Top Things Not To Do On A Velodrome | Beginner Track Cycling Tips

Have you ever been tempted to try cycling on the track in a velodrome? Most of us have seen Olympic athletes whizzing around in circles and making it look easy, but riding on the track is actually significantly different than riding on the road! No brakes, no gears, and no freehub mean that track bikes can be quite difficult to get used to.
As an ex-pro track rider with heaps of experience, Manon is the perfect person to take us through some top things you should and shouldn't do on a velodrome to make sure you stay upright and safe.
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Leave us a comment below!

[@SimoneChiaretta]

The most difficult bits is finding the “local velodrome” 😀

[@panzerveps]

Been a problem for most Norwegians since forever, but we're finally getting two of'em in the near future. One opening after summer, and the other (which is quite close to me) hopefully opens in another year or two.

[@ashwinmandan5]

True, don't come to India looking for one

[@minuteman4199]

The nearest velodrome to me is almost 300 km away, and I live in the most densely populated region of Canada. My local bike shop does organize regular trips to it, but I've never been.

[@ofeykalakar1]

@@panzerveps track cycling is great for winter workouts and a nice break from Zwifting in the basement

[@baconeater312]

there are only 3 in my country, my city used to have one but it was demolished 4 years after i was born

[@billysunshine9100]

Manon is a brilliant commenter. GCN has such a solid lineup right now.

[@crawfordbrown75]

Before watching: I tried to track stand on the steepest part of the banking. My whole arm was burned from sliding the whole way down. Dad thought it was hilarious.

[@katiel7166]

I apologise for laughing so much at this

[@akshatkhanna9898]

So burnt that there was a "hole" in your arm by the end of it? Sorry, couldn't resist :P

[@crawfordbrown75]

@@akshatkhanna9898 lmao fixed it

[@erich8258]

Could have been worse, at least you didn't high side it!

[@crawfordbrown75]

@@erich8258 high side?

[@MCDbits]

Manon pretending she doesn't know everything about Nascar.

[@katiel7166]

Come on Manon! We know you race cars as well!

[@roberteltze4850]

@@huntspoint3442 not on oval courses. The only time they turn right is on a handful of road courses where they turn both directions.

[@huntspoint3442]

@@roberteltze4850 sorry, senior moment.

[@igorgetsin3646]

They crash like tour defrance too

[@prestachuck2867]

Most people who live outside of the midwestern and southern US couldn’t care less about nascar. It’s a running joke amongst athletes.

[@arabcheif]

Alex Crashing, that's some Oscar-Winning acting there lmao.

[@slwsnowman4038]

They should have brought in Stuntman Hank for the crash.

[@lblascano]

Manon's bike is ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@marjorieboissinot2037]

Yay! Finally a video focused on Manon’s background and expertise on Track cycling! Manon is a great presenter and it would be nice to see more videos led by her expertise! Thank you so much for this! I didn’t even know you could book beginners sessions and hire the track bike! I am really new to the sport and it’s nice to see that we can try a few different types of riding and find out which ones we like best and/or are the best suited for! Will put it on my list of things to try out! Thanks GCN! 👍👍👍

[@saimakhan87]

Thank you gcn for bringing Manon to the team, as a clueless newbie cyclist, she explains everything so well! Love it!

[@Calum_S]

I had a go at the London Olympic velodrome on holiday a few years ago and loved it.

[@ashwinmandan5]

Team Manon For Life!!!! GCN is Great!

[@ScottGilbert_Agent]

If you are in the San Diego, Ca area we offer classes at the San Diego Velodrome (and racing Tuesday and Friday nights).

[@osvaldopulido2553]

What's the certification schedule? I mainly ride in encino and travel down there sometimes

[@Quill13]

Aww I wish I could travel to America

[@werdsmyth]

Hands down the most fun had on a bike. Was very lucky to have Lee Valley velodrome just down the road for training and track league. Then moved West and now have Newport less than an hour away. Love riding the boards.

[@smunguia83]

Thanks for this video. I got into road cycling two years ago and just realized there is an indoor velodrome near me. I’m looking forward to trying out track cycling!

[@dirkrousseau462]

These track vidoes are getting me so pumped for the olympic track events!

[@steffanh]

I'm loving the track content recently. A couple of years after the London 2012 Olympics I was lucky enough to visit the Olympic Park and Lee Valley was open and they kindly allowed me to have a wander around and I caught a sign that essentially implied "run what you brung". That lit the fire and aged 31, I decided now was the time to actually learn how to ride a bike and I'm just waiting for my 3rd bike to come into stick (always need an n+1)

[@jimbojet8728]

Well done Manon, I do enjoy your GCN presentations. Alex is good too, you make a good team. Thank you both

[@gcn]

Much appreciated Jimbojet!

[@blueshun]

Alex went into GCNTech mode trying to fix his freewheel while Manon looked on in embarrassment.

[@alfonsomares861]

Love this velodrome and track cycling videos

[@sandiegocyclingnutz]

Fun video! Thanks to this video I'm going to look into our local velodrome and see if there's a beginners day or something

[@redrocker1055]

This was epic. Like "Days of Thunder" in Lycra.

[@wrench_n_ride8159]

Love Manon pieces and that is a sick bike! Love her cheeky personality.

[@kuni_nerome]

Yesss!!! I really appreciate more track cycling contents! I for one cannot wait for the day the GTCN (Global Track Cycling Network) will be established, if at all. I took a long pause from track cycling, but I am just getting back into it. I am in search of good KZbinrs and Videos, but I’m having a hard time with it so far.

[@cwooly007]

This is so on my bucket list

[@suggyltd9577]

Added take away. Measure track distance in meters and track speed in miles per hour. I enjoyed the video. Thanks.

[@krugz_]

Sweet! More track contents!

[@bubblesezblonde]

"Head down to your local Veledrome," soo European....I LOVE it . Looks like fun, I enjoyed the vid and learned a lot. The Welsh Dragon Queen's eyes light up when she talks about speeding up in the corners hahaha. I always wondered about freewheeling on those tracks.

[@baribari600]

More track content! I just built my first track bike!

[@aadamdavids8499]

Yess! Track content 😁

[@harleykirkryanlaqui2401]

Alex: it's basically like nascar isn't it? Manon: huh? HAHAHAHAHAHA I LOVE YOU MANON!!!!!

[@panzerveps]

Velodrome for cars :D Well, they're not wrong, as the velodrome is far older than the Nascar style of racing, and a Nascar track is basically just a bigger velodrome.

[@barnettkr]

Manon’s track bike is absolutely smashing!

[@stevelopez4528]

Great video.

[@x3thelast]

YESSS! More TRACK CYCLING!!!!!

[@MrDeeJayzee]

ive never ridden in a velodrome but i feel like leaning to the left feels more natural than leaning to the right. maybe thats why its raced counter clock wise

[@wsnx_]

i think it depends on the leg which you prefer to clip out. majority clips out on the left, righties would probably prefer leaning on the right side.

[@baconeater312]

@@wsnx_ I have never used clips,I still favor the left side....which makes no sense as we drive on the right side of the road in my country ,I should lean and stop right as thats the side the curb is on

[@andrew7taylor]

Most people are right-footed. When you turn left, it feels better because you're only pivoting around your left foot and steer and put the power out with your right.

[@stephenpanitz365]

I’m hoping to go to a come and try day this weekend at the Anna Meares VD in Brisbane.

[@benjiherring1464]

Great video

[@Vastald]

GCN humor gives me life

[@asherfawle8332]

I will always remember at one of the state titles I competed at in my IP one of my cranks fell off(not the drive side lucky) with two laps to go and I somehow finished without the slowest time. after the first lap it felt weird and i knew something wasn't right nut i i stopped i would of been DQ'd so I kept racing and finished the IP. Will never forget that race and the reactions i got as well.

[@christophevandermeersch546]

One tip I got at the Eddy Merckx velodrome was to keep the chain under tension in the bends. By using a bit of power your bike won't slip off

[@coreygolphenee9633]

Thats a track bike tip in general the bike is way more competent power on then power off

[@jesseellis3126]

That Dolan is SICK!!!!

[@andyclark8991]

Manon your so cool, the best Manon you are. GCN love your video

[@kc0lif]

thanks manon

[@AsvaldoAyus9419]

lovely mannon❤❤

[@stevenqirkle]

Humanity: builds untold miles of beautiful roads for your cycling enjoyment Track cyclists: lets go do a bunch of circles in a dark warehouse

[@gcn]

Hahaha!

[@karlwalters3763]

That same humanity also built cars, big busses, stinking trucks, crazy taxi drivers, wanker tradies and entitled soccer mums.

[@ImMamba]

Apart from the roads were built for cars :( none of those in the velo!

[@thelonesculler]

@@ImMamba Except for Nascar which is basically run on velodromes for cars

[@nstrug]

@@ImMamba in the U.K. at least the roads were originally built for horses, and then were surfaced for bikes. Cars are latecomers.

[@msg0310]

Majority of people are right handed and rightnhanded people are naturally more comfortable to turn towards left or counter clockwise. Right side has more control oppose to circumferential force

[@PsyX99]

More tracks video please :D

[@jasontwynn7356]

Awesome video as always 👍. Manon,kicking the guys buts . As she always does. Love your channel,you all kick but and make my day a lot better. I smile and laugh almost every video. Love it,thank you all.

[@bit1564]

One thing I would have liked to see would be giving your tires a quick scuff with some sandpaper. My town has a concrete 333m drome with no minimum speed, so the first time I rode an indoor 250 I had no idea why I kept sliding off despite keeping a good clip!

[@anubis520]

If I made add a small additional tip, don't forget to check your surroundings when getting on/off the track or moving up or down the track to avoid a collision. A velodrome can sometimes get crowded and being aware of what others are doing is important.

[@faisalalsaiful3838]

3:58 i love how manon roasted alex on behalf of the fixed gear community 🤣🤣

[@alexkawasaki8506]

I've always wanted to try track cycling. It's also a relatively inexpensive part of cycling to start because of the lack of components. Problem is that i live in Sicily and the Palermo velodrome has been closed since forever and probably never will open again 🙃

[@noahbrown2310]

Mate your surname is even of bike, you must be talented innit?

[@alexkawasaki8506]

@@noahbrown2310 it's not my real name obviously 😂 i Just like Kawasaki and so i adopted it. About being talented i wouldn't say so 😅

[@jonasosa5126]

Just get a track bike

[@alexkawasaki8506]

@@jonasosa5126 and where am I going to ride it? 😅 Sicily isn't really a place where you can ride a single speed fixed bike with no brakes on the street

[@notorio526]

@@alexkawasaki8506 Get a frame which is drilled for brakes or get it drilled at the bike shop. I ride fixed with front and rear brakes!

[@mingelliot9082]

The maat looks so sick

[@craigfresch575]

i raced BMX indoors on a concrete track with wooden jumps on knobbies, I'm ready!

[@ANTheWhizkid]

You should try mountain biking when you love berms so much :) *I better duck away and start running :P awesome episode guys!

[@dovy6666]

More video about track bikes on the street pleasee

[@grahamgreen8106]

I rode the track a lot as a junior in the 1960s, and would have loved to have ridden these modern board tracks. Alas born in the wrong time I guess. 😊

[@lord_jusifer]

I like how Manon shouted in slow motion as opposed to having it slowed down in post 😂

[@mateuszsobanski203]

Why do you ride anticlockwise on the velodrome? Because it's a race AGAINST the clock I did sessions on Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow. Coaches are great. I love it

[@Roaring.On.Carnivore.]

Do it for Dale 3🏁🏁

[@AmahlAmahlAmahl]

Track Cycling is just Hipster NASCAR. It's beautiful.

[@galenkehler]

Velodrome are ridden counterclockwise because of the Coriolis effect. The earth's rotation naturally applies a slight force guiding the bicycle around the track.

[@karlwalters3763]

So how does that effect Velodromes in the southern hemisphere?

[@nstrug]

@@karlwalters3763 from the point of view of the northern hemisphere they ride clockwise. However because everything in the Southern Hemisphere is mirrored, it appears as if they are riding counterclockwise. Same reason why a spun cricket ball swings in the opposite direction down there. Especially if some cheating bastard has been sandpapering it.

[@coreygolphenee9633]

As someone that street rides track bikes its sill an awesome feeling to slap the 13 tooth on fly up to 40 mph

[@jenniferw6081]

First impression on seeing the track: I'm not riding a bike on that! Was so traumatised after my first lesson I kept waking up in sweats that night. 😱

[@jenniferw6081]

@James Hama doing fine thanks. In lockdown number 6!

[@TheGreenhillsCyclist]

I think I can take to the velodrome cycling. My left-hand turns are way stronger than my right-hand turns. Just keep those turns coming and I'm as happy as a pig in ________! Well, I'm just happy!

[@deabreu.tattoo]

1:56 just check how taller the gearing is on Manon's bike!

[@chriswitek9455]

54-55 or so chainring. not too big. really depends what the rear is. 55x16 would still be a warmup gear even though the chainring looks big.

[@riffmeisterkl]

I think the next video should be fixie bikes on the road, like to see Manon and Alex getting into the rear wheel slides…. :)

[@itsianwood]

Haha - 'local velodrome'! We have ONE indoor velodrome in the whole country :-( (Czech Republic) Luckily we have 4 outdoor ones though - next best thing.

[@palicar]

There's a concrete outdoor velodrome in St Louis, MO in Penrose Park off Kingshighway Blvd near I-70. I almost drove into the curb when I first saw it. 👀

[@chriswitek9455]

just got resurfaced too, go ride it

[@privateinformation9384]

GCN team, can you do a video on hydration packs? The pros and cons and why more professional road cyclists 🚵🏼‍♀️ don’t seem to use them?

[@chriswitek9455]

pro road cyclists get bottles whenever they want, a hydration pack for a tour stage is silly and unnecessary. they also get gross AF with drink mix in them, a big 100oz one is pretty heavy and will make the rider hotter, and sometimes you want water sometimes you want mix. awful hard to swap between the two if youve got one giant camelback

[@santiagobenites]

I love tuning up my track bike. No gears to adjust, no brakes to adjust, and it's always so clean!

[@tychoMX]

LOL. Yes. Then you start tuning up the gearing changing between 5 chainrings and 6 cogs.

[@xtrailz]

I can see the attraction of track cycling ... no pedestrians or electric scooters getting in the way

[@kylehagertybanana]

manons disc wheel looks great in slow mo

[@likwit1000]

A rider in front of me wasn’t going fast enough and his rear wheel slipped but he didn’t end up at the bottom of the track because he I clipped and put his feet down. I crashed into him going about 20th and flew off my bike. Luckily I only had a separated shoulder, bruised ribs and a bruised hip. I can’t wait to heal up and get back out there!

[@jarofranta153]

Looking to return to the track after a ~33 year absence - hopefully in late September. I'm currently getting a few accessories, and looking into MTB-style padded underpants for hip protection. Any recommendations? Looking for something not too bulky, that can be worn under a skin suit. Thnx Also, you missed a good tip on checking that tubulars are properly glued.

[@ChrisGuarraia]

How/where can I watch some track cycling? These past couple of velodrome videos have got me interested.

[@Mati03x]

What kind of routines can I do in a velodrome for a points race for example?

[@MrAusterror]

Manon's bike looks epic.

[@odiewan67]

Track bikes come w/ a very clever....and very effective, just-keep-pedaling feature. It's automatic, so no need to think about it. It automatically detects if the rider is attempting to stop pedaling and engages by throwing you with great force, off of it. When you are lying upon the apron, in screaming pain, if you listen carefully, this amazing feature can even be heard to project a message that will magically come out of random people at the track that goes like this: "I told you not to stop pedaling, didn't I?"

[@yonski1042]

I've never seen a guy as happy as Alex when crashed 4:39

[@JG-yp6rt]

He should be happy, no splinters!!!

[@coreygolphenee9633]

Breaking bad street riding habits of skip stopping and locking up were tough for me right at first

[@Murgoh]

As far as I know there are 2 velodromes in Finland, both are outdoor ones. One is in Helsinki and I guess it's not easy to get to ride there but the other one is in my old home town Turku and it says online that it's free and open for everyone so it might be fun to go there and try some day. Problem is I don't have a track bike or know anybody who has. Will I be able to ride my road bike or my TT-bike on an outdoor tarmac velodrome if I find a time when there are no others on the track or is there something special about track bikes besides the no gears and no brakes thing that makes it impossible to use any other kind of bike? Of course I'd have to be careful not to brake as that would probably be a very bad idea but is there anything else to keep me from trying?

[@Roger-bl1ve]

I see Manon and I click 👍

[@lukestreet8473]

"don't get involved in a crash" I know that that's a big rule. It was the first sprint of a points race and I was flying round the outside of a beginner and he decided to go up. I went of with him ran out of track and fell. It all happened so fast for the guys behind us. 8 of the 12 people in the race crashed and 3 broken bones. The thing is no one in the entire velodrome was filming!!!!!

[@bangface32]

I'm watching this even though my country does not have a velodrome

[@imnothere202]

Is it okay to whip mad skids on the velodrome?

[@darrengarvie8832]

We have one problem in Ireland north and south we don't have an indoor velodrome just out door ones ☹️

[@Philobiblion]

After the master stroke of adding Manon to the team, I think they should bring on a senior man or woman, 50 at least; 60 even better. Maybe a British age group champion or a former pro. Then, occasional vids on older people issues, like, how come the beautiful Brooks Pro I rode comfortably from age 25 to age 55 is insufferable now at age 70?

[@raphaeldijkema4669]

sp if the guy is riding by himself going the right way, would you intentionally go against him if he was there first?

[@nigeldepledge3790]

Nascar is like a velodrome for cars... 😁 "Local velodrome"? They're not exactly like branches of Tesco, are they?

[@oldanslo]

Surprised to hear Manon say to do a slow lap in the sprinter's lane (between the black and red lines) before pulling off the track. Most tracks I've been to in the US the etiquette is to slow near the blue line and drop down to the apron on the back straight. The banking is the same steepness on the blue line as the sprinter's lane so there is no need to drop down. On a busy track, the sprinter's lane is reserved for riders doing hard efforts (i.e. sprinting!)

[@plhdpk]

Agreed, I think as part of the dos and donts there needs to be something on where and when to ride on certain sections of the track and how to enter and exit the track safely... I guess this may be specific to each and every track, but all(?) velodromes have the same line cote d'azur, black, red, blue lines and a somewhat similar etiquette should apply.

[@0ldw3lshm4n]

Don't know where you ride but here you ride in group on the blue, drop down for efforts on the back and you would not pull off during routine, only end of routine. At end of routine drop to black until you scrub off enough speed to go on cote dazur and inner field, usually a lap. She is referring to routines I guess. Most sessions limited to 24 and they dont usually mix sprinters and endurance, if they do, have to swap in between efforts. Most I have been on with was over 60 which was in a masters warm up and it was chaos with endurance and sprinters, some even doing standing starts lol Hard to be very careful.

[@CouZer]

I really wish a velodrome existed at my place

[@misaelramos83]

I'm literally gonna have to go to the velodrome in east bay asap. #500kmaway

[@michaelgurd7477]

Miles per hour, in a GCN video!!!!!! Surely that should be Kilometers per hour?

[@ashwinmandan5]

Trying to get the American viewers to understand, you know

[@haraldgrundetjern2184]

uk still use MPH

[@LUCYDIAMONDBOXER1]

People use KM to appear to have gone further and faster, real cyclists use mph 😉

[@mannyechaluce3814]

In the UK it has always been MPH, in the US you get to choose KPH or MPH

[@jalford5089]

@@mannyechaluce3814 Audax Uk always works in kms and metres

[@ANCIENTGUESTEltonlam]

what pedals are they using

[@clarahaueis-robinson6988]

Is Tom Last still working at GCN?

[@davn90]

whats the handle bars on manon's bike tho?

[@woozertoo]

Was thrown when Manon said counter-clockwise, vs anti-clockwise.

[@Philobiblion]

I was thinking the same thing. Saying counter-clockwise in Britain is like saying anti-clockwise in the States.

[@pietervandervyver516]

Thank you But how much is the subs per year to be allowed onto the track? I suppose you must belong the Residential Cycling Club as well because they have squatter's rights there yes?

[@rah4981]

I want to try riding the velodrome. But on a regular road bike with gears and brakes.

[@santiagobenites]

Believe it or not, you're actually safer on a fixed gear track bike.

[@stevenlevitz8895]

2:14 On the topic of only turning left… Alex: “It’s basically like NASCAR…🏁 Manon: Huh 🤔? As a Yank, I found this priceless. 🤭

[@6ft8incyclist]

I think the fastest on a bicycle I ever been, not counting 6o miles pre hour screaming down hill, in the mountains. But it was on a fixed gear tandem on a indoor 250 meter wood track , in Australia.. The rush, the hard Gs thenzero gravity, but then the PAIN my legs cramping up and we had another 6 laps to go…

[@jensnsjwkmsksjsbeneksisjsn3158]

Was it at dgv or amv, or another drome?