Velodrome

What is a Velodrome?

The oval tracks used for bicycle track racing are called velodromes. They can be found indoors or outdoors, and can be made of wood, concrete, asphalt, or cement, and, occasionally, grass or dirt. Velodromes are usually 333.3 meters around, although they can run as long as 500 meters or more, or as short as 200m, or in the case of some of the "portable" tracks, even less. All velodromes have two long sections called "straights," which are linked by two curved end sections, giving the track a total of four turns. Bicycle track races are always run in a counter-clockwise direction, so all four of the turns are to the left.

The turns on a velodrome are usually "banked," or constructed at an angle, and the banking on some of the shorter tracks can reach such incredible angles that it would seem impossible for anyone to ride a bike on them. The centrifugal force generated by the riders' speed, however, usually keeps them firmly glued to the track's surface no matter how steep the banking may be. The area inside the track is called the "infield," and is used as a warm-up area for riders and as a seating area for competitors and coaches.

Encircling the infield, just at the edge of the track itself, is a flat, paved surface called the "apron." This can be used as a warm-up area, as a place for mounting your bike, or as a run-off area for coming off the track in case of an accident. Several lines are painted on the track and run around the full oval. The line, usually black, at the bottom of the track, nearest to the infield, is called the "pole line," and is the line along which the length of the track is measured.

Some seventy centimeters up the track from the pole line is painted another line, usually red, called the "sprinter's line." The area between these two lines is called "the pole," and is involved in the rules for a very popular event called the "Match Sprint." About halfway up the track is another line, called the "stayer's line," which is usually blue, and is used in team racing and in motorpaced events as well.

Image courtesy of BPAJ.