Track

Track

Even people that are new to cycling will have found it hard to avoid seeing the Great Britain track team taking nearly all the medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics! Track racing takes place on short specially built tracks consisting of two tight, banked corners joined by two short straights. Olympic and World Championship Track racing is generally held on indoor 250m wooden tracks. The closest facility of this standard to the North East is in Manchester.

Many outdoor tracks are concrete or tarmac surfaced, the closest of which is in Scunthorpe.

There is currently no velodrome in the north east, but plans are afoot for a new outdoor track to be constructed in the near future. Keep an eye on this site for updates.

Bikes

Track racing requires a special type of bicycle that has only one gear and no brakes! With bikes having a fixed wheel (forcing you to pedal continuously) the rider controls speed through pressure applied to the pedals.

Manchester velodrome offers taster sessions for novices with bike hire available as well as structured training for the more experienced rider. Bike hire is also available. For more information see http://www.manchestervelodrome.com/.

Races

Track events can be split into two main types: Sprint events, which generally last for less than two minutes and Endurance events which can be up to 40km in length.

Grass Track

Richmond Cyclists' Meet events is the Grass Track Meeting on the town's cycling track. The grass track on the cricket field in Richmond is 1 of only 3 banked cycling-specific tracks in the country and is arguably the best! Racing on the track dates back to the late 1800s, when local bookies would take bets on the riders, who gave their bikes names - much like horse racing. Richmond's population would treble in size with spectators coming to witness the spectacle of the racing and the morning carnival parade through the historic market place, which starts from the Grass Track at 10am. "It's a fantastic event and it seems to be growing in popularity with the riders" commented organiser James Hall. "We've a licensed bar on site in the Cricket Clubhouse and last year counted over 1000 spectators lining the banks of the track." The jewel in the crown of the grass track meeting is the National Championship race - this year contesting the 8km Grass Track Endurance championship at 1pm.