I hope that many of the recommendations from previous posters (like: "throw a tantrum", "feign a knee injury", "start smoking pot", etc.) were tongue-in-cheek.

Honesty is the best approach. Ask your parents to sit down and talk to you about this. Be calm, respectful, and mature. Try something like this:

Mom and Dad, did you turn out to be exactly like your parents, or did you become your own person?

Although I love you both, and I respect you and who you are, I need to become my own person, not who you are, or who you want me to be.

This doesn't mean that I am rejecting you, or your values, or what you stand for. It just means that I have to find my own way in life. I have to experience the things I want to experience--like competitive cycling for example.

When I'm your age, I don't want to look back at my high school experience and regret that I never tried competitive cycling. And I don't want to resent you for unfairly preventing me from following my dreams.

Track is a great sport. But it's not my sport. I don't enjoy it. Forcing me to do a sport that I don't enjoy is like punishing me. I don't understand why you are punishing me or what exactly I am being punished for.

If your parents still don't get it after your talk, you might want to try getting another adult to intervene on your behalf (an uncle, teacher, guidance counsellor, the track coach, etc.). And if that doesn't work, then as a last resort, ask your parents to go to counselling with you. I'm confident that a counsellor would understand your point of view and could help persuade your parents to back off on trying to control you so much.

Good luck. And be sure to follow your dreams.

Bob