Track Cycling - Training Sheets

Hey all.

So I'm a bicycle commuter who's going to try his hand on the track this Spring.
What I'm looking for now is some kind of basic sheet or training schedule to use as a sort of calendar/guideline for my progress. It would be very helpful if someone could point me in the right direction with this.

Also, it just so happens I'm in the market for a track bike! I'm thinking I can drop a little more than a grand (depending on the old tax man gives back this April), and would prefer to just get a complete frame so I can dive right in when the weather clears up.

If anyone would like to sell a used track bike, I'm a 61cm and like long walks on the beach. ;)

Thanks a lot.

I think your best bet is to look up your local track and see what classes they offer. Many / most tracks either offer or require you go thru a class before they left you on the track unsupervised.

If the 'drome doesn't offer any, there are usually a club or 3 you could hook up with and get some informal coaching.

Hey Guvna,

It kinda depends on what your goal is for the track, but if you PM me I'd be glad to share my own "program" with you as an example.

I would suggest that you buy one of the many training books for road racing, like: Carmichael, Friel... or look here (http://www.cptips.com/) and base your training off of a standard road racers training format. The needs for a Crit racer are not that dramatically different than the needs of a Track Points race specialist...

I cant imagine that just looking at someones training log will help you that much. You need to develop your own, based on your strengths, then after you race on the track you will know what to change...

I think your best bet is to look up your local track and see what classes they offer.

I'm definitely planning on doing this, however Kissena is the closest 'drome to me and it's outdoors in Queens, New York. Obviously it will be a while before they give lessons, but as soon as the website is updated I'm going to get on top of it.


Hey Guvna,

It kinda depends on what your goal is for the track, but if you PM me I'd be glad to share my own "program" with you as an example.

Not entirely sure just yet-- I'm kind of feeling my way through it as a pet-project/hobby. Thanks so much for being willing to share your program! I'm sure it will be a really helpful framework going forward.


I would suggest that you buy one of the many training books for road racing, like: Carmichael, Friel... or look here (http://www.cptips.com/) and base your training off of a standard road racers training format. The needs for a Crit racer are not that dramatically different than the needs of a Track Points race specialist...

I cant imagine that just looking at someones training log will help you that much. You need to develop your own, based on your strengths, then after you race on the track you will know what to change...

Great advice, thanks. I'm going to be going to "Cadence" here in New York where their spinning machines are state of the art, measuring wattage, etc., and I suspect there will be people to talk to there who can help me evaluate where I'm at now and set goals, etc.

Thanks for the input all. Now I just need to get in good enough shape that I don't make a fool of myself on my velodrome debut (probably an inevitability).

Hey Buddy, i'm also going to start riding at Kissena this year. I was going to start last year but missed out because of work. Starting sometime in April there are clinics on Saturday morning and I think they require you to do a couple of them before racing. In the mean time, ride as much as you can. Don't worry about making a fool out of yourself, I have the same fear but that's what the clinics are for! I bet you'll find you're faster than you realize.

Kissena to the best of my brains does have clinics and weekely stuctured training nights. All that info should be on their web page.

When in doubt if your new to bike racing and training aswell as track you do not need to buy a complicated book about training. Keep it simple! Fit into your work / home schedual as best you can sesions for Speed (leg speed ability to ride fast) , Strenth (ability to get up to speed and ride on bigger gears) , Endurance (lactic and cardio fittness). You can do alot of that on the track, and on the road aswell. I wouldnt even keep a diary or notes for the first while either. Untill you really get into the groove and make training more complicated aim to have fun.

I'm also looking to start training for track racing, or just to get into better shape in general. I need to know where to start.

Great advice so far in this thread. I also suggest those looking for specific training advice go to fixedgearfever.com and read through the archves. Everyone from beginners to World Champs post over there, great site.

If you're looking to get started with track training, you might also check out Singleton's Corner (http://www.forestcityvelodrome.ca/singletons_corner.php). Gord is a regular over at FGF and a World Champion. If my memory serves me, he had an injury late last year and has focused on more on-bike strength training for the 2009 season.

I've poked around for track enduro-specific programs for sale by coaches, but it seems like anything related to the track is focused on sprinting. A couple places, I've read that you can adapt a criterium or pursuit program for mass-start track racing. I tried a criterium program from TrainingPeaks last year, but it didn't give me the results I was looking for. The best option would be to get an actual track coach, but that depends on your schedule and budget.