1990 Match Sprint World Championships

Michael Huebner versus Claudio Golinelli

[@TheDantomMenace]

Wow, it's ridiculous how many people don't understand something so simple. The announcers explained it pretty comprehensively.

[@user-uh6lm5wv6n]

Playful Danter never underestimate human stupidity

[@tamalepirates]

there is less drag when you are the second rider, which means you can gain more speed during the last 200 because the first rider is basically taking all the opposing wind, that way the 2nd rider can sling shot much easier and steal first when needed.

[@selfactualizer2099]

A better explanation is using his opponents draft to conserve energy

[@BOULDERGEEK]

People who have never ridden track have no clue how challenging and fast it is. I've been a sport motorcyclist, skier, snowboarder and cyclist since i was a little kid. Nothing scares me like track racing. This video is a virtuoso performance. I love the juicer overdevelopment, too.

[@hachimitsuboi]

This is how wild animals mate.

[@kamk2k8]

"The world record for standing still on a bicycle is just over 3 hours." Me: Oh god...what have I gotten myself into

[@miliejz]

I don't understand why people don't get it. They try to get the opponent in front of them so in the final sprint they only have to follow and take over position. It's easier than staying in front. It is not a time trial, it's only important who finishes first.

[@DLUK1218]

this is the best video I've ever seen

[@ricehasnolife]

This was actually incredibly intriguing. I'd love to see it added to the summer Olympics, definitely something I would watch.

[@freddymarcel-marcum6831]

Phil Liggit could describe paint peeling in the dark and still make it interesting, PHIL!!!!!!!!

[@Maettzle]

Ok maybe I'm stupid, but I STILL don't understand why it was such a big dsal to be in the back. Wasn't it just about having the faster last 200m?

[@nhurtbeans]

That was completely enchanting. I can only hope that someday I can film a scene with that level of suspense.

[@selfactualizer2099]

You won't.

[@ArcticSquirrel44]

This is probably the most fascinating sport I have ever watched.

[@zndxt1970]

Its the dumbest thing ive ever seen lmal

[@noncontradiction]

I can't even imagine how people can enjoy watching an entire event of these guys just ambling around a track like this.

[@JustSujC]

No worse than watching poker or esports.

[@nofascistsonmywatch]

@@JustSujC ...or GOLF!!

[@_Daeco]

Phil Liggett: The Voice of Cycling

[@Freddylot]

That moment when Golinelli dives down the slope after 5.30 is beautiful.

[@TheKAZMOLOVES63]

wow that was so mindblowing! i could watch this all day

[@JimmyMcCbob]

man i love psychological battle

[@gotenxs108]

So for those who dont understand ill say it as easly as possible. The reason the stop is because before the last lap you want to be in 2nd place so you can get behind the 1st place so as to make the wind hit you less. The way the german won was by doing this, He was behind but then used his fresher legs at the last minute, sometimes it doesnt work because the 1st place gets to ahead.

[@DatBoiAntix]

At first I was like "When are they doing something..." Then at the end I was like "Holy shit that was amazing."

[@mokopa]

As a former cyclist, this video had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I miss this sport terribly.

[@Baisemannen]

Great stuff. Funny how some people don't understand this sport.

[@fr0ber]

This had me completely hypnotized.

[@kisanasik]

i can't believe I actually watched all of this

[@xwind1970]

Interesting fact: This was before the german reunification as Hübner was still an east german citizen at that time. Hence he was the only, first and last professional winner of a sports trophy in communist Germany.

[@plape1344]

wtf are you talking about? East Germany won 215 gold medals at the Olympics, 324 World Cup medals, and 182 European championships.

[@xwind1970]

@@plape1344 They were all officially regarded as amateurs. Hübner took part as a professional.

[@nofascistsonmywatch]

​@@xwind1970 Yes, I am kind of surprised that he was riding the PRO Match Sprint, instead of the amateur Match Sprints. ('93 was the first year that there was a UCI 'open' World Track Championships, where it was just all elite riders, professional and otherwise. The pros then even got to ride 1000 meters less distance for their Pursuit event when this happened, from 5000 meters down to 4000 meters.) But then again, it was always said that the Iron Curtain/Soviet Block supposedly amateur Olympic sports athletes were totally 'pros' anyway, so yeah, it 'works'.

[@hillbilly067]

have the rules now changed so that you can not stop...maybe forward motion at all times? this is mental

[@Penalist]

hillbilly067 No. Yet, the maximum of standing still is at 30 seconds.

[@halomaster0007]

Did you not watch the video? The announcer explains in detail.

[@mypetridish]

@xxxDAPROBLEMxxx the commentator also helps! great work there!

[@martinfiay8908]

2023 just watch it ...amazing

[@AnttiBrax]

For obvious reasons, the rules have been changed to forbid prolonged standstills (or track stands). There may be no more than two standstills in a sprint and they may take no more than 30 seconds each.

[@jazzykoenig]

at one point it just turns into a track standing competition

[@sauce25]

Wow, that was an absolutely fantastic spring.

[@ZIMBUTTERS]

The last bit had me on the edge of my seat!

[@BNGamesYT]

Holy fuck that was intense.

[@tipailovas]

This is how cyclists commute where I live

[@qazman4]

I laughed way too hard at that one :')

[@dylanschmidt07]

So what's the point of all those laps? Why not just do 1 or 2 laps?

[@ClintDavis]

It's the struggle to have the position of surprise (2nd)

[@RogueCulture]

I love watching match sprinting

[@mypetridish]

that was surprisingly full of suspense! i like this sport!

[@zoodamar]

lol, I recognize Phill Liggett from the tour de france on OLN.

[@SelvaPeluda]

holy shit! that is crazy! Thx rt! :D

[@shortinos]

They still do this in the olympics

[@Ryebanana]

And it's one of the best events there is!

[@IlPinnacolo]

If you want to show someone what match sprint/track racing is all about.. this is the video to play. I had a gaggle of people over my shoulder at work watching in awe. Awesome clip. East Germany and steroids made things exciting :) . Don't care what anyone says.

[@shallpion]

the final sprint is indeed non-human. really impressive, epic game

[@volleyballurrrr]

@JenkoTV brakes aren't allowed on velodromes for exactly that reason

[@TWALK288]

Is that John Tesh announcing at the beginning?

[@McBurgle]

the reddit title made me think this was going to be some silly bullshit. that race was awesome.

[@ConnorCanRead]

@footielocker No. There's no drafting in track, drafting is to save energy on distance rides, he was in the back so he could have surprise on the sprint.

[@JohnOConnell]

Chris Hoy of GB was involved in a competitive Sprint Race including a 6 minute trackstand ...

[@Abhiandnow]

@TheFreshBattery They didn't make a move earlier so that the drag(Or is it called drift) space created behind the one leading doesn't come in play. Which means no matter what first person do, the second one won't be behind that person during last 100-200 meters of the race. And since it's easier riding in that space/partial vacuum created behind the leader,the second will be less tired than the leader. Thus can easily end the lead in the last part of the race. So to kill that factor.

[@evilferris]

Once I understood the strategy My mind wandered... why couldn't be a motorsport with this in it? Modified funny cars! Too slow and you stall, drafting, flames, etc. But the bikes are just fine. The German dude is a beast. Thx for the post.

[@nzogaz]

The announcers don't seem to understand it either. Simply, there are tactical advantages to being in front OR behind, depending on you preference, but either has to be done exactly right. It takes so much power to make a bicycle go 70kph it can only be done for about 4 or 5 seconds, if you can get a run up in the slipstream at that speed a weaker rider can sometimes edge past, the trick is doing it so it happens at the finish line.

[@barath4545]

This isnt allowed anymore right? There was a rules change I heard, but I'm not sure. Something to shorten these ridiculous tactics by not allowing full stops or so. Not totally sure though, but haven't seen full stops made at World Champs for a long time. Any know when it was made?

[@Watershed92]

that was amazing, i had no idea this went on in bike races

[@TheEldred24]

yeah i know michael, in all of your olympic events im sure you out shown these people. And as nice as it is that you feel you need to tell the internet that who you respect. But getting all your information from a podcast and then coming and hating on people isnt necessary. No one respects the internet trolls.

[@xxxDAPROBLEMxxx]

That is the most interesting sport I have ever seen. I'm not joking.

[@rcmontecalvo]

this is actually very interesting. i like it

[@ElijahLynn]

That was great!

[@evans1978]

Still great

[@rekt_em13]

"Well, the world record for standing still on a bicycle is actually over three hours" That guy had determination.

[@sprintbass]

u know i started life as a road cyclist..but then something happend to me like 2 years ago...for the first time i did upper body tranning and holly crap, i can bench now 300 pounds im 6'1 200 pounds it sucks to find your calling too late in life...cycling is beautiful, i hope it survives all the problems and will live on...

[@1Epicocity]

The person in second before the last turn usually wins because they are able to draft the person in front of them, meaning they have less wind resistance enabling them to reach a higher top speed before the last straight away. The rest of the race is just a fight for positioning to be in second before the last turn.

[@logpos]

Scary stuff! And what a standoff! Psychologically and physically!

[@Psychoscattman]

can someone tell me why the stand still ??? my english isnt that good

[@spoonikle]

its not about getting the draft in this case. This sort of sprint takes a lot of energy and you wear out in seconds, the person in the back can start accelerating without the person in front noticing for a split second, that can be the difference leading to victory. It may seem like he is behind 3 feet but in the time it may take the leader to notice the trailing rider could have accelerated to top speed.

[@nabsandshark]

What a great clip.

[@snoodini]

By being at the back, when the sprint starts (this can be at any time during the race) it's much easer for the rear person to get up to speed because the front guy is doing the hard work breaking the wind. The rear person can get up to speed in the slip stream and have more energy saved for sprinting past the now tired front person.

[@isocrate27]

This is the best duel you can imagine next to gun duels.

[@dudeimcool4]

why were they going so slow at the beginning?

[@JavonteR]

I don't get it...Why are they going so slow and doing track stands....?

[@opmike343]

@thedoja Did you even watch the video or listen to the commentary?

[@antifolkhero]

I don't get it. They're going extremely slowly? Where is the sprinting?

[@Patrickclimbs]

where is their scarves and plaid shirts?

[@wvb93]

those are fixed gear bikes right?

[@oldirtybrza]

@xOCPx rear sprocket is bolted directly to the wheel, so, their legs.

[@KodierungHerz]

This is brilliant.

[@kamikazeephi]

I can't believe it I've watched the whole video!

[@ALLBLA]

Thats one reason, but i would not say it is the main reason. The real reason is to gain the element of suprise, as stated more than once by the commentator: 0:53 if you watch the video Huebner is actually on the front just before the sprint is initiated, and I highly doubt he had any intention of taking 2nd wheel into the sprint as this would have given him the disadvantage of having to come around the other rider.yes they track stand to gain 2nd wheel and more importantly the element of surpise

[@James_MacX]

Came here from RT Podcast #178

[@boloses1]

sorry but i dont undserstand why there are driving so slow at and stay still ? can someone explain

[@bazmail]

@dgrome In a running race there is no significant slipstream effect, in cycling there is.

[@macdonaldjohnd]

When it comes to sprints, whos better off? A tall rider who has more leg length to height ratio? Or the much smaller, lighter Italian, who has only avge leg lenght for his height?

[@XxTheMedicxX99]

I like it like this just builds up tension...

[@wqwwqwqqpoppopoo]

wouldn't there be a benefit in just going as fast as you can from the beginning? Like if the blue guy in front just booked it, wouldn't the other guy have a hard time catching him?

[@smgcrysix]

they are sprinters, they want to shorten the distance as short as possible to the finish line before they sprint. Theres a lot of factors in it, its all psychological what happened there. The Italian wanted the german to get into the front, I'm not sure why, but I'm guessing, its something to do with slipstreaming (italian guy can slipstream easier with the east german in front therefore using less energy to get in front), also another factor is that who ever is behind can do a surprise sprint, like on the video, the german dude kept looking back watching out when the italian is going to strike. But he looses his sight and the italian quickly sprinted ahead and you can notice a great distance between those two within milliseconds because the german took time to respond.

[@Cakerolled]

fuck off, creed

[@Rawrrro]

You will just tire out and they will beat you when its world level they are going to be evenly matched really so that wont work as its easier for the guy behind with less resistance.

[@angelray45]

the best explaination i got about sprint event's strategies @taras ija

[@_Monso]

@repseki ....Is the point of this sport not to finish the line 1st?

[@Yomachaser]

I truly thought this was a comedy sketch....then I googled more videos. What a damn strange bit of sport.

[@iJoshoGaming]

4:30 so what did you do this weekend

[@BioYuGi]

I don't get it, if you're going that slow, is the draft you'd get from being behind something that slow going to matter?

[@mdude911]

Can someone explain what just happened?

[@markusgarvey]

that was actually kinda interesting...never have seen this before...

[@TheEldred24]

oh well im sure you could do this with no problem. did you watch the whole video?

[@eclix]

The commentator explains this. The sprinting isn't about time, it's about who finishes first. It's sort of a game of cat and mouse... They are each trying to surprise the other, get the advantage etc. Then suddenly they'll make a move and try to be the first across the line.

[@bballcenter7]

@imdavid123 Thanks for the heads up on that. To be fair though, I only found this video thanks to another reddit thread - a TIL from over a year ago. Cheers!

[@Waldo425]

@tobiausneurobi It is best to be in back (for most riders) because you have the advantage of seeing both your opponent and further up the track. Man one is trying to look back and pay attention to holding his line. Man two can take man one by surprise while they aren't looking.

[@hcoll]

That was fucking fascinating, not even kidding.

[@andyman820]

here we GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@louisyio]

You don't want to be in front. The rider in the rear can then use your draft to go faster and pass you.

[@dslapster64]

Do you get the impression that the commentator is obviously a Hubner fan?

[@opmike343]

@ovinophile You're completely missing the point. This isn't simply a mad dash to see who can finish first. The guy who takes off in the lead will be worn out by the time the end of the race comes do to him not being able to benefit from the slipstream. The guy who reacts too late, or at the wrong time, may just be left in the dust. There's a lot of dynamics at work here. Try to keep an open mind, or at least become informed about it.

[@BoogWar01]

Drafting does have something to do with it, but its minor. The bicycles have gears, and they take huge effort to turn. Usually the competitor who starts pedalling in earnest first wins. If you are behind, then you can see when the your competitor starts to pump. Harder to do if you have to look behind all the while. That is also the reason why most attacks in a race like this start on the banked area of the track. They use the hill for better acceleration.

[@TheEldred24]

Yeah but its apples and oranges. Both events take place on cycles. thats where the similarities end. you wouldnt say that a blow out in football isnt as impressive as a perfect game in baseball because theyre different sports.its unfair to compare athletes from two different everts, or sports.

[@K3vyB]

This is intense

[@patrickclark1000]

Golinelli's move at 5:30 was sick.