Rookie Roadie Mad Bart beyond the velodrome
How the ‘pleasures’ of track cycling compare to the road
As a child,
I vaguely recall watching
Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome, film in which Mel Gibson duels inside a domed, cage-like arena. The crowd chants, “Two men enter, one man leaves!” When I decided to flee the winter blahs and start riding and racing at the Burnaby Velodrome in B.C., early this year, I wondered if I would be entering a Mad Max-style alternate universe. Although ultimately there were no post-apocalyptic desert people or really bad ’80s-inspired leather clothing, the rules of the track are very different than the rules of the road.
Weight
Outside the velodrome
On the road, big equals slow. At 6- 1, and weighing 170 lb., I am often referred to as “skinny,” “lean” or other similarly ego-boosting adjectives. But when riding on the road, my coach looks at me dubiously as I go up hills. He then informs me he is pushing 30 fewer watts to go the same speed. It seems I have a “large ass” holding me back.
Inside the velodrome
On the track, big equals fast. Here, I was surrounded by a veritable cornucopia of large riders. The 220-lb. track riders contentedly munched on doughnuts before winning match sprint competitions. No uphills means no weight worries.
Duration
Outside the velodrome
Even the shortest races on the road feature 30 minutes of intensity. Of course, many races can go for hours. This time commitment does not suit an individual such as me. My ability to go for five-hour training rides is constrained by a one-year- old child and a wife to whom I plan to stay married.
Inside the velodrome
Structured workouts never last more than one and a half hours, which includes breaks. Races are very short: in my first season of racing, I never went more than 10 minutes.
Braking
Outside the velodrome
Yes. Braking is good. Just don’t do it
suddenly in a group.
Inside the velodrome
If you want to slow down, go up track, or to the outside. If there is no more track to go up, you crash. Simple. And don’t try to do the following three things together: stop pedalling, sit down and go up track. In my experience, that leads to a crash and my wife picking splinters out of my hip for a few days.
Racing
Outside the velodrome
You have three choices on the road: criterium, time trial or road race.
Inside the velodrome
There are too many types of races to describe here. Points race, mystery race (just keep riding till the bell goes), elimination, scratch, Madison – it can be a baffling array of choices.
Socializing
Outside the velodrome
You can count on a good 30 minutes of easy riding to chat and catch up.
Inside the velodrome
No talking. If you can chat, your heart rate must be too low and you aren’t close to throwing up. So, get to the front! Also, if you ride at the Burnaby track, never take someone’s folding chair. Trust me on that one. The velodrome proved to be a delightful way improve my bike handling skills and fast-twitch muscles. It also gave me an excuse to buy a new bike. The riding actually proved to be a good fit for my low-endurance, high-weight
“If there is no more track to go up, you crash. Simple.”
skill set. I even went on to win several races in the Friday-night racing series. So even though the track bike has been away all summer, I’m looking forward to riding the boards when the season comes around.