We talk a lot about stationary bikes—the kinds you see in gyms and homes. We love them. They're a great workout but a pretty poor spectator sport. One thing that could never be called a poor spectator sport is Olympic Indoor Cycling, and today (August 5th) is the start of the indoor events in Paris. This type of cycling is very easy to watch. It can suck anyone in, even if you've never paid any attention to cycling before. It's a little like how we're all really into Curling during the Winter Olympics. Indoor cycling on a track is fast. It's exciting, exhilarating, and a little bit dangerous. And while fans of the sport will be watching for subtle tactical moves and technique, casual viewers can just enjoy the speed, athletism and insane leg strength of the athletes. Two things worth remembering: track cycling bikes have fixed gear and no breaks (!!). The indoor cycling events will take place at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, 36 km from the Olympic Village but reachable by public transport. Built in 2014, the velodrome is one of many venues in Paris that pre-date the Games. Organisers have been mindful of the environmental impact that major construction projects can have, especially as previous host cities, like Athens and Rio, have several key Olympic venues now standing derelict. The velodrome is already an ultra-modern flagship venue for the French Cycling Federation and regularly hosts national and international cycling events. Riders will compete on the velodrome's 250-metre bank track for 12 gold medals between August 5th and 11th in sprint and endurance races as individuals or in team events. There may be some disciplines that you're not familiar with. Here's a brief description of the events that make up the Olympic Indoor Cycling events. Individual Events Individual sprints are timed. Cyclists ride head-to-head over three laps. Keirin uses a motorised pacer that increases speed before pulling away so the six or seven riders can sprint the last few laps. Team Sprint: Teams of three cyclists take turns leading for one lap each, with the best time after three laps winning. Precision and teamwork are crucial. Endurance Events: Individual Pursuit: Two cyclists start on opposite sides of the track and race against the clock. The aim is to catch the other cyclist or record the fastest time over a set distance (usually 4 km for men and 3 km for women). Team Pursuit: Teams of four cyclists race against the clock over 4 km. The team's time is taken when the third rider crosses the finish line, making team coordination vital. Madison: A relay race where teams of two cyclists take turns racing, tagging each other with a hand-sling. It's a complex and tactical event covering a long distance, often with dramatic changes in the lead. Omnium: A multi-race event that includes four different disciplines: Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race, and Points Race. Cyclists accumulate points across all events, and the one with the highest total wins. The great thing about the Olympics is that it gets people invested in sports they may never have seen. This is often why younger people take up certain sports after a major sporting event, and it's one of the positive legacies of a successful Olympic Games. You can find the schedule for the 2024 Paris Olympic Cycling events here. If you're interested in channeling your inner-athlete on a static bike that generates electricity, pre-register on the Energym website to hear first when our next product window for the RE:GEN opens.