Majority of us ride our fixxies all over the street, up steep hills, downhill at 200 rpm, in and around obstacles…basically doing all our normal riding on a fixed gear.
Now, do you think that these skills would create up ‘upper hand’ when racing on the track?
I found racing on the track alot more intense than pushing the envelope on the road.
You might think you have good bike handling skills, but you get schooled very quickly. Staying calm in a 60km/hr sprint while someone tries to force you of your line can be interesting.
Track racing is about tactics, reading the body language of other riders, know when to make them hurt, being smooth and racing smart.
Just putting it all out will not win you races.
I am still learning, but things are starting to click.
Putting your brain in your left jersy pocket also helps. :twisted:
I have enough trouble riding at Brunswick on my own. I’d be lucky to finish a track race.
Hang on, I’d be luckier to even get an entry!
Riding the streets and being aware of everything around you can easily be transferred onto the track. Esp if you start off racing in the lower grades.
Track riders (on the track) are basically hack roadies looking for a thrill, essentially no real skill with the bike (hope this doesn?t offend someone). But they make up for it with tactics and bunch skills.
To ride on someone?s wheel at 50+ kph and feel two dudes looking to pass you on the right, the ability of many track riders to force you into a hole or out to the fence, can in the beginning be intimidating. However it doesn?t take much to show these guru’s ‘the boy’s go skills’ (or girl).
I’ve found road skills like accident avoidance (quick left or right) and drafting cars, trams, trucks etc have been the most useful. Oh yeh and power. Coz we ride trackies all day you’d be surprised how much power you can lay down on the wood.
Head down to DISC ASAP… Thursday nights from 6:30 (warm-up) race from 7:30pm.
You will need a license (6 month available after June 30th).
Gotta love it but :twisted:
Good reply grinners. I know about the tactics, speed etc…what i should have said, that I think riding our fixies on the road will help us with the learning on the track. The skills are there, just need to polish up on the tactics.
(oh yeah grinners, not in melb anymore…up in brisbane).
Ahh the sunny Brisbane, xxxx beer and xxxx girls. Ahhhh
Potentially the hardest thing for any new track rider is getting used to the whole fixed concept, the whole continuous cadence theory.
For us bad boys and girls its basically rather simple and after one race, mate where right up there…
Ah COME ON!!!
At DISC on Tuesday night, the lights were out and there was water on the track (hole in roof). Made for some interesting riding.
Tristan.
have you got a separate bike for the boards, or are you using your street machine?
Perhaps you could have put some mudguards on!!
lats
This is what I use on the boards .Website Disabled sans the brake and bidon cage. As pictured is what I use to ride down to see the ‘olds’ on the Mornington Peninsula. With 50x16, it is quicker to ride than drive. 50x15 for the boards.
Mudgards… I will leave that for CraigC.
Track racing is a lot more intense than ‘normal riding’. There is a world of pain involved with any sort of decent placing. Get used to people leaning on you and crowding you, normal riding doesn’t include that. The rest of it helps though.
Just wondering what the diff (if any) between Tues & Thurs nights is. I’m real close to gettin’ on down there.
Cheers
Tuesday nights are run by Brunswick and Thursday are run by Northcote. If you have never raced track before, Tuesday is the go. Thursday is rather full on.
