Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists. Apart from ordinary two-wheeled bicycles, cycling also includes riding unicycles, tricycles, quadracycles, and other similar human-powered vehicles (HPVs).

Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century and now number about one billion worldwide. They are the principal means of transportation in many regions.

Cycling is a very efficient and effective mode of transportation optimal for short to moderate distances. Bicycles provide numerous benefits compared to motor vehicles, including exercise, an alternative to the use of fossil fuels, no air or noise pollution, much reduced traffic congestion, easier parking, greater maneuverability, and access to both roads and paths. The advantages are at less financial cost to the user as well as society (negligible damage to roads, and less pavement required). Criticisms and disadvantages of cycling include reduced protection in crashes, particularly with motor vehicles, longer travel time (except in densely populated areas), vulnerability to weather conditions, difficulty in transporting passengers, and the skill and fitness required.

Equipment

In many countries, the most commonly used vehicle for road transport is a utility bicycle. These have frames with relaxed geometry, protecting the rider from shocks of the road and easing steering at low speeds.

Road bikes tend to have a more upright shape and a shorter wheelbase, which make the bike more mobile but harder to ride slowly. The design, coupled with low or dropped handlebars, requires the rider to bend forward more, utilizing stronger muscles (particularly the gluteus maximus) and reducing air resistance at high speed.

The price of a new bicycle can range from US$50 to more than US$20,000 (the highest priced bike in the world is the custom Madone by Damien Hirst, sold at $500,000 USD), depending on quality, type and weight (the most exotic road bicycles can weigh as little as 3.2 kg (7 lb)). However, UCI regulations stipulates a legal race bike cannot weigh less than 6.8 kg (14.99 lbs). Being measured for a bike and taking it for a test ride are recommended before buying.

The drivetrain components of the bike should also be considered. A middle grade dérailleur is sufficient for a beginner, although many utility bikes come equipped with hub gears. If the rider plans a significant amount of hillclimbing, a triple-crank (three chainrings) front gear system may be preferred. Otherwise, the relatively lighter and less expensive two chainrings may be better. Much simpler fixed wheel bikes are also available, and may be more suitable for commuters.

Many road bikes along with mountain bikes include clipless pedals to which special shoes attach, via a cleat, permitting the rider to pull on the pedals as well as push. Other possible accessories for the bicycle include front and back lights, bells or horns, disc brakes, child carrying seats, cycling computers with GPS, locks, bar tape, fenders (mud-guards), baggage racks, baggage carriers and pannier bags, water bottles and bottle cages.

For basic maintenance and repairs, cyclists can choose to carry a pump (or a CO₂ cartridge), a puncture repair kit, a spare inner tube, and tire levers. Cycling can be more efficient and comfortable with special shoes, gloves, and shorts. In wet weather, riding can be more tolerable with waterproof clothes, such as cape, jacket, trousers (pants) and overshoes.

Items legally required in some jurisdictions, or voluntarily adopted for safety reasons, include bicycle helmets, generator or battery operated lights, reflectors, and audible signalling devices such as a bell or horn. Extras include studded tires and a bicycle computer.

Bikes can also be heavily customized, with different seat designs and handle bars, for example.

Skills

Learning to ride efficiently and safely in traffic is important. In the United Kingdom, many primary school children took the Cycling Proficiency Test (now branded as 'Bikeability'), to help them cycle more safely. In countries such as the Netherlands, where cycling is popular, cyclists sometimes ride in bike lanes at the side of, or separate from, main highways and roads. Many primary schools participate in the national road test in which children individually complete a circuit on roads near the school while being observed by testers.

Cycling infrastructure

Cyclists, pedestrians and motorists make different demands on road design which may lead to conflicts. Some jurisdictions give priority to motorized traffic, for example setting up one-way street systems, free-right turns, high capacity roundabouts, and slip roads. Others may apply traffic restraint measures to limit the impact of motorized transport. In the former cases, cycling has tended to decline while in the latter it has tended to be maintained. Occasionally, extreme measures against cycling may occur. In Shanghai, where bicycles were once the dominant mode of transport, bicycle travel on a few city roads was banned temporarily in December 2003.

In areas in which cycling is popular and encouraged, cycle-parking facilities using bicycle stands, lockable mini-garages, and patrolled cycle parks are used in order to reduce theft. Local governments promote cycling by permitting bicycles to be carried on public transport or by providing external attachment devices on public transport vehicles. Conversely, an absence of secure cycle-parking is a recurring complaint by cyclists from cities with low modal share of cycling.

Extensive bicycle path systems may be found in some cities. Such dedicated paths often have to be shared with in-line skaters, scooters, skateboarders, and pedestrians. Segregating bicycle and automobile traffic in cities has met with mixed success, both in terms of safety and bicycle promotion. At some point the two streams of traffic inevitably intersect, often in a haphazard and congested fashion. Studies have demonstrated that, due to the high incidence of accidents at these sites, some such segregated schemes can actually ''increase'' the number of car-bike collisions.

Bicycles are considered a sustainable mode of transport, especially suited for urban use and relatively shorter distances when used for transport (compared to recreation). Case studies and good practices (from European cities and some worldwide examples) that promote and stimulate this kind of functional cycling in cities can be found at Eltis, Europe's portal for local transport.

In the Netherlands, bicycle paths are widespread and are (in the cities) closed to scooters. Cyclists in the Netherlands are well protected as the law assumes the stronger participant (i.e. the car driver) is guilty until proved innocent (i.e. is the guilty party in all accidents involving weaker traffic unless evidence of the opposite is provided). Furthermore, drivers know to expect a high volume of cyclist traffic. Due to these issues the number of car-bike collisions with serious consequences is not alarmingly high in the Netherlands

Types

Utility

Utility cycling refers both to cycling as a mode of daily commuting transport as well as the use of a bicycle in a commercial activity, mainly to transport goods, mostly accomplished in an urban environment.

The postal services of many countries have long relied on bicycles. The British Royal Mail first started using bicycles in 1880; now bicycle delivery fleets include 37,000 in the UK, 25,700 in Germany, 10,500 in Hungary and 7000 in Sweden. The London Ambulance Service has recently introduced bicycling paramedics, who can often get to the scene of an incident in Central London more quickly than a motorized ambulance.

Late in the 20th century, urban police bicycles became more common, as the mobility of car-borne officers was increasingly limited by traffic congestion and pedestrianisation.

Bicycles enjoy substantial use as general delivery vehicles in many countries. In the UK and North America, generations of teenagers have got their first jobs delivering newspapers by bicycle. London has many delivery companies that use bicycles with trailers. Most cities in the West, and many outside it, support a sizeable and visible industry of cycle couriers who deliver documents and small packages. In India, many of Mumbai's Dabbawalas use bicycles to deliver home cooked lunches to the city’s workers. In Bogotá, Colombia the city’s largest bakery recently replaced most of its delivery trucks with bicycles. Even the car industry uses bicycles. At the huge Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen, Germany workers use bicycles, color-coded by department, to move around the factory.

Recreational

;Bicycle Touring

Bicycles are used for recreation at all ages. Bicycle touring, also known as cyclotourism, involves touring and exploration or sightseeing by bicycle for leisure. A brevet or randonnée is an organized long-distance ride.

One popular Dutch pleasure is the enjoyment of relaxed cycling in the countryside of the Netherlands. The land is very flat and full of public bicycle trails where cyclists are not bothered by cars and other traffic, which makes it ideal for cycling recreation. Many Dutch people subscribe every year to an event called ''fietsvierdaagse'' — four days of organised cycling through the local environment. Paris–Brest–Paris (PBP), which began in 1891, is the oldest bicycling event still run on a regular basis on the open road, covers over and imposes a 90-hour time limit. Similar if smaller institutions exist in many countries.

;Organized rides Many cycling clubs hold organized rides in which bicyclists of all levels participate. The typical organized ride starts with a large group of riders, called the mass, bunch or even peloton. This will thin out over the course of the ride. Many riders choose to ride together in groups of the same skill level to take advantage of drafting.

Most organized rides, for example Cyclosportives, Challenge Rides or reliability trials, and hill climbs include registration requirements and will provide information either through the mail or online concerning start times and other requirements. Rides usually consist of several different routes, sorted by mileage, and with a certain number of rest stops that usually include refreshments, first aid and maintenance tools. Routes can vary by as much as .

;Mountain Mountain biking began in the 1970s, originally as a downhill sport, practised on customized cruiser bikes around Mount Tamalpais. Most mountain biking takes place on dirt roads, trails and in purpose-built parks. Downhill mountain biking has just evolved in the recent years and is performed at places such as Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Slopestyle, a form of downhill, is when riders do tricks such as tailwhips, 360s, backflips and frontflips.

Racing

Shortly after the introduction of bicycles, competitions developed independently in many parts of the world. Early races involving boneshaker style bicycles were predictably fraught with injuries. Large races became popular during the 1890s "Golden Age of Cycling", with events across Europe, and in the U.S. and Japan as well. At one point, almost every major city in the US had a velodrome or two for track racing events, however since the middle of the 20th century cycling has become a minority sport in the US whilst in Continental Europe it continues to be a major sport, particularly in France, Belgium, Italy and Spain. The most famous of all bicycle races is the Tour de France. This began in 1903, and continues to capture the attention of the sporting world.

In 1899, Mile-a-Minute Murphy became the first man to ride his bicycle a mile in under a minute, which he did by drafting a locomotive at New York's Long Island.

As the bicycle evolved its various forms, different racing formats developed. Road races may involve both team and individual competition, and are contested in various ways. They range from the one-day road race, criterium, and time trial to multi-stage events like the Tour de France and its sister events which make up cycling's Grand Tours. Recumbent bicycles were banned from bike races in 1934 after Marcel Berthet set a new hour record in his ''Velodyne streamliner'' (49.992 km on November 18, 1933). Track bicycles are used for track cycling in Velodromes, while cyclo-cross races are held on rugged outdoor terrain, which is performed on road, grass, and mud. Riders in cyclocross must get off their bikes at certain intervals and hop over barriers. Time trial races, another form of road racing require a rider to ride against the clock. Time trials can be performed as a team or as a single rider. Bikes are changed for time trial races, using aero bars. In the past decade, mountain bike racing has also reached international popularity and is even an Olympic sport.

Professional racing organizations place limitations on the bicycles that can be used in the races that they sanction. For example, the Union Cycliste Internationale, the governing body of international cycle sport (which sanctions races such as the Tour de France), decided in the late 1990s to create additional rules which prohibit racing bicycles weighing less than 6.8 kilograms (14.96 pounds). The UCI rules also effectively ban some bicycle frame innovations (such as the recumbent bicycle) by requiring a double triangle structure.

War

The bicycle is not suited for combat, but it has been used as a method of reconnaissance as well as transporting soldiers and supplies to combat zones. In this it has taken over many of the functions of horses in warfare. In the Second Boer War, both sides used bicycles for scouting. In World War I, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand used bicycles to move troops. In its 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed some 50,000 bicycle troops, and similar forces were instrumental in Japan's march or "roll" through Malaysia in World War II. Germany used bicycles again in World War II, while the British employed airborne "Cycle-commandos" with folding bikes.

In the Vietnam War, communist forces used bicycles extensively as cargo carriers along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The last country known to maintain a regiment of bicycle troops was Switzerland, who disbanded their final unit in 2003.

Activism

Two broad and correlated themes run in bicycle activism: one is about advocating the bicycle as an alternative mode of transport, and the other is about the creation of conditions to permit and/or encourage bicycle use, both for utility and recreational cycling. Although the first, which emphasizes the potential for energy and resource conservation and health benefits gained from cycling versus automobile use, is relatively undisputed, the second is the subject of much debate.

It is generally agreed that improved local and inter-city rail services and other methods of mass transportation (including greater provision for cycle carriage on such services) create conditions to encourage bicycle use. However, there are different opinions on the role of the use of segregated cycle facilities and other items of the cycling infrastructure in building bicycle-friendly cities and roads.

Some bicycle activists (including some traffic management advisers) seek the construction of segregated cycle facilities for journeys of all lengths. Other activists, especially those from the more established tradition, view the safety, practicality, and intent of many segregated cycle facilities with suspicion. They favour a more holistic approach based on the 4 'E's; ''education'' (of everyone involved), ''encouragement'' (to apply the education), ''enforcement'' (to protect the rights of others), and ''engineering'' (to facilitate travel while respecting every person's equal right to do so). In some cases this opposition has a more ideological basis: some members of the Vehicular Cycling movement oppose segregated public facilities, such as on-street bike lanes, on principle. Some groups offer training courses to help cyclists integrate themselves with other traffic. This is part of the ongoing cycle path debate.

Critical Mass is an event typically held on the last Friday of every month in cities around the world where bicyclists take to the streets ''en masse''. While the ride was originally founded with the idea of drawing attention to how unfriendly the city was to bicyclists, the leaderless structure of Critical Mass makes it impossible to assign it any one specific goal. In fact, the purpose of Critical Mass is not formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and traveling as a group through city streets.

There is a long-running cycle helmet debate among activists. The most heated controversy surrounds the topic of compulsory helmet use.

Associations

Cyclists form associations, both for specific interests (trails development, road maintenance, urban design, racing clubs, touring clubs, and so on.) and for more global goals (energy conservation, pollution reduction, promotion of fitness). Some bicycle clubs and national associations became prominent advocates for improvements to roads and highways. In the United States, the League of American Wheelmen lobbied for the improvement of roads in the last part of the 19th century, founding and leading the national Good Roads Movement. Their model for political organization, as well as the paved roads for which they argued, facilitated the growth of the automobile.

As a sport, cycling is governed internationally by the Union Cycliste Internationale in Switzerland, USA Cycling (merged with the United States Cycling Federation in 1995) in the United States, (for upright bicycles) and by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (for other HPVs, or human-powered vehicles). Cycling for transport and touring is promoted on a European level by the European Cyclists' Federation, with associated members from Great Britain, Japan and elsewhere. Regular conferences on cycling as transport are held under the auspices of Velo City; global conferences are coordinated by Velo Mondial.

Advantages

Exercise

The physical exercise gained from cycling is generally linked with increased health and well-being. According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is second only to tobacco smoking as a health risk in developed countries, and this is associated with many tens of billions of dollars of healthcare costs. The WHO's report suggests that increasing physical activity is a public health 'best buy', and that cycling is a 'highly suitable activity' for this purpose. The charity Sustrans reports that investment in cycling provision can give a 20:1 return from health and other benefits. It has been estimated that, on average, approximately 20 life-years are gained from the health benefits of road bicycling for every life-year lost through injury.

Bicycles are often used by people seeking to improve their fitness and cardiovascular health. In this regard, cycling is especially helpful for those with arthritis of the lower limbs who are unable to pursue sports that cause impact to the knees and other joints. Since cycling can be used for the practical purpose of transportation, there can be less need for self-discipline to exercise.

Cycling while seated is a relatively non-weight bearing exercise that, like swimming, does little to promote bone density. Cycling up and out of the saddle, on the other hand, does a better job by transferring more of the rider's body weight to the legs. However, excessive cycling while standing can cause knee damage It used to be thought that cycling while standing was less energy efficient, but recent research has proven this not to be true. Other than air resistance, there is no wasted energy from cycling while standing if it is done correctly.

Cycling on a stationary cycle is frequently advocated as a suitable exercise for rehabilitation, particularly for lower limb injury, owing to the low impact which it has on the joints. In particular, cycling is commonly used within knee rehabilitation programs.

As a response to the increased global sedentarity and consequent overweight and obesity, one response that has been adopted by many organizations concerned with health and environment is the promotion of Active travel, which seeks to promote walking and cycling as safe and attractive alternatives to motorized transport. Given that many journeys are for relatively short distances, there is considerable scope to replace car use with walking or cycling, though in many settings this may require some infrastructure modification, particularly to attract the less experienced and confident.

Disadvantages

Injuries

Cycling suffers from a perception that it is unsafe although use of appropriate safety equipment and observance of road rules can reduce risk of serious injury. In the UK, fatality rates per mile or kilometre are slightly less than those for walking. In the US, bicycling fatality rates are less than 2/3 of those walking the same distance. The fatality and serious injury rates ''per hour of travel'' are just over double for cycling than for walking (owing to the reduced travel time), in the UK. It should be noted that calculated fatality rates based on distance for bicycling (as well as for walking) can have an exceptionally large margin of error, since there are generally no annual registrations or odometers required for bicycles (as there are with motor vehicles), and this means the distance traveled must be estimated.

Most cycle deaths result from a collision with a car or heavy goods vehicle, both motorist and cyclist having been found responsible for collisions However, around a fifth of non-fatal injuries to cyclists do not involve any other person or vehicle.

A Danish study in 2000 concluded that "bicycling to work decreased risk of mortality in approximately 40% after multivariate adjustment, including leisure time physical activity".

Injuries (to cyclists, from cycling) can be divided into two types:

Physical trauma (extrinsic)

Overuse (intrinsic).

Acute physical trauma includes injuries to the head and extremities resulting from falls and collisions. Since a large percentage of the collisions between motor and pedal vehicles occur at night, bicycle lighting is required for safety when bicycling at night.

The most common cycling overuse injury occurs in the knees, affecting cyclists at all levels. These are caused by many factors:

Incorrect bicycle fit or adjustment, particularly the saddle.

Incorrect adjustment of clipless pedals.

Too many hills, or too many miles, too early in the training season.

Poor training preparation for long touring rides.

Selecting too high a gear. A lower gear for uphill climb protects the knees, even though your muscles are well able to handle a higher gear.

Excessive saddle height can cause posterior knee pain, while setting the saddle too low can cause pain in the anterior of the knee. An incorrectly fitted saddle may eventually lead to muscle imbalance. A 25 to 35 degree knee angle is recommended to avoid an overuse injury.

Overuse injuries, including chronic nerve damage at weight bearing locations, can occur as a result of repeatedly riding a bicycle for extended periods of time. Damage to the ulnar nerve in the palm, carpal tunnel in the wrist, the genitourinary tract or bicycle seat neuropathy may result from overuse. Recumbent bicycles are designed on different ergonomic principles and eliminate pressure from the saddle and handlebars, due to the relaxed riding position.

Note that overuse is a relative term, and capacity varies greatly between individuals. Someone starting out in cycling must be careful to increase length and frequency of cycling sessions slowly, starting for example at an hour or two per day, or a hundred miles or kilometers per week. Muscular pain is a normal by-product of the training process, but joint pain and numbness are early signs of overuse injury.

Cycling has been linked to sexual impotence due to pressure on the perineum from the seat, but fitting a proper sized seat prevents this effect. In extreme cases, Pudendal Nerve Entrapment can be a source of intractable perineal pain. Some cyclists with induced pudendal nerve pressure neuropathy gained relief from improvements in saddle position and riding techniques.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has investigated the potential health effects of prolonged bicycling in police bicycle patrol units, including the possibility that some bicycle saddles exert excessive pressure on the urogenital area of cyclists, restricting blood flow to the genitals. NIOSH is investigating whether saddles developed without protruding noses (which remove the pressure from the urogenital area) will alleviate any potential health problems.

A Spanish study of top triathletes found those who cover more than 186 miles (300 km) a week on their bikes have less than 4% normal looking sperm.

Despite rumors to the contrary, there is no scientific evidence linking cycling with testicular cancer.

Exposure to air pollution

One concern often expressed (both by non-cyclists and some cyclists) is the thought that riding in traffic exposes the cyclist to higher levels of air pollution, especially if he or she travels on or along busy roads. Some authors have claimed this to be untrue, showing that the pollutant and irritant count within cars is consistently higher, (presumably because of limited circulation of air within the car and due to the air intake being directly in the stream of other traffic). Other authors have found small or inconsistent differences in concentrations but claim that exposure of cyclists is higher due to increased minute ventilation and is associated with minor biological changes. The significance of the associated health effect, if any, is unclear but probably much smaller than the health impacts associated with accidents and the health benefits derived from additional physical activity.

See also

History of cycling

Bicycle

General {| |

Glossary of bicycling

List of cyclists

Bike dynamics

Bicycle performance

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Indoor cycling

Offroad cycling

Road cycling

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Cycling Culture {| |

Bicycle culture

Clothing-optional and top-free cycling events

List of films about bicycles and cycling

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Cycling Advocacy & Safety {| |

Bicycle law

Cycling advocacy

Cycling safety

Hand signals

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Segregated cycle facilities

Vehicular cycling

Filtering forward

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Sports-related cycling and fast-paced recreation {| |

Bike trials riding

Bicycle racing

Bicycle motocross(BMX)

Bike derby

Cross-country cycling

Cycle speedway

Cyclo-cross

Cyclosportive

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Freeride

Goldsprint

Mountain biking

Road bicycle racing

Track cycling

Triathlon

U.S. intercollegiate champions

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Utility cycling and slow recreation {| |

Artistic cycling

Bicycle commuting

Bicycle touring

Bicycle messenger

Bicycle transportation engineering

Bicycle sharing system

Bicycle rental/hire

Brevet

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Challenge riding

Cycleways, list of

Icebiking

Rail trail

Utility cycling

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Other {| |

Aerobic exercise

Divorce your Car!

Exercise

General fitness training

Interactive Bicycling Parameters index

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Green transport

Active travel

Heart rate monitor

Sustainable transport

Bike registry

|}

References

External links

sheldonbrown.com Sheldon Brown's web site, a source of technical information.

Category:Exercise Category:Sustainable transport

ar:ركوب الدراجات an:Ciclismo be-x-old:Роварны спорт bs:Biciklizam br:Marc'hhouarnerezh bg:Колоездене ca:Ciclisme cs:Cyklistika da:Cykling de:Fahrradfahren et:Jalgrattasõit el:Ποδηλασία es:Ciclismo eo:Biciklado eu:Txirrindularitza fa:دوچرخه‌سواری fr:Cyclisme gl:Ciclismo ko:사이클 hy:Հեծանվավազք hr:Biciklizam io:Biciklado id:Bersepeda it:Ciclismo la:Birotatio nah:Omalacapainaliztli nl:Fietsen ja:サイクリング no:Sykling nn:Sykling pl:Kolarstwo pt:Ciclismo ro:Ciclism qu:Bisiklita yallinakuy ru:Велосипедный спорт scn:Ciclismu sl:Kolesarstvo sr:Бициклизам fi:Pyöräily sv:Cykelsport th:การปั่นจักรยาน tr:Bisiklet (spor) uk:Велосипедний спорт vi:Đạp xe wa:Ciclisse zh:自行车运动

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	Iván Domínguez
fullname	Iván Domínguez
birth date	May 28, 1976
birth place
currentteam	Franco MRI
discipline	Road
role	Rider
proyears	2001–2003 2004 2005 2006–2008 2009 2009–2010 2010-2011 2011-
proteams	Saturn Colavita-Olive Oil Health Net presented by Maxxis Toyota-United Rock Racing Jamis-Sutter Home Franco MRI
majorwins	Tour of California, 1 stage (2007)
updated	20 June 2009 }}

Iván Domínguez (born May 28, 1976 in Havana) was a Cuban professional road bicycle racer for the Franco MRI Racing Team. In 2009 Dominguez also known as "The Cuban Missile" acquired U.S. citizenship.

Dominguez originally rode for the Cuban National Team on the track and was a Pan-American Gold Medalist in 1997. He defected in 1998 to live with his uncle in Miami. He spoke no English and worked in a shoe factory before starting to become successful in local bike races in Miami.

His opportunity to return to high level bicycle racing came in 2000 via the elite amateur Cycle Science(FL) racing team. The small team was built around him and toured in a refurbished bus from Florida to California to New England and back to Wisconsin before he signed his first professional contract in August.

He turned professional in 2001, when offered a spot on the Saturn Professional Cycling Team. In 2004, he switched to Colavita Olive Oil presented by Bolla Wines and he rode for Health Net Presented by Maxxis in 2005, before joining Toyota-United in 2006. In November 2008 Rock Racing announced that they had reached a deal for Dominguez to ride for them the following year. On December 10, 2008, Fuji-Servetto announced that Dominguez had signed, causing Rock Racing to remove him from their roster,however as of June 2009 Dominguez has gone from Fuji-Servetto to Rock Racing as one of their sprinters.

He was a sprinter and was widely regarded as one of the best sprinters racing in America. He highlighted this by winning Stage 7 of the 2007 Tour of California, out-sprinting sprinters such as Thor Hushovd.

Career highlights

;2002 :1st, New York City Cycling Championship (NY) ;1997 :1st, Cuban National Champion, 4km Pursuit :2nd, Pan Am Games, 4km Team Pursuit ;1996 :1st, Pan Am Games, Madison

Palmares

;2008 :Tour de Georgia ::20px 1st Overall after 1st Stage ::1st, Stage #1 ;2007 :1st, USA Crits World Criterium Championship :1st, Stage #1 Tour of Missouri :1st, Stage #6 Tour of Missouri :1st, Sprint Competition Tour of Missouri :1st, Stage #3 Tour of Elk Grove :1st, Hanes Park Classic :1st, Wells Fargo Twilight Criterium :1st, Stage #4 Cascade Cycling Classic :1st, Stage #1 Joe Martin Stage Race :1st, Indio Grand Prix :1st, Garrett Lemire Memorial Grand Prix :1st, Quand Knopf Sequia Cycling Classic Criterium :1st, Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic Down Town Grand Prix :1st, Stage #7 Amgen Tour of California :1st, Roger Millikan Memorial Criterium :1st, Red Trolley Classic Criterium :2nd, Chris Thater Memorial :2nd, Stage #1 TTT International Tour de Toona :2nd, Chevron Manhatton Beach Grand Prix :3rd, Stage #4 Tour of Missouri :3rd, Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic Road Race :4th, Overall Tour of Elk Grove :4th, Stage #2 International Tour de Toona :4th, Stage #7 Tour de Georgia :5th, Stage #6 Tour de Georgia :5th, Stage #1 Tour de Georgia :7th, Stage #2 Tour of Elk Grove :8th, Stage #4 International Tour de Toona :8th, Stage #2 Amgen Tour of California :9th, Stage #4 Joe Martin Stage Race :10th, Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic Criterium ;2006 :1st, Men’s Pro 1/2 International Challenge (Downers Grove, IL) :1st, Walterboro Criterium :1st, Greenwood Criterium :1st, Overall USA Crit Series :2nd, Commerce Bank Philadelphia International Championship :2nd, Stage#1 Tri-Peaks Challenge :2nd, Sunny King Criterium :2nd, Historic Roswell Criterium :2nd, McLane Pacific Foothills Road Race :2nd, Central Valley Classic Criterium :3rd, Stage #2 Fitchburg Longsjo Classic :3rd, Overall Tri-Peaks Challenge :4th, Stage #1 Vuelta a Valencia Stage Race (Valencia, CA) :6th, Spartanburg Criterium :8th, Athens Twilight :9th, CapTech Classic ;2005 :1st, CSC Invitational (Arlington, VA) :1st, Stage #3, San Dimas Stage Race :1st, Stage #4, Vuelta Ciclista Independencia (Dominican Republic) :1st, Stage #5, Vuelta Ciclista Independencia (Dominican Republic) :2nd, Central Valley Classic Kearney Park Circuit Race :2nd, Central Valley Classic Tower District Criterium :2nd, Athens Twilight Criterium :3rd, Historic Roswell Criterium :3rd, Wachovia Invitational (Lancaster, PA) ;2004 :1st, Bank of America Invitational (Charlotte, NC) :1st, Stage #3 Tour of Connecticut :1st, Stage #1 GP de Beauce (Quebec) :1st, Stage #3 Redlands Cycling Classic (CA) :2nd, Points Competition Dodge Tour de Georgia :2nd, Stage #1 Dodge Tour de Georgia :2nd, Stage #2 Dodge Tour de Georgia :2nd, Stage #3 Dodge Tour de Georgia :3rd, Stage #4 Redlands Bicycle Classic :3rd, Stage #2 Valley of the Sun stage race ;2003 :1st, Festival of Speed (FL) :1st, Stage #4 Vuelta a Sinaloa (Sinaloa, Mexico) ;2002 :1st, New York City Cycling Championships (NY, NY) :1st, Stage #4 Fitchburg Longsjo Classic (Fitchburg,MA) :2nd, Sequoia Cycling Classic Criterium (Visalia, CA) :4th, Sequoia Cycling Classic Road Race (Exeter, CA) ;2001 :1st, PYA / Monarch Criterium :1st, Solano Bicycle Classic Circuit Race (CA) :3rd, McClane Pacific Classic Grand Prix :3rd, Sequoia Cycling Classic Downtown Criterium :3rd, Sequoia Cycling Classic Rocky Hill Road Race ;2000 :1st, Sunshine Cycling Classic

References

Profile on VELOBIOS

Profile on toyota-united.com

Rock Racing Announces 2009 Roster

Category:1976 births Category:Cuban cyclists Category:American cyclists Category:Living people Category:People from Havana

de:Iván Domínguez es:Iván Domínguez fr:Iván Domínguez nl:Iván Domínguez

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	Mark Cavendish
fullname	Mark Simon Cavendish
nickname	Manx MissileManx ExpressCannonball CavendishThe Cad
birth date	May 21, 1985
birth place	Douglas, Isle of Man
height
weight
currentteam
discipline	Road
role	Rider
ridertype	Sprinter
amateuryears	2004
amateurteams	Team Persil
proyears	2005–20062006–2011
proteams	Team Sparkasse
majorwins	Grand Tours :Tour de France ::20px Points classification (2011) ::20 stages (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) :Giro d'Italia ::7 stages, 2 TTT (2008, 2009, 2011) :Vuelta a España ::20px Points classification (2010) ::3 stages, 1 TTT (2010) Single-Day Races and Classics ::Milan – San Remo (2009) ::Grote Scheldeprijs (2007, 2008, 2011)
updated	17 July 2011
medaltemplates	}}

}} }} Mark Cavendish MBE (born on 21 May 1985) is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who will ride for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. Originally a track cyclist specialising in the madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines, he has competed on the road since 2006, rising to prominence as a sprinter. He has been described as the fastest sprinter in the world.

On the track Cavendish won gold in the madison at the 2005 and 2008 World Championshps, with Rob Hayles and Bradley Wiggins respectively and in the scratch race at the 2006 Commonwealth Games riding for Isle of Man.

As a road cyclist he achieved eleven wins in his first professional season, equalling the record held by Alessandro Petacchi. Cavendish has won a total 20 Tour de France stages putting him 6th on the all-time list, alongside Nicolas Frantz. Other notable wins include the 2009 Milan – San Remo classic and the points classification in both the 2010 Vuelta a España and the 2011 Tour de France.

Early life

Cavendish was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, the son of David Cavendish also from the Isle of Man, and Adele from Yorkshire. He began riding BMX at a young age, racing at the National Sports Centre in Douglas. He said: "I was always riding a bike, getting dropped in little races." Cavendish started racing informally at 12, as a mountain-bike rider. My mum would laugh at me, and I said it was because all my mates had mountain bikes, so I asked for a mountain bike for my 13th birthday and got one. The very next day I went out and beat everyone." It was at that time that Cavendish met David Millar at a race on the Isle of Man. Cavendish said he was inspired by Millar. Cavendish worked in a bank for two years after leaving school. He concentrated on earning enough money to support himself as a full time cyclist later on, as he attempted to turn professional.

Career

Early years

Mark Cavendish began his career with the British Track Cycling team. He won gold in the madison with Rob Hayles at the 2005 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Los Angeles. They had not raced together before. They finished one lap ahead of the field to claim the gold medal, ahead of the Dutch and Belgian teams, giving Britain its fourth gold at the championships. It was Cavendish's first world champion's jersey. Cavendish also won the 2005 European championship points race. He began road racing in 2005, riding the Tour of Berlin and 2005 Tour of Britain as a trialist with Team Sparkasse.

Cavendish began 2006 with the Continental team, Team Sparkasse, a feeder squad for T-Mobile Team. In June, he won two stages and the points and sprint competitions in the Tour of Berlin. He rode for the Isle of Man on the track at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, riding the scratch race. He lapped the field with three others: Rob Hayles; Ashley Hutchinson of Australia; and James McCallum of Scotland. He then beat these in the sprint to win gold for the Isle of Man. The race time was 23m 5s, an average 51.9 km/h.

His success at the Tour of Berlin led to a post as a stagiaire with T-Mobile from August until the end of the season. His best result for T-Mobile in 2006 was in the Tour of Britain where he came second three times and won the points classification. It brought a full professional contract for 2007 and 2008.

2007

}} Cavendish's breakthrough came at the 2007 Grote Scheldeprijs race in Belgium, which he won overall. He went on to win stages at the Four Days of Dunkirk and the 2007 Volta a Catalunya and that brought selection for the 2007 Tour de France. He crashed in stages 1 and 2. and abandoned on stage 8 as the race reached the Alps, having taken two top-ten placings but unhappy not to have had a top-five placing. His debut season continued moving on to 10 stage wins, one behind Alessandro Petacchi's record 11 for a début season. Cavendish took his 11th win in early October—the Circuit Franco-Belge—to equal Petacchi's record. Among the wins were three in UCI ProTour events, the two in the Volta a Catalunya and one in the 2007 Eneco Tour.

2008

In 2008, Cavendish returned to the track, winning the Madison 2008 Track World Championships in Manchester with Bradley Wiggins, as Great Britain topped the medal table.

On the road, Cavendish won his first stages of a ''grand tour'', by picking two victories in the 2008 Giro d'Italia. Cavendish won four further stages in the 2008 Tour de France, his first coming in stage 5 from Cholet to Châteauroux. He won again on stage 8, stage 12 and stage 13, making him the first British rider to collect four stages in a single Tour. Overnight, at the age of just 22, he became the fourth most successful British professional in history. After stage 14, Cavendish abandoned the Tour to concentrate on the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He and Team Columbia manager Bob Stapleton agreed that riding the Alps was a risk to his hopes. But Cavendish, with Bradley Wiggins, failed to win a medal, finishing joint eighth in the madison. He was the only British track cyclist not to win a medal. Cavendish was left frustrated and the friends did not speak for months. Following the Olympics, Cavendish remained angry with British Cycling for giving insufficient attention to the madison, though Chris Boardman stated that Cavendish's professional commitments also interfered with his build up to the Olympics. In November, Cavendish revealed that he had no further plans to return to track cycling.

The rest of his season was successful, with a total of eleven further race wins, including three each at the 2008 Tour of Ireland which he abandoned on the final day, and the 2008 Tour of Missouri, winning his only points classification of the season at the latter. At the 2008 Tour de Romandie, Cavendish won the prologue time-trial, beating compatriot Bradley Wiggins and emphasising his short-distance time-trial abilities.

2009

Cavendish's 2009 season began at the 2009 Tour of Qatar, where he renewed his rivalry with Tom Boonen. Boonen won the race and one stage, though Cavendish took two stages; he also won two stages at the 2009 Tour of California, again beating Boonen in the sprint finishes. The Tour of California also saw Cavendish win his first points of classification of the 2009 season. Cavendish was a surprise inclusion in the British squad for the 2009 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, where he competed in the scratch race and the madison, failing to pick-up medals in either. He took up the European season at Tirreno–Adriatico, the Italian one-week stage race, where he won one stage. He then entered his first classic race, 2009 Milan – San Remo, and, after a week of uncharacteristically humble pre-race statements, rode effectively over the climbs that his rivals had said made this race impossible for him to win – and then tracked down Heinrich Haussler in the last 200 meters to narrowly win the sprint and the race, Cavendish's first victory in a race known as one of the ''five monuments of cycling''.

Cavendish repeated his two-stage victory at the Three Days of De Panne from 2008, also winning the points classification. At the start of the 2009 Giro d'Italia Team Columbia-High Road won the Team Time Trial and he was given the Maglia Rosa leaders jersey, becoming the first British rider to ever wear it. The first 2 road stages however were fruitless for Cavendish, who was beaten to the line by Alessandro Petacchi in the first stage and was caught behind a crash and failed to make it back for the sprint the next day. Cavendish soon asserted his sprinting dominance on the race however, gaining 3 stage wins before abandoning following stage 13, citing a need to rest for beginning preparations for the Tour de France. He continued his preparation by racing the 2009 Tour de Suisse where he won stage 3 and stage 6.

During the season, Cavendish developed a remarkable partnership with his leadout man, Mark Renshaw. Continuing his run of success, Cavendish won stage 2, stage 3, stage 10, stage 11, stage 19 and stage 21 of the 2009 Tour de France. In winning the third stage he became the first Briton to hold the green jersey for two days in a row. Cavendish's win on stage 11 enabled him to reclaim the green jersey from rival Thor Hushovd, and equalled Barry Hoban's British record of eight stage wins. Winning stage 19, Cavendish set a new record for Tour de France stage wins by a British rider. In winning the last stage, he led home a remarkable 1–2 for his team, when his team mate and leadout man, Mark Renshaw, finished second on the Champs-Élysées.

Following on from the Tour de France, Cavendish won the Sparkassen Giro Bochum and took part in the 2009 Tour of Ireland, winning stage two. On 7 September he recorded the 50th win of his road racing career in a sprint finish in the opening stage of the 2009 Tour of Missouri. Before the race he confirmed he will remain with Team Columbia-HTC in 2010, ending speculation linking him with a move to newly created British team, Team Sky. Cavendish retained the leader's jersey by sprinting to victory on stage two but finished 5th on stage 3, losing the overall lead to Thor Hushovd, and was forced to withdraw from the race before stage four due to a lung infection. Although selected for the British team for the Men's Road Race at the 2009 UCI Road World Championships, his illness prevented him from taking part.

2010

Following a dental problem, Cavendish delayed the start of his 2010 season until the 2010 Ruta del Sol, in mid-February. Following the lay off his form was poor, and he failed to defend his victory at the 2010 Milan – San Remo, coming in six minutes down in 89th place. Cavendish's pre-season goals were to win the green jersey in the Tour de France and win the Road Race at the 2010 World Championships. Cavendish also said that he would race in the 2010 Tour of Flanders but said he wouldn't win it, stating that the Tour of Flanders requires training, but he sees himself winning it in the future.

Following a poor start to the season, Cavendish found form at the 2010 Volta a Catalunya, finishing seventh in the time-trial and winning stage 2. His team withdrew Cavendish from the 2010 Tour de Romandie after he made an offensive gesture after winning the second stage. Missing the 2010 Giro d'Italia, Cavendish instead chose to compete at the 2010 Tour of California starting on 16 May, where he won the first stage for only his third victory of the season. On 15 June Cavendish crashed heavily whilst sprinting in the closing metres of the stage 4 of the 2010 Tour de Suisse, appearing to veer off line and bring down Heinrich Haussler and several other riders, raising criticism from other teams regarding his riding style. Cavendish entered the 2010 Tour de France. During Stage 1, Cavendish crashed out of the final sprint, with just under remaining in the stage. Overhead camera footage showed Cavendish failing to negotiate a corner after entering too fast and turning too late. He then leaned his shoulder into a fellow rider as he travelled away from the apex. Cavendish returned to form by winning the stage 5, stage 6, stage 11, stage 18 and stage 20, bringing his career total to 15 stage wins. He ended up second in the points classification, 11 points behind Alessandro Petacchi. Cavendish's next race was the 2010 Vuelta a España, in which his team won the team time trial. Cavendish crossed the line first and took the leader's jersey. He could only place second or third on the subsequent sprint stages, but returned to form later in the race winning stage 12, stage 13, stage 18 and the points classification.

2011

Cavendish had a slow start to 2011 failing to win a race until late February when he won the stage 6 of the 2011 Tour of Oman. He continued to race and came to his second victory of the season in the Grote Scheldeprijs. His third win of this particular race, following his previous triumphs in 2007 and 2008, brought him to the record tied with Piet Oellibrandt. At the 2011 Paris–Roubaix he failed to finish. He came second in the second stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia in contentious circumstances (Cavendish gestured at winner Alessandro Petacchi for appearing to move across his path in the final sprint), to take the pink jersey into stage 3. Cavendish got his first grand tour victory of the year by winning stage 10 of the Giro, shrugging off claims that he had illegally held on to his team car when climbing Mount Etna on stage 9. He won his second Giro victory of 2011 on stage 12 before leaving the race. On 11 June it was announced that Mark Cavendish was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours. Cavendish won stage 5, stage 7, stage 11, stage 15 and stage 21 of the 2011 Tour de France—bringing his total to 20 career Tour de France stage wins, and the first person ever to win the final stage three years in succession. Even though he was docked 20 points for finishing outside the time limit after stage 18 and again after stage 19. Cavendish went on to win the points classification; in doing so, he became the first British cyclist to ever win the maillot vert. Over the following weeks Cavendish took part in the post-Tour Criteriums. He won the Stiphout Criterium in The Netherlands, beating Andy and Frank Schleck to the line, then he won the Profcriterium Wolvertem-Meise and following that he won the Wateringse wielerdag. On 4 August 2011 Cavendish's team HTC-Highroad announced that they would fold at the end of the season, fuelling speculation of Cavendish moving to Team Sky. On Sunday 14 August 2011, Cavendish won the London-Surrey cycle classic. Racing for Team Great Britain, it was the official test event for the London 2012 Olympics Road Race.

Riding style

He has been compared to an athletics sprinter pushing on the starting blocks. At the 2009 Tour de France the points that Cavendish gained in the intermediate sprint in stage 14 were removed after he was judged to have driven Thor Hushovd too close to barriers on the course. After stage 19 he said that he was "embarrassed" for his comments about "deserving" green jersey wearer Hushovd. After stage four of the 2010 Tour of Switzerland, Cavendish was found to be at fault for a crash involving himself and Heinrich Haussler during the end of stage sprint. The crash caused Haussler, Arnaud Coyot and Lloyd Mondory to quit the race because of their injuries, though Cavendish was able to continue. Cavendish received a thirty second penalty and a CHF200 fine. The start of the next stage was disrupted by fellow riders protesting at Cavendish's riding and style, and what they claimed was a lack of respect from Cavendish.

Personality

Cavendish has been described as confident, even arrogant. He said:

In June 2009 he published his first autobiography, ''Boy Racer'', which covered his career to date. At a press conference in London ahead of the 2009 Tour de France, Cavendish explained that the book was too premature to be seen as a complete biography and that his "biggest motivation for writing it had been to explain himself better" due to the way he perceives himself when performing post-stage interviews. Instead, he felt that the book was "more a biography of last year's Tour stage wins".

Personal life

He lives on the Isle of Man and has a training base in Quarrata, Tuscany, Italy. Mark is currently dating glamour model and Page Three girl Peta Todd.

Career highlights

Ranked joint 6th on the all time list of Tour de France stage winners with 20 victories.

Ranked joint 11th on the all time list of Grand Tour stage winners with 30 victories.

2007 – Equalled Alessandro Petacchi's record of 11 professional wins in a début season. 2009 – Became the second British rider – after Tom Simpson – to win one the five monuments of cycling with victory in the 2009 Milan – San Remo. 2009 – Became first British rider to wear the Maglia Rosa leader's jersey at the Giro d'Italia. 2009 – Passed Barry Hoban's record of 8 for most Tour de France stage wins by a British rider. 2009 – Passed Chris Boardman's record of 41 for most professional victories by a British rider. 2010 – Became the second British rider – after Robert Millar – to win a stage in all three of the Grand Tours with victory at Stage 12 of the 2010 Vuelta a España. 2011 – Tied Piet Oellibrandt for the most wins in the Scheldeprijs one day semi-classic, with a third victory at the Antwerp race. 2011 – First British rider to win the Tour de France points classification. 2011 – First rider to win the final Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France three years in a row, and only the second ever rider – after Eddy Merckx's 1969–1971 streak – to win the final stage of Le Tour three times in a row.

References

External links

Cycling Weekly – Rider Profile

Velo Bios – Profile

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:British Tour de France stage winners Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for the Isle of Man Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for the Isle of Man Category:Cyclists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Category:Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Giro d'Italia stage winners Category:Manx cyclists Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Olympic cyclists of Great Britain Category:Tour de France Champs Elysées stage winners Category:Tour de Suisse stage winners Category:Track cyclists Category:UCI World Champions Category:Vuelta a España stage winners

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