Мэдисон: История и особенности велогонки

Style of cycling race

The Madison is a relay race event in track cycling, named after the first Madison Square Garden in New York, and known as the "American race" in French (course à l'américaine) and as Americana in Spanish and in Italian.

The Madison is a race where each team aims to complete more laps than any of the other teams. Riders in each team take turns during the race, handing over to another team member, resting, and then returning to the race. Teams are usually of two riders but occasionally of three. Only one rider of the team is racing at any time, and the replacement rider has to be touched before taking over. The touch can also be a push, often on the shorts, or one rider hurling the other into the race by a hand sling. How long each rider stays in the race is for the members of each team to decide. Originally, riders took stints of a couple of hours or more and the resting rider went off to sleep or for 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, both riders from a 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 that rider's turn 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. 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. UCI sanctioned Madison races have a total distance of .

The term Madison Racing derives essentially from a sequence of local New York City names honoring President James Madison. A lodge had been built at what was then the prominent and northernmost waypoint into and out of New York City. In honor of the recently deceased president, the cottage was named Madison Cottage. After the demise of Madison cottage, the site gave rise to a park, in turn named Madison Square, which remains today. A series of four sports venues subsequently took their names from Madison Square — each named, one after the other, Madison Square Gardens. The first two were located directly adjacent to (and took their name from) Madison Square. The second Madison Square Gardens (1890 1925) became a prominent cycling venue, and gave rise to the track cycle racing that ultimately carried the name Madison Racing.

The Madison was an Olympic event for men in 2000, 2004 and 2008, but was dropped ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, in part for reasons of gender equality as there was no equivalent race for women at that time. In June 2017, the International Olympic Committee announced that the Madison would be added to the Olympic programme for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The 2020 Games includes a relaunch of the men's Madison event, as well as the introduction of the women's Madison as an Olympic event for the first time. The inaugural women's event was won by Katie Archibald and Laura Kenny for Team GB.