees with its growing professionalism and the involvement of the UCI. Would the Olympics be a step too far for some?
Whatever the purists think, there’s no doubting its popularity as a discipline, and the last Gravel World Championships have been popular with fans and riders alike, including riders from the traditional gravel racing circuits.
Perhaps it could take after boxing’s amateurs-only policy, so retired road pros could take part.
Do you disagree? Have other sports that should take priority? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
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