How to get started at track cycling
The thrill of the boards, the massive gains you can expect in stamina and explosive power, the chance to emulate Sir Chris Hoy or Laura…
Tuesday, Oct 11
The thrill of the boards, the massive gains you can expect in stamina and explosive power, the chance to emulate Sir Chris Hoy or Laura Kenny… track cycling has something to offer nearly every rider, and it's loads of fun. So how do you get started with track cycling? What is a velodrome?
Track cycling involves riding or racing a track-specific bicycle around a purpose-built, cambered and banked track, at a velodrome. It's important to note that there are both indoor and outdoor velodromes, with indoor being the more popular option – especially in the UK.
The track at an indoor velodrome is usually constructed from wood, with two long sides and two shorter, more steeply banked sides, forming an oval shape.
An Olympic-standard velodrome has a track of 250 metres. There are also outdoor velodromes, such as Herne Hill in London.
Many velodromes run introductory sessions to get you started and open sessions so you can progress. What do the coloured lines on a velodrome mean?
There are coloured bands painted at various intervals up the track. At the base, adjacent to the track, is a blue band, which is called the 'côte d'azur'. This is not technically part of the track – you should try to stay out of this part.
Then, 20cm above the blue band, is a black , 5cm-thick line that defines the length of the track – so this line will be 250m long on an Olympic-standard track. This is also known as the datum line.Above that […]
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