absntr

The leaves are turning golden and the days are brief. The air's cool and staying warm is key. Track fever hasn't died down much for the DCC -- we've been going every weekend all summer long and into the fall for as long as we can get transport out to the two velodromes accessible via train to us.

We need our track fix!

Our local velodrome is of course, Northbrook, only a 40 minute train ride away, while our long-distance train system also goes to Kenosha, home of the Washington Park velodrome, the oldest operating velodrome in the United States.

We're mighty lucky and fortunate to have two different and classy velodromes within easy travelling distance to us. Each velo is less than a mile from the train station. Did I say we're lucky?

The suspects: myself, teadoggg, steaktaco, [165], monkey and last (never in a race) but never least, oytie.

We start the day at one of the ubiquitous Golden Nugget/Waffle/Apple pancake breakfast diner houses. Teadoggg sips the caffeine while Steaktaco opts for the sugar and slurps the syrup.


Waiting for the Metra out, teadoggg no handed.


Obligatory (or not) self-portrait.


Welcome to Kenosha, home of Washington Park Velodrome!


And another. Note the mini warm-up circle.


[165] and teadoggg do warm-up laps.


teadoggg hits the banks.


The view from the bottom of the banks.


[165] up on top.


And then down low.


Oytie hits the skids.


After the mandatory 20 lap warm-up, more stretching. Steaktaco, teadoggg and monkey (l-r).


Sometimes [165] forgets how to ride his Gan Well.


Steaktaco smiles as he zooms on by. "Oh happy day!"


Monkey takes the high road.


Trackstanding in the sun.


Truth is, [165] wants to be in the circus.


Oytie hits his flying 200.


As does Monkey.


A brief interlude for a late lunch at La Hacienda, where Tecate comes in frosted boot mugs! As modelled by monkey.


Motor pacers, beware!


As the sun sets and we get a few more laps around the velo before we leave.


Ummm, not quite sure what's going on here. Latex gloves, switching cogs...


Steaktaco, teadoggg and I have time to kill so we head out to the lakefront and pose. Our bikes, that is. (L-R: bareknuckle, colnago, cannondale).


Kenosha, we'll be back!

sasander

Looks like a good time. Do you swap out cogs everytime you ride on the track?

teadoggg

I just flip the wheel. Street gear vs. track gear. I gear up (or down?) for the track.

absntr

Most of us have fixed/fixed hubs so we warm up on a lower gearing and then switch over to a higher gearing for sprints, flying 200's and the like. Of course, if you have only a single sided fix, you probably want to switch over if you ride a different gear on the street.

In my case, I ride either 49x18 or 50x18 for the street which is 72 and 73.5 gear inches respectively.

When I ride on the track, I go higher and run 49x15 or 50x15 which is 85.8 and 87.6.

pitboss

I gotta ride warm-up squares next time out there. I kept getting pushed outside the sprinter line (steakums hit the stayer line!) coming out of turn 4. Yikes!
All said, I dig 333m. Yeah, ona windless day, I will hit sub-13 200m.

lemurhouse

Sweet.

teadoggg

I don't doubt it - you're one fast mother****er.

I'm right behind you, though! I hit 14.2/flying 200 at northbrook the next day.

teadoggg

I don't want to talk about it!

steaktaco

yikes! I look like my dad.

sorry T, I didn't know that was you.

roscoenyc57

great pics... looks like a blast

gregg

Kenosha is beautifully empty. After my winter build I'm going to have to hit the track next spring.

Ira in Chi

That looks great... I'm sorry I missed out. Naz, that bike is hot.

monkey

Great pics Naz. Hopefully the wind won't be as bad next time we get out there.

WithNail

just curious.... but is the flying 200 different at different tracks. I imagine the size of banks and all could have something to do with it. Just wondering what those of you that have been on different tracks think.

[165] what was your flying 200 time? if you don't mind me asking of course.

steaktaco

all things being equal, it's likely to get faster times at kenosha, I think.

WithNail

why do you think that is?

absntr

Kenosha is a faster track, you can feel it. It never really flats out, it's slightly banked even in the "flats" so you're always on a roll up or down. The shorter length takes advantage of that and you can build up some speed. If the wind coming out of one side of the track wasn't stoppingly so, we could have had some really good times. That said, we did pretty damn well.

CafeRacer

What kinda gear would you run on a track that size?

teadoggg

I was runing 48x15 and it felt pretty good.

rithem

BFFGMG won't come soon enough ... these pics have me psyched to hit the track with you guys.

Super Rookie

Flying 200s depend totally on the track.

In Blaine, MN I was doing 12.231 Flying 200s. I would be lucky to push a sub13 in Kenosha and a sub13.2 at Northbrook.

It all depends on the banking. While some people think that Kenosha is faster I think that Northbrook has a faster surface than all of the tracks I have ridden(Kenosha, Blaine, Piccolo in Miami). But, the key is being able to come down the banking hot at the base of the 200m line. At Northbrook that is next to impossible be cause it is near the start of turn3. So your acceleration using the banking is negated...also at Northbrook there is a slight uphill coming out of turn4. Another fact I found interesting about riding on all of these tracks is that on Northbrook and to a lesser extent Kenosha you have to steer coming out of the turns. On a 250m you can fly out of the turns and come out on the same line that you entered the turn on...so you can literally go pass your threshold!

Whoo.

I just got my asskicked at the YMCA. It really sucks when you are working out and some old man comes in and goes the same machine you were on and adds like 50lbs and busts out 15 reps like no ones buisness and then goes and has a cigarette!

steaktaco

maybe you should go to crunch.

Super Rookie

Thats the funny thing right! It is the YMCA. Only weaklings go there. Hence the super rookie workout hour.

2speedfiend

Good choice on La Hacienda for lunch! We hit it after our preseason training sessions, but alas, it is closed by the time we get done on race night.

Turn 4 does require a little concentration to stay in position. I just give the left hand a little extra pressure when exiting it.

Jaminsky

I'm mostly jealous, mostly. The gan well is, as always, an awe inspiring piece of machinery, as is sophia and the rest. [165] just looks like an effing bulldog on that thing, no? Some day...