Tried the track... and loved it!

Today I went along to a 'Try-the-track' at Meadowbank Velodrome in Edinburgh, the same place that Chris Hoy cut his teeth!

The day started with being fitted with my trusty steed for the afternoon. It was a bit weird as the set up is different to my race bike and my road bike. We headed over to the middle of the velodrome where a set of rollers were set up. I have never used rollers before, the concept is a bit nerving. You basically have 2 rollers that you sit you back wheel on and a roller that you sit your front wheel on. Nothing holds your bike on other than your balance and the speed that you peddle!

The coach, Alister, was great, even though he was making fun at me before we had been introduced! I had the benefit of being first. There was no introduction it to what was about to happen so I had no time to start worrying. He was talking me through how to get on the bike, and the group of watchers, which I succeeded after the second attempt, and started peddling. Alister just kept on talking, distracting me from the fear that was flowing through me. There was people all around me watching and commenting but I was so totally focused on a point in the distance I have no idea what was said. Slowly, and subtly, Alister removed his hands form support and before I knew it I was going solo!

That wasn't it though, I had to stay peddling for a couple of minutes while he talked to the group. The talk turned to Chris Hoy and his position as he cycles his laps of celebration after his famous wins at the Olympics.

And that was my next challenge! I had to bring my finger tips to the top of the handlebars, tilt my hips back and cross my arms, ll whilst cycling solo on the rollers! (I did have people either side of me in case my confidence and bike wobbled, phew.) Next I had to raise my arms to the heavens. What a feeling, a real mixture of fear and success.

Like I said earlier, I think I was really lucky that I was first and didn't have a clue about what I was letting myself in for. The next girl who followed me on to the rollers was so nervous she was shaking like a leaf. I felt for her but I knew she could do it.

We went over to the track next. We were helped on to our bikes and set off on cycling loops of the track. We had to practice speed control. Quite and interesting thing to learn in the absence of brakes! We would do a lap then approach Alister, or a helper, and slow to a track stand and then peddle off of for another lap. All my practice of track stands at traffic lights really paid off.

The next stage in our development of budding track stars of tomorrow was to learn to traverse the track. We would complete laps along the bottom, where it is flat, and on the flats we would veer up the banking, round a person, and back down to the flat before the berm.

There was no putting it off, we had to tackle the fear of the steep berms. After being briefed we were taken to the top of the track, at the start of the straight and pushed! We had to peddle like hell towards the red line, and keep peddling. If we slowed down too much, we would move too close to horizontal, clip the track with our peddle and going sliding down. The result, other than bruising, would be splinters, so many splinters you could not imagine, all the way down the right side of your body. Oooo, not nice. We all made it, well you would have to wouldn't you? With the fear of all those splinters!

We were off. The fear of the steep berms mastered, if not conquered, we cycled lap after lap going high and higher. Time to start racing they said. Eeeek. It is one thing doing laps with no one around you but to race some one? You've got to be kidding?

We divided up in to teams of 3 for team sprints. I have had a head cold for the last few day so I didn't think I could manage 3 laps of sprinting so I went first. The idea is that the first rider gets the speed up and peels off after a lap, the second rider takes over and peels off leaving the third rider to sprint to the finish. Well that was the plan, anyway. I was so focused on powering off, when I peeled away to let the riders through, they weren't there! I had gone too quick! Me? A little solo rider with no experience racing on a bike, with a team of time-trialists behind me? And I dropped them!

After the big boys had done a race (I don't know what it was but it involved 30 laps with sprints every 4 laps or so. Looked exhausting.) a group of 5 of us took part in a mini Keirin. We lined up along the top of the track and waited for a mini motorised bike to come level and we followed it. After staying in line for the first half lap, we joshed for the best position behind the bike, for 5 laps getting steadily quicker, that saved energy but allowed us a good position from which to sprint to the finish. When the bike pulled off for the final sprint I was in equal third place.

The guy who was in first place was a seasoned track rider, the 2nd and 3rd place were newbies like me. In the picture above you can see me in light blue behind the girl in red. As we went round the final berm, I spotted that the racing black line was clear! It was mine! It dipped the bike down to the line, which sped me up and I cruised past the girl in red. I didn't win but I did beat the other newbies! Whoop whoop!

I had a fantastic time, thanks you Alister and everyone else who helped us. I will definitely be back for more, if I can fit it in with my training plan!

Unfortunately, I have to finish this post on a sad note. In March 2008 the Velodrome was earmarked, by the Edinburgh County Council, for demolition.

Boy did the council get a shock when Chris Hoy, and British Cycling, was such a resounding success at the Beijing Olympics. In his speeches to the press, he called for the Velodrome to be saved. It is one of the good things that has come out of the current world financial situation that Council don't have the money to build the houses so the demolition has been postponed. Lets hope that we can save this fantastic facility and breeding ground of new talent!

*Save Meadowbank Velodrome!*