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Finally rode on a velodrome yesterday....
Last Post 10/12/2015 01:11 PM by 79 pmooney. 23 Replies.
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/05/2015 10:53 AM |
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After riding a bike for damn near 30 years, I had my first lap of a velodrome yesterday. And it was only that....a lap. 
My daughter had a soccer game in Northbrook and I was planning on riding my bike home after the game....only about 16 miles (but I am riding almost exclusively with my PowerCranks right now to rehap my hamstring, so 16 miles is a decent workout).
Anyway, we pull into the parking lof for the soccer fields and it is the same lot as the Northbrook velodrome. I have lived in this area for 16 years now and had never actually been there. So after the game, I got my stuff on and, before heading home, did a quick lap of the velodrome.
A bit of an odd distance track (~381m). Not very steep on the banking, either. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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zootracer
Posts:835
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| 10/05/2015 11:15 AM |
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| One of my old ride buddies, whom I have lost contact with, was an avid road cyclist. He got hooked on track cycling and dropped riding road. One reason is he lives in B.C. they have access to a velodrome and can ride all-year long, as opposed to riding a lot on wet soggy roads. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 10/05/2015 11:42 AM |
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The banking should be sufficient to keep the soccer balls in :-)
Only ever rode on a velodrome once or twice in NL, it was at the end of the Amstel Gold route 240km cyclo event so just cruising. One of my friends from those days does Masters races there now.
Still have to visit the Burnaby velodrome even though I pass by there on many training rides and have lived here for 15yrs. But I am going to a famous one in April! |
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ChinookPass
Posts:809
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| 10/05/2015 12:11 PM |
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that is not a place for "slow-twitch" folks, CK...
We are only 8miles from our local 'drome but my kids never showed any interest so at best we go for 1 Friday night out of the summer, eat pizza, watch the races and the bats. The busiest day at the velodrome is when they have the Star-crossed Cx race. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 10/05/2015 12:41 PM |
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I've ridden Marymoor outside Seattle a few times on road bikes, both geared and fixed. It has shallow banking and is no big deal, I did get to do two laps once at a quiet moment at some event on a 1920s track bike. It had heavy wheels and clinchers and was way too small, but it was obvious that under all that was a rocket of a frame!
A couple of weeks ago I did two laps on Portlnad's Alpenrose. Infield for the first one. Got up on the track, accelerated, hit the first turn and it was "oh s***!" Kept pedaling and made it but no way was I going to ride the next one. That is one f***ing steep track!
Ben |
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 10/05/2015 01:51 PM |
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So cool. I only rode on a velodrome once, but it was a doozie! The former Montreal Olympic velodrome, advertised at the time as the steepest banked track in north America. Indoor, wood. It was SO DAMN FUN!! I was 14 or 15 years old, 1980 maybe? They had bunch of rental fixed gears. It was such a cool and new experience to be at the top and looking down on someone 10 feet below!!
N |
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 10/05/2015 03:14 PM |
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Are you hooked Cosmic? you'll be sending us crazy pics of your 12lb carbon track bike, going for the Hour Record, etc.....ha ha ha
I have never been on one, but have always wanted to check it out. There was a wood Velodrome here in a warehouse in Rio Rancho by Albq., but coming from PA, and once they figured out where it would go, the thing dried out here in the desert southwest, it was ruined |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 10/05/2015 03:37 PM |
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Nah, I have zero interest in the track....mostly 'cuz racing on a concrete velodrome on a fixed gear seems like an exceedingly bad idea for a guy on blood thinners! 
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 10/05/2015 04:30 PM |
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oh man, forgot about that!! I remember those days, coumadin, blood thinners, heart drugs, whoa..........
Yeah, I would end up ripping it around the track, have some great fun, but would ding myself for sure eventually.
My MTB habit is dangerous enough as it is |
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 10/05/2015 06:55 PM |
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Oh yeah Gonzo, that Albuquerque track was talked about sooo much, but nothing ever happened! I guess the BMX thing they have down here is cool...if you're into that, which I'm not.
N |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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| 10/05/2015 07:13 PM |
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I did a little track racing when I was a (pathetically slow) cat 2/ Junior in the paleolithic era. I sucked, all slow twitch (or more accurately no twitch) and a fish out of water, but it was fun to try. I rode a second hand Schwinn Paramount track bike. Gorgeous bike, and it weighed only 22 lbs - wow, so light. Track racing was much bigger back then, and a lot of the better athletes were trackies first, although in the US they would ride a lot of crits, too.
There used to be a race around the ellipse in front of the White House, called the National Capitol Open, and track bikes with a brake were legal for many years. No banking. |
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steelbikerider
Posts:66
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| 10/05/2015 07:58 PM |
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| Raced a couple of years in hte late 80's on the Alkek Velodrome in Houston, 1/3 K, 33' banks - lots of fun. All of the action in a RR or crit crammed in a few minutes. Broken femur in a match sprint when a rider came down on me. Tried pursuit and couldn't get out of the low 5's. I had a really sweet bike - a leftover funny bike from the '84 Olympics. Serotta frame, oval tubes 24" front wheel/27" rear. Motor pacing on the track was really exciting until park officials found out. Decided I wasn't a trackie and sold bike and wheels to a jr rider and dad for about what I put into it. |
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zootracer
Posts:835
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| 10/05/2015 08:08 PM |
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| OC, my old ride bud uses the Burnaby Velodrome. He lives in Aldergrove. He is very much involved in track cycling. Gord Reddy, if you know him. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 10/05/2015 09:28 PM |
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Don't know him but I'll have to go down one Friday Night when he's ringing the bell.
http://cyclingbc.net/about/board-of-directors/ |
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zootracer
Posts:835
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| 10/05/2015 09:43 PM |
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| OC, we used to be good friends. He came down to NorCal a couple of times and we had some good rides together. Sort of parted ways. Good guy. If you see him, tell him Ed Custer said to say hello. |
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