Manchester Velodrome
23 May 2010, 02:17 PM
#1
Manchester Velodrome
Someone at work booked a group session at the Velodrome so I thought it was worth a go, got there and was slightly daunted by the 42 degree angle of the track, the fixed geared bikes with no brakes but in for a penny.
Actually if you can ride a bike fairly well you will get on fine on the banked track, it feels weird at first and you think that there is no way the tyres will grip at that angle as though to gdet further up you have to be motoring you still are fairly upright, once you have some confidence it just becomes normal. You need to remember that when you decde to slow down you cant coast due to the fixed hub and reach for the brakes as much as you want they wont appear
though to be honest I didnt miss them.
It is knackering, I was getting a bit competitive, its like Lycra Nascar, then you realise you are utterly wiped out and your face is glowing, I was heartened to see everyone stopping for a drink before I did, looking simarlarly exerted.
The higher you go on the banking, the further you go on the lap so for a fast lap they reckon the black line is the fastest, they got us all to do a timed lap and it was funny, the older blokes were faster, the fastest two places were blokes I would reckon about fifty, I think I came fourth or fifth out of the group of about twenty so reasonably pleased, nice to be knocking 40 and getting a better time than blokes 15 years younger and a "few" pounds lighter, you have to take your small victories where you can !
It only cost a tenner and is well worth a go if you are near a Velodrome.
Actually if you can ride a bike fairly well you will get on fine on the banked track, it feels weird at first and you think that there is no way the tyres will grip at that angle as though to gdet further up you have to be motoring you still are fairly upright, once you have some confidence it just becomes normal. You need to remember that when you decde to slow down you cant coast due to the fixed hub and reach for the brakes as much as you want they wont appear
though to be honest I didnt miss them.It is knackering, I was getting a bit competitive, its like Lycra Nascar, then you realise you are utterly wiped out and your face is glowing, I was heartened to see everyone stopping for a drink before I did, looking simarlarly exerted.
The higher you go on the banking, the further you go on the lap so for a fast lap they reckon the black line is the fastest, they got us all to do a timed lap and it was funny, the older blokes were faster, the fastest two places were blokes I would reckon about fifty, I think I came fourth or fifth out of the group of about twenty so reasonably pleased, nice to be knocking 40 and getting a better time than blokes 15 years younger and a "few" pounds lighter, you have to take your small victories where you can !
It only cost a tenner and is well worth a go if you are near a Velodrome.
24 May 2010, 10:08 AM
#4
Scooby Regular
A mate of mine is heavily into road racing ands sports fitness, and has done a fair number of laps at Manchester.
He's also binned it an a couple of occasions
You wouldn't believe how much skin those track surfaces can remove if you hit them at speed
He's also binned it an a couple of occasions
You wouldn't believe how much skin those track surfaces can remove if you hit them at speed
24 May 2010, 11:43 AM
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24 May 2010, 01:22 PM
#7
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