Criterium Tracks

[marty_one]

Hi Everyone, Im trying to locate a list of Criterium tracks in Victoria, ideally located in or around the south eastern suburbs. So far the only one that I have found is Casey Fields (http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/arts-leisur ... eriumtrack" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) does anyone know of any others. Or good circuits around factory complexes? It would be nice to be able to go somewhere local where I live and push out lap after lap to build up doing distance without stopping.

[macca33]

Which area, in particular, do you live?

Caulfield-Carnegie have one in Mulgrave - Glenvale Crescent circuit - but it is very busy during the week (industrial area).

Plenty of places to cut laps if you want - any number of new-ish estates in the southeast would work - just have to be wary that they are open roads.

Casey is a very good set-up IMO.

cheers

[cerb]

Casey Fields is the only specific criterium track.

The other local crits to Melbourne I know of are:

SKCC - White St. South Melbourne (industrial estate)
HCC - Kew Boulevard, Kew (road circuit)
CCCC - Glenvale Crescent, Springvale (industrial estate)
CCCC - Sandown Raceway (Motor vehicle race circuit)
Coburg CC - National Boulevard, Coburg (industrial estate)

There is a long standing proposal in the 'government system' to develop another specific criterium circuit in the SE suburbs area, but location is an issue and it's not going anywhere fast...

[cerb]

If you want to build up distance without stopping, it might also be worth checking out an outdoor velodrome - there are quite a few around!

Most of the industrial circuits you'll end up needed to stop.
Can't get into Sandown unless there's a race on.
HCC's teardrop circuit in Kew would be a good spot, but you do have a slight hill in every circuit!

[cyclotaur]

Kew Boulie end to end, with or without the crit loop, is the best option if you can get there easily.

13.2kms out and back from either end, or about 15km with the loop.

Three or four full laps of that and you know you've had a decent ride.


Sent from my iPhinger ...

[marty_one]

I live in Ferntree Gully. I do want to get down to casey fields, the times I have available to get down there and use the track, it is usually in use.

I have managed to work out a nice 6km loop around the streets where I live, however I have to stop regularly for vehicles (bit of a pain really). There does appear to be a nice 3.4km loop around the Caribbean Industrial park which, in theory, should be very quiet outside of normal business hours. The big problem for me though is time is very limited.

The places suggested here are great, however I think that I am going to have to hunt around my local industrial estates to create circuits from.

[marty_one]

I had a quick look at Glenvale Cresent on google maps, zoomed in, and was a bit surprised at what I saw

[cerb]

Haha love it!

[danny the boy]

I made one just around the corner from me, its pretty boring after 1/2 an hour. You should be able to find a housing estate nearby that has something similar.

http://www.strava.com/segments/3140449

[marty_one]

Sorry to raise an old topic, but does the Glenvale Criteriums not run every week? I went there this sunday just gone and no-one was there.

[cerb]

There was a crit carnival on last week. A few of the clubs got together to run a week of racing. SKCC and Glenvale both run on a Sunday, so 31/01 there was no racing at SKCC and racing was at Glenvale. It was reversed on 07/02 - no racing at Glenvale and instead it was combined at SKCC.

Both clubs back to normal Sunday racing this weekend.

Edit: SKCC has a women's feature race, so if you race mens A or C, the race is 45mins later than usual.

[marty_one]

Thanks for that. I tried to check the carnegie cycling club website on my iphone before I went, just in case there was a post on there about racing not being there but didn't find anything. So I went there just wanting to see things and check it out and maybe plan for a race or two next season. I checked the CCCC website again late yesterday afternoon via web browser and after following the twitter account links did I find what you mentioned. Was a little bit annoyed that they failed to put up a new article on their website to reflect what was happening with the racing on that day. Now that I know a little more about the schedule I can try and go again.

[cerb]

No worries - for CCCC it's best to use their calendar feature on their website to find out about when racing is happening. Unfortunately, I don't think this is even accessable from mobile...!

[dalai47]

Was a little bit annoyed that they failed to put up a new article on their website to reflect what was happening with the racing on that day. Now that I know a little more about the schedule I can try and go again.

Like all clubs, it is run by volunteers. Knowing how much goes on behind the scenes by usually just a few people having to do most of the work, I would be a bit more forgiving...

[Duck!]

(Very) Late to the party, but the only purpose-built closed circuit crit tracks I know of are Casey Fields and the Belmont track in Geelong. The next best thing is the Studley Park Rd loop just off Yarra Bouli, which is a gated-off road loop, so no traffic. Any other loops are open roads, so come with the potential perils of traffic. Sandown is not available for general use.

[jules21]

there's also the Dunlop Rd circuit in Mulgrave - around McDonalds Ln and Geddes St. brings me back to my yoof from 1992!

[marty_one]

there's also the Dunlop Rd circuit in Mulgrave - around McDonalds Ln and Geddes St. brings me back to my yoof from 1992!

Took a few minutes of googling and found the eastern vets are still running that course. Never a bad thing to have other options.

[Tim]

there's also the Dunlop Rd circuit in Mulgrave - around McDonalds Ln and Geddes St. brings me back to my yoof from 1992!

Me too, but last year for me was 1991.
Did you also race at VFL Park or Parkhurst Drive in Knox?
Carnegie-Caulfield I'd presume?

[BJL]

A while ago, I noticed a couple of Strava friends riding around the industrial estate next to Carribean Gardens in Scoresby on a regular basis. Looking at Google maps, Caribbean Dr, Lakeview Dr and Dalmore Dr would be the most likely loop.

[jules21]

Me too, but last year for me was 1991.
Did you also race at VFL Park or Parkhurst Drive in Knox?
Carnegie-Caulfield I'd presume?

I think I was there in '91. Sunday mornings from memory? I raced C grade. I had long hair back then and looked like a member of Metallica. I remember Mal the club president(?) with a wonky ankle used to race with us.

I also raced VFL Park on Tuesdays? I think. With Carnegie, yep.

[Tim]

Yep. Summer Tuesday nights at VFL Park and Sunday mornings (I think) at Dunlop Rd.
Pakenham and occasionally Darnum in winter. VFL Park was good for training too, no traffic.
I started in "F Troop", old blokes with beer guts and quite a few smokers. Got blown clean off the pack on the first lap of my first race about 1987 (I think). Very disheartening. I thought I was something special.
John O'Sullivan (a '56 Olympian) collared me and suggested I get out there and train on the small ring and spin,spin,spin, forget about the big chainring. Then race on the big ring and spin, spin spin. That was the extent of my training plan. Very technical.
I stuck with it and raced semi-competitively, never won, in B Grade and towards the end was an A Grade hanger-on (just).
About the only other names I remember was Stuart Cook who owned Gran Prix Cycles in Glenhuntly and a fella I trained with for a while, Nick Whitkamp and his dad who rode with the vets.
Those were the days. Custom built steel frames from Kevin Wigham. 42/52 standard rings, for real men. None of this namby-pamby compact girly stuff. A big cog on the back had 23 teeth.

[ironhanglider]

Yep. Summer Tuesday nights at VFL Park and Sunday mornings (I think) at Dunlop Rd.
Pakenham and occasionally Darnum in winter. VFL Park was good for training too, no traffic.
I started in "F Troop", old blokes with beer guts and quite a few smokers. Got blown clean off the pack on the first lap of my first race about 1987 (I think). Very disheartening. I thought I was something special.
John O'Sullivan (a '56 Olympian) collared me and suggested I get out there and train on the small ring and spin,spin,spin, forget about the big chainring. Then race on the big ring and spin, spin spin. That was the extent of my training plan. Very technical.
I stuck with it and raced semi-competitively, never won, in B Grade and towards the end was an A Grade hanger-on (just).
About the only other names I remember was Stuart Cook who owned Gran Prix Cycles in Glenhuntly and a fella I trained with for a while, Nick Whitkamp and his dad who rode with the vets.
Those were the days. Custom built steel frames from Kevin Wigham. 42/52 standard rings, for real men. None of this namby-pamby compact girly stuff. A big cog on the back had 23 teeth.

I raced then too Tim although I only rode Dunlop road a couple of times. Although by 91 I was on my good bike with STI, 53/39 with 12-21 that I later changed for a 13-23. Of course 2 weeks after the change I found myself in an A grade bunch with a gale-force tailwind averaging 65km/h However I didn't get dropped on the fast bit. I was dropped later when the contenders started riding hard.

Cheers,

Cameron.

[Tim]

I was dropped later when the contenders started riding hard.

Yes, I remember telling people that I averaged over 40 KPH in an A grade criterium at Dunlop Rd.
I forgot to tell them that I came last. Glory days!
It was around the time that Stephen Pate was riding with the club and internationally. Not long before he got busted for drugs, and some time later for domestic violence offenses.

[ironhanglider]

It seems that the Vets still race at Dunlop Rd.

It also seems likely that I'll be returning to Melbourne in April, so I may get to ride there again. I don't particularly miss the Arctic Park crits though...

As luck would have it I have both AVCC and CA licences this year, so I'll be able to pick and choose my races a bit.

Casey Fields didn't exist last time I was there.

Cheers,

Cameron

[jules21]

Casey Fields didn't exist last time I was there.

it's in a marginal seat and the govt tipped a bucketload of money into the complex a little while ago. it's quite an extraordinary sports complex