Venue: Rio Olympic Velodrome

Medals available: 30

Dates: August 11-16

Dominant nations: Great Britain have dominated the last two Olympics with 14 gold medals, while Australia, Germany and France are also strong contenders

Star names: Anna Meares (Australia), Bradley Wiggins (Great Britain), Gregory Bauge (France), Laura Trott (Great Britain), Kristina Vogel (Germany)

Get ready for six days of adrenaline-fuelled cycling inside the Olympic Velodrome, where brakes will not be needed as the world's top track riders go head-to-head for the second time in 2016.

Earlier this year, Great Britain dominated the UCI Track World Championships in London, boding well for the sport's dominant force, who will be looking to repeat their Olympic successes of 2012, when they medalled in all but one event and won seven of the 10 golds on offer.

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is back on the track in search of one last hurrah, while Australia's Anna Meares will try to cement her legacy - the 32-year-old has already won five Olympic medals.

Exactly what the riders will encounter within the velodrome still remains to be seen after the official Rio 2016 test event was cancelled due to delays with the construction of the track.

Spectators can expect to see the individual and team sprints, the team pursuit, the keirin and the omnium over the course of the competition - the latter event comprising six separate elements held over two days.

The sprints - Meares' strongest events - are self-explanatory, with riders vying to be the first across the finish line, while the team sprint uses a similar format with squads of three for men and two for women.

In the team pursuit, four riders start per nation and the fastest group over four kilometres wins, although the final can be ended prematurely should one team overtake their opponents.

Accumulating the most points is the aim of the omnium, the six elements testing riders' raw pace and tactical nous.

Denmark's Lasse Norman Hansen took gold in London in the omnium's first Olympics appearance, with Laura Trott prevailing in the women's race.

The final event - the keirin - revolves around an electric bike, the derny, setting the pace for the majority of the race, before pulling away with 700m to go to allow the riders to battle for gold.