Had an accreditation session at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome last night and it was a bit of a crash fest with at least 4 crashes out of 16 of us. We are all beginners so this is maybe to be expected but the previous night in the track league with more experienced riders there were multiple crashes too, lots of track burns and a broken collarbone or two. Some guy even ripped his Assos shorts…the horror! This follows the pros at the weekend during the track world cup where there were several big crashes, some which required paramedics and getting carried off the track on a stretcher.

Anyway was just wondering if this is what it is always like or just a bad week? So far i’m loving the experience of velodrome riding but at the back of my mind it seems inevitable that i’m going to be in for a sore one sooner rather than later!

As you say, the Pros hardly ever crash;

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67HeboRI3E8[/video]

(via @chipps twitter feed)

You can also get the occasional small splinter

Still finished the race though!

Been to Manchester twice and *touches wood frantically* no-one crashed either time

saw a massive pile-up in the futurestars race at the last Revolution though, once the first guy went down there was nothing the lads behind him could do to avoid it

That does sound pretty high. Our club do several sessions at Calshot velodrome through winter, and crashes are very rare. That’s a steep track too.

Take a bicycle off the dirt and try to make a sport, and you get a very dull sport… Unless you put the bicycle into “Bicycle NASCAR”!! (If the TdF was run on faired recumbents averaging 50+mph for day after day, it’d be more interesting though… And how fast would a faired recumbent go on the boards!?)

I once finished an (incident free) SQT at Manchester and got chatting to some riders from ManTri about to do a 2 hour private/club booking. Because they were all triathletes, naturally I took the p— out of them on account of there being two corners to negotiate per lap.

Turns out I was proved right as, when they were all lapping to the whistle, the first four riders touched wheels and went down resulting in broken bikes and collarbones.

I thought there was alot of crashes on saturday night . Ive watched a fair bit of track racing home and away and never seen so many crashes in such a short space of time.

That vid is epic , the gb tire is. Peach , fair play to the guy for keeping that upright for so long !

That vid is epic , the gb tire is. Peach , fair play to the guy for keeping that upright for so long !

(Due to my poor fettling) I managed to pull the rear wheel forward in the track end once. This jammed against the frame, unwinding the sprocket, and resulted me skidding down the banking. Held it up though…. 😯

Wasn’t it Baugé who made an incredible save a few years back when someone took out his rear wheel.

Edit: yes, respect.

I did around seven seasons on the track when I was a lad (25 years ago…) in the Meadowbank track league every week and racing in England a reasonable amount (National champs etc), used to reckon on one major crash in a year but managed to never break anything (unlike my recent MTB history, 3 bones in one year..).
The Glasgow track looked very slippy and i suspect that any rapid changes of direction would be more risky than normal due to the amount of dust on the new track.
I also think the racing is much more sanitised now, Kierons used to be absolutley brutal!

We did a track session a few months back and were warned (by a current Team GB friend of a friend) that we’d all crash and friction-burn. We didn’t but I can see how you would since you overtake a lot with people just getting used to riding [on a track].

njee

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-z0Kh0pvNM[/video]

Omar

After watching the world champs last week,I am now a wee bit scared of our taster session in two weeks, those corners look stupid steep 😯

Listen to the coach, LOOK before moving up or down the track, DON’T slow down on the banking.

Done Level 1 and 2 accreditation at the Chris Hoy Velodrome with uni cycle club. About 15 of us, no crashes.

So much fun 😀

I thought the corners looked a bit mental last sat but after trying it out there is nothing to them.

Only worry is what the other riders are doing so just beed to keep your wits about you as if you were on the road.

gearfreak

DON’T slow down on the banking

yup, that will be my mantra 🙂

Done a fair amount of fixed riding ,but only on a slightly banked outdoor track.
Seeing those bankings on the Hoy track up close was just a bit 😯

I rode at the Calshott velodrome for a short while (a few years ago now) and didn’t see a single crash.

I’d say an absolute beginner should be the last one to crash, it’s when you build that little bit of confidence and start to really get on someones wheel that the big one is likely to happen 🙂

The group you ride with makes a big difference IME, if every one is smooth, reliable, and trusts each other you’ll be fine. It only takes one testosterone riddled ego-maniac to take out the complete group when you’re riding close.

Seeing those bankings on the Hoy track up close was just a bit

Wait til you peel off the front for the first time and get up near the rail on the corner – don’t slow down!!!!! But don’t speed up either or you might just nail the guy at the back when you drop back down!

Duane… – Member
Done Level 1 and 2 accreditation at the Chris Hoy Velodrome with uni cycle club. About 15 of us, no crashes.

So much fun
First read of that I thought you had been riding a unicycle!!!

I was planning to do a group session with my mates who I know and trust as able to ride in a bunch and not do anything stupid. Unfortunately, the group sessions at the velodrome aren’t happening any time soon so I’ve had to book with folk I don’t know. I’m expecting folk to bin it but am hoping that they don’t take me down with them! 😀 Hopefully, the folk riding will be experienced of riding in a bunch at speed and not triathletes or spin gym bunnies.

The men’s Keirin crash on Saturday night was pretty brutal and happened right in front of us. The banking shook as they piled over each other. 😯

I was planning to do a group session with my mates who I know and trust as able to ride in a bunch and not do anything stupid. Unfortunately, the group sessions at the velodrome aren’t happening any time soon so I’ve had to book with folk I don’t know. I’m expecting folk to bin it but am hoping that they don’t take me down with them! Hopefully, the folk riding will be experienced of riding in a bunch at speed and not triathletes or spin gym bunnies.

It is a bit of a lottery who you get. My first session the group was evenly matched so things went smoothly despite it being everyones first time on the track.

The problem with my 2nd session wasnt so much a lack of riding skills but there was a bit of a mix in fitness, after about 30 minutes some riders were really struggling to maintain a pace that would keep them upright going round the banking…that meant the line kept bunching up and then someone would slide due to the lack of speed.

Was still alot of fun though and i guess this is the whole point of the accreditation sessions to learn from these mistakes.

Sanny

I found it that those that were inexperienced and knew it were fine.

I was the idiots from the road clubs that think their good that caused the issues by not following simple instructions.

After watching the world champs last week,I am now a wee bit scared of our taster session in two weeks, those corners look stupid steep

When you arrive you go underneath the track to get your hire bike and you look up and see people wizzing by going high up the banking – it is quite daunting the first time knowing you will be on the track shortly!

I found it that those that were inexperienced and knew it were fine.

I was the idiots from the road clubs that think their good that caused the issues by not following simple instructions.

Yeah have noticed that a bit – like someone flicking the elbow to get the next rider to go through but then expecting you to come through on the right (as you would do on the road) rather than them flicking the elbow then going right themselves up the banking like they were told to do!

Have also done the taster session (Accreditation 1) as part of a mixed group with no problems. Looking forward a lot to stage 2.

iain65 – pretty sure they’ve given it a quick hoover… 😉

I was genuinely terrified when I first went, I think it’s fair to say I’m a fairly gutsy rider, but it was my first time ever riding clipped in, first time on a fixie, and of course first time on a velodrome.

Gets fun pretty quick though 😀

Yeah have noticed that a bit – like someone flicking the elbow to get the next rider to go through but then expecting you to come through on the right (as you would do on the road) rather than them flicking the elbow then going right themselves up the banking like they were told to do!

There was that and on speed control exercises where you were to match speed with the other group sitting at the back shouting to speed up at which point the second group would be caught and all hell breaks lose

I was the idiots from the road clubs that think their good that caused the issues by not following simple instructions.

This largely (the following instructions bit)

There is also the massive temptation to accelerate into the corners and/or ride above the line. I struggled with that the first few times – you just want to shout WHOOP and go as fast/high as you can. Whereas what you need to do is be consistent.

Think the first session is ok for most as the riders are allowed to ride at the level they are comfortable with (i.e thru&off near the bottom of the track if you aren’t as confident etc). As the sessions progress however you all have to do exercises together (weaving between riders in a line etc) which increases the problems when you have a mix of confidences and fitness. Think the long gaps between sessions due to busyness isn’t helping either as people are forgetting things or just losing confidence when you are waiting 3-4 weeks for the next session.

A mate was at the 2nd accred session last night and said 3 or 4 people fell off, sounds like it was the same one as you. I think fitness was a problem then as you mentioned. There was an accred 1 session just before and most people stayed on from that, so I imagine there were some tired legs.

no need to collide 😯

Excellent positioning of the smiley there, scaredypants!

It’s a new track – wouldn’t surprise me if the wood hadn’t bedded in properly and was still a bit slippery.

Don’t fixate on the wheel in front – look up, look round/through the corners, look before you move and you should be fine. And keep pedalling! Speed is your friend, track riding is MUCH easier when you’re doing 25mph and watching others around the track rather than doing 10mph and looking at your front wheel.

My session for today was cancelled due to urgent track repairs needing to be done – apparently another big crash last night in the track league!

I once finished an (incident free) SQT at Manchester and got chatting to some riders from ManTri about to do a 2 hour private/club booking. Because they were all triathletes, naturally I took the p— out of them on account of there being two corners to negotiate per lap.

Turns out I was proved right as, when they were all lapping to the whistle, the first four riders touched wheels and went down resulting in broken bikes and collarbones.

Yes, my collarbone! Bluddy triatherletes 😉

Take a bicycle off the dirt and try to make a sport, and you get a very dull sport..

obvious troll is obvious.