Getting Back on Track by Roger Winn
I dropped down to the red line after recovering at the blue line. One hand on the bar while riding a 50o bank. My partner comes around. Our hands engage. He slings me from 22mph to over 30mph all while the bell rings: it’s a sprint lap. I get up and out of the saddle and sprint for the line. My heart is trying to beat itself out of my chest. I’m in the middle of a Madison National Championships race in my second season of racing at the Lexus Velodrome, a 166m track located in Detroit, Michigan.
Competing at the track has opened me up to new types of racing. Racing that’s designed to be spectator-friendly, like the Madison. In this race, teams of two compete against one another. As the riders come around, they throw their partners into the race. The Madison is won by scoring points through sprint laps or lapping the field. With the sprints and partners, the race stays at a blistering pace, with pros hitting over 40mph regularly. There’s also the “elimination” race, where the last rider across the finish line gets pulled from the competition until only one rider remains. As riders are removed from the race, you can hear the announcer boom, “You are eliminated!” During these races, spectators can watch from the center of the track or from the top looking down on the riders as they come around. These two races have helped me learn how to “read” other riders. Is that racer about to attack? Is this one about to fade? Where do I need to position myself? These skills have transferred over to racing in other disciplines, like road and crit racing.
When I started riding at the velodrome in 2019, I didn’t have plans to race. I was looking for an alternative to riding in my basement when the Michigan winters were too inclement for me to ride outside. As a method of training or building fitness, the velodrome is great. Like a trainer, you are constantly pedaling, only brakeless fixed-gear bikes are allowed on the track. Not only do you build fitness, but you also build bike handling skills: you get to practice drafting, looking through turns, and communicating with other riders, which you can’t get on the trainer.
Additionally, through the Detroit Fitness Foundation, the Lexus Velodrome has a strong youth program. The velodrome offers a free bicycle summer camp for youth ages 3 to 18; my four-year-old daughter attended the camp and learned to ride the bike there this summer. The velodrome develops juniors to race at the Lexus Velodrome and other tracks across the country and offers training to all those that are interested, and all those youth programs are free.
Unfortunately, during an intense windstorm on the night of December 13, 2021, the velodrome collapsed after a power failure, puncturing the velodrome bubble that had sheltered so many races. In the aftermath, the velodrome community is raising funds to re-inflate the bubble and repair the track. I’m asking people to donate because every dollar given will get the velodrome up and running and help all of these races and incredible community programs to resume.
Help us get back on the track by donating here!
And if you’re in the Detroit area, I hope you get a chance to stop by the Lexus Velodrome once it’s back in action. You can sign up for a Track 101 class and learn to ride the velodrome (all needed equipment is provided). The staff can also help you get ready to attend structured workouts — and even race. Or come on a Friday or Saturday night race and see some of the fastest riders and races in the country. Grab food from a rotating food truck-style menu, or a drink from the track watering hole, the Spoke Easy. It’s a truly unique cycling experience and a Detroit gem. I hope to see you there!
