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A velodrome is an arena for
track cycling Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it wa ...
. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate
easement curve A track transition curve, or spiral easement, is a mathematically-calculated curve on a section of highway, or railroad track, in which a straight section changes into a curve. It is designed to prevent sudden changes in lateral (or centripetal ...
.


History

The first velodromes were constructed during the late 1870s, the oldest of which is
Preston Park Velodrome The Preston Park Velodrome is a velodrome in the north-east corner of Preston Park in Brighton, United Kingdom. It is the oldest velodrome in the United Kingdom having been opened on 12 May 1877. It is also thought to be the oldest, working ve ...
,
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, United Kingdom, built in 1877 by the British Army. Some were purpose-built just for cycling, and others were built as part of facilities for other sports; many were built around athletics tracks or other grounds and any banking was shallow. Reflecting the then-lack of international standards, sizes varied and not all were built as ovals: for example, Preston Park is long and features four straights linked by banked curves, while the
Portsmouth velodrome The Mountbatten Centre is a leisure centre in Portsmouth, England, which opened in 1979. The "Mountbatten Centre" is located in Hilsea, an area in Portsmouth. Facilities *8 lane 50 m pool *12.5 m teaching pool *150 station Physical fitness, fi ...
, in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, has a single straight linked by one long curve. Early surfaces included cinders or shale, though concrete, asphalt and tarmac later became more common. Indoor velodromes were also common particularly in the late 19th and early 20th century. For example, the
Vélodrome d'hiver The Vélodrome d'Hiver (, ''Winter Velodrome''), colloquially Vel' d'Hiv', was an indoor bicycle racing cycle track and stadium (velodrome) on rue Nélaton, not far from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. As well as a Track cycling, cycling track, it was ...
was built in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1909 and featured a indoor track with a wooden surface. International competitions such as the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
led to more standardisation: two-straight oval tracks quickly became the norm, and gradually lap lengths reduced. The
Vélodrome de Vincennes The Vélodrome de Vincennes (officially Vélodrome Jacques Anquetil - La Cipale) is a cycling stadium in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris. Initially built as a velodrome in 1894, it became the main stadium for the 1900 Summer Olympics; Events that ...
, used for the 1896 (and 1924) Games was per lap, while
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
's
Vélodrome d'Anvers Zuremborg The Vélodrome d'Anvers Zuremborg was a velodrome located in Antwerp, Belgium. A 400-metre track, it hosted the track cycling events for the 1920 Summer Olympics. The British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, ...
, used in 1920, and
Helsinki Velodrome Helsinki Velodrome ( fi, Helsingin Velodromi) is an outdoor velodrome, American football and field hockey stadium in Helsinki, Finland. The protected functionalist concrete building was designed by Hilding Ekelund. History It was built in 1938 ...
, used in 1952, were both . By the 1960s up to 1989, tracks of length were commonly used for international competitions (e.g.: the
Agustín Melgar Olympic Velodrome The Agustín Melgar Olympic Velodrome is a velodrome located in the Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City sports complex located in Mexico City, Mexico. History It hosted the track cycling events for the 1968 Summer Olympics. it was also used by many cy ...
used for
track cycling Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it wa ...
events at the
1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
, and
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...
's Saffron Lane velodrome used at the 1970 and 1982
Track Cycling World Championships The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Before 1900, they were administered by the UCI ...
). Since 1990, such events are usually held on velodromes with laps. London's 2012 Olympic velodrome and a new velodrome in
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
's capital city
Ashgabat Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشق‌آباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...
both have a 250 m track and a 6,000-seat spectator capacity.


Technical aspects

Banking in the turns, called
cant Cant, CANT, canting, or canted may refer to: Language * Cant (language), a secret language * Beurla Reagaird, a language of the Scottish Highland Travellers * Scottish Cant, a language of the Scottish Lowland Travellers * Shelta or the Cant, a la ...
, allows riders to keep their bikes relatively perpendicular to the surface while riding at speed. When travelling through the turns at racing speed, which may exceed , the banking attempts to match the natural lean of a bicycle moving through that curve. At the ideal speed, the net force of the
centrifugal force In Newtonian mechanics, the centrifugal force is an inertial force (also called a "fictitious" or "pseudo" force) that appears to act on all objects when viewed in a rotating frame of reference. It is directed away from an axis which is paralle ...
(outward) and gravity (downward) is angled down through the bicycle, perpendicular to the riding surface. Riders are not always travelling at full speed or at a specific radius. Most events have riders all over the track. Team races (like the
madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
) have some riders at speed and others riding more slowly. In match sprints riders may come to a stop by performing a
track stand The track stand or standstill is a technique that bicycle riders can use to maintain balance while their bicycle remains stationary or moves only minimal distances. The technique originated in track cycling and is now used by other types of cycl ...
in which they balance the bicycle on the sloped surface while keeping their feet locked into the pedals. For these reasons, the banking tends to be 10 to 15 degrees less than physics predicts. Also, the straights are banked 10 to 15 degrees more than physics would predict. These compromises make the track ridable at a range of speeds. From the straight, the curve of the track increases gradually into the circular turn. This section of decreasing radius is called the easement spiral or transition. It allows bicycles to follow the track around the corner at a constant radial position. Thus riders can concentrate on tactics rather than steering.


Bicycles and track design

Bicycles for velodromes, better known as
track bicycle A track bicycle or track bike is a bicycle optimized for racing at a velodrome or outdoor track. Unlike road bicycles, the track bike is a fixed-gear bicycle; thus, it has only a single gear ratio and has neither a freewheel nor brakes. Tires are ...
s, have no brakes. They employ a single fixed rear gear, or cog, that does not freewheel. This helps maximise speed, reduces weight, and avoids sudden braking while nevertheless allowing the rider to slow by pushing back against the pedals. Modern velodromes are constructed by specialised designers. The
Schuermann Schuermann Architects of Münster, Germany, is a dynasty of architects specialising in the design of velodromes, cycle tracks and indoor athletics tracks since 1925. The Schuermann dynasty was founded by Clemens Schuermann (1888–1956), professi ...
architects in Germany have built more than 125 tracks worldwide. Most of Schuermann's outdoor tracks are made of wood trusswork with a surface of strips of the rare rain-forest wood
Afzelia ''Afzelia'' is a genus of plants in family Fabaceae. The thirteen species all are trees, native to tropical Africa or Asia. The genus name of ''Afzelia'' is in honour of Adam Afzelius (1750–1837), a Swedish botanist and an apostle of Carl Lin ...
. Indoor velodromes are built with less expensive pine surfaces. The track is measured along a line up from the bottom. Olympic and
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
velodromes must measure . Other events on the UCI International Calendar may be held in velodromes that measure between and inclusive, with a length such that a whole or half number of laps give a distance of . The velodrome at
Calshot Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton Water where it joins the Solent.OS Explorer Map, New Forest, Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey B4 edition (2013). History In 1539, Henry VIII ordere ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, UK is only and has especially steep banking because it was built to fit inside an aircraft
hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
.
Forest City Velodrome A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
in
London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, is the world's shortest at . Built to fit a
hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
arena, it too has steep banking. The smaller the track, the steeper the banking. A track banks around 45°, while a track banks around 32°. Some older velodromes were built to imperial standards. The
Dick Lane Velodrome Dick Lane Velodrome, constructed in 1974, is a bicycle racing facility inspired by a group of residents and City officials that visited the Munich Olympics. Located eight miles south of downtown Atlanta, the Velodrome is and 36° banked concrete tr ...
in
East Point East Point is the name of several places: In Australia * East Point, Northern Territory ** East Point Military museum located in East Point, Northern Territory In Canada *East Point, Prince Edward Island In Hong Kong: *East Point, Hong Kong In ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
USA, is . Velodrome tracks can be surfaced with different materials, including timber, synthetics and concrete. Shorter, newer, and Olympic quality tracks tend to be timber or synthetics; longer, older, or inexpensive tracks are concrete, macadam, or even cinder.


Track markings

Important cycling events are usually held on tracks which have lines laid out in a specified arrangement. Some other tracks also follow these protocols, but others have a different arrangement of lines to suit their facility and to assist riders in holding a straight line and in avoiding drifting onto the flatter section below the bankings where they risk their tyres sliding out. Between the infield (sometimes referred to as an apron) and the actual track is the blue band (called "côte d'azur") which is typically 10% of the surface. The blue band is not technically a part of the track; although it is not illegal to ride there, moving into it to shortcut another rider results in disqualification. During time trials, pursuits or other timed events, the blue band is obstructed with sponges or other objects. The blue band is a warning to cyclists that they may scrape their pedal along the infield when in a curve, which can easily result in a crash. above the blue band is the black measurement line. The inner edge of this line defines the length of the track. above the inside of the track is the outside of the 5 cm wide red sprinter's line. The zone between black and red lines is sprinter's lane, which is the optimum route around the track. A rider leading in the sprinter's lane may not be passed on the inside; other riders must pass on the longer outside route. Minimum (or half the track width) above the inside of the track is the blue stayer's line. This line serves in races behind motorbikes as a separation line. Stayers below the blue line may not be overtaken on the inside. In Madison races (named after six-day races at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York and also known as "the American"), the team's relief rider rests above the stayer's line by riding slowly until his or her teammate comes around the track and throws him or her back into the race. The finish line is black on a wide white band and near the end of the home straight. Red lines are marked in the exact centre of each straight as start and finish line for pursuit races. A white 200 m line marks before the finish.


Track construction

Velodromes may be indoors or outdoors. In the heyday of velodrome racing (1890–1920), indoor tracks were common. When hosting six-day races, they were popular for revellers and urban sophisticates to congregate in the early hours after the bars had closed. Indoor tracks are not affected by weather and are more comfortable for spectators. They ride smoother and last longer. Despite the advantages of indoor tracks, outdoor velodromes are more common, as an outdoor venue does not require a building, making it more affordable, especially when new. Today, although many classic indoor tracks have been torn out of buildings and replaced by venues for more popular sports, velodromes are still sometimes built into indoor venues, particularly where track racing can generate enough revenue to cover the expense of dedicating a building to it.


Race formats

There are a variety of formats in velodrome races. A typical event will consist of several races of varying distances and structures. Common types of races include: *
Scratch race A scratch race is a track cycling race in which all riders start together and the objective is simply to be first over the finish line after a certain number of laps. UCI regulations specify that a scratch race should be held over 15 km for ...
is the most straightforward type of race where riders compete over a specified distance and the order of finish determines the winners. *
Points race A points race is a mass start track cycling event involving large numbers of riders simultaneously on track. It was an Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 18 ...
assigns value to specific laps throughout a race, e.g. every tenth lap. Generally the leading rider and sometimes the second place rider will be awarded points. The structure and timing of points races varies greatly, but the winner is determined by the accumulation of points and not necessarily the rider crossing the line first at the end of the race. Standard points races can have sprints every ten laps with the first three or four riders scoring, while
Tempo race A points race is a mass start track cycling event involving large numbers of riders simultaneously on track. It was an Olympic event for men between 1984–2008 and for women 1996–2008. Starting in 2012, the points race is one of the omnium eve ...
s award a single point to the sprint winner, but award a point every lap, sharing the attritional quality of the Elimination race. *
Elimination race Elimination races or "snap-dragon" races in bicycle racing are a form of race wherein during the course of the race, certain participants are eliminated through various criteria. The most common types of elimination races are the miss and out and ...
, also known as the ''Devil'', from the phrase "devil take the hindmost", or "miss and out", removes the last place rider from each lap (every second lap on shorter tracks) until only a few riders, often the final two, remain. The final standings are then determined by a rolling start match sprint over the last two laps. * Madison races team up pairs of riders in a tag-team format. Riders "sling" their teammate forward to facilitate alternating sprints that keep the pace very high during typically long races (, or more, compared to for most other races). The name is taken from
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
where the format was popular in the early 1900s. Since partners can trade as often as they like, this is a very busy race format, with half of the racers racing and half circulating around the track at any time. Historically the race was decided by which team had 'taken' the most laps, i.e. lapped the field, with points or finishing position only used to separate ties. In modern Madison racing, however, points scored in sprints decide the race, with a gained lap gaining a large points bonus. As a result, the Madison race is now essentially a team points race. * Time trials include team pursuit, team sprint, individual pursuit, kilo and 500 metre time trials, and the 200m flying lap. Cyclists or teams compete alone or in pairs against the clock alone, with times deciding the winner. In team events, drafting plays an important part in the discipline. while in pursuit events, an alternative means of victory is to 'catch' your opponent by making up the distance between the two start positions on opposite sides of the track. The flying lap was formally part of the Omnium event, but is now reserved for the qualification stage of match sprint events to determine seeding. * The Hour is a notable and unique event where a rider attempts to cover the furthest possible distance in one hour, as opposed to a set distance in the fastest time. This is not held as a championship event but as an occasional challenge event for an elite time trialist. * Sprints, also known as 'match sprints', are short, highly tactical races involving two or three powerful track cyclists over a short course of three laps from a standing start, each trying to take advantage of drafting their opponent, or alternatively getting a gap to prevent their opponent drafting behind them, before breaking into an extremely fast final sprint for the line. *
Keirin – literally "racing cycle" – is a form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan around 1948 for gamblin ...
races involve pacing 6 to 9 sprint riders with a motorcycle known as a
Derny A Derny is a motorized bicycle for motor-paced cycling events such as during six-day and Keirin racing and motor-paced road races. Some riders train behind a derny on the road. The Derny is so-called as it was originally produced by the Frenc ...
. The Derny gradually accelerates until the last lap and a half when it pulls off the track, leading to a sprint for the finish to determine the winner. *
Omnium An omnium (from Latin '' Omni'': of all, belonging to all) is a multiple race event in track cycling. Historically the omnium has had a variety of formats. In recent years, road racing has also adopted the term to describe multi-day races that fe ...
competition assigns a point value to final standings of each race and riders accumulate points over the course of an event or series of events. This is not a specific race, but a competition that ties races and events together, and comparable to a heptathlon, decathlon in athletics, or modern pentathlon. Four endurance events comprise the current Olympic and World Championship Omnium: Scratch, Tempo, Elimination and Points race and must be completed within a day. Team Sprint, sprint, Keirin, Kilo and flying laps are generally considered 'sprinters' races, which in track cycling equate to extremely powerful, muscular riders over short distances, resulting in some historic overlap between BMX riders and track sprinters, such as
Chris Hoy Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy MBE (born 23 March 1976) is a former track cyclist and Racing driver from Scotland who represented Great Britain at the Olympic and World Championships and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. Hoy is eleven-times a wor ...
. The other events are considered endurance events for riders with less outright power but greater aerobic ability, and such events have historically enjoyed an overlap with elite road racers, including road sprinters such as
Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...
and
Elia Viviani Elia Viviani (born 7 February 1989) is an Italian professional Cycle sport, cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . On 10 May 2015, Viviani won his first Grand Tour stage victory at the 2015 Giro d'Italia, Giro d'Italia, winning stage 2 ...
, Grand Tour legends
Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...
,
Fausto Coppi Angelo Fausto Coppi (; 15 September 1919 – 2 January 1960) was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the World War II, Second World War. His successes earned him the title ''Il Campionissimo'' ("Champio ...
and more recent Tour de France winners
Bradley Wiggins Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE (born 28 April 1980) is a British former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but later made the transition to r ...
and
Geraint Thomas Geraint Howell Thomas, (; born 25 May 1986) is a Welsh professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam , Wales and Great Britain. He is one of the few riders in the modern era to achieve significant elite success as both a tra ...
.


See also

*
Board track racing Board track racing was a type of motorsport popular in the United States during the 1910s and 1920s. Competition was conducted on circular or oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks. This type of track was first used for moto ...
*
Cycle track A cycle track, separated bike lane or protected bike lane (sometimes historically referred to as a sidepath) is an exclusive bikeway that has elements of a separated path and on-road bike lane. A cycle track is located within or next to the ro ...
*
List of cycling tracks and velodromes This is a list of cycling tracks and velodromes for track cycling worldwide. Velodromes currently in use Indoor: all the structures are closed inside Outdoor: the velodrome is uncovered and in open air. Outdoor, fully covered: all the structures ...
*
Outline of bicycles :''This article is an outline about bicycles themselves. For an outline about cycling, the associated activity, see outline of cycling.'' The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to bicycles: Bicycle – pedal- ...
*
Outline of cycling :''This article is an outline about the activity of cycling. For an outline about bicycles themselves, see outline of bicycles.'' :The following ''outline'' is provided as an overview of, as well as a topical guide to cycling: Cycling, al ...
*
Cant (road/rail) The cant of a railway track or camber of a road (also referred to as superelevation, cross slope or cross fall) is the rate of change in elevation (height) between the two rails or edges. This is normally greater where the railway or road is curve ...


References


External links


List of velodromes

Track Cycling
{{Authority control Sports venues by type Track cycling