In our life and culture there seems to be a lack of etiquette lately. People have forgotten how to flip on there turn signals, they want to sit in your lap while you pay at the cash register, and don’t understand it is unsafe to tailgate because someone might stop abruptly.
One of the main reasons I love the velodrome is that racing is fast, fun, and etiquette is required. There are many disciplines of cycling where there are unspoken rules. But at your local velodrome the rules are set, and the athletes you compete with sit across from you on the infield. This means you always have instant feed back.
One of the rules of velodrome racing is no one gets to have brakes. This means no one can slam on the brakes and cause a pileup. This also means that riding safely is paramount to staying upright. To stay upright, you never overlap wheels and you use the banking of the track to control your speed. If someone slows down, you move up track to slow down. If someone falls down, you move up track because they will slide down track.
Another important rule is to look before you move and to make your movements smooth or subtle. If you look right, and know one is there (or coming up behind), you can move right. When you are looking right, it also signals to other riders behind you that you are planning to move.
The rules on a velodrome apply at all times. If you want to workout at the same time as another group at the velodrome, you can be assured that the other riders will understand the rules and they should not do something unexpected or dangerous. We enter and exit the track the same way every time. We ride fast on certain parts of the track and slower on others. We have one word commands that are recognized at other velodromes to communicate with each other while on the track.
If you ever want to learn more about the San Diego Velodrome, let us know. All the coaches at Crank Cycling ride, race, teach, and coach riders at the San Diego Velodrome.
Cheers
Coach Jesse
www.sdvelodrome.com
San Diego Velodrome category C's June 1998
Coach Jesse attacking the Field!
