Sprint (track cycling)

Some even bring their bicycles to a complete stop, balanced upright with both feet still on the pedals and both hands on the handle bars (a track stand), in an attempt to make the other rider take the lead.

When racing at high speed, the rider who manages to stay just behind their opponent can draft, expending less effort.

Just before the finish, the trailing rider pulls out of the slipstream, and aided by fresher legs, may be able to overtake the opponent before the line.

To prevent this, the leading rider may choose to accelerate quickly before the last lap, hoping to catch their opponent off guard and establish a large enough gap to negate the aerodynamic effect or to keep the speed high enough to prevent their opponent from completing a pass.

Knock-out rounds then proceed, initially on a one race basis and then on a best-of three-race format from the quarter-final stage.

Riders are paced in the early laps by (and are required to stay behind) a Derny motorcycle, which slowly increases the speed of the race from 25 km/h to about 50 km/h.