Feb 1, 2007

Try the track for a thrill

Something that every cycling should try at least once, if they have the chance, is riding on a velodrome (banked track). I count it as one of the biggest thrills of my cycling life.

I must admit I was a bundle of nerves the first time I walked into the Manchester velodrome and looked down on a group of elite riders, apparently defying gravity as they hurtled round the 45-degree banking. Hard to believe I’d ever do that. But an hour later I was, though admittedly not hurtling quite so fast!

A skilled coach led us gently through our initiation. Before you even get near the banking you have to get used to riding a bike with no brakes. Track bikes have a single fixed gear and you slow down by reverse pressure on the pedals. It takes a little getting used to, which is one reason our coach started us circling gently round the flat part in the track centre.

Once we had the hang of it, we moved onto the track proper, first the low ‘apron’ and then the banking itself. The banking is designed for speed, and it’s vital to keep a reasonable speed through the curves; too slow and you can slide down the track.

It took a little while before I was confident enough to go right up to the top of the banking, but by the end of that first session I was revelling in it, whipping round the curves (well, it felt like whipping to me), feeling the bike glue itself to the track, even tentatively experimenting with a sprinter-style dive off the high banking to gain extra speed into the straight. I finished the evening grinning from ear to ear and determined to repeat the experience.

I’m lucky in living an hour’s journey from one of the best velodromes in the world, but it's not unique. Is there one near you? Look here for more information.

Of course track cycling is also a great spectator sport; another great thrill, for me, was watching the British and Australian teams, probably the world’s best, battling for honours in the 2002 Commonwealth Games on the very boards where I had ridden myself. (The Aussies cleaned up that night but honours were evenly split in the Athens Olympics two years later).