I ride a fixed gear most of the time, having become addicted some years back. I have often lamented the lack of velodromes in the U.S. In fact, sometimes, I feel I would have fit in much better during the 1890's to 1920's, when track racing was huge in this country. On the other hand, I guess it's a good thing there is no velodrome near me, as I would surely be spending most of my time there.
In all the reading I have done, it does seem that accidents do indeed happen to track racers, and sometimes they can be ugly. Anyone with real track riding experience want to share that experience here? I only know one guy who has ridden on the Lehigh Valley velodrome. He says that once you become used to riding the track, it's a lot of fun, and easy to become hooked on.
Heh, I can just imagine what most americans would say, if track racing were to become popular again, and veledromes started being constructed: "Oh, a little track to ride bicycles on! Oh that's nice, now they won't have to ride their bicycles on the street!" Am I right or wrong here?