This is the second indoor velodrome in the area (west of Toronto in the GTA). The Forest City Velodrome, a much tighter and more steeply banked 138 meter track opened in April of 2005, is less than an hour and a half drive to the southwest from the Milton velodrome.
The Wheelsucker was fortunate to have completed the Trexlertown PA velodrome (officially called Valley Preferred Cycling Center) "Introduction to the track" class a few years ago, and then raced at Trexlertown a few times; he was very much looking forward to riding a UCI/Olympic/Pan Am Games standard track.
Both the Forest City and Mattamy facilities were built with local support, and to broaden their utility and appeal, have been made available for recreational riding in addition to racing and race training. The Mattamy facility's vision statement is:
"As the home of Canadian Cycling, the Mattamy National Cycling Centre is an extraordinary facility that will cultivate world-class Canadian cyclists while engaging the local community with a wide range of recreational and sport opportunities for all ages and abilities."
This seems an excellent approach; it makes it easier to garner support and funding from local government, and the local community. Those seeking to build a velodrome in the Washington DC area would do well to consider this. The Mattamy velodrome is owned by the town of Milton. The track is open from 6:00am through 10:00pm daily (and sessions go later in the evening), and it appears most of that time is blocked out for scheduled activities, which include training, drop in riding, and racing.
But if you are catering to a non-racing group, you need to work on pack skills, passing skills, and rider safety, so that riders and groups can share the track while riding fixed gear bicycles without brakes at different speeds. This can require several track training sessions.
These velodromes are very safety conscious, and the multiple introduction and track certification sessions are to prepare non racers, and even newcomers to cycling, to ride safely in close proximity on the track. Actually racing requires further certification and proof of insurance coverage. Even a national team track racer who wanted to ride at Mattamy would have to complete the Track Certification B program. Canada seems to be more safety and insurance coverage conscious that the USA. The Wheelsucker's experience in Ontario is that one cannot do a club or team ride without being a member of an Ontario-based club or team, which ensures that one has Ontario Cycling Association insurance coverage. This is quite different from most of the MABRA training rides that the Wheelsucker is familiar with.
Perhaps to better serve the local community, this velodrome has facilities that may not be seen at other velodromes. The infield area includes two gymnasium courts, which were configured as basketball courts when he was there. This space can be reconfigured when necessary, so would look more like a typical velodrome infield during major track cycling events. There is a spin bike room, fitness centre, weight room, and excellent shower/change rooms. The cycling track is inside a walking and running track. There are meeting rooms, and several local, provincial and national cycling organizations have offices there. There are supposed to be a bike shop and a cafe soon. One really nice feature is bike storage lockers, so those riding at the velodrome frequently can leave their bike there, stored vertically in a single bike locker space.
The Wheelsucker has family living in Guelph Ontario. Guelph is conveniently located in between the two velodromes. He was visiting family and brought his track bike with him.
The Mattamy velodrome has Argon track bikes as rental bikes.
Since he had completed the "Introduction to the track" session and raced at Trexlertown (and he had also completed a "track 1" session at Forest City), the Wheelsucker was considered "track certified" at another velodrome, and could skip the Mattamy "Introduction to the track session and the "Track Certification A", and go directly into "Track Certification B".
Track Certification B is held every Friday evening from 8:30-10:30pm. The Wheelsucker arrived early so he could put his bike together and check out the facility. A "drop in" session was going on when he arrived (this video was taken near the end, when the fastest riders had already left), with several pacelines circling the track at different speeds, as well as a few lone riders on the apron, or staying high on the track. The fastest group was hammering!!
The Track Certification B Session
"Track Certification B" sessions are limited to 18 riders; it appears that every Track Certification B session held so far has filled; the Wheelsucker had to register several weeks in advance to get a spot in one. This group appeared to have some track racers, possibly some road racers, and non-racers who wanted to be track certified. But almost everyone had team or club kit on, and several looked like they could be experienced track racers. Three or four other riders in the group of 18 were similarly taking Track Certification B without having done Track Certification A at Mattamy, so were "track certified" elsewhere.
At 42 degrees, this track is rather more banked than Trexlertown, which is 30 degrees, but a little less banked than Forest City, which is the shortest and probably most banked track in North America at 50 degrees. The Wheelsucker has only ridden Trexlertown a few times and Forest City once. Privately, the Wheelsucker may confess to feeling a little intimidated before he rolls out on any of these tracks, but one starts on the apron, picks up speed, shoulder checks to make certain there is room to get on the track safely, and rolls off the apron onto the lower lane of the track. Then one picks up more speed and soon the bike feels good on the banks. Then all it takes is someone else to pick up the pace and the Wheelsucker ignores his earlier concerns and trepidation and glues himself to a good wheel and pedals for all he is worth. The timber track feels different from the concrete Trexlertown track, but is quieter than Forest City's timber track.
The first drill had the 18 riders split into two groups, each group just following the first rider in the group, with no passing. The 18 riders were split based on where their bikes were leaning against the infield wall, so the bikes in front of the ramp were in the first group, while those behind were in the second. The Wheelsucker was accidentally positioned to be the leader of the second group, but recognizing this, asked one of the two session instructors if the groups were split evenly. The instructor agreed that the front group was smaller, so the Wheelsucker left the lead position in the second group, for the last position in the first group, EXACTLY where he wanted to be as he told the instructor. The lady riding one position in front of him suggested that the Wheelsucker had made the change as he wanted to check out her behind, but the Wheelsucker told her he would be watching her back wheel the entire time. This was mostly true, both groups were going easy, and riding at the back the Wheelsucker was having to accelerate and decelerate frequently trying to hold a constant gap to her rear wheel. The Wheelsucker was looking ahead to see what other riders ahead of him were doing. He did notice that the lady in front of him had a pair of glasses only partly tucked into a jersey pocket, and was wondering if these could fall out. The instructors must have been paying very close attention because once this first drill had ended they asked her to get rid of them.
After reminding everyone that the focus of the Track Certification B session was track safety for recreational riding NOT RACING, and telling all riders that how fast their best flying lap was not relevant and demonstrating it was not good for track safety, the group was split into three, a slow, a medium and a fast group, for several iterations of the next drill. Not wanting to be over-matched the Wheelsucker -- who has not raced this year and is not training seriously -- was thinking he would jump into the medium group. However the instructor suggested that the Wheelsucker had "looked comfortable" sitting on the back, and should try the fast group. The Wheelsucker waited for the fast group to roll round and joined at the back.
This drill was working pacelines, and practice having pacelines passing each other, even passing while riders were rotating off the front. This could briefly put riders five or six deep if the three pacelines all had riders pulling off at the same time, in the same turn. Riders in the overtaking paceline were to yell "stick" to warn the riders in the back of the other paceline that they were being overtaken and should hold their line. The "stick" request should be repeated as one passed riders in a large group. The overtaking paceline should be led far enough above or below the other paceline that there is still room for the lead rider in the overtaken paceline to pull off. Riders were to shoulder check anytime they moved off their line, up or down. Pulls were one lap long, with the lead rider coming off in the same turn each time. The rider pulling off always pulls off to the right, higher on the banking.
Groups try to ride either the lower lane between the red and black lines or just above the mid track blue line. One does not have to pass on the right, a group can pass low if the other group is on the blue line.
The faster pace and smaller number in the fast group made the pace smoother and steadier. The track rental bikes were geared low, and would have required a very high cadence to hold the pace of the fast group. While registering for the Track Certification B session the Wheelsucker had noted some gearing/gear inches guidelines for the session. To partly conform the Wheelsucker had reluctantly taken off his 50x14 and put on a 48x15, this was still rather higher than what was on the rental bikes.
In the smaller, faster and smoother group the Wheelsucker was more comfortable riding closer to the wheel in front of him. Several in the group appeared to the Wheelsucker to be quite comfortable riding on the track; probably experienced track racers who were just being certified for riding at Mattamy. Later the Wheelsucker confirmed this with one rider, who told him he had been track racing for six to seven years. The fast group practiced safely passing the other two groups while riding the blue line and when riding the lower lane between the red and black lines. The fast group would start with five to seven riders, but the pace was generally high, and some riders would drop off part way through a 20 minute ride. As his confidence grew, the Wheelsucker started increasing the pace when he was on the front. Gaps were opening and the Wheelsucker would swing high after his lap, shoulder check, and if there was a gap would dive back in, into the gap, not to the back of the group.
Coming off the front of the group is a skill and an art. The key points are to shoulder check to the right to ensure no one is there as one approaches the turn. You can wiggle a right elbow to remind the riders behind you will be pulling off and up to the right. As you enter the turn and the steeper banking you keep pedaling, maybe even pedal harder for two pedal strokes and turn right to climb the banking. You trade kinetic energy for potential energy, then swap back as you dive back down. Provided there was no one there you can go all the way from near the blue line to the upper edge of the track. Since you are climbing you are slowing down. You shoulder check to the left to check that the next rider is pulling the group past, check for gaps, and check for the back of the group. While you expect to drop back inline at the back of the group you have to notice gaps and consider filling them. As you turn left and start descending back to the blue line you accelerate and catch on at the back, ideally without having to accelerate or decelerate. But the art is doing this so smoothly and quickly that you are back in the draft in your chosen spot, without making any additional effort. The perfect "pull off" may be a big swoop to the top of the banking, a quick decision on how far back you will rejoin the group and then a quick dive into position, all without changing level of effort or having to adjust spacing to the rear wheel ahead of you as you rejoin the group. You should come off the front as you enter the turn, and be back on at the back well before the straight, all done smoothly without altering cadence, increasing effort or over steering. Try watching a pursuit team doing this, and they are going flat out while in aero bars!
All 18 riders passed Track Certification B. While the Wheelsucker has been mostly focused on the wheel in front of him and passing safely, he did note that despite the three groups riding at different speeds, everything had gone smoothly with no crashes or close calls. He had not seen any riders who were not able to ride safely.
After everyone had been declared passed there was still 30 minutes left. The instructor sent the three groups back out on the track for more. Strong pulls by two other riders and the Wheelsucker soon blew up the fast group, which was down to one strong experienced track rider with just the Wheelsucker glued to his back wheel, at the end. With time up at 10:30pm, the Track Certification B riders rolled off the track, freeing it up for another waiting track training session group to start their session.
What a BLAST!!!
Now that he is track certified for recreational riding at Mattamy the Wheelsucker is looking forward to some "drop in sessions", seeing if he can hang with the fast group (he may consider cheating and going with the 50x14 again), and perhaps taking the track racing certification sessions.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment