Road

The rules of the road are simple: fastest wins.

But a rainbow jersey winning time comes down to more than just raw RPM. Pace setting, strategically timed attacks and gutsy breakaways will separate the race leaders from the pack on the high-speed hills, thrills and spills of Scotland’s most challenging roads.

The Road Race pits riders against each other in an all-out battle for supremacy of Scotland’s roads. 

Even though there’s plenty of riders to form the peloton - where you’ll see riders “drafting”, which means following the lead rider for an aerodynamic advantage. Mental toughness is mandatory and mistakes made can be immediately punished.

While this is a team sport, there’s only one rainbow jersey up for grabs - who will come out on top will be decided on the roads between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the Glasgow circuit.

In Individual Time Trial, riders set off one-by-one at regular intervals of 1-2 minutes. There’s nowhere to hide and no slipstreams to conserve energy in. Just the clock.

Aerodynamics are everything, so you’ll see futuristic bikes, helmets and skinsuits. With sheer speed being top priority, riders have to push the limit of safe racing lines as the twists, turns and tight corners could end a potentially medal winning run at any moment.

The Team Time Trial Mixed Relay sees squads of six - three women and three men - race a road circuit in turn. The men go first and race their lap as quickly as they can. The women can only go when the second man reaches them. The women push the pace and when the second woman crosses the finish line, the team has their time.

A single rider per team can drop out of each stage, so teams use this strategically by letting one rider lead the way to keep legs fresh for as long as they can. Communication, coordination and understanding of individual strengths will be key.