Track cycling and speedskating often mirror one another, with similar events in each sport. In the team pursuit, for example, cyclists and skaters compete as a team to post the fastest time for a given distance. In cycling events, riders spend the race tucked into a line, with the lead rider providing a draft for their teammates. But that’s a tiring position for a cyclist, so every few laps the lead rider will pull off, move up the track, and drop behind their teammates for a rest. Speedskaters used to use the same technique. But no longer.
After working with aerodynamic simulation specialists, U.S. Speedskating pioneered a new race technique, in which skaters never change positions. Instead, each racer specializes in one position and skates while pushing the skater ahead of them. The technique requires a lot of practice, finesse, and trust; skaters in the later positions cannot see, skating as close as they can to the skater in front of them.
But, performance-wise, the new technique works. It’s taken U.S. women’s team pursuit from eighth in the world to number one. Other teams have adopted the technique, too, so this is likely what team pursuit will look like in the years to come. (Image credits: various, see image captions; via NPR)
