Pathetical Me

[ft_critical]

I thought I would document some of my experience with track riding – noting that I am probably the worst rider to ever venture onto the track.

Five sessions of training, which is largely practicing racing, complete, I tried to sum up the experience succinctly: friendly and frightening.

Week 1: I thought I would slide off the banking and die. I thought I would stop pedalling and die. I thought without brakes I would hit the rider in front, then hit the rider beside me and be run over by the rider behind me and .., die. I hung onto the bars so tight that I could not write my own name with a pen the next day.
Week 2: I rode a scratch race. I stayed in my ‘lane’ between the sprint and stayers line and did not move from the wheel in front of me. It is the ostrich approach, if I don’t move at all, if I don't look, don't blink, (don't stop pedalling) I will be safe.
Week 5: I was given a handicap of 180m for the wheelrace. I rolled around the bottom of the track and then tried to make my way up to 180m, which is on a very steep section at the start of the corner. I didn’t make it and lay down halfway up the track and crawled up to the fence dragging my bike. I clambered aboard and hung onto the railing at the top of the track for dear life. ‘riders ready,’ nope, ‘go’, oh dear. I was petrified of a pedal strike so I rode directly down track and onto the grass, then back onto the track.

[trailgumby]

Keep at it. It's a steep learning curve but I'm sure get a grip on it soon.

<boom-tish>

Brave man for sharing.

[rkelsen]

You're out there giving it a crack. Nothing pathetic about that. Good on you. Two thumbs up from me.

And yes, keep at it.

[foo on patrol]

I thought I would document some of my experience with track riding – noting that I am probably the worst rider to ever venture onto the track.

Five sessions of training, which is largely practicing racing, complete, I tried to sum up the experience succinctly: friendly and frightening.

Week 1: I thought I would slide off the banking and die. I thought I would stop pedalling and die. I thought without brakes I would hit the rider in front, then hit the rider beside me and be run over by the rider behind me and .., die. I hung onto the bars so tight that I could not write my own name with a pen the next day.
Week 2: I rode a scratch race. I stayed in my ‘lane’ between the sprint and stayers line and did not move from the wheel in front of me. It is the ostrich approach, if I don’t move at all, if I don't look, don't blink, (don't stop pedalling) I will be safe.
Week 5: I was given a handicap of 180m for the wheelrace. I rolled around the bottom of the track and then tried to make my way up to 180m, which is on a very steep section at the start of the corner. I didn’t make it and lay down halfway up the track and crawled up to the fence dragging my bike. I clambered aboard and hung onto the railing at the top of the track for dear life. ‘riders ready,’ nope, ‘go’, oh dear. I was petrified of a pedal strike so I rode directly down track and onto the grass, then back onto the track.

You need to relax mate. You are over thinking everything and you are not going to get pedal strike, if you have a Track bike, unless you point up the bank at a slow speed whilst leaning into the bank.

Enjoy the thrill of Track Racing = speed sharpness n adrenaline rushes. You're not over 70yrs of age, are yoy?

Foo

[ft_critical]

Week 5: crashing...

So I survived lead outs, two wheel races without going onto the grass, scratch races and mini-Kirens this week. But, in the dark, dark woods of Tempe... okay it was the station car park I was run over. By another cyclist. He was French and very nice. How did this happen?
Well it was a T-boning if you must know.
I was riding along with no lights, no brakes and in dark clothing, I saw him and yelled at him to stop because I couldn’t. But it seems he was drinking water and his spare hand was available to operate the front brake. Except, apparently, that was not working. So we crashed - most pathetically.

[foo on patrol]

WTH?

Foo

[Strawburger]

I’ll look out for you on Monday next week for the 120 lapper!

[ft_critical]

Thanks Strawburger, always best to look out for me on the track!
I can’t do Mondays, three terms of Soccer pick-up. Only get to do Wednesday’s, which slows progress unfortunately.

[ft_critical]

Hazardous: I think two weeks ago I was at my most hazardous. I could keep up, mostly, but had no avoidance skills.

Gearing: I started on 85, migrated to 87 and have settled at 94. Early on I was too scared to ride on fatigued legs as I was scared I would try to take a sneaky, roadie, freewheel-break. I average a cadence of 85 on the road, which probably equates to ~93 at a continuous pace. 120 is, probably, 1min effort pace and 145ish sprinting. I am a bit of a grinder... I will improve my ability to hold higher cadence on the track... for that purpose I should have stayed on the 87, but I can do a lot more on the 94. I am a little disappointed in how easily I gave up the lighter gears.

[g-boaf]

I thought I would document some of my experience with track riding – noting that I am probably the worst rider to ever venture onto the track.

Five sessions of training, which is largely practicing racing, complete, I tried to sum up the experience succinctly: friendly and frightening.

Week 1: I thought I would slide off the banking and die. I thought I would stop pedalling and die. I thought without brakes I would hit the rider in front, then hit the rider beside me and be run over by the rider behind me and .., die. I hung onto the bars so tight that I could not write my own name with a pen the next day.
Week 2: I rode a scratch race. I stayed in my ‘lane’ between the sprint and stayers line and did not move from the wheel in front of me. It is the ostrich approach, if I don’t move at all, if I don't look, don't blink, (don't stop pedalling) I will be safe.
Week 5: I was given a handicap of 180m for the wheelrace. I rolled around the bottom of the track and then tried to make my way up to 180m, which is on a very steep section at the start of the corner. I didn’t make it and lay down halfway up the track and crawled up to the fence dragging my bike. I clambered aboard and hung onto the railing at the top of the track for dear life. ‘riders ready,’ nope, ‘go’, oh dear. I was petrified of a pedal strike so I rode directly down track and onto the grass, then back onto the track.

Have you done DGV yet? That's pretty eye-opening at first. It's just so different to the flatter outdoor tracks - especially when you come down off the banking when you've done your turn and are going back to follow your other three people. At first until you work out how to do that smoothly you come down and it's literally terrifying because you can gain on the others so fast - UP UP UP! You soon work out how to make that one smooth maneuver.

I don't do that stuff anymore - more of a commute rider then go overseas when I want to take a break from the usual daily routine. You'll get there. It's just a whole different thing - and intimidating at first. Riding down some giant descent in France or Italy can be equally intimidating, but in a different way - more like "if something goes wrong, I'm likely dead or very seriously hurt". Track is probably a lot safer, but it's hard work.

Nothing pathetic at all about you or saying that. It's all in the learning curve.

[Strawburger]

Good to see you out there FT! Keep it going. 94 is the right gearing for Tempe. That’s what I run and it seems to work, even with roadie legs.

Tempe has the same or very similar banking to DGV, just that the dizziness factor becomes more apparent at DGV I reckon.

[foo on patrol]

Hazardous: I think two weeks ago I was at my most hazardous. I could keep up, mostly, but had no avoidance skills.

Gearing: I started on 85, migrated to 87 and have settled at 94. Early on I was too scared to ride on fatigued legs as I was scared I would try to take a sneaky, roadie, freewheel-break. I average a cadence of 85 on the road, which probably equates to ~93 at a continuous pace. 120 is, probably, 1min effort pace and 145ish sprinting. I am a bit of a grinder... I will improve my ability to hold higher cadence on the track... for that purpose I should have stayed on the 87, but I can do a lot more on the 94. I am a little disappointed in how easily I gave up the lighter gears.

See this cadence means jackchit if you're not a spinner. No point in being on 87", if you can't stay with them. You benifit more from being able to stay with the group on the Track, than being dropped off after five laps because you can't hold onto them when they start to stay above 45kmh. I'm not and was never a spinner and I don't ride any smaller than 94" on the Track, unless I'm warming up. I rode 98" in the Team Sprint at the States as the starting lead out rider and that is with me only doing 3000klms last year.

Don't look for the negatives in your approach to learning the Track Tactic, focus on only the positive aspect, unless you're doing an appraisal of where you need to improve. That's my take on things and this approach has worked for me. Now get back out there and enjoy the Track, because this will also set you up for Road Racing and I'm not the only one that thinks like this.

Foo

[ft_critical]

Thanks gboaf, though Strawburger makes the point that the banking is the same as Tempe, I haven't done it yet and will be a bit nervous. The dizziness point I totally get - it is like looking out from the roof of a high building - I read once that your reaction was to consider jumping off (normal) so that you reviled at that thought as a means of self-protection... Anyway, I totally get that dizzy feeling at the top of the bank, I manage it by looking ahead to where I want to go; not at the immediate banking. This seems to work quite well. It is especially useful when you want to sprint on the banking. I am going to do RAW this year and am super excited about that. Any tips or thoughts let me know please.

Foo and Strawburger, thanks for letting me know about the gearing, it makes me feel a lot better. I am now keen to try out 98! I love the speed you can get on the track and the feel of turning the gear smoothly when you get it up to speed and settle into it, as it were!!!

[mikesbytes]

Dunc Gray is 5deg steeper than Tempe. Its more that Dunc Gray is shorter 250tr vs 333mtr that makes it look more exciting. Don't worry mate, just turn up early at Dunc Gray and get plenty of warmup. Once your racing the slope will be the last thing on your mind

[ft_critical]

Dunc Gray is 5deg steeper than Tempe. Its more that Dunc Gray is shorter 250tr vs 333mtr that makes it look more exciting. Don't worry mate, just turn up early at Dunc Gray and get plenty of warmup. Once your racing the slope will be the last thing on your mind

Roger that.

[g-boaf]

Thanks gboaf, though Strawburger makes the point that the banking is the same as Tempe, I haven't done it yet and will be a bit nervous. The dizziness point I totally get - it is like looking out from the roof of a high building - I read once that your reaction was to consider jumping off (normal) so that you reviled at that thought as a means of self-protection... Anyway, I totally get that dizzy feeling at the top of the bank, I manage it by looking ahead to where I want to go; not at the immediate banking. This seems to work quite well. It is especially useful when you want to sprint on the banking. I am going to do RAW this year and am super excited about that. Any tips or thoughts let me know please.

Foo and Strawburger, thanks for letting me know about the gearing, it makes me feel a lot better. I am now keen to try out 98! I love the speed you can get on the track and the feel of turning the gear smoothly when you get it up to speed and settle into it, as it were!!!

That's the way - looking further ahead is the way to help you be smoother too, if you are looking only just ahead of where you are going, that's when you feel less stable. That's just what I remember.

It's a quick track that one. Oh, and very damn cold there too at night - it's like a freezer inside that place in winter.

I don't know if they are still running that Wednesday night 160 lap training session, that's a good one to do if you really want time on the track.

[P!N20]

You certainly fared better than this guy: https://twitter.com/philgaimon/status/1 ... 6922503174

[ft_critical]

So far that is. 28 June I will do RAW. If I never post again you will know why!

The best tip I have received was not sitting directly on the wheel in front. I am pretty much used to drafting in the tyre tracks of the bike in front. Whilst it probably seems super obviously to offset up track to control speed and maintain draft and distance on the track, I was just stuck in my road habit and didn’t think of it myself.

Still yet to conquer diving down from the top of the track among other riders in a kind of group match sprint. I will only go ‘full gas’ if I have nearly a clear track.

[ft_critical]

RAW1 - Div 4
Highlights:
1. Not dead
2. Most fun I have had on a bicycle
3. Boards - like cycling on air

Lowlights
1. Legs are sore like I have never experienced - still

[foo on patrol]

Yep the boards are bloody unreal to race on.

I have just picked up a set of Corima Disc Wheels that the are the same as those used by the Pommy Team at the London Olympic Games. To say I'm wrapped is an understatement and they only have about 100 laps on the boards with a Gold n Silver medal for a tandem.

Foo

[lunar_c]

The first time I rode the velodrome I was more nervous than I’ve ever been in my life as you described, petrified I’d take out another rider or end up with giant splinters and kept trying to back off for the corners .. a giant kiwi bloke must have noticed my heart beating on my throat and gave me the sage advice “You’ve actually gotta go harder in the turns” and that made it a lot easier for the rest of my night.
Sadly I don’t get my time to ride the track at the moment.

[mikesbytes]

LOL lunar_c, my first time is probably unique. I was buying a track bike from someone but I had the flu, so I drove to Tempe velodrome, did 6 laps up the banking (there was stuff happing down at the racing line) with a thick jacket on, handed over the money, drove home and back to bed (even left the bike at the velodrome). And it was the first time I'd ridden fix geared. Possibly because I was sick the fear of falling off was down the pecking list of concerns, also technically I don't ride with anyone in front of me and I was trailed by an experienced rider so there was the security of knowing someone would bark at me if I did wrong.

[ironhanglider]

My 9yo has had a slightly different set of early experiences.

His first outings on the velodrome were on a concrete track at our local club (Blackburn) when he was 7. He soon got his own 24" wheeled bike and I got some Schwalbe One tyres to go with it thinking that they'd be better than the wheelchair tyres that came on it. He was happy and confident on the outdoor velodromes moving up and down the banking as required without a second thought.

However when he was 8 and he got an opportunity to ride the indoor tracks he was really struggling for grip, and his confidence was all shot to pieces. I don't know if the tyres were old and hard but we were resorting to extra low pressures, cleaning the tyres off with metho or vinegar and using alternate strategies like swinging off the front on the straights rather than the bends. It is difficult when with little legs and restricted gears when you can't 'just go faster' to feel more confident in the bends. Sadly it is hard to find better tyres with 540mm BSD.

A few weeks ago a slightly bigger bike came up for sale with 650c wheels. The tyres that came on it (Vittoria Rubino) have more grip than what he had previously and better tyres are available too. The extra grip has been noticeable with his recent visits to the indoor track and he is now as happy and confident as he is on outdoor tracks. We are looking forward to the coming track season.

BTW I did some maths which is relevant for newcomers to track racing. Part of the regular introduction to racing is the markings on the track and in particular the red line marking the 'sprinter's lane' and that if a rider is leading down the back straight below the red line, an overtaking rider must ride above the red line, meaning that they will have to ride further due to the bigger turn radius. The maths that I did was to determine that for a regulation track with 90cm between the lines, if the lead rider is on the black line, his opponent will have to ride at least 2.8m further (and more if he was not level) for just the final bend, regardless of the size of the track. This is why it is easier to win a sprint from the front on the track than it is on the road.

Cheers,

Cameron

[P!N20]

This is why it is easier to win a sprint from the front on the track than it is on the road.

But isn’t the extra distance cancelled out by the benefit of the slipstream before you jump out?

[ironhanglider]

This is why it is easier to win a sprint from the front on the track than it is on the road.

But isn’t the extra distance cancelled out by the benefit of the slipstream before you jump out?

Yes, sort of...
I was comparing sprinting around a bend on the track to sprinting on a straight on the road. The slipstream before the overtaking manoeuvre is the same in both cases, but typically on the track it will take most if not all of the bend to get past, and all of that time you are both pushing the same amount of wind. The overtaker will still need to cover an extra couple of bike lengths, and often comes up short as a result.

As an old friend and elite rider said to me, "It's better to be at the front dying, than at the back flying."

Cheers,

Cameron