_-_2024-08-03_-_51.jpg) Riders during the 2024 Summer Olympics | |
| Highest governing body | UCI |
|---|---|
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No, although bodies do touch |
| Team members | Individuals and teams |
| Mixed-sex | Yes, separate competitions |
| Type | Cycle sport |
| Equipment | Road bicycle |
| Venue | Paved roads |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
| Olympic | Yes, men's since the 1896 Olympics and women's since the 1984 Olympics |
| World Championships | Yes |
| Paralympic | Yes, men's and women's since the 1984 Paralympics |
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common competition formats are mass start events, where riders start simultaneously (though sometimes with a handicap) and race to a set finish point; and time trials, where individual riders or teams race a course alone against the clock. Stage races or "tours" take multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively.
Professional racing originated in Western Europe, centred in France, Spain, Italy and the Low Countries. Since the mid-1980s, the sport has diversified, with races held at the professional, semi-professional and amateur levels, worldwide. The sport is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). As well as the UCI's annual World Championships for men and women, the biggest event is the Tour de France, a three-week race that can attract over 500,000 roadside supporters a day.