To the Track

For those of you that didn't know, there is an indoor velodrome in Boulder that just opened last week. It is a full wooden track within a large warehouse. I went out there today and got signed up for an intermediate class. They told me the beginner class would not be appropriate if I had already done some road races. Anyway, they hooked me up with a nice new track bike (included in the cost of the class) and away I went. (just bring your pedals, shoes and helmet)

It was a blast!!!! The track bike was pretty awesome! For those that have not ridden a fixed gear bike before, it really is not very difficult to get used to. Climbing up on the banking of the Velodrome was a little intimidating the first couple of times but it soon became very easy. The high banks are a great way to control your speed and move off the head of a paceline. To the left is a photo of the class I was in.

On the right is a photo of turn one with a rider to provide some scale. The guy in the upper right of the photo is on a second level balcony.

Unfortunately the class was over filled and I didn't get enough time on the track to be completely comfortable. The instructor suggested I return for another class before being certified on the track. By the end of the class I felt a lot better and was actually ripping it up.

I was a little surprised by the g-forces in the turns. You kind of have to tilt your head to the side to see in the turn. Otherwise your head gets heavy and it is difficult to look up into the turn..... G-forces on a bike.... Nice!