I also did the taster session at LV Velodrome last summer.. and loved it, despite being a fat 44 year old.
It is pretty scary once you get up the banking, but really good fun.
It is exhausting partly because it is really warm in there, and it feels like there is no air (I guess because you are not flying along outside with the wind in your face)
Re – shoes – I bought a pair of Lifeline branded Time compatible cleats from wiggle for about £5 and fitted them to my old cycling shoes.
I really enjoyed it and plan to do more in the future when I get more free time (I’m fairly local to LV)