Cycling Track at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Dates 9 – 10 August 1920
Medal Events 4

The track cycling races were held in the Velodrome d’Anvers Zuremborg, alternately called the Garden City Velodrome by the English magazines. The velodrome had an outdoor, concrete track of 400 metres in circumference and seated 14,000 spectators. Attendance for the track races was poor, with only about 500 spectators present on each day (admission was 4 Belgian francs). It was very difficult to choose a favorite in any event because world championships had not been contested since 1913 and World War I had reduced international competition to nil in Europe. Cycling had not been contested at the 1919 Inter-Allied Games. Four track cycling events were contested – match sprint, tandem sprint, team pursuit, and 50 km, all won by different nations.

Events

Event Status Date Participants NOCs
Sprint, Men Olympic 9 August 1920 37 11
Tandem Sprint, 2,000 metres, Men Olympic 9 – 10 August 1920 22 6
Team Pursuit, 4,000 metres, Men Olympic 9 – 10 August 1920 32 8
50 kilometres, Men Olympic 10 August 1920 31 10
66 (66/0) 11 (11/0)

Medals

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Sprint, Men Maurice PeetersNED Thomas JohnsonGBR Harry RyanGBR
Tandem Sprint, 2,000 metres, Men Great BritainGBR South AfricaRSA NetherlandsNED
Team Pursuit, 4,000 metres, Men ItalyITA Great BritainGBR South AfricaRSA
50 kilometres, Men Henry GeorgeBEL Albert AldenGBR Piet IkelaarNED

Medal table

NOC Gold Silver Bronze Total
Great Britain GBR 1 3 1 5
Netherlands NED 1 0 2 3
Belgium BEL 1 0 0 1
Italy ITA 1 0 0 1
South Africa RSA 0 1 1 2