[Sportsandrec] What is a velodrome?

Tue Jun 30 19:46:27 UTC 2009

Thanks Ron:  I sure got an education and a very interesting one.   I  
appreciate all of the time you took in your reply but I do not think I  will be 
trying to ride my tandem on this track.  I will just stick to the  bike path 
here on the island where I live.  Again, my thanks,   John

In a message dated 6/30/2009 2:30:41 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
rockthebike at usfamily.net writes:

Hi  John,

A velodrome is an oval track for  bicycles. Think of your  middle school 
track, mine was 220 yards. Most velodromes are 250 meters  for the 
innermost 
lane. They also come in 200, 333, and 400 meter  variations. They are 
usually 
made of concrete or wood.

The cool  thing about a velodrome is that the turns are banked, like a 
NASCAR 
track.  So, as you go to the outer lanes, you are actually moving higher up 
off  the infield. It seems to me that you are about 1 story to a story and 
a  
half off the ground at the rail, the outermost lane. Once I was riding at  
the rail with my pilot. Another rider passed under us. He was in the next  
lane over, or perhaps, two. His helmet was lower than our  tires.

The banking in the turns ranges from maybe 28 degrees to maybe  48 degrees? 
My first walk around a velodrome, I tried to walk radially  from the middle 
of one of the turns, up the embankment. I was wearing a  regular pair of 
Nike 
cross-trainers. I could barely get enough traction to  move up. It is that 
steep. That banking was only about 38 degrees. The  steepest track I raced 
on 
was maybe 48 degrees. It is scary to think  about, but once you get 
acclimated, it actually feels real comfortable at  speed. At 35 mph, the 
banking actually helps you get through the turn.  Remember, when you turn a 
bicycle, you are leaning over anyway. It is like  riding around the far 
side 
of your bath tub. With the banking, you have to  maintain about 15 mph to 
prevent the bike from losing traction. If this  happens,  the bike will 
slide 
out from underneath you, toward the  bottom of the track. Remember the 
Banana 
Splits' opening  theme?

Because of the steep angles of the turns, even the  straight-aways are 
pitched to better transition into the steeper corners.  As you are riding 
down the straights, you can actually feel the bike slow  as you climb up to 
the banking. Coming out of the turn, carrying enough  speed, you can feel 
the 
bike drop down and accelerate underneath you. It  is a rush to haul freight 
around the velodrome. The spectators are right  there, too.

Now, let me tell you a few more minor details about track  racing. Oh, by 
the 
way, the tandems are no different than any other bike  out there. This is 
the 
real deal, plain and simple! First of all, the  bikes have no brakes. They 
are actually illegal! Remember, this is a  closed course, with no dogs, 
cars, 
or intersections. No one out there with  you has brakes either, so the 
playing field is level. You only get one  gear, with no shifting on the 
track. It is  a bicycle in its simplest  and purest form. There is a gear 
on 
your crank, and one on the rear wheel.  That is it! Oh yeah, there is also 
no 
coasting. If that bike is moving,  your feet are turning. So, if you want 
to 
slow down the bike, you have to  try to resist the cranks to slow down. It 
is 
like the tricycle you rode as  a kid. If you pedal forward, you go forward, 
if you pedal backwards, you  will move in reverse.

Today, I did a road ride on a Cannondale tandem.  We rode about 65 miles in 
four hours. It was 98 degrees when we finished.  We had 120 psi of air in 
our 
tires, which measure about 1 inch wide. On  the track, you are riding tires 
that are a little bit skinnier, with about  160 psi or more. These tires 
glue 
onto the rim as well. They are not  normal road tires that mount to the rim 
with a hook and bead. These tires  can actually be safer when they lose 
air, 
because they usually stay glued  to the rim and prevent you from slipping 
down the embankment. Remember,  you can be up there, pretty high.

One more barbaric thing about riding  a track tandem, your feet are locked 
into the pedals and then, strapped  down, twice over for good measure. 
This, 
too is for safety and  performance. Since you are riding, or racing shorter 
distances on the  track, your efforts on the pedals are much more intense. 
It 
is almost like  weight lifting on the bike. You do not want to come out of 
the pedals at  40 mph and the pedals not wanting to stop and coast 
underneath  
you.

Now, with all that craziness out of the way, once you get used  to riding 
the 
track, it is a lot of fun. I have two reports of my  experiences at the 
camp 
and a national championship that I can post, or  share with you 
individually 
if desired.

Anyone want to try it? The  camps are first class all the way. It changed 
my  
life!

Best,

Ron & the Dad, can we go out to the  velodrome, soon? bears
Austin, TX

John asked, "What is a velodrome?  

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