Heh, still grinning.
The Centre: Easy enough to find with the postcode in the satnav, it's part of a stadium and swimming pool complex with plenty of parking. From Gloucester I went over the top of the Severn because you only pay on the bridges going into Wales not out and I'm a cheapskate. Coming out I used the motorways which for me is practically door to door and a brain switched off drive comparatively. Easy avoidance of the 6 odd quid bridge charge obviously depends upon where you start.
Arrival: You pick up the free gloves from the Entrance booth, not what you'd call a quality item but who cares? I used my own anyway and these can be relegated to 5th spare or something. Then it's down a corridor or two to the changing rooms and the bike collection. You need a pound for the lockers. There were 16 people on the course with me and a few brought friends/spectators, they call those who have road bikes up first because these people typically know their bike size. I took a 54. The bikes are predominantly Dolan's with a smattering of Raleigh and all have look keo pedals, if you don't have those cleats they snap a cage and strap converter into them.
@vickster they are all black, very black, black with added black. Once you have your bike you wheel it down a few more corridors and up into the centre of the Velodrome.
The Track: Oh my, it is steep, very very steep at the ends. No way you can ride on that without falling off. No way.
The Coach: You sign a sheet with your name, address, signature and an emergency contact number (
). Tempted to put 999 but didn't. There's a short briefing that basically points out that you have no brakes and that it's a fixie and what that entails. Then everyone lines up on the inside rail of the track itself. It's surprising how much space 16 wobbly people in line take up along the side so the coach has to shout a bit to be heard by both front and back.
First laps: I was at the front so nobody to watch, off you go, it's a big gear of course and you worry a bit (well I did) because you can't just unclip if you can't turn it, but this proves an unfounded fear it's a slow start but quick enough not to unbalance. The flat area inside the track proper feels wider than it looks on tv to me. We are warned that it is a bit slippery so don't go too fast around the ends. 16 people warily circuit for around 10 or so laps. You are encouraged to accelerate at the beginning of the straights and learn to 'brake' at the end of them, it's not entirely automatic but I get the hang of it and don't mess it up. You have to plan to stop though, it's utterly impossible to lose speed the way you do with brakes so you need to be really aware of those around you the only saving grace being that they cant stop on a dime either. Even so, it still feels you are more at the mercy of other people's mistakes than in other scenarios. Looked up at the track proper on occasion, still looks steep..Did I mention it's steep? Everyone parks without incident, although there are some large gaps along the rail and a few 'extra' laps incurred
.
Second Session: We are split into two groups of 8 the second group gets a break and watches the first. I'm in the first group. Short briefing and it's out onto the track proper, this time we start on the 'Cote D'Azure' and gradually increase speed, we have been told that 18mph is about right for the banking at the bottom of the track proper, though there is no way to tell this on the bike. You do get a feel for the sort of speed you need after a while, but you never really know what it actually is.
Again I'm at the front, don't know how, didn't mean to, others better at hiding I guess. Get warned to slow down on first lap, those at the back still at walking pace (ha, me, too fast? That's a first). After a few laps the coach puts a marker up the track a ways on the straight that we must go over if we can. It's not as hard to do as I thought it might be. About every two laps the marker moves up, after maybe 8 it's right near the top, and you are going quicker to reach it. I think some behind me are missing it but it's hard to tell, and for those less confident there's no worries, just ignore it if you like.
Then the marker is removed and still at the front I'm told "black line", so you ride wholly on the track proper. Then "between black and red" and finally "blue line" I'm lapping some of the slower riders now, and two guys fly over me at a rate of knots also. Wheeeeee....
One by one we are called down/in and park up grinning and in my case slightly breathless. Still I can catch my breath whilst watching the second 8 do the same thing. There's a drinking fountain that sees some use....
Timed lap(s): Contrary to my expectation of a flying start lap, this is two laps not one, but is from a standing start about 30m shy of the line. One at a time we are sent off, this time I was fourth not first for a change.
500m at full chat for the latter part of it. I manage 46:25 which I think is rubbish. The fastest was 37 something and the slowest somewhere just north of a minute I think, I'm pretty average (this is not news).
Some people came off the clips on this exercise which is kind of amusing if one is being cruel...they are just a passenger until they stop.
And it's done.
Notes: It actually lasted about an hour and 20 minutes because 16 is more than they have typically had up to now, however it is the number apparently sanctioned by British Cycling. The coach isn't entirely comfortable with that many learners at speed, safety is first, hence the two groups of 8.
I used normal trainers, but they were way way too floppy soled, I should have used my spd shoes and just removed the cleats if needed. It's not too bad once up to speed but my timed lap(s) was badly compromised because the soles were trying to bend around the pedal under the force to accelerate at the start. I might as well have been in bare feet really (it was a poor choice of trainer, the lightweight ones, and I'm a dolt).
At the speeds we got to, you can get up the track, but you aren't perpendicular to it. Looking at any sort of horizon is a bit unsettling, I found it simpler to look at the line in front of my wheel and ignore the circling world.
TLDR It was a lot of fun.
Apologies for the length of that, but I wanted to put as much info in as I could for
@summerdays
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