Track Racing

Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially-built banked tracks or velodromes (but many events are held at older velodromes where the track banking is relatively shallow) using track bicycles.

A track bicycle has a sing fixed gear rear cog with no free wheel and no derailleur. There is no coasting on a track bike as your legs must spin with every revolution of the wheel. Track bikes do not have brakes. Stopping a track bike is a simple matter of putting back pressure on the pedals, using the legs to slow the revolution of the cranks until the bike comes to a stop. Brakes are not permitted during track races because sudden stops can lead to serious crashes in close quarter riding.

Many top riders train using track bikes, or "fixies," because the constant spinning at high rpms is great conditioning. Riding at the track will improve a rider's speed, their ability to draft, and their overall bike handling skills in close quarters.

We are lucky here in the Pacific NW as we have one of the largest outdoor tracks in the country. The Marymoor Velodrome is a 400m banked oval located at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington. The Marymoor Velodrome Association offers free summer track classes for juniors and many of our talented riders come up through those ranks. Track bikes can be rented for about the cost of a movie and this is a very affordable way to introduce juniors to cycling.

Due to the nature of the banked surface, the Marymoor Velodrome is only open to racing on dry evenings during summer months. Juniors race with beginners on Monday nights. Faster juniors have the potential to advance to Wednesday night racing. The team usually organizes group training on Thursdays. The fastest track riders in the area participate in races on Fridays and this can be a fun spectator event.