Points Race, Men

The format and point scoring for the points race was changed for 2004. Previously points were scored for field sprints at various intervals of the race. But the winners could only be the riders staying on the same lap as the leaders. In 2004, the scoring was adjusted so that lapping any rider earned a 20-point bonus and this was added to the points for field sprints. This created the same effect but made it easier to sort out the leaders. The race was conducted over 40 km. (160 laps) with sprints every 10 laps. Young Russian Mikhail Ignatyev was unheralded but won the race by having a lap advantage on four other riders. Five stragglers in the race had been lapped four times by Ignatyev, but only three times by the chase group. Thus Ignatyev had 80 lap points, and 13 sprint points, or 93 in all. Second went to multi-World Champion and defending gold medalist Juan Llaneras (ESP). He had 22 sprint points, but trailed Ignatyev by a lap, so he was given only 60 lap points, or 82 in all. Llaneras earned silver by winning the 13th, 14th, and 15th sprints to move into second place.