Home > Velodrome

Night view of the state-of-the-art olympic velodrome in Athens, Greece

Modern velodromes feature steeply banked tracks, consisting of two 180-degree bends connected by two straights. The corner bankings are designed so that, at typical racing speeds, the inertia of the bicycles, the propulsive acceleration provided by the riders, and the gravitation force pulling them towards the bottom of the track are balanced. The bicycles then naturally follow the track around the corner at a constant radial position. This allows the riders to concentrate on other matters (eg: race tactics, etc) rather than forcing their bicycles to turn.

The track length is measured on a special line 20 cm up from the inside start of the track. Olympic standard velodromes are 250 metres in circumference. Other velodromes can range from 150 m to 500 m, although 333.33 m is popular. Many older tracks were built around the outside of athletics tracks or other sports grounds and any banking on these was usually quite shallow. The smaller the track the steeper the banking. A 250 m track would bank in a range around 45°, while a 333 m track would bank in a range around 32°. Velodrome tracks are surfaced in wood or smooth concrete; shorter and Olympic are wood, longer are concrete.

All tracks should have a standard set of markings. The inner flat space is the apron. The track begins with a 20 cm blue band (the cote d'azur), riders moving into this space in a race are disqualified. 20 cm above the cote d'azur is the black measurement line, defining the size of the track. Between 90 cm and 100 cm above the measurement line is the red spinters' line. The zone between the black and red lines is the optimum route around the track, a rider leading in this zone cannot be passed on the inside, other riders are regulated to pass on the longer outside route. 300 cm above the red line is the blue stayers' line, this is an archaism but is used in public tracks to segregate users.

The finish line is white on black and in the middle of the back straight. Marked starting lines are - the standard red start line in the opposite straight to the finish line, the massed start line, the turn 2 start line (for the 500 m time trial), and the 200 m sprint start.

While outdoor veldromes used to be the norm, new velodromes tend to be indoor venues, particuarly if they are to be used for high-level competition. A velodrome will usually be among the facilities constructed for major events such as the Olympics or Commonwealth Games.

1 List of velodromes

(outdoor, unless stated)

1.1 Greece

• Olympic Velodrome Athens (indoor)

1.2 United Kingdom

• Aldersley , Wolverhampton
• Brighton (Preston Park), East Sussex
• Calshot, near Southampton, Hampshire (indoor)
• Cardiff (Maindy Park)
• Cleveland, TeessideTeesside is the name given to the conurbation in northern England based on Middlesbrough and Stockton, along the banks of the River Tees. The towns were integrated into one county borough of Teesside in 1968, and then in 1974 became part of the county of
• Gypsies Green , South ShieldsSouth Shields is a town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. It has a population of about 90,000. Several famous people were born in South Shields including Catherine Cookson and Hollywood dire (currently semi-derelict)
• HalesowenThe town of Halesowen was until the thirteenth century known as Halas but it was then gifted to a Welsh prince called Owen and became known has Halas-Owen but in modern times it has always been called Halesowen. Halesowen was originally a village in the c, near BirminghamThis article is about Birmingham in England. See also Birmingham, Alabama or other places called Birmingham. Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Being the country's second largest city, it is usually considered B
• Herne HillHerne Hill is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London. Herne Hill is home to Brockwell Park which houses the magnificent Brockwell Lido, an open air swimming pool that boasts many attractions, south LondonLondon is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and with over seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium the capital of the Roman province of Bri
• KirkbyKirkby is a new town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. Evidence for the existence of Kirkby dates back to the Domesday Book, and a reference to Cherchebi with a population of 80. The town's main church, St. Chads', was establis, near LiverpoolFor alternate uses of "Liverpool" see Liverpool (disambiguation Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside in north west England, on the north side of the Mersey estuary. Liverpool is governed by Liverpool City Council, one of five council
• Leeds (Roundhay Park), West Yorkshire
• Leicester (Saffron Lane Sport Centre) (soon to be sold and demolished - 2004)
• Meadowbank , Edinburgh
• The National Cycling Centre, Manchester (indoor)
• Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
• Newport, Monmouthshire (indoor)
• Portsmouth (Southsea), Hampshire
• Reading (Palmer Park) Berkshire
• Welwyn, Hertfordshire