My Weekend - Part One - Bicycle Races
On Friday night, I took my son to Trexlertown, PA to watch bicycle races at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome. We got to see some excellent races, a few crashes, and I think he learned a thing or two.
I pointed out to him that the track bikes have a single, fixed gear. That means that when the bike moves, the pedals move. There's no freewheel.
Most of the races were quite short, being youth developmental race, so, they were usually between 1 and 2 km. The track, apparently nicknamed "the concrete crater", is 1/3 km in length. There were also several kierin (sp?) races. These are motor paced in the early stages, then with 1.5 laps to go, the motorcycle pulls off the track and the racing begins. Some racers would try to break from the front and hold it, while others used the "ride the leader's wheel and nip 'em at the line" strategy.
There were two longer races, a women's 5-mile and a men's 10-mile. It was pretty remarkable seeing the leg turnover of the racers. The fixed gear means that to go faster, your only option is to turn the pedals faster. These guys could turn some amazing cadences, and more remarkably, sustain them for a long period.
It was my first time at the velodrome, and it was great. I have pictures, and you'll see them soon.
I pointed out to him that the track bikes have a single, fixed gear. That means that when the bike moves, the pedals move. There's no freewheel.
Most of the races were quite short, being youth developmental race, so, they were usually between 1 and 2 km. The track, apparently nicknamed "the concrete crater", is 1/3 km in length. There were also several kierin (sp?) races. These are motor paced in the early stages, then with 1.5 laps to go, the motorcycle pulls off the track and the racing begins. Some racers would try to break from the front and hold it, while others used the "ride the leader's wheel and nip 'em at the line" strategy.
There were two longer races, a women's 5-mile and a men's 10-mile. It was pretty remarkable seeing the leg turnover of the racers. The fixed gear means that to go faster, your only option is to turn the pedals faster. These guys could turn some amazing cadences, and more remarkably, sustain them for a long period.
It was my first time at the velodrome, and it was great. I have pictures, and you'll see them soon.
posted by Scooter at 11:41 PM
3 Comments:
Howdy! As you probably already know Amby also has a blogspot, but did you know "Doc" too: http://ambyburfoot.blogspot.com/ He sounds like quite a character, and being shoeless too! May he rest in peace. Happy trails, Bruce
Bruce,
I didn't know Amby had a blog. Thanks for pointing it out to me.
Howdy! No problem...Amby will probably be thrilled with your blog pictures too!! Happy trails, Bruce
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