Say, do any of you guys know how to Madison?

So asked Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Show but I believe he was referring to the dance



Today we all are told that Britain has a good chance of a gold medal in The Madison, a cycling race. Apparently this is the most complicated event with indecipherable rules, or so the BBC have been telling us. I thought I would look them up and they seem retty straightforward to me:

"The madison is a conventional race... with riders in each team riding part of the distance, handing over to the other member, resting, and then returning to the race. Teams are usually of two riders but occasionally of three. Only one of the team is racing at any time and the replacement rider has to be touched before he can take over. The touch can also be a push, often on the shorts, or one rider hurling the other into the race by a handsling.

How long each rider stays in the race is for each team to decide. Originally, riders took stints of a couple of hours or more and the resting rider went off for a sleep or a meal. That was easier in earlier six-day races because hours could pass without riders attempting to speed away from the others. As races became more intensive, so both riders from the team began riding on the track at the same time, one going fast on the short line around the bottom of the track and the other idling higher up until his turn comes to take over. Modern six-days last less than 12 hours a day and the madison is now only a featured part, so staying on the track throughout is more feasible.

The aim of each team is to ride more laps than any of the others. Tied positions are split by points awarded for placings at a series of sprints at intervals during the race.

The madison is a feature of six-day races, but it can also be a separate race, as in the Olympic Games. It has its own championships and specialist riders. A madison typically lasts between 30 and 60 minutes."

"This race is a 50 kilometre, 200 lap race. Cyclists compete in pairs, with one resting as the other rides. Placing was determined first by laps, then by points. Points were awarded based on intermediate sprints held every 20 laps. The first finisher in each sprint earns 5 points, the second gets 3, the third finisher earns 2, and the fourth place cyclist after each sprint gets 1 point."

That seems simple enough...

Here's some video of some Madison racing...


And finally from Xinhuanet the rules for this Olympics' race:

"Teams consisting of two riders will compete in a race run over a distance of 50km (200 laps) with intermediate sprints. The final placing will be determined by the accumulated points in the sprints, which occur every 20 laps, or by the distance according to the complete laps covered by each team. Teams having covered the same number of laps will be placed according to their accumulated points. Where there is a draw on laps and points, the place during the final sprint shall decide the final result.

Sprint points will be awarded as follows: 5 points to the first team, 3 points to the second, 2 points to the third and 1 point to the fourth."

The only problem is that I am sure the race can also be won by lapping the field, a British tactic, so maybe more research is needed! The race is on television at 10:30 this morning, see if you can work it out.