Chelmer
Cycling Club
Established 1947
A Club for Every Age &
Ability!
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Track Racing…
What is a track?
It's a banked circuit of
from 200 metres to 440 metres in length and it's always ridden
anti-clockwise. (quite simple really, turn left
twice and you're back to the start). Tracks,
nowadays are usually made of concrete or tarmac (outside) or wood for fully
enclosed tracks such as
What bike do I need?
Special bikes are used
with fixed wheel and no brakes. This is not a problem as no-one else has
brakes either, but some care is needed to acclimatise to riding with fixed wheel
for the first time, if you forget and stop pedalling to scratch your bottom,
the results can be spectacular. Track bikes usually have tubular tyres as
they are safer if they puncture.
Most tracks have hire
bikes and these usually have 'Look' type pedals. Manchester has adapters that
fit in to the Look cleat, to convert them to toe clips. Calshot
has clipped pedals, but they will allow you to fit your own pedals as their
bikes have steel cranks.
Why does the track have
all those coloured lines etc?
An indoor track has
various zones, the painted green area between the track and the railings; is
for speeding up and slowing down, before going on and after coming off the
track. It must be considered as part of the track and only those riding in
the session, or the coach in charge of the session, should be on it. You may
be the fastest and the best track rider in the world, but if someone rolls
their tub and comes sliding down the banking into you, then you (and the
unfortunate rider) are just as injured.
Between the green and the
track itself is a blue area known as the
The track itself has three
lines around it. the first and lowest line is
painted black and is known as the 'Datum' line or the pursuiter's
line. This line is the one that is measured to give the length of the track
and if you decide to break Chris Boardman's hour record, you will have to
ride on or just above it.
The next line up is red
and this one's called the sprinter's line. If you're sprinting for the finish
of the race you are not allowed to pass another rider by going underneath
him, if he is on or below the red line. This rule also applies to training
sessions, where it would be unnecessarily dangerous to do so.
Finally we have the blue
or stayer's line. This is used mostly to divide the
track during training sessions with overtaking riders keeping above the line.
Sometimes two different ability groups will be on the track at the same time.
The faster riders are
(usually) placed at the top of the track and the slower or
novices at the bottom.
Is it difficult to ride on
a hard track?
It's very easy, as I said
before, there's only two corners, just keep turning
left when you come to one!
Can I just turn up and
ride at any training session?
No, for safety reasons
novices are separated from experts! However, there are a number of 'Taster' sessions
put on especially for novice riders. There are also 'Club Sessions', put on
by clubs like the Chelmer for groups of invited riders and you can take part
in these, because the coach in charge will ensure that novices are kept apart
from the more experienced riders.
If you want to become a
regular track rider, you will need to be 'Track Accredited'.
You will first need to
ride in a 'Taster Session'. These are special sessions put on where the coach
in charge can assess the rider (you will need to inform the coach, prior to
the start of the session, so he can keep an eye on you). If you can
demonstrate that you can hold the blue line in a group and not 'kick back',
and can change from the front of the line to the back cleanly, after looking
to see that it's clear, then the coach may issue you with a Skills Slip. This
enables you to book into an induction session. There are other routes for
experienced track riders to become accredited, but these are subject to the
discretion of the Track Development Officer.
The emphasis in all these
requirements is safety! An unskilled rider cutting in front of someone can
easily bring down a whole group of riders. By the end of a successful
induction course you will be able to ride safely and take part in 'drop in' sessions,
without endangering the other riders.
How do I slow down on the
track without brakes?
It's quite simple; tracks
are very steep so if you go up, you slow and if you go down you will speed
up. To slow your speed in a group, you look behind, then
pull up to the right a little. If you want to get on the back of a passing
group, you ride high on the track until they have all gone past, then drop
down using the speed gained to get on to the wheel of the last rider.
How do I get on and off
the track?
All getting on and off the
bike itself bike is done at the railings at Manchester and Newport. This is
for reasons of safety, to keep you as far away as possible from the track and
because the 'green' is very slippery. Do not ride through the gate into the
centre area, get off your bike and walk. It's steeply downhill and you will
have a job to stop. At Calshot, there are no
railings, so you just turn into the centre area, but again care is needed to
ensure that you are not going too fast to stop.
To get on, ride round on
the green accelerating until it feels hard to keep the bike from sliding out
on to the track, then look behind to make sure it's clear and accelerate hard
on to the start of one of the straights. Keep pedalling hard, you cannot go
too fast and as you come to the turn, keep pedalling hard on the banking.
Don't grip the handlebars
too tightly and you will be able to feel when the bike wants to go on the
track, or when the speed is a bit low and it wants to come off!
For normal lapping of the
track, it's necessary to pedal a little bit harder on the turns, than on the
straights. This is the opposite of you're natural instincts and feels a bit
weird at first. (but don't worry, all us trackies
are a little bit weird)
When it's time to come
off, look behind and ease up on the pedalling, drop steadily down the track
till you are just above the black line, then as you reach the end of one of
the turns slow a bit more and the bike will lead itself of the banking on to
the Cote' d'azure. Slow down more on the Cote' d'azure,
before riding on to the green (remember you are still going fairly fast and
it's easy to overdo the next turn)
What about the bike?
There's no need to spend much
on a track bike, practically 'any old iron' will do. But it should be
prepared properly using glued on tubs (tub tape can easily come off,
particularly in warm weather) Use proper tub cement or Evo-Stick
Time Bond adhesive. I prefer the Time Bond, it's
less runny and allows you to position the tub nicely before it dries. Clean
the rim, fit the tub, pump it to about half pressure
and check that it runs true before you remove it again and apply the glue.
Once it's on, position it straight and keep checking as it dries (some tubs
are determined to twist while drying). Clean off any surplus glue with
thinners before it sets hard.
Pressures can be used on
the track, but the multi coloured things that are used regularly on the road
can be a bit slippery, particularly at Manchester. So if you are buying tyres
to use on the track, I would suggest you choose all-black ones. 23mm tyres
are faster than smaller ones and tend to grip better. There's no need to
'spend the earth'. 'Continental Podiums' are a medium priced tub and will
last most riders for several seasons.
When using new tyres for
the first time, clean them off with a rag dipped in thinners, or rotate the
wheels 'gently' against a sheet of fine grade 'wet and dry'.
Chains should be endless
and proper track chains. A track chain is designed to stay on, whereas a derailier chain is designed to de-rail easily. (not helpful when it's you're only means of stopping).
Chains should have no slack at their tightest point and no more than 5mm of
free movement at their slackest point.
Different gearing is used
for different tracks, if in doubt, under, rather than over gear. Cranks
should be 165mm for clearance on the banking and to enable you to spin
freely. Rear sprockets can be used without a lock ring, but must be 'very
tight'. This means they must be tightened using a chain whip, not by trying
to emulate Cippolini on you're first lap of the
track. Trying to slow down with a rear sprocket that's just come undone can
be a bit depressing, especially as it's likely to unscrew so far that the
wheel locks against the chain stay.
Finally, what clothing
should I wear on the track?
Indoor tracks are warmer
than outside in the winter, but not very warm. For winter sessions try to
wear two layers of clothing, then if you do 'take a tumble', the layers will
slide over each other and prevent skin burns at heavy contact points.
It goes without saying
that you will not be allowed on the track without a helmet! Pedalling 'the boards' is one of the most exciting forms of cycling. Anyone can join in, so do try to have a go when there is a suitable session for novices!
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