Summary
Overall, this was a good trip, but it would have been better with someone to share the driving. I had fun at the locations, met some interesting people, and learned more about different velodromes and the programs they run.
Total driving over 12 days: almost 2,300 miles
Steve.Gorham@comcast.net
Monday, June 23, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Day 12: Saturday June 14
Day 12: Saturday June 14
I get to visit my Mom in Hamilton, NJ for about an hour before her attention drifts. This was a good visit.
Then onto the familiar drive south to Baltimore. I’m 30 minutes early for my 5 o’clock appointment, Dan’s HS graduation party. Beer, food, friends and family. Mom and Dan perform a beer ritual together, something I don’t remember doing with my Dad. I get home by midnight.
Total driving for the day: 290 miles
I get to visit my Mom in Hamilton, NJ for about an hour before her attention drifts. This was a good visit.
Then onto the familiar drive south to Baltimore. I’m 30 minutes early for my 5 o’clock appointment, Dan’s HS graduation party. Beer, food, friends and family. Mom and Dan perform a beer ritual together, something I don’t remember doing with my Dad. I get home by midnight.
Total driving for the day: 290 miles
Day 11: Friday June 13
Day 11: Friday June 13
Up reasonably early, shave, breakfast. I need to transition into driving mode to make my 5PM Saturday deadline in Baltimore. I’m taking a north-easterly route to cross the border on the Freedom Bridge at Niagara Falls (yup, they’re still there), then south-east toward New Jersey. Found a reasonable hotel around 10PM.
I brought 2 bikes, one track and one road. I just had my Hollands road bike tweaked at Race Pace Bicycles http://racepacebicycles.com/ and it’s running really well. Would have been great to have a road ride just to be able to turn right, but time didn’t allow.
Total driving for the day: 444 miles
Up reasonably early, shave, breakfast. I need to transition into driving mode to make my 5PM Saturday deadline in Baltimore. I’m taking a north-easterly route to cross the border on the Freedom Bridge at Niagara Falls (yup, they’re still there), then south-east toward New Jersey. Found a reasonable hotel around 10PM.
I brought 2 bikes, one track and one road. I just had my Hollands road bike tweaked at Race Pace Bicycles http://racepacebicycles.com/ and it’s running really well. Would have been great to have a road ride just to be able to turn right, but time didn’t allow.
Total driving for the day: 444 miles
Day 10:Thursday June 12
Day 10: Thursday June 12
Crossed the US / Canadian border back up to the Forest City Velodrome http://www.forestcityvelodrome.ca/index.php. I’ve never been at an indoor velodrome. The front door is unlocked so I enter. The place is chock full of racing memorabilia – posters, medals, trophies, vintage race programs, etc. The air is heavy with tradition (or maybe it’s just damp), and I have a feeling of being someplace special.
Inside I introduce myself to Rob on the infield and examine the facility. The framework of the track is wood beams and looks strong. The surface is very smooth, made of a plywood-like laminate that's almost seamless and countoured to the turns and banking. The surface is tightly attached to the framing with no fastener protrusions. Since it’s indoors and climate controlled, there’s no need for any expansion gaps. Even indoors, it’s quieter than outdoor tracks whose surfaces are made up of separate individual panels.
Crossed the US / Canadian border back up to the Forest City Velodrome http://www.forestcityvelodrome.ca/index.php. I’ve never been at an indoor velodrome. The front door is unlocked so I enter. The place is chock full of racing memorabilia – posters, medals, trophies, vintage race programs, etc. The air is heavy with tradition (or maybe it’s just damp), and I have a feeling of being someplace special.
Inside I introduce myself to Rob on the infield and examine the facility. The framework of the track is wood beams and looks strong. The surface is very smooth, made of a plywood-like laminate that's almost seamless and countoured to the turns and banking. The surface is tightly attached to the framing with no fastener protrusions. Since it’s indoors and climate controlled, there’s no need for any expansion gaps. Even indoors, it’s quieter than outdoor tracks whose surfaces are made up of separate individual panels.
The building is the former home of the local hockey team (remember, this is Canada, eh?) who moved into a bigger ice arena back around 2004. The sign for The London Gardens remains mounted on the building, next to the Forest City Velodrome sign. The track was designed specifically to fit inside this small arena and was built on-site. Arena-style seating remains where track banking allows a view.
I carry bike and gear inside, and eventually there are 6 of us. Rob wants to check me out alone on the track, and there’s good reason: Riding this track is unlike any other I’ve been on. It’s listed as 138 meters long with 50 degrees maximum banking, but the turns feel very tight. Radius of the turns is a metric I’ve not seen listed for different velodromes, but would make for an interesting comparison.
Laps go by really quick – the straights last only 2 breaths – and the centrifugal force in the turns is strong. It takes me a while to get familiar enough so I can maintain a respectable line through the turns. I find maintaining control out of the turns to be the biggest challenge. Also, I kept sliding forward on the saddle in the turns, and would have to slide my butt backward into place on the straights.
Trivial amusing observations:
· I would typically remove bikes from the car and let the tires acclimatize outside before inflating, but here I need to bring the bike inside before inflating the tires.
· Etiquette – where do you spit in an indoor velodrome?
Everyone is friendly and there’s no real sense of competition, more like we’re all just sharing a facility for individual workouts, which works fine for this small group. Our eldest rider Gene is practicing specific events for an upcoming week of racing. I find this is not a heavy-duty hard workout but more of a skills drill, heart rate never rose above 144 BPM (although next day my upper arms feel a bit sore, especially the right, probably due to fighting the turns). After a couple of hours everyone is pretty much finished. I get a few more photos, some advice on travel directions, and depart.
Hotel, shower, dinner at 9:30PM.
Total driving for the day: 133 miles.
Laps go by really quick – the straights last only 2 breaths – and the centrifugal force in the turns is strong. It takes me a while to get familiar enough so I can maintain a respectable line through the turns. I find maintaining control out of the turns to be the biggest challenge. Also, I kept sliding forward on the saddle in the turns, and would have to slide my butt backward into place on the straights.
Trivial amusing observations:
· I would typically remove bikes from the car and let the tires acclimatize outside before inflating, but here I need to bring the bike inside before inflating the tires.
· Etiquette – where do you spit in an indoor velodrome?
Everyone is friendly and there’s no real sense of competition, more like we’re all just sharing a facility for individual workouts, which works fine for this small group. Our eldest rider Gene is practicing specific events for an upcoming week of racing. I find this is not a heavy-duty hard workout but more of a skills drill, heart rate never rose above 144 BPM (although next day my upper arms feel a bit sore, especially the right, probably due to fighting the turns). After a couple of hours everyone is pretty much finished. I get a few more photos, some advice on travel directions, and depart.
Hotel, shower, dinner at 9:30PM.
Total driving for the day: 133 miles.
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.
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)
Day 8: Tuesday June 10
Day 8: Tuesday June 10
Additional French words:
Sud – south
Nord – north
Ouest – west
Est – east
I finished the 500 mile drive and arrived at the Forest City Velodrome http://www.forestcityvelodrome.ca/ early afternoon. The building is locked, so with some time to spare before the scheduled 5PM open track time (“Huff and Puff” session), I looked around in some of the nearby stores. Back at the parking lot by 4:30PM, but when no one shows up by 5:15 I realize something’s wrong. I get no usable cell signal here, so I check in at hotel and call & email the listed contacts for the track. A return message from Rob Good later that evening is apologetic and assures me the facility will be open other days this week.
Additional French words:
Sud – south
Nord – north
Ouest – west
Est – east
I finished the 500 mile drive and arrived at the Forest City Velodrome http://www.forestcityvelodrome.ca/ early afternoon. The building is locked, so with some time to spare before the scheduled 5PM open track time (“Huff and Puff” session), I looked around in some of the nearby stores. Back at the parking lot by 4:30PM, but when no one shows up by 5:15 I realize something’s wrong. I get no usable cell signal here, so I check in at hotel and call & email the listed contacts for the track. A return message from Rob Good later that evening is apologetic and assures me the facility will be open other days this week.
A thought about our title sponsor, Kelly Benefit Strategies http://www.kellybenefitstrategies.com/ and John Kelly. John raced pretty much full-time in his day, and continues as a weekend warrior today. His company backs not only my amateur club Lateral Stress Velo, our NRC race Bikejam http://www.bikejam.org/ and our cross race Rockburn Cross http://www.woofdesigns.com/rockburncross.htm , but is a founding sponsor of the KBS/Medifast professional team http://www.kbsmedifast.com/kelly_medifast_pro_cycling/index.php. He's seriously committed to cycling and it shows. Plus, John's a nice guy and throws a great time at the annual meeting at his place. I hope this blog does him some proud.
Total driving for the day: 80 miles
(images: Forest City – Matt’s van, Forest City Velodrome signage)
Day 7: Monday June 9
Day 7: Monday June 9
Race weather on Sunday was sunny and warm, but a line of thunderstorms rolled through around 7PM (long after racing was completed) and it's still overcast and damp now. Big Italian dinner and drinks last evening so I'm a bit sluggish this morning. I gotta pack up for departure in a couple of hours. Lots of laundry to catch up on this evening!
Transitioning back into cycling mode with a short drive to the velodrome at Bromont http://www.cyclisme-bromont.ca/. It’s the one of Canada’s National Centers for Cycling and includes the track, plus a BMX course, mountain bike trails, and lightly trafficked roads for training.
I enter the building and inquire about riding the track, only to be told it’s closed for repairs! They had completed a set of races over the weekend and were taking advantage of the weekdays to fix up some loose panels on the track. So, another disappointment - no track time for me.
I spoke with Richard who runs the track facility. He described their range of programs but seemed especially proud of the school kids’ programs – a full day including BMX, mountain bike, and velodrome time. They also host some regular weekly local races, in addition to some larger weekend open races.
I got permission to walk the velodrome. It’s listed as 250 meters, 47 degrees max banking, and seemed to be quite wide. The engineering is pretty simple: trussed steel beams radiate outward and upward from the ground at the inside (apron), supported by upright round steel beams at the outside (top). Smaller square steel beams, space about 3 feet apart, connect the trusses around the circumference. Composite plywood panels approx 2 X 6 feet lay into this grid, again in a radial pattern. The track is not in good shape, with lots of weather damage, rough surface on the panels, many patches, and some gaps between panels. Sorry to say, as the track that was built new for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, it has seen better days. I linger, taking photos and talking with another rider who is disappointed that the track is closed.
Race weather on Sunday was sunny and warm, but a line of thunderstorms rolled through around 7PM (long after racing was completed) and it's still overcast and damp now. Big Italian dinner and drinks last evening so I'm a bit sluggish this morning. I gotta pack up for departure in a couple of hours. Lots of laundry to catch up on this evening!
Transitioning back into cycling mode with a short drive to the velodrome at Bromont http://www.cyclisme-bromont.ca/. It’s the one of Canada’s National Centers for Cycling and includes the track, plus a BMX course, mountain bike trails, and lightly trafficked roads for training.
I enter the building and inquire about riding the track, only to be told it’s closed for repairs! They had completed a set of races over the weekend and were taking advantage of the weekdays to fix up some loose panels on the track. So, another disappointment - no track time for me.
I spoke with Richard who runs the track facility. He described their range of programs but seemed especially proud of the school kids’ programs – a full day including BMX, mountain bike, and velodrome time. They also host some regular weekly local races, in addition to some larger weekend open races.
I got permission to walk the velodrome. It’s listed as 250 meters, 47 degrees max banking, and seemed to be quite wide. The engineering is pretty simple: trussed steel beams radiate outward and upward from the ground at the inside (apron), supported by upright round steel beams at the outside (top). Smaller square steel beams, space about 3 feet apart, connect the trusses around the circumference. Composite plywood panels approx 2 X 6 feet lay into this grid, again in a radial pattern. The track is not in good shape, with lots of weather damage, rough surface on the panels, many patches, and some gaps between panels. Sorry to say, as the track that was built new for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, it has seen better days. I linger, taking photos and talking with another rider who is disappointed that the track is closed.
I departed and made only 420 miles from Bromont. Lots of rain, wind, thunder and lightning made driving a tiring job, and I stopped to catch some sleep at Guelph, about 120K short of next destination: London, Ontario. The only hotel with any available accommodations was a bit more expensive than the Sleep Inn I was scheduled to stay at. Sorry to have spend more money on the hotel, but I was too tired to drive any further.
Total driving for the day: 420 miles
(images: Bromont Cycling Centre signage, Bromont engineering views, Bromont tunnel views, Bromont velodrome views, Bromont track surface)
Total driving for the day: 420 miles
(images: Bromont Cycling Centre signage, Bromont engineering views, Bromont tunnel views, Bromont velodrome views, Bromont track surface)
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