Report and Photos by Donal Kelly on the recent visit to the track Cycling in ovals is good for you. The Ceannt Stadium velodrome on Sundrive road is hard to find, the first time at least. You can barely see it from the road, hidden deep in Ceannt park in Crumlin. That was my excuse for being late, that and getting lost because I went left instead of right as I cycled down Miltary Road. By the time I got to the track, a line of cyclists were already doing steady laps of the concrete track, banked along the bends, with a strong West wind hardly blocked at all by the parks trees. I immediately got yelled at for wheeling the bike across the track, gravel, and grass. Great to feel like a newbie; not a clue about the etiquette and rules. The group of almost entirely underage cyclists from clubs like Galway Bay, Covey Wheelers, and Seven Springs were a mix of track first-timers and second-timers. Still, they seemed comfortable on the brakeless, freewheel-less, derailleur-less fleet of Dolan track bikes. It takes some getting used to: looking down at the bars and seeing no brakes and no gears, then feeling the pedals push against your feet if you relax your cadence. Coming to a standstill exactly where you want to along the perimeter bar takes a bit of practice. There was a stiff headwind down one straight, switching to a tailwind coming off the banked bend, allowing for a good speed crossing the line. 450 metres, which seems such a short distance on the road, is bloody tough when you go flat out. Keep pedalling! was the coachs cry as riders finished a flying lap. No matter how prepared you think you are, the first few times you go full gas it is hard to keep the mantra going... keep pedalling, keep pedalling. Once you get used to it, theres a real buzz: head down, gasping air, following the inside line, waiting for the legs to overload with lactic, pedalling in squares but still going in ovals. Over the two hours the group did some drills and efforts. Track riding can involve a lot of waiting, and its cold- bring plenty of layers. Bring Look Delta cleated shoes too, as theyre the only ones allowed. To ride on the track you need to do an accreditation session: these are run regularly, with info available here: facebook/l/vAQHLP5K7AQHxuiiRt-RBdqkzBNito__SxN3tBI2vcr3z7Q/trackcycling.ie/. To race, you also need to attend a training session. They are run on Saturdays at 10 AM. Bikes are available for €15, with plenty of sizes- Dolan aluminium frames. Remember the Look Delta cleats though. Track riding has a different feel to the road: short intense efforts, drills, and careful awareness of those around you on the track are crucial. It can be like pulling out of a line of cars to overtake: you have to check your mirrors first to see if anyone else is belting up the track on your outside! It feels like athletics, with lanes and lap times and focused efforts. Be it training for something else or standalone adventure, its a lot of fun. And if youre looking for inspiration, check out the rainbow stripes of Martyn Irvines World Champions jersey hanging on an unassuming wall of the track centre. Results for the 1 Lap TT (450 metres) 1: Donal Kelly, Galway Bay CC 36.57 2: Eoghan Mc Ardle Ruane, Galway Bay CC 39.97 3: Ben Walsh, Covey Wheelers 40.16 4: Caimin Muldoon, Nicholas Roche team 40.40 5: Andrew Currid, Covey Wheelers 41.20 6: Mick Ruane, Galway Bay CC 41.36
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 12:59:26 +0000
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