York Velodrome

Welp, this is happening.

http://www.york-sport.com/velodrome

They're apparently just sorting out the programme of training etc but the building is all done and it's nearly ready for use. I'm hoping to take some kids up from work (I'm a teacher with plans of making track cycling our main PE focus) and do some training myself.

Anyone else in Yorkshire with plans to travel up or who knows what's going on? It'd be good to meet some fellow fixeh skidders around here, so we can talk about how loads of people ride fixed in York but NO ONE uses foot retention. It'll be top.

Down in Sheff so can see coming up and having a crack at a taster session. Might see if there's any that coincide with my wife's cyclocross races up that way.

It's terribly exciting. There's not much of a 'fixie' 'scene' in York so gonna be a bit different to HH.

I registered online last night. I'm in Leeds but getting over to York won't be too much hassle obvs. I'd imagine a fair amount of the Leeds fixed people will be heading over.

I was looking at the rules about using your own bike and they seem a bit vague. Also I'm two inches taller than the maximum height listed on the registration form, I hope there's not some weird anti-tall people agenda going on there!

Ah, I hadn't checked it in a couple of weeks so hadn't seen the pricing and stuff. I think the stuff about bringing your own bike is basically "no conversions, no mango/create/mongoose/monstrosities".

I've registered as a teacher and for myself so hopefully I'll be down there in a couple of weeks! I've said I can take my own bike so that should make it easier to get a place as I'm distinctly average in height. 6ft/56cm bike.

I've no idea how popular it'll be, to be honest. York is a funny place, though I suppose there're plenty of clubs in Yorkshire who will be looking to use it, though how many cyclists around here own track legal bikes I'm not sure. I suspect most of them are on LFGSS.

I think the stuff about bringing your own bike is basically "no conversions, no mango/create/mongoose/monstrosities"

S'alright I'll just take my baby blue Foffa

Just got confirmation, I'll be going to the 13:00 session on Saturday. Nice one!

Pleased for ya! I've applied for an evening this week but will wait and see. Stuck 49:16 gearing on the bike as well, so ready to go. Now do I try and ride it out there or drive...

Don't reckon the main roads in York would be fun on track gearing and hard tyres. Fingers crossed it'll be soon.

Just checked junk mail and there's an email saying I can go tomorrow! Shame having a baby has meant my cycling has decreased to 20 miles a week. Gonna be a tough 45 mins.

Sweet! Report back pls thanx

Will do. Hopefully the weather will stay nice. I've just put on my Lycra for the first time in 4 months. It seems to have shrunk around the waistline.

Right O, just got back and it was.... Great.

I was actually the only one in the 5pm session for the first 20 minutes, so received private coaching which was aiiiight.

Track is a tonne smaller than HHV, short straights and big bends. Felt really fucking good to hammer it round after a few months of minimal cycling.

The coach has suggested I do the accreditation so I can race next year as the velodrome is closing when the weather starts to get worse, and no racing sessions this year - just training.

If you're in the area I suggest a trip up, particularly if it's as quiet as it was this evening.

good luck with it, its good that more outdoor tracks are opening, and REP for sorting out sessions for your kids, legendary shit right there.

Aye, I didn't realise how many there were. Shame that it took this one so long to open. It was finished in July but BC wouldn't let them open until they'd tidied up the centre enclosure. Would have loved a summer on it!

It's that time again - is anyone riding SQT in the next few weeks? Racing is a way off for me, but definitely doing some of the 'training'.

I'm looking to try and get accredited in the next few weeks. I'm hoping they will let me at least skip to the first stage so sqt might not be too far off, will you not be doing the track league then?

Thinking about riding over from Leeds also, just to make it a proper training session.

I'm thinking about doing track league in June/July - I don't have the time to do much fast riding at the moment because of Uni work, but once that's done I'll be getting on a few chaingangs and hopefully getting a bit fitter. I can hold my own in training races, but found track league hard work last year.

If you're used to riding fixed, then accreditation should be easy enough. I think mine was delayed because of the lack of riders - lots of the accreditation drills need 6-10 riders, and there were just never enough when I was doing mine.
It should be possible in 4 or 5 sessions though if you've done group riding before and have decent bike handling. I'd see if you can jump straight onto a level 2 session - if you can ride in a straight line and speed up/slow down then you'll be alright. I haven't been to any of the levelled sessions this year, but I know that last year lots of the Level 1s were made up of people 'giving it a try' so lots of the stuff you want to do isn't possible.