Editing Handicapping (section)

===Cycling===

Handicapping in competitive cycling is most commonly used in [[track cycling]] and [[road bicycle racing|road racing]] in Australia and New Zealand.  Handicap events are rare outside these two countries.

In track cycling, distance-based handicaps are typically used.  The highest-profile example of this racing format is the [[Melbourne Cup on Wheels]].

In road cycling, pursuit-style handicaps are most common, and are mostly restricted to grassroots amateur events.  In the past, higher-profile national events such as the [[Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic]] were run as handicaps, but with larger entry numbers and a preference for scratch racing among elite-level national competitors, these are no longer run as handicaps.

Because of the importance of drafting in cycling events, riders are usually grouped into a limited number of "bunches" based on previous results, with the bunches containing the weakest riders leaving first.  Prizes are typically awarded to the first finishers, first female finisher (in mixed events), and fastest time recorded (who may not have crossed the line first due to the handicapping).