Trying track riding

[toppity]

great stuff Sh4rkbait...

Winter has seen a slight decline for me in training. No daylight hours means little outdoors stuff. The Magtrainer has become my friend again. However I discovered that there is weekly racing at DISC on thursday nights that I might have to give a go. My form will be average at best but it would be good to go around again.

Viva summer.

[vander]

I have just taken up cycling and I was hoping someone could tell me how/where i could try track racing wouldnt mind giving it a go.

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Where are you located Vander?

[vander]

Where are you located Vander?

North Strathfield.

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Then you need to get your butt down to the Dunc Gray Velodrome this Friday night to watch RAW track. If you've got a track bike, come along and try the novice grade which has plenty of people who have never ridden the track before (you'll need a CA license or you can get a day license). If you don't have a bike, just come and watch and see what it's all about. Come October, pop along to Lidcombe Oval on a Friday night for the LACC track season or if you want to go to the dark side, visit Tempe velodrome and ride with the red menace that is Dulwich Hill Bike Club (really nice people, but our mortal enemies in the same way that Sydney and Melbourne or Australia and New Zealand are). You can also try Hurstville, which also has a velodrome run by the St. George club.

Dunc Gray is your best bet at the moment. Come along to the LACC group (we're in the black and gold) and track down myself or Scotto (who is a Penrith CC lad, but we've adopted him).

David

[vander]

Then you need to get your butt down to the Dunc Gray Velodrome this Friday night to watch RAW track. If you've got a track bike, come along and try the novice grade which has plenty of people who have never ridden the track before (you'll need a CA license or you can get a day license). If you don't have a bike, just come and watch and see what it's all about. Come October, pop along to Lidcombe Oval on a Friday night for the LACC track season or if you want to go to the dark side, visit Tempe velodrome and ride with the red menace that is Dulwich Hill Bike Club (really nice people, but our mortal enemies in the same way that Sydney and Melbourne or Australia and New Zealand are). You can also try Hurstville, which also has a velodrome run by the St. George club.

Dunc Gray is your best bet at the moment. Come along to the LACC group (we're in the black and gold) and track down myself or Scotto (who is a Penrith CC lad, but we've adopted him).

David

I will be riding with LACC on the rode so I better stick with them on the track aswell . What time at Dunc Gray velodrome on Friday? Ill come down to watch to see what it is all about. I might wait to try it out till October because I'm getting a racing license then. I don't have a track bike or the money to get another bike at the moment maybe I will have to wait a while before I start actually trying track racing.

Daniel

[alchemist]

Warm up starts around 6pm, racing starts around 7pm

[bigfriendlyvegan]

I will be riding with LACC on the rode so I better stick with them on the track aswell . What time at Dunc Gray velodrome on Friday? Ill come down to watch to see what it is all about. I might wait to try it out till October because I'm getting a racing license then. I don't have a track bike or the money to get another bike at the moment maybe I will have to wait a while before I start actually trying track racing.

Daniel

Welcome to the club (in advance). At Lidcombe Oval we have a few loaner bikes for you to try, so you don't need to buy one before you try it. It's a little harder to get a loaner at DGV, however.

See you there.

[vander]

Thanks mate, if I get some uni work done I will definitely be down tomorrow. Ill try and find you and just say hi. What should i look for?

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Thanks mate, if I get some uni work done I will definitely be down tomorrow. Ill try and find you and just say hi. What should i look for?

LACC have a black jersey with a gold strip. We park ourselves next to the DHBC guys in red and we're near the back straight. You'll hear my name mentioned in the commentary when I screw up like I did last week and you'll hear Crafty shouting about a Spack-attack when Scotto goes for the win. Introduce yourself to everyone just for the sake of it. My race number is 991 and it says Big Friendly Vegan on it.

David

[scotto]

good one "half-brain"
i still enjoyed "annoying penrith guy"

[foo on patrol]

You stirrer you Scotto!

[ldrcycles]

For a novice just getting in there to see what it's like, is a specific track bike really necessary? I don't know anything about the track (i STILL haven't been yet , need to cut back on my commitments) but is it impossible to ride a normal road bike on the track at all?

[bigfriendlyvegan]

You stirrer you Scotto!

Actually, I think it's foreplay. He gave me a kiss the other week. Didn't they used to call Penrith boys chocolate soldiers?

[bigfriendlyvegan]

For a novice just getting in there to see what it's like, is a specific track bike really necessary? I don't know anything about the track (i STILL haven't been yet , need to cut back on my commitments) but is it impossible to ride a normal road bike on the track at all?

A normal bike with gears and brakes? NO. A normal bike converted to a fixie (with no brakes or frame attachments)? Possibly. You'd probably get away with it at Lidcombe Oval and I've heard of someone getting permission to do it at DGV, but you'd have to run it by the commissaires and see what they think.

You can usually arrange a bike at DGV either via the Bankstown Club or CNSW (they have a fleet of Hillbricks). They often have try the track days where you can try the track (aptly named, aren't they?). Your best bet is to visit Tempe, Lidcombe or Hurstville velodromes and talk to the guys there about a loaner bike.

David

[vander]

Don't think I will be able to make it tonight guys, I have uni exams next week that I haven't done anything for and I am beginning to freak out. Is it on again next Friday or is this the last one?

[scotto]

4 weeks left inclusing tonight. probably a good night to miss TBH. lots of traffic from nearby festival is touted, as well as crappy races (mystery race and (arbitrary) handicap races!)

[vander]

4 weeks left inclusing tonight. probably a good night to miss TBH. lots of traffic from nearby festival is touted, as well as crappy races (mystery race and (arbitrary) handicap races!)

Ahhk good. Next week I will have nothing to do so I will head on down then, maybe if I can find a bike somewhere I will give it a crack.

[ldrcycles]

For a novice just getting in there to see what it's like, is a specific track bike really necessary? I don't know anything about the track (i STILL haven't been yet , need to cut back on my commitments) but is it impossible to ride a normal road bike on the track at all?

A normal bike with gears and brakes? NO. A normal bike converted to a fixie (with no brakes or frame attachments)? Possibly. You'd probably get away with it at Lidcombe Oval and I've heard of someone getting permission to do it at DGV, but you'd have to run it by the commissaires and see what they think.

You can usually arrange a bike at DGV either via the Bankstown Club or CNSW (they have a fleet of Hillbricks). They often have try the track days where you can try the track (aptly named, aren't they?). Your best bet is to visit Tempe, Lidcombe or Hurstville velodromes and talk to the guys there about a loaner bike.

David

I'm in Queensland so those would be a bit of a drive . I know that a normal road bike is not allowed in comps but i meant as someone riding on timber with banked turns for the first time (and first time only), even then it's not ok?
What is the difference between an old steel bike built fixed and a specific track bike (i'm guessing higher BB maybe), and is it unsafe to ride a normal bike?

[foo on patrol]

You shouldn't have any dramas with a ordinary bike, made to a fixie. I started racing on the Ipswich velodrome, with a bike, that I made up from the dump.

Foo

[vander]

How did the boys go tonight?

[bigfriendlyvegan]

How did the boys go tonight?

Scotto did well (as usual) and will likely make the top 5 for the div. overall. One of Scotto's team mates, Douggy, did an excellent job and got several wins which should propel him up the leader board. I was tired today, but managed to get a second in the 2 lap sprint, beating Scotto in the process. Racing isn't about winning or losing, it's about beating your mates.

The fast guys missed the time blaster, but it was a great race ending up with only one rider on the track! Av. 53kph for 30 laps!

David

[vander]

Scotto did well (as usual) and will likely make the top 5 for the div. overall. One of Scotto's team mates, Douggy, did an excellent job and got several wins which should propel him up the leader board. I was tired today, but managed to get a second in the 2 lap sprint, beating Scotto in the process. Racing isn't about winning or losing, it's about beating your mates.

The fast guys missed the time blaster, but it was a great race ending up with only one rider on the track! Av. 53kph for 30 laps!

David

Well done.
Not about winning??? Does not compute . Beating your mates is the best feeling, however being the first to cross the tape I would imagine would be the best feeling. That is fast! Lap is 250m right?

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Scotto did well (as usual) and will likely make the top 5 for the div. overall. One of Scotto's team mates, Douggy, did an excellent job and got several wins which should propel him up the leader board. I was tired today, but managed to get a second in the 2 lap sprint, beating Scotto in the process. Racing isn't about winning or losing, it's about beating your mates.

The fast guys missed the time blaster, but it was a great race ending up with only one rider on the track! Av. 53kph for 30 laps!

David

Well done.
Not about winning??? Does not compute . Beating your mates is the best feeling, however being the first to cross the tape I would imagine would be the best feeling. That is fast! Lap is 250m right?

Yes, a lap is 250m. No, it's not about winning...because I rarely win and need something to keep myself going. Actually, there are so many variables when you're out on the track that winning isn't always about being the strongest or fastest. There's always another race to ride in, so glory fades quickly. We all try to get a little bit better each week, but the important thing is getting out there, having a go and then talking crap about it afterwards.

[nickj_d]

vander, i dropped in one friday night just to watch scotto go around. i stepped one foot inside the place and realised straight away I had to get a track bike and get out there. luckily for me, that night someone was selling an entry level bike, and the next week i was out there starting in novice. it's definately a thrill and a rush to be out there racing on the boards and a great way to spend friday night.

Racing isn't about winning or losing, it's about beating your mates.

+1, though lately its also good to be earning points for the team (Penrith - trying to get 3rd in the team championship).

"Dougy"