Riding on the track at the Olympic velodrome

Yesterday I had the chance to ride on the track at the Olympic velodrome at Stratford. In summary: it was fantastic. I hadn’t ridden on a velodrome before, or indeed on a fixed-wheel bike, so I was quite apprehensive about the whole thing. What if, in a moment of absent-mindedness, (to which I am prone),…

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Yesterday I had the chance to ride on the track at the Olympic velodrome at Stratford. In summary: it was fantastic.

I hadn’t ridden on a velodrome before, or indeed on a fixed-wheel bike, so I was quite apprehensive about the whole thing. What if, in a moment of absent-mindedness, (to which I am prone), I forget to keep pedalling and come crashing down the banking? That kind of thing.

But it was all fine. The instructor was very good, and took us through one step at a time, so that at each point I felt ready for the next stage. So, first of all understanding about the bike and the rules of riding on the track, then learning how to clip in, how to start off and how to stop, how to ride on the safety zone, how to ride on the ‘côte d’azur’, (light blue section at the bottom of the wooden track), then riding on the boards themselves.

I was grinning from ear to ear for much of the time. Well, inwardly at least. Complete euphoria at actually riding on a track tinged with a hint of nervousness thinking that it could all still go horribly wrong at any moment. But it didn’t, and I absolutely loved it.

At the end of the session I was given the go ahead to progress to Level 2. And you know what? I think I will.

Some photos are below. Please excuse the fact that they aren’t all that sharp – the light is comparatively low and my speed was incredibly fast. OK, not really that fast, but fast enough to be blurry.

Thanks should to go to my family who bought me the ‘taster session’.

If you’d like to have a go yourself, or perhaps buy a taster session for a cyclist you know, you can do so on the Lee Valley Velo park website. I’d say that ideally you need to be fairly competent on a bike. It would help to have ridden a road bike before, but probably isn’t essential. Do ask me any questions about it if that would be useful.

Choosing a bike.
Being fitted for a bike. Struggling to get on it because the cranks don’t just turn to where you want them.
The coach explains how to ride on the track.
The coach explains how to ride on the track while we all hold onto the banister*. *It may not be called a banister.
Riding around for the first time, on the 'safety zone', the blue flat bit.
Riding around for the first time, on the ‘safety zone’, the blue flat bit. I can ride a fixed-gear bike – hurrah!
Riding on the 'côte d'azur', the light blue strip that is part of the track, but not steeply banked on the bends.
Riding on the ‘côte d’azur’, the light blue strip that is part of the track, but not steeply banked on the bends.
On the track.
On the track. I can feel the wind in my face and am very happy.
Riding at a great velocity.
Riding at a great velocity.

3 Comments

  1. Looks fun. I have a question. I used to ride a normal bike before my accident/ My balance is now poor, and although I can manage a static bike or a spin bike in the gym if there is someone to help me get onto it, I feel too wobbly to ride a normal bike. I still have my bike, and hubbie and I are intending to find somewhere with a soft landing I can try it on. Is it easier or harder to ride a velodrome track (I live in Manchester). If it is harder, which I suspect it might be, do you know anything about disabled cycling? I am thinking about a 3 wheeler

  3. Thank you so much for these links Dave, we aren’t far from York and so a visit there is straightforward. I use a mobility scooter and would rather pedal but my balance is awful. I did think the velodrome might be more difficult, especially with dodgy balance, thanks for confirming that. I will let you know how I get on, and send you a photo of me on whatever bike I eventually get.

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