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Jargon buster

Peloton: The main pack of riders

Drafting: When riders go in single file, tight to the rider’s back wheel in front, in order to minimise the wind resistance

Breakaway: When a small group of riders or an individual break ahead of the main group (peloton)

Lead-out: When a rider sprints ahead, often taking a team-mate with them in draft, to try and put some distance between them and the main pack.

Basic rules

The road race is 140km for women, and will start and finish on The Mall in central London.

The route then passes through six London boroughs – Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, Richmond upon Thames and Kingston upon Thames – before heading into Surrey where the female riders will tackle the climb of Box Hill twice.

Each road race team is allowed a maximum of four riders, and will be racing with the aim of helping one chosen member of the team secure gold.

This is done by allowing the lead rider to draft other team members so they are conserving energy throughout the race. It is a very strategic event, and teams will aim to get their rider in the best position at the closing stages of the race in order to sprint across the line.

In the time trial event riders start 90 seconds apart and have a 29km single lap route to complete in as fast a time as possible. The race starts and finishes in Hampton Court Palace.