What you need to know about Olympic track events

Today, Canadian athletes head to the London velodrome, often referred to as the Pringle for the building’s potato chip-like shape. Monique Sullivan will compete in the women’s keirin. Tara Whitten, Gillian Carleton and Jasmin Glaesser will contest the women’s team pursuit. To prime yourself on today’s Olympic races, and those to come, here are some helpful links.

Olympic Track Primer: Breaking down the events

Sprint (a.k.a. match sprint): In one of the track’s most thrilling events, cyclists compete two at a time against each other for three total laps around the velodrome. The riders tend to race close together for the first two laps, staring each other down and often coming to a complete stop in a track stand — but when the bell rings for the final lap, an all-out sprint ensues and the strongest rider launches across the line at speeds that reach up to 45 mph. Riders are seeded via a 200m flying sprint and are divided into three heats from the quarterfinals on.

UCI announces revised format for London 2012 Omnium

The Omnium has been added as part of a shake-up of events for both male and female riders which has controversially seen the Individual Pursuit disappear for both genders, as well as the men’s Madison and Points races, with the number of events open to each gender now standing at five apiece, compared to seven for men and three for women at Beijing last year.

Renowned cycling commentator Phil Liggett says BMX and mountain biking should not be Olympic sports

“It is absolutely disgraceful what they have done. They have devastated the track with the new events and taking out the iconic events of the Olympics,” Liggett said.

Cyclist Tara Whitten expects medal in omnium

“I really can only control my own performance and I feel that I’m in the best shape of my life,” said the 32-year-old after arriving in London. “So I will be disappointed if I’m not on the podium. All I have to do is my personal best performances and I believe that if I do, that will be enough.”

Cyclist Zach Bell looks to bring home Yukon’s first Olympic medal

“For me it’s a different journey,” Bell said after Tuesday’s training session at the Olympic velodrome, nicknamed ‘The Pringle.’ “[At the Beijing Olympics,] I was one of the qualified athletes, trying to hang on for dear life. This time, hopefully I’ll be able to make things happen more on my terms.”