Track Cycling: Velodrome Racing and Training Area - Tandem Sprints

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http://www.youtube.com/v/Ml4HN3B51kc

(Hey Mods! How do I embed youtube vids???!)

Anyway, I came across this cool video about tandem sprints. Anyone else have any vids or material on this? Anyone ever do these? I've never seen a tandem track frame, so I'm imagining that this is a pretty obscure discipline. Anyone want to add more info?

It was dropped from world and national (at least in the US) competition something like 10 years ago. It's basically 400+ pounds of crazy guys on a bike that can barely support the stresses of the race.

It's a pretty insane sport-- Bart Bell suffered a serious head injury at the 1992 olympic trials when his front wheel collapsed on the infield, much like what happened in the video but with a much worse outcome. My GF later shared a house with a woman who was his GF at the time of the crash and it sounded like a pretty traumatic experience for her.

I saw video of the tandem sprints at Worlds in Palermo in 1994 and one of the tandems slid *sideways* about 20 m before tipping over.

When my GF rode nats in 94 or 95 she called late one evening while waiting for her race to come up and was on a payphone near the track. I asked her what event was going on, and she said something like "Oh, it's still the tandem sprints. I can hear them crashing"

I rode on once, only once. It was insane. I was the stoker on the bike and we were leading coming into the final 200, when I find the front rider on the other bike trying to head but me - crazy.

There still is tandem track racing, at the Paralympics, with blind blokes on the back. It was a lot of fun when I rode it ... on the front.

It's great fun. I've ridden the track tandem many times (in fact I've raced on the track featured in that youtube clip:) )
There was a thread recently on the tandem forum about track tandems
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=259326

There is a track tandem meeting coming up in Manchester (UK) next month. Last I heard there were around 20 tandem pairs signed up already.:)

PS.
I've crashed twice whilst on a track tandem. First time, I was on the rear of the tandem when the back tire punctured (Clement tubular). Second time I was on the front of the tandem, we kicked REALLY hard and snapped the flange off the rear hub!!!!

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ml4HN3B51kc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ml4HN3B51kc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ml4HN3B51kc

(Hey Mods! How do I embed youtube vids???!)

Anyway, I came across this cool video about tandem sprints. Anyone else have any vids or material on this? Anyone ever do these? I've never seen a tandem track frame, so I'm imagining that this is a pretty obscure discipline. Anyone want to add more info?

If you're close to eastern PA Check out www.thevelodrome.com for "tandemonium"

There still is tandem track racing, at the Paralympics, with blind blokes on the back. It was a lot of fun when I rode it ... on the front.
Here's a tandem on the 50 degree boards of our Forest City Velodrome. The stoker was visually impaired and they were bound for the Paralympics where they have competed a few times.