No doubt those who frequent this site of late have noticed the attention I give to the efforts and indeed results, of some of our new Canadian track riders.
I love the track. It is fast. It is intense. It is absolutely the purest form of cycling. No gears to change. No brakes to slow progress. No weather to get in your way. Simply a rider and his/her vehicle. You want to go faster…simply pedal faster….or at least try. The thrill of pedaling around a steep banking with the G forces actually pulling the blood out of your brain and your body and bike nearly parallel to the ground (and you are the motor) has got to be one of the biggest thrills you could ever have cycling.
Were it not for the fact that I am such a slow twitch I consider myself no twitch, I would have immersed myself much further in the ‘left turn only’ discipline. Not to say I didn’t spend my time at it. I’ve ridden hundreds of races and thousands of miles on velodromes. Its just that when you can’t sprint to save your life, you don’t win much. Although, I did manage wins in Madison races where I could be sure to throw my partner in for the sprints………sigh.
Back in the Seventies my old coach said if you want to be a good bike rider, you must ride the track. It was hard to argue because at that time Mr Merckx was setting heights never again to reached in full domination of the sport. Not content to wipe the slate in road cycling, he often rode the Sixes in the winter where he would amass a total of some 19 wins. As well, on an almost last minute decision, he raced for the World Hour Record at the Mexico Olympic velodrome. His result would actually never be beaten (at least so far) if one considers what he rode and wore. ie no aero helmet, wool shorts, no shoe covers etc etc. Even Chris Boardman stated before his non ’sillybike’ attempt, that his helmet alone would give him more then enough to beat Eddy’s distance….all else being equal.
Then I saw my friends like Ron Hayman and Alex Steida use their prowess gained from their track laps to be Canadians at the sharp end of Belgian cycling as amateurs. While neither were what you would called real road sprinters, the track had boosted their technical skill and sprint tactics to allow both, dozens of sprint wins. Ron would go on to win major events like the Tour of Ireland and Alex of course, would be the first North American to take the TdF Yellow Jersey. “Be like a fish,” coach Norman Hill would tell us. Trouble with me was I’d fish my way to the front, then drown.
The track is to me, is a cross between the fitness required to be a bike racer and the focus on immediate strength for a few seconds, of a weight-lifter. Those moments when you are bench pressing some almighty weight and it stalls and it seems like it just never going to get to the top. To me this absolutely parallels how long a 200 metre track can seem when you’ve got one lap to go and you are unraveling like Tiger Wood’s life is lately. The track can simply teach you to suffer in a way the road can’t.
If we look at many of the TdF’s top riders in recent years we can see so many that have track cycling as a background. Nearly all the Aussies are dromo kings. Jan Ullrich was track man in his early days. The ever durable Eric Zabel not only collected Green Jerseys like a madman but he rode and won many Six Day bike races in the winter season. And now look at multi gold medal winner on the boards, Bradly Wiggins. First real year in the pro road scene…..not too shabby.
After racing on the track, the action in the craziest crit still appears to be in slow motion. The Madison especially requires such concentration and speed at the same time that nothing in the velo world compares. If you lose a half length when the field is on the rivet at the track…you are probably dropped. Sayonara baby! Any that have participated in this most refined of cycle sports will concur, I have no doubt. For those that haven’t and you have a track anywhere near you, GO AND RIDE IT AND LEARN. You WILL be a better bike rider. For those hard core bikers that want to take a cycling vacation, instead of taking a trip to some Alp infested area, why not go to a town where there’s a good track facility and take their beginners program and step into a new world of pedaling magic.
If road is the life of cycling, track is the sex.