Day 9: Wednesday June 11

Day 9: Wednesday June 11
Drove across the Canada / US border to Rochester Hills, MI for the Bloomer Park Velodrome http://www.velodromeatbloomerpark.com/. Schedule says the track is open 10AM – 6:30 PM but while I can walk around the outside, all gates into the infield are locked. I had emailed Tuesday evening, and now calling the contact number, Dale Hughes says sure, you can ride with us this evening at 6PM.

I examine the track; it’s listed as 200 meters with a max banking of 48 degrees, same construction as Bromont (steel framework supporting sections of composite plywood surface). The Bloomer Park track is in excellent condition and turns out to be very fast.
Riders begin to arrive and start to warm up on the track. Lots of Wolverine jerseys with a smattering of one-offs, including me the lone Kelly. This turns out to be a formatted training session (OK, Dale called it a recovery session).

Dale seem to be a strong coach who everyone respects, and he offers everyone encouragement and advice, including me. Everyone is friendly but competitive on the track. Dale breaks us into 2 groups, A and AA (seems no one likes to be called “B”). Each group rides a 40 lap “roll-up” event and a 60 lap points race. These are followed a Madison practice session. The park will close at 9PM so the track session ends around 8:35. This was a nice workout for me, kept HR in the 170 range for both of my events.

Total driving for the day: 130 miles

(images: Bloomer Park Velodrome signage, Bloomer Park Approach views, Bloomer Park Velodrome views, Dale Hughes, Steve at Bloomer Park)