Team Pursuit Cycling

Team pursuit cycling consists of two teams of four cyclists in a four kilometer race: pretty normal. Whats strange is how the actual event works. The two teams start from opposite ends of an indoor track; they approach the finish line from either side. The four cyclists race in single file, letting the leader take the brunt of the wind resistance. After a set interval, he swings to the outside of the track and joins the group at its back.Its not the first member of the team to cross the line who determines the final time; nor is is the fourth: The third racer is the one who matters. To take advantage of this quirk, one rider will go for a death pull in the closing moments of the race, pedaling 100 percent to give his teammates behind him an extra advantage, then pulling out and letting them go for the gold.