Welcome to the Velodrome
23/10/05 21:21
Are you ready to try one of the most exciting forms
of cycle racing?
Look at the track first. It is made from wood. The riders roll out before the start, and slow down after a race on the concrete part on the inside of the track. This section is not for racing on, as riders can't go fast on it around the bends.
The light blue
strip between the concrete part and the wooden
track is called the "cote d'azure". It is slightly
banked so that riders can, in an emergency during a
bunch race, get round the bends without falling. It
is not part of the racing surface, so in races where
riders compete alone, foam rubber blocks are laid
across it. Riding over one of the blocks (called
"sandbags") slows the bike down, and so the riders
must stay on the track and not take shortcuts to
produce a winning time. Don't worry though - if
you're new to track riding, these rubber blocks will
be removed from the track so you can ride round the
cote d'azur as your confidence builds.
The black line at the bottom of the main track is called the "datum line." All the track measurements are taken on this line, and you can see the intermediate distances from the white start/finish line in the home straight, marked along it. The lap is 250 metres round the black line, four laps to the kilometre.
The red line, the next one up the track, is called the "sprinters line" and is for safety in the last 200 metres of a sprint race. When two riders are racing shoulder to shoulder at perhaps 40mph, if one of them moved sideways into the other's path it would be very dangerous. The rider inside the red line must stay inside, and the rider outside must stay outside. Corner judges are watching to make sure this safety rule is obeyed.
The blue line, the highest one on the track, is called the "stayers line". It marks the inside of the track area used for high-speed motorbike-paced cycle racing. Also, in Madison racing (where riders race in teams of two or three) the rider who is racing uses the shortest part of the track, the inside, whilst the resting partners ride slowly around above the blue line out of the way. When one of the resting partners is to be relayed into the race, he drops below the blue line links hands with the racing partner to transfer speed and carries on racing flat-out. The partner who was racing rolls up above the blue line to recover.
When you ride your bike round a corner, you lean over, don't you? The faster you ride the further you lean to keep your balance. Eventually, you have to slow down or your bike will slip out sideways from under you.
When riding round the bends on the track the riders lean over and the faster they go, the more they lean. Because the track is banked steeply the angle they lean is met by the angle of the track banking. This makes the riders feel that they are riding on a straight road. They don't have to slow down at all.
Look at the track first. It is made from wood. The riders roll out before the start, and slow down after a race on the concrete part on the inside of the track. This section is not for racing on, as riders can't go fast on it around the bends.
What do all the coloured lines mean?
The black line at the bottom of the main track is called the "datum line." All the track measurements are taken on this line, and you can see the intermediate distances from the white start/finish line in the home straight, marked along it. The lap is 250 metres round the black line, four laps to the kilometre.
The red line, the next one up the track, is called the "sprinters line" and is for safety in the last 200 metres of a sprint race. When two riders are racing shoulder to shoulder at perhaps 40mph, if one of them moved sideways into the other's path it would be very dangerous. The rider inside the red line must stay inside, and the rider outside must stay outside. Corner judges are watching to make sure this safety rule is obeyed.
The blue line, the highest one on the track, is called the "stayers line". It marks the inside of the track area used for high-speed motorbike-paced cycle racing. Also, in Madison racing (where riders race in teams of two or three) the rider who is racing uses the shortest part of the track, the inside, whilst the resting partners ride slowly around above the blue line out of the way. When one of the resting partners is to be relayed into the race, he drops below the blue line links hands with the racing partner to transfer speed and carries on racing flat-out. The partner who was racing rolls up above the blue line to recover.
Why is the track banked on the bends?
When you ride your bike round a corner, you lean over, don't you? The faster you ride the further you lean to keep your balance. Eventually, you have to slow down or your bike will slip out sideways from under you.
When riding round the bends on the track the riders lean over and the faster they go, the more they lean. Because the track is banked steeply the angle they lean is met by the angle of the track banking. This makes the riders feel that they are riding on a straight road. They don't have to slow down at all.