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On the Fast Track: Outdoor Velodromes In the US
May is bike month and how better to celebrate than to highlight outdoor velodromes from across the Unites States. For those not in the know, a velodrome is an oval bike track where some of the fastest evens in cycling are held. They usually feature steep banking and sport two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. Olympic regulation velodromes measure 250 meters but outdoor ones tend to come in a variety of sizes. These tracks are where fixed gears aka track bikes were meant to be ridden. Sure it's fun to ride a track bike with no brakes on the streets through traffic, but there's nothing like the feeling of spinning out or jockeying for inches in a tightly packed peloton.
With track bikes undergoing a major renaissance so is interest in these fixed gear friendly tracks. ANIMAL compiled all the active, outdoor velodromes in the United States complete with overhead satellite shots via Google and links to their websites. The first indoor wooden velodrome in more than 30 years, the ADT Event Center at Home Depot Center in Carson, California was not included, nor was the soon to be built Idaho Velodrome and Cycling Park in Eagle, Idaho.
by ANIMAL on May 5, 2008
