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Road cycling began as an organised Sport in 1868. The first World Championships were held in 1893 and it has been a part of the Olympics in the whole of the modern era. Road Cycling has 2 main types of competition – the Road Race and the Time Trial.
In a Road Race, the riders start together in a bunch. The courses are of varying distances (approx. 260 km for Elite Men and 140km for Elite Women in the UCI World Championships).
Road Races have several different formats. They can be held on a circuit in which riders race over numerous laps like in the UCI Road World Championships; over one-day from one point to another like the Paris to Roubaix Race; or in Stage races in which riders race on consecutive days like the Tour de France.
In the Individual Time Trial the riders set off 1-2 minutes apart, with the reigning Champion leaving last. Without the motivation of other riders around them and the slipstream advantage of bunch riding, the time trial competitor must rely on huge mental strength to keep up the pace and cover the course in the fastest time possible. At the UCI World Championships and Olympic Games, the individual time trial is raced over 40-50 km for Elite Men and 20-30 km for Elite Women.
In a Team Time Trial the principle is the same as for the individual, but teams of between 2 and 10 riders who remain together along the course race this event. The team time trial is on the programme at the UCI Road World Championships as of 2012 (6 riders per team) and is open to UCI ProTeams, UCI Professional Continental Teams, UCI Continental Teams and UCI Women’s Teams.
