Street Bicycle Racing
Though the pros use shorter street cycling races as practice for the Triple Crown races (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and the Road World Cycling Championship), there are many teams that compete in street races. Generally, cyclists do not race individually but as part of a larger, sponsored racing team. In the states, the US Postal Service team is the most famous. But before we get into the details of street racing, let's talk about what street bicycles are. Unlike mountain bikes and BMX stunt bikes, road bikes are thin-framed with thin wheels and high pressure tires. In competition, participants must ride road bikes. Road bikes have drop handlebars and can be either single, multiple or fixed gear. They are much lighter than the other styles of bikes, which are made to withstand a beating in the mud. Now back to the races. Road races start with a gun indicating the release from the pen, and the winner is whoever crosses the finish line first. All single day races are mass s...