jengel

I'm starting to think about spending a couple weeks in the south this winter (I live in Vermont) near a velodrome to get in as much track time as possible. I'm a 62 year old newbie, cat 4, with a nice bike (and new carbon wheels, thanks all for the advice). Not fast but can hold my own in my age group. Suggestions for a friendly track in a city where it wouldn't be too hard to find a cheap place to stay?

queerpunk

I heard the Giordana Velodrome just added a fall/winter race series.

Pantani98

I just checked the website. There should be something coming soon...

chas58

If you don't mind a short trip west, the London Ontario track season should be starting soon. Its one of the few indoor tracks (shoehorned into an old hockey stadium.

Baby Puke

LA seems an obvious choice, but I hear the track in FL is a nice one, too.

carleton

Dick Lane Velodrome in Atlanta is available year-round for training. The moderate winters in the Deep South allow for it. You may need a leaf blower if the leaves are still falling.

https://www.dicklanevelodrome.com/

I didn't miss one week of training due to weather last winter, and I don't like to ride in weather under 45 degrees.

jengel

Thanks for the info. Found a few inexpensive places to stay in Eastpoint near the Dick Lane velo. Carlton, I think I'd fit in well with the C's. I spent too much of the season wearing myself out attempting to keep up with Cat 3's who were trying to get enough points to be Cat 2's that the B category at DL might be more of the same. I'll keep planning. Who knows, I may get to see those famous thighs of yours I've been reading so much about here.

JMR

Sydney or Melbourne, Australia... that far enough south for you?


JMR

carleton

Hahaha! Thanks.

The C's at Dick Lane are pretty much Cat 3s.

Just a few notes. Please forgive me if you already know these things:

- Most people who live near an outdoor track don't train on the track in the winter. From October through January or February you'd be hard-pressed to see anyone out there. There might be 2 or 3 guys out there on Saturday or Sunday mornings.
- Most people simply ride the road in the winter...and the sprinter types lift weights as well.

So, it may not be worth the trip, to be honest. Maybe try a track like the Home Depot Center near LA or the Superdrome in Frisco, TX. They may have a more active winter program where you wouldn't be out there by yourself.

The only times that I go to the track in the winter are when I'm either testing track equipment, testing some new bike position, or just want to go fast. All of my winter training is done on the road, indoor trainer, rollers, and gym. On my program there is no real advantage to training on the track in the winter.

If I just wanted to get some track time in the winter, I'd strongly consider going to LA. I think they even have a winter racing league. I also think the Superdrome has one, too.

Pantani98

I've pretty much heard what Carleton said. Minimal track time in the winter. Hoping we have a nice mild winter here in Charlotte. I know GA is always a good bet. And I can say from the weekend I spent in GA the area is nice and the people at the track are super friendly.

David Broon 

Burnaby Velodrome in vancouver pretty much only runs in the winter.

Soil_Sampler

break out the rollers...

xengravity

I head up to Burnaby during my "off season". They have a great indoor facility. Their racing season runs from October - March.

jengel

Thanks for all the info. Texas, LA, BC and Australia are a little farther than I want to travel. Interesting that folk don't track race down south in the winter. Many riders up here would kill for the chance to keep competing year around. The track in Ontario may have to be my winter fallback solution. Rode today for the first time this season with tights. Should also have had a hat and gloves. Soon, clothing consideration will have to take into account the freezing of certain delicate parts.

carleton

DLV has one of the longest (if not the longest) track racing seasons for an outdoor track in the US. We race a full 6 months from the first week of April till the last week of September. Trust me when I say that after 6 months of racing 1-3 days a week, it gets old after 6 months.

Participation is high before racing starts and through the summer. But, when September comes, attendance wanes significantly. Racers would normally number from 35-50+ over 3 categories on a Wednesday night to barely 20 with fields having to be combined.

I didn't race any last week and only Sprint Night the week before that. Not sure if I want to race next week.

After ramping up and peaking for Master Nationals and dealing with the subsequent trough, it's hard to get motivated to dig hard again. A lot of racers deal with that.

The Baton Rouge velodrome would be ideal for winter racing. The average high temperatures between October - March are from 61-80 degrees Fahrenheit (16-27C). But for some reason, they can't even get a regular racing season going in their renovated velodrome. I've heard that the people running it don't know what they are doing. It's a total waste of a nice facility.

bitingduck

Don't forget about Sandy Eggo. The weather there never really changes, ever.

carleton

I figured you guys would race a lot. How long is the race season? What do you guys do in the "winter"?

bitingduck

I don't go down to SD very much, but I think they at least have practice racing year round. It's really not very different there in January or June.

tony2v

The SD Velodrome race season starts first Tuesday in April and ends on the last Tuesday of September. Lots of racers train all year around. We're talking about doing an advance level training season this winter on Mon nights from 6-8PM. I usually hang up my track bike in October for a month, but got an earlier start this year.

kyle!

There's also a couple winter motor pace groups that run pretty regularly if I'm not mistaken. I'll be there more this winter hating life as I fine tune my standing start and try to become the pursuit rider I probably should be.