Just starting out with track racing this fall. I just bought a track bike and start a 6 week training workshop in San Diego in a month. I don't think it can hurt to start riding on the track. You will definitely improve your VO2 max and anaerobic threshold since the races are typically short and intense. I'm not great a sprinting but hope to gain strength and power by racing on the track.

Yes. A lot.

Depends on what your objective for the training is vs other options.

You go fast and turn left. Lather, rise, repeat.
You use a fixed gear track bike with no brakes.
It's much more fun than the road.
It requires a new set of skills and riding etiquette specific to track racing/training.

Safety of yourself and others if you don't know what you are doing.
You need a track bike.
Depends on your goals.
Depending on the track, it may be expensive for a short session time.

Track is Fast twitch, this forum is Slowtwitch. You will be amazed how quick those guys ride. Lots of anaerobic work going on out there on the track. You pretty much can get an entry level or used steel frame and have at it. Did I mention they go really fast?

Some track is fast twitch.
The rest of it is more slowtwitch beasting than you can imagine.

So my takeaways so far:

a) I need a new bike

b) It's not the same/as easy as running on a track versus riding on a rode

c) Probably not as good a substitute as a bike trainer for triathlon

I'd say regular track riding over the winter would be far more productive and enjoyable than sitting on a turbo. In a typical Tuesday night Endurance SQT (Structured Quality Training) at Manchester, you'll cover 60 km plus in about 1.5 hours of riding time (2 hour session) including high end efforts and mock races. Friday night, behind the derny, we'll do 3X60 lap (15 km) simulated points races with sprints every 10 laps (derny pulls off on 8's)... imagine a 3X20 min threshold session with sprints and hitting speeds of 60 kph +... if that ain't going to boost your FTP, nothing wheel. It'll also massively improve your handling and group riding skills and give you a silky smooth pedal stroke.

Track *sprint* is mostly fast twitch. Track *endurance* can last a *very* long time.

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AndyF
bike geek

Most fun you can have on a bike. Moving away from the velodrome was almost a deal breaker in me relocating. I cried a lot when I moved and would move back in a heartbeat.

Which track?

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

What's the length of your track? I used to ride on a local 250m which is serious fun when going full speed going through the turns on the 44 degree banking. It's definitely worth trying to see if you like it, fixed gears, no brakes and steep banking isn't to everyone's tastes. I raced once, most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done on a bike--this after racing crits for 9 years. Racing road vs track can be like night and day...but get a small group who want to do a paceline with one-lap pulls and it's a great alternative to the trainer.

To the OP - Go for it. You may love it. Rent a bike and do the intro course.

A well banked track is essentially a continuous straightaway with no cornering or braking required. I used to race and found that I was much more comfortable on the track in a pack (when in shape) compared to any sort or racing on the road.

Over the course of the summer we watched scores of races at Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis and did not see a single crash.

David K

Good point, I should add that when I raced on the track it was in its first year of operations so we had a lot of inexperienced people who had never been on a fixed gear in the mix. Aggressive roadies with no track experience on a fixed gear and high banking makes for an interesting evening. Unfortunately we had more than our share of crashing but I think it was more the field than anything else, we had everything from cat2 roadies to total newbies all in the same race because on track we were all rated cat 5 at the start. At a more established track you don't really see this so it is safer...

Chicago Velo Campus. . .. It is 250M

I think CVC a little smaller than 250m, looks fun.

That's what their website said. I was just looking around for riding options since the leaves are starting to change already and it popped up and to be honest the length really doesn't make that much of a difference to me.

The banking is much steeper. You'll have fun and learn good bike handling skills

c) Probably not as good a substitute as a bike trainer for triathlon

Yes and no.

What I find stange abut the modern triathlete is how tightly they have painted themselves into the swim/bike/run box and say this is the ONLY way we can train.

An earlier generation of triathletes took a different approach - we were endurance sports athletes, and ANYTHING that was an endurance sport was of interest to us.

Anything that motivates you to to get you out, to put in the hours is a good thing. Don't over think it.

My best years of triathlon racing came after the winters were I logged the longest and hardest miles of nordic skiing!! :)

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Well I will probably give it a try at least once.

Every cyclists should ride on a velodrome at least once. Its a blast.

You do need to be riding a track bike but almost all tracks have loaners. The fixed gear thing is easy to get used to. The no brakes thing is freaky until you realize that a) no one else has brakes either nor can they coast thus there is little reason to brake anyway and b) you actually can slow down and even stop with back pressure on the fixed gear pedals.

As for training, since most of the races are short and intense, most of the organized training going on is aimed at that. But if the track is open to all comers there is no reason you can not ride around and around at 20 mph for hours if that is what you want to do. It's not that much different than going to a pool. There will be times when only the swim team is allowed and everyone is doing basically the same workout but other times are "open lap swim" open to pretty much everyone and some guys will be doing serious interval workouts and other folks will be just plodding along putting in miles and there may even be some kids screwing around.

Our local velodrome [Burnaby Velodrome] has an open house once annually, so I tried it, what a blast.
As someone else mentioned, every cyclist should try it a atleast once., and yes it'd be a good winter training program.
There is the banking, but you'll get used to it in no time
There is the protocol, but that's easy too.

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res, non verba

My older son and I took 2 two-week sets of beginner training at the old outdoor Olympic velodrome at Dominguez Hills many years ago. It was a real blast. They taught us the basics of riding the banking and using it to your advantage, how to ride a paceline, many other things. They had loaner bikes to use. Would highly recommend it. We would be so pumped up afterward it was hard to go to sleep once we got home.

I have a hazy recollection of something Andy Coggan posted about pursuiters (~4 mins) have the highest fraction of type 1 (slow twitch) muscle fibers of any cyclists, including road cyclists, or something like that?

I would think track sprinters and BMX would have the highest fiber count

Could you expand on this no brakes fixed gears thing? I thought it would be more like the bike you had as a kid and if you did your pedals backwards to brake.

You can't coast. If the wheels are turning the cranks are turning. If you forget this & try to coast, the bike will remind you.