Bicycles and Track Design
Bicycles for velodromes have no brakes. They employ a single fixed rear gear, or cog, that does not freewheel. This helps maximize speed, reduces weight, and avoids sudden braking while nevertheless allowing the rider to slow by pushing back against the pedals.
Modern velodromes are constructed by specialised designers. The Schuermann architects in Germany have built more than 125 tracks worldwide. Most of Schuermann's outdoor tracks are made of wood trusswork with a surface of strips of the rare rain-forest wood Afzelia. Indoor velodromes are built with less expensive pine surfaces. Other designers have been moving away from traditional materials. The 1996 Atlanta Olympics saw the introduction of synthetic surfaces supported by steel frames.
The track is measured along a line 20 cm up from the bottom. Olympic and World Championship velodromes must measure 250 m. Other events on the UCI International Calendar may be held in velodromes that measure between 133 m and 500 m, with a length such that a whole or half number of laps give a distance of 1 km.
The velodrome at Calshot, Hampshire, UK is only 142 m and has especially steep banking because it was built to fit inside an aircraft hangar. Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario, Canada, is the world's shortest at 138 m. Built to fit a hockey arena, it too has steep banking.
The smaller the track, the steeper the banking. A 250 m track banks around 45°, while a 333 m track banks around 32°. Some older velodromes were built to imperial standards. The Dick Lane Velodrome in East Point, Georgia, USA, is 1/5 of a mile, or 321.8m.
Velodrome tracks can be surfaced with different materials, including timber, synthetics and concrete. Shorter, newer, and Olympic quality tracks tend to be timber or synthetics; longer, older, or inexpensive tracks are concrete, macadam, or even cinder.
Read more about this topic: Velodrome
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