How does the team pursuit work, and why does the third rider matter?
B · Beginner · Pursuits and starts · 6 of 8Two teams of four start on opposite sides of the track and ride four kilometres, taking turns at the front. The team's time is taken on its third rider across the line, so one rider can be used up and dropped. A team wins by the faster time or by catching the other.
How it works
- The event: "run over four kilometres by teams of four riders".
- The time: "taken on that of the third rider of each team", measured on that rider's front wheel.
- The start: riders side by side, a metre apart. The inside rider is held in a starting block and leads.
- Changes at the front: the leader swings up the banking and drops on to the back. The rules do not say how often.
- No pushing: between team-mates it is strictly forbidden.
- A catch: a team is caught when the other, with at least three riders together, comes to within a metre of it.
- About to be caught: the commissaires signal with a red flag and a whistle. That team must stop changing and stay at the bottom of the track until passed, or be disqualified.
- The rounds: qualifying against the clock. At the top competitions the best eight ride a first round, and the finals follow.
- Who rides for gold: the winners of the two first-round heats between the top four qualifiers.
- Bronze: the two fastest of the other six teams from the first round.
- Line-ups: may change between rounds. An incomplete team may not start.
The glossary has the team pursuit, the pursuit, draft and the false start and restart entry.
Tricky cases
A team finishes with only three riders. Does its time count?
Yes. The time is taken on the third rider. A team that drops to two has no third rider to time.
Does the first rider across the line set the team's time?
No. The third rider's front wheel does.
A team is being caught and keeps swapping its lead rider. What happens?
It is disqualified. Once signalled with the red flag and whistle, the team may make no more changes and must stay low until the other team has passed.
A team qualifies fifth. Can it still win gold?
No, under the format read. Only the winners of the heats between the first four qualifiers ride for first and second. A fifth-placed qualifier can reach the bronze final by its first-round time.
Why the rule exists
Four riders sharing the wind go much faster than one, and timing the third rider forces a decision: a team can burn one rider to raise the pace but cannot afford to lose two. That choice, and the precision of the changes, is the event.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Top competitions | Eight teams go through to a first round | UCI 3.2.082; UCI 3.2.085 |
| Other competitions | The four best qualifiers go straight to the finals | UCI 3.2.085 |
| Olympic Games | Finals also for fifth and sixth and for seventh and eighth | UCI 3.2.085 |
| Team sprint | Three riders, three laps, time on the last rider | UCI 3.2.144; UCI 3.2.152 |
From the rule book
Union Cycliste Internationale, Cycling Regulations, Part 3: Track Races (amendments applying 1 January 2026), articles 3.2.077 to 3.2.100. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: UCI Cycling Regulations, Part 3 (PDF).