Jessica Prinner Cycling

I have recently come to the conclusion that I really like the entire idea of the Hellyer velodrome out in San Jose, California (yeah, I’m still out here), simply for three main reasons.  1) It’s a relatively large track, and roadies tend to feel more at home on large tracks, 2) the banking isn’t practically 79 degrees (okay, I’m exaggerating a little.  79 degrees is 11 degrees short of a wall) so you don’t have to put in a workout just to stay upright and 3) the surface isn’t painted so it’s not like at Northbrook where as soon as the first raindrop hits, the velodrome quickly turns into a really big slip n’ slide. 

I think I have gotten a little ahead of myself; perhaps there are some of you out there who don’t have the faintest idea as to what a velodrome is.  Basically, it’s like a running track, except for bicycles.  Velodrome races used to be a very popular form of entertainment back in the early 1900s due to the fact that the track bikes were just about the fastest mode of transportation around, even more so than any automobile of that time.  The rise of the automobile industry pretty much choked the life out of track racing, and the amount of open velodromes has dwindled in the U.S. since then. 

I think one of the coolest parts about being a racer is that I can say the word”velodrome” all the time.  It’s like what the hippodrome was to the people of Constantinople back in the day–a place of amusement and valor.  This type of track had to have a special sort of name probably because Europeans wanted it to sound really cool and they’re not like Americans who like to shorten every word they see.  And if they don’t shorten the word in question, they change it entirely so it doesn’t even look like the original word, yet we are supposed to know what it is.  “My fav pic waz w/ u n me n ur peeps in da ‘burbs “.  See how long it takes for you to figure that one out. 

Anyway, I think I was talking about velodromes when I left off.  So the other day I was listening to one girl’s tales about this asinine track she rides in Boulder, Colorado.  Apparently it’s only about 140 meters in length and has 45 degree banking.  So for all of you who barely even know what a velodrome looks like, I will give you a visual;  if you go into your local cupboard, find your favorite brand of soup can, open the lid, empty the contents, and stick a marble inside and swish it around and around, that’s what a cyclist would look like on this velodrome.  I think I would get bit dizzy if I had to do a 1K pursuit on it, and probably hurl my cookies on a 2K.  I asked her if they hold races on this velodrome, and she said they did, but that not many people go because it’s kind of scary.  I would imagine that a large enough field could just simply wrap around the length of the track so that the lead riders would be riding right on the wheels of the riders in the back.  Now how in holy heaven would anyone be able to keep track of that?  The racers would just be riding in circles for five or so minutes and the officials would have to pull names from a hat behind the podium to see who won.  Sometimes I think the difference between velodrome racing and the circus is a very fine line.