i t ’ s

ac y c l i n gr e v o l u t i o n“You’ll be amazed at how quickly you
get fatigued on the track. It takes somuch more power.” How much power?
For the first half of the first revolution in
the track sprint, the British men’s teamproduce 600 newton metres of torque– greater than that of a Formula 1 car.

reakish.” “Oak-sized.”“Monolithic.” “Meaty.”“Bigger than Posh’swaist.” Not words todescribe the latest
special from Burger King, but rather
adjectives used by the world’s press
to describe Chris Hoy’s thighs. Andthe sport behind achieving thosemuch-commented-on pistons isseeing a boom, thanks largely to thesuccess of Team GB and the increasing
accessibility of British velodromes.
To see what all the fuss is about,I’ve travelled to Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy
Velodrome to ride with the manhimself. The first thing you notice
standing in the middle of the track isjust how steep the sides are. So steep,in fact, that I wonder how anyone cancycle to the top and stay there. Half anhour later, I’m flying round that very
part of the Siberian pine, with Hoyyelling at me to drop down and cycle
as fast as I can. Sure, the fixed pedal/nobrake combo took a little getting used
to, but after a few laps I nudged myway towards the black, then red line,
then higher grinning wildly as I cycled
the 250-metre loop as fast as my legs
would pump before collapsing ina puddle of sweat and lactic acid.
As track cycling becomes moreaccessible, with the Sir Chris Hoy
Velodrome open to the public, and theLondon Velodrome opening in March,
I asked Hoy and Iain Dyer, track sprint
podium coach of Great Britain’s cycling
team, why you should give your roadbike a well-earned rest and try the track.

“It’s such a pure experience – no gears,
no brakes, no other components toworry about,” says Hoy. “It’s just you
and the bike, which makes it a much
more distilled experience.”
Which also means…

1. It’s easierthan it appears

3. You don’t needloads of kit

F

ShortList’s
Howard Calvert
tests out
Glasgow’s newSir Chris Hoy
Velodrome.
With SirChris Hoyphotographs: RICK ROBSON, PA, REX

1O reasons
to get on tothe track

dhb red cycling jersey £50; wiggle.co.uk. Thanks to The Grand Central Hotel , Glasgow; thegrandcentralhotel .co.uk

the local newsagent
really put rookie
paperboys to the test

“The track will seem intimidating
the first time you walk in,” says Hoy.
“Everyone gasps and thinks it looks
scary, but within five minutes of riding
round, you will be above the black line,
and will come off the track with a smile

7. It’s social“so if i beat you
i get all yourmedals, yeah?”“no gears, nobrakes, no othercomponents toworry about. it’s
you and the bike”“well, I suppose
you could fill thebottle with vodka
if you really wanted”

on your face. It’s a lot easier to get into
than it first seems.”

2. It goes backto basics“It’s not a difficult thing to get into – youcan come down without a bike, shoesor helmet and hire it all,” says Hoy.
“Even if you’re not a cyclist, you can justturn up to a taster session, pay yourentry fee, hire the kit for an hour and4. It’s year-round

9. It sharpens
your reactions

5. Coaches makeit accessible“Each session is overseen by anaccredited coach, who will get you
familiar with the bike and the skills
required for the track,” says Hoy.
“However familiar you are with theroad, you need to learn new skills – thebike has fixed wheels and you can’t
stop pedalling. The coach will
get you comfortable andfamiliar with the track andthen start doing drills.”

Use this on a turbo trainer or Wattbike before hitting thetrack or road (we’d recommend reducing the RPM by 10)
Elapsed Time
5 mins7 mins9 mins11 mins
12 mins 30 secs
13 mins
15 mins
15 mins 6 secs
16 mins 6 secs
16 mins 12 secs
17 mins 12 secs
17 mins 18 secs
22 mins 18 secs

“The first time you do it you’ll be tense,and your arms and neck will be rigid
as you will hold the bars too tight,” says
Hoy. “An hour later, you’ll be riding at
the top of the fence, which is a part of
the track you wouldn’t have thought
you’d be riding on the first day. You’ll
be able to feel the G-forces on thebends when you start picking up
speed.” After that, you’ll be hooked.

There are indoor velodromes in
Glasgow, Manchester, Newport andSouthampton, and venues in London
and Derby open next year. “In thewinter, when the weather is terrible,
you can use it to keep sharpening
your skills,” says Hoy.
“It’s also great to be able to havea physical training session away fromthe stresses of traffic and demandsof riding on the roads,” adds Dyer.

but take our tip and modify it to survive

CADENCE (RPM)
9095100
105110120-13090150+ (max out)
90150+ (max out)
90
150+ (max out)90

8. You’ll see
results quickly

you’ll be riding with other people
at a similar level to you.”

Do the British
Cycling warm-up

TIME
5 mins2 mins2 mins2 mins1 min 30 secs
30 secs
2 mins6 secs
1 min
6 secs
1 min
6 secs5 mins“Most track-based clubs will have clubnights and coaching sessions,” says
Dyer. “Such sessions will run througha variety of training drills, many ofwhich take place in a group and create
a good social environment in which totrain. Most tracks also run an in-housetrack league.” Use British Cycling’s Club
Finder to find your nearest club –britishcycling.org.uk/clubfinder.

it dawned on him they’dlook even better against
a bare, hairy chest

6. It will
help youout onthe road“Using a fixed-gear
track bike meansno freewheeling,
and to go faster, youhave to pedal faster, so
it’s an excellent way to
improve your pedal speed
and cadence,” says Dyer.
“You develop your riding skills;
both track techniques andbunch-riding skills, which
enhances your road riding.
You’ll also improve your fitness
and you will adapt to thehigher cadences of the fixedgear.” Hoy highlights the factthat the track improves yourhorsepower, which every
cyclist can benefit from.

“You have to be able to make decisions
quickly,” says Hoy. One of the key skills
to track cycling is learning how to cycle
right behind the person in front of you.
“Initially, there’ll be big gaps as you
won’t want to get too close as you haveno brakes,” says Hoy. “But they haveno brakes either, so they’re not goingto suddenly stop. Learn to ride on thewheel – get tighter and tighter andyou’ll become more proficient at
holding a consistent line. Once youlearn that, the fitness and speed willcome.” The intensity of concentration
can shock novices, adds Dyer. “With nochance to freewheel or change gear
there’s no respite, and the only way tohave a decent breather is to roll off the
track and recover. With new skills tolearn too, it takes a lot of concentration
which adds to the intensity.”

10. It’s a lot of fun

This is what surprised me most. Thespeeds generated on the track after
just a couple of hours were pulsequickening and left me wanting more,
despite my energy-depleted legs. “Youget an adrenaline rush when you’rethrowing the bike around that is uniqueto this sport,” says Hoy. “The burst ofspeed when you dive off the top isa real adrenaline buzz, and that’s
what gets people coming back.”
Sir Chris Hoy is an ambassador for
Science In Sport (SiS); scienceinsport.
com. For more advice on track cycling,
visit British Cycling’s Insight Zone;
britishcycling.org.uk/insightzone

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