The madison is one of the most popular races in track cycling. Two rider-teams take turns riding a race, slinging each other in to ride portions of the race. With the 2025 track worlds beginning Wednesday, here\u2019s a primer on the origins of the interesting event.<\/p>\n
Although nowadays the madison involves teammates doing quick exchanges in an effort to gain the most laps on other riders, the origin came about as a result of cyclists riding on the track alone for hours on end.<\/p>\n
Madison Square Gardens and two-rider exchanges<\/p>\n
The madison was created as a way to get around labour laws. In 1891, Madison Square Gardens would host its first six-day race. Modern iterations of the event involves various races. But back then it was a gruelling event where one single rider would try and ride as many laps on his lonesome.<\/p>\n
Toronto\u2019s Ashlin Barry wins U.S. elite madison championships<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n All-day (and all-night) racing<\/p>\n They were allowed to ride as much as they want for six days, 24 hours at a time. The cyclist with the most laps would win. Those that did race the events made good money at the time\u2013but they also became zombies, exhausted and dangerously wobbly on the bike. The competitors would take breaks for food or brief rest, but most would end up being on the bike for 18 hours each day.<\/a><\/p>\n Riding to the limit\u2026and then some<\/p>\n Spectators would pay to watch the sight of a poor racer ride to utter exhaustion. So, promoters were keen to keep up the show. Eventually, the cyclists would in fact ride for 24 hours a day, knowing that breaks or rest would cost them dearly in the overall push for victory. Rumours of doping\u2013such as using strychnine<\/a> to stay awake\u2013were rampant.<\/p>\n Men\u2019s Madison makes thrilling return to Olympic program in Tokyo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Media takes aim at six-day racing<\/p>\n In 1897, The New York Times<\/a> took aim at the event, pointing out the cruel nature in which riders were treated. \u201cThe cyclist strain their powers until their faces become hideous with the tortures that rack them, is not sport. It is brutality. Days and weeks of recuperation will be needed to put the racers in condition, and it is likely that some of them will never recover from the strain.\u201d<\/p>\n New laws to protect competitors<\/p>\n The following year, New York state enacted a law to protect the athletes from the horrific treatment by organizers. The new regulation said that cyclists could only race 12 hours at a time. (Still a long day in the saddle, but slightly more, \u201chumane.\u201d)<\/p>\n A workaround against the new regulations<\/p>\n But the Madison Square Garden organizer didn\u2019t want to lose out on the half-day of revenue<\/a>. So, he came up with a workaround: by pairing each rider with a partner to share the racing, the event could continue around the clock. Not only would they be able to keep the race going, but it was faster and more exciting. More spectators, more tickets sold. Win-win. And, as you can imagine, the new event, the madison, was named after where it was invented<\/a>. (The French prefer to call it the \u201ccourse \u00e0 l\u2019am\u00e9ricaine.\u201d)<\/p>\n Faster, stronger, higher\u2026profits?<\/p>\n This arrangement ensured that no individual rider would surpass the 12-hour limit. As a result, speeds increased, distances expanded, crowds increased, and revenue poured in.<\/p>\n The madison was an event at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics. After several years of not being included in the Games due to a lack of a women\u2019s event, it returned for the 2020 edition. It\u2019s been a regular race for men the world championships, but for the women, that\u2019s only been the case since 2017.<\/p>\n Madison nowadays<\/p>\n The current elite men\u2019s rainbow jerseys belong to the German pair of Roger Kluge and Tim Torn Teutenberg. Amalie Dideriksen and Julie Norman Leth of Denmark are the reigning champions in the women\u2019s field. The event is a done in the form of a points race, with the men racing 200 laps for 50 km and the women doing 120 laps, for 30 km. Riders are given points for laps taken, and deducted for being lapped. There are also sprint points awarded throughout the event.<\/p>\n The 2025 UCI track worlds begin Wednesday. Here\u2019s the full schedule and how to watch them:<\/p>\n