About

   Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick McMillan gave bicycle racing its first big boost back in 1839 when he devised a pedal-and-crank mechanism to power the two-wheeled machines. Until then, bicycles were pushed along by the feet. It rather limited their racing potential.

   In the 1880s, cycling took another leap forward with the development of the chain-and-gearing system. With that, bikes evolved from the awkward penny-farthing style to the sleeker shape so familiar today. Since then, the sport's evolution has been a steady climb as athletes and engineers experiment with anything that might shave a few seconds off their times.

   The sport's boom in the late 19th century made it a natural for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. That inaugural Olympic road race was held on the marathon course, with riders completing two laps covering a total of 87 kilometres. Almost a century passed before women got their chance to race in 1984, and, 12 years later, at the 1996 Atlanta Games, time trials were introduced.

   Competition

   The men's and women's road races and time trials now comprise the four events that make up the Olympic road-racing programme.

   The road races begin with mass starts. The men race over 239km and the women over 120. The time trials are raced against the clock, with riders starting at 90-second intervals. In those, the men race over 46.8km, the women over 31.2.

   List of events

   -- individual road race Men

   -- individual road race Women

   -- individual time trial Men

   -- individual time trial Women

Credit: IOC

For further info., please visit http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/disciplines_uk.asp?DiscCode=CR.