You too can be a cycling expert

Behold, the mighty Olympic News Service bib!

Not to be confused with lead aprons people wear while getting x-rays or smocks to finger-paint in, these stunning items distinguish us ONS workers from the rest of the Blue Army, complete with glow-in-the-dark lettering and two plastic clips on each side so we can't fall out.

My job until competition? Stroll around the field of play wearing this beauty while cyclists practice, interview athletes post-training, enter the quotes into system and/or write the story. As I predicted, the last two days have been infinitely more exciting than Tuesday. The track cycling "high rollers" (yes, the puns are almost limitless) have arrived: Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands. I have not yet seen the Australians, another formidable cycling powerhouse.

Track cycling isn't popular in America, so readers back in the States may not recognize the names, but I've been watching Theo Bos, Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Rebecca Romero, and Arnaud Tournant tool around the Velodrome. There are eight Olympic medals between these cyclists.

Today I took back-up notes for Andrea when she interviewed French cyclist Tournant, pictured below.

A world record holder, he has gold, silver, and bronze medals from past Olympics. Tournant will let a reporter, or an entire room full of reporters, know when he's displeased: He once had a fierce stare down with a journalist he didn't like during a press conference and wouldn't speak until said journalist left the room, so we were slightly anxious going into the interview. Tournant, however, was extremely pleasant and accommodating. He answered all of Andrea's questions as thoroughly as possible with charm and a friendly sense of humor.

There are a few younger French riders who are experiencing their first Olympics. During the interview, I looked over and noticed one of them taking pictures of the track, the ceiling, and Andrea and me (in our glorious bibs) talking to Tournant. Pictures of the flash quote reporters? It's comforting to know I'm not the only one who's a little awestruck being here.

So in honor of the European athletes I've been observing and all my non-track-cycling-oriented American friends back home, let's do a crash course in one event right now.

INDIVIDUAL SPRINT 101

The event: Individual sprint

What it is: A three-lap race around the Velodrome between two riders

In plain English: Although it is a "three-lap race," the riders don't immediately take off and ride three laps as quickly as possible. The sprint is strategic; the entire race isn't clocked, and the ultimate goal is to cross the finish line first, not break time records. For the first lap or so, the two cyclists play cat and mouse, watching each other, keeping track of each other's positions, and anticipating the next move. Some cyclists prefer to be in front, others, behind; sprinters have been known to come to a standstill, balancing on their bikes, waiting for the opponent to take the next step. You don't want to be too far behind or vulnerable for an attack. Eventually, one of the riders will "drop" into the sprint lane, and then the explosive racing begins. If a rider gets too far behind or doesn't pay attention, his or her opponent may drop into a sprint sooner, and hope the straggler doesn't catch up. If a rider drops into a sprint too soon, however, there is a chance he or she will be overtaken.

Other tidbits: Endurance cyclists look wiry and lean, like Lance Armstrong. Sprint cyclists, however, are stacked with mounds of muscle, and look like they could snap a cinder block with their thighs without blinking or straining themselves. This shows how much power and strength is needed to blast and maneuver a bike around the track for a few laps.

Let's watch an example involving two of the cyclists hanging around Laoshan for the past two days.

The race: 2008 World Championships in Manchester

The contenders:

IN THE ORANGE

Theo Bos (Tay-Oh Boss)

24 years old

Netherlands

a.k.a. Dutch golden boy

Athens silver medalist (sprint)

Five-time world champion

Will ride a bike worth almost U.S. $800,000 at the Beijing Olympics

IN THE BLUE AND RED

Chris Hoy

32 years old

Great Britain

a.k.a. Scottish track colossus

Athens gold medalist (1 km time trial)

Sydney silver medalist (team sprint)

Nine-time world champion

Used to ride junior BMX, but switched to track. Ironically, the 1 km time trial, his signature event, was replaced by BMX this year at the Olympics, so he transferred his skills to the individual sprint.

Again, Theo is in the orange (the Dutch always wear orange) and Chris is in red and blue. I'm not going to tell you what happens, because it is exciting! Watch for yourself:

See how track cycling is packed with adrenaline? And now you can wow your friends with your knowledge of the individual sprint and two of its favorites for gold this year.

I may be an arm's length away from this rematch in a few days.

The opening ceremonies are tonight, so I'm going to scope out the city and see if any outdoor spots will have a live feed playing. If not, I will join my comrades at a North American-style diner to watch NBC via satellite. We shall see.