Look at the bikes
They have no brakes or gears and no freewheel
mechanism. Nothing at all to stop the riders going as
fast as they can pedal. They can race very close to
each other, as they know the rider in front cannot stop
suddenly.
At the Edinburgh Racers, we have special track bikes in
all sizes, so one will probably fit you. We also have
crash helmets and some cycling tops you can borrow.
Slipstreaming
Slipstreaming is an important part of track racing. Most of the effort of cycling goes into making a hole in the air to ride through! Think how hard it is to ride into a strong headwind. By tucking themselves close in behind the person in front, riders can save a lot of energy by using that person's slipstream.They do, in fact ride through the hole in the air the leading rider has made.
When riders are working together on the track, they
share the lead, doing perhaps half a lap each at the
front of the line before swinging high on the banking
to let the others overtake on the inside of them. They
then tuck into the group's slipstream until they reach
the front to pace make again.
In other races, riders do not want their opponents to
ride in their slipstream, and so they resort to
tactical riding to try to gain an advantage.