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29-563: The Arima Velodrome is an outdoor velodrome in Arima , Trinidad and Tobago . The velodrome is an open outdoor velodrome serving the Borough of Arima and its suburbs. It hosts grass and concrete surface. From 2017 it was to become the home stadium for TT Pro League club North East Stars . This cycling venue-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Velodrome The first velodromes were constructed during

58-440: A combination of these materials. Carbon fiber frames are most common at the professional level. Track bicycles have only one drive sprocket (or cog) and one chainring, so the size ratio is relevant. A lower gear ratio allows quicker acceleration or 'jump' but can limit top speed. A larger gear ratio makes sustained speed easier, important in pursuit racing , time trial and bunched races such as points or scratch events. Without

87-399: A curve, which can easily result in a crash. 20 centimetres (7.9 in) above the blue band is the black measurement line. The inner edge of this 5 centimetres (2.0 in) line defines the length of the track. 90 centimetres (35 in) above the inside of the track is the outside of the 5 cm wide red sprinter 's line. The zone between black and red lines is sprinter's lane, which is

116-505: A good jump, the rider risks opponents accelerating away; without good sustained speed, the rider will be unable to keep up with a fast race. Track sprinters make a compromise by using particular gear ratios that allow them to reach race speeds at a relatively high cadence (pedalling), around 130-135 revolutions per minute (r/min). Long-distance attempts such as the hour record sometimes use high gear combinations such as 52×12 or 55×14. Ondřej Sosenka used 54×13 with 190 mm cranks to set

145-562: A length such that a whole or half number of laps give a distance of 1 km (0.62 mi). The velodrome at Calshot in Hampshire , England, is only 142 m (466 ft) and has especially steep banking because it was built to fit inside an aircraft hangar . The Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario , Canada, is the world's shortest at 138 m (453 ft). Built to fit a hockey arena, it too has steep banking. The smaller

174-476: A single fixed rear gear, or cog, that does not freewheel. This helps maximise speed, reduces weight, and avoids sudden braking while nevertheless allowing the rider to slow by pushing back against the pedals. Modern velodromes are constructed by specialised designers. The Schuermann architects in Germany have built more than 125 tracks worldwide. Most of Schuermann's outdoor tracks are made of wood trusswork with

203-477: A specific radius. Most events have riders all over the track. Team races (like the Madison ) have some riders at speed and others riding more slowly. In match sprints riders may come to a stop by performing a track stand in which they balance the bicycle on the sloped surface while keeping their feet locked into the pedals. For these reasons, the banking tends to be 10 to 15 degrees less than physics predicts. Also,

232-426: A specified arrangement. Some other tracks also follow these protocols, but others have a different arrangement of lines to suit their facility and to assist riders in holding a straight line and in avoiding drifting onto the flatter section below the bankings where they risk their tyres sliding out. Between the infield (sometimes referred to as an apron) and the actual track is the blue band (called "côte d'azur") which

261-522: A surface of strips of the rare rain-forest wood Afzelia . Indoor velodromes are built with less expensive pine surfaces. The track is measured along a line 20 cm (7.9 in) up from the bottom. Olympic and World Championship velodromes must measure 250 m (820 ft). Other events on the UCI International Calendar may be held in velodromes that measure between 133 and 500 m (436 and 1,640 ft) inclusive, with

290-502: A typical road bike. For example, even medium-sized track frames often have substantial toe overlap with the front wheel; while not an issue for velodrome riding, it can make slow-speed turns difficult if the bike were used on the road. Frames are assembled from tubular elements (typically with round or elliptical cross sections), or cast in a mould for "one-piece" type models. The most popular materials for frame building include steel , aluminium , or titanium alloys, carbon fiber , or

319-592: Is 579 m (1,900 ft) long and features four straights linked by banked curves, while the 536 m (1,759 ft) Portsmouth velodrome , in Portsmouth , has a single straight linked by one long curve. The oldest surviving regular velodrome two-straight oval tracks is from 1889, located in Brno , Czech Republic. Early surfaces included cinders or shale, though concrete, asphalt and tarmac later became more common. Indoor velodromes were also common particularly in

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348-485: Is a bicycle optimized for racing at a velodrome or outdoor track. Unlike road bicycles , the track bike is a fixed-gear bicycle ; thus, it has only a single gear ratio and has neither a freewheel nor brakes. Tires are narrow and inflated to high pressure to reduce rolling resistance . The first bicycle race is popularly held to have been a 1,200 meter race on the 31 May 1868 at the Parc de Saint-Cloud , Paris . It

377-408: Is not ideal. A narrower chain will not work on a wider chainring or sprocket. Newer bicycles with derailleur gears use bushingless 2.38 mm ( 3 ⁄ 32  in) chains which flex, making gear changing possible. There are also 3.2 mm ( 1 ⁄ 8  in) bushingless chains on the market, which can be lighter or cheaper. Track bicycles, however, need increased strength rather than

406-570: Is sometimes drilled to give the option of mounting a front brake when the bike is used on the road. The governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), sets limits on design and dimensions as well as the shape and diameter of the tubes used to construct the frame. The UCI permits special exceptions for the construction and geometry of track bikes. A Keirin bike is a track bike for Keirin races in Japan that meets

435-422: Is specific to its intended use, with emphasis on rigidity and lightness. Frames for sprinting seek to maximize rigidity, while those for general racing seek to reduce aerodynamic drag. The dropouts or track ends face rearwards to facilitate chain tension adjustment. A true track fork, unless aerodynamics are the primary consideration, has round-section blades for greater lateral stiffness when sprinting. The crown

464-407: Is typically 10% of the surface. The blue band is not technically a part of the track; although it is not illegal to ride there, moving into it to shortcut another rider results in disqualification. During time trials, pursuits or other timed events, the blue band is obstructed with sponges or other objects. The blue band is a warning to cyclists that they may scrape their pedal along the infield when in

493-486: The 1970 and 1982 Track Cycling World Championships ). Since 1990, such events are usually held on velodromes with 250 m (820 ft 2.52 in) laps. London's 2012 Olympic velodrome and a new velodrome in Turkmenistan 's capital city Ashgabat both have a 250 m track and a 6,000-seat spectator capacity. Banking in the turns, called cant , allows riders to keep their bikes relatively perpendicular to

522-404: The 2005 record. Bicycle chains used in track, fixed gear and single speed cycling come in two common roller widths (the internal width between the inner plates), which is either 2.38 mm ( 3 ⁄ 32  in) or 3.18 mm ( 1 ⁄ 8  in). The chainring, sprocket and chain should all be the same width. Although a wider chain will work on a narrower chainring or sprocket, it

551-908: The finish. There are a variety of formats in velodrome races. A typical event will consist of several races of varying distances and structures. Common types of races include: Team Sprint, sprint, Keirin, Kilo and flying laps are generally considered 'sprinters' races, which in track cycling equate to extremely powerful, muscular riders over short distances, resulting in some historic overlap between BMX riders and track sprinters, such as Chris Hoy . The other events are considered endurance events for riders with less outright power but greater aerobic ability, and such events have historically enjoyed an overlap with elite road racers, including road sprinters such as Mark Cavendish and Elia Viviani , Grand Tour legends Eddy Merckx , Fausto Coppi and more recent Tour de France winners Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas . Track bicycle A track bicycle or track bike

580-583: The late 1870s, the oldest of which is the Preston Park Velodrome , Brighton , United Kingdom, built in 1877 by the British Army. Some were purpose-built just for cycling, and others were built as part of facilities for other sports; many were built around athletics tracks or other grounds and any banking was shallow. Reflecting the then-lack of international standards, sizes varied and not all were built as ovals: for example, Preston Park

609-587: The late 19th and early 20th century. For example, the Vélodrome d'hiver was built in Paris in 1909 and featured a 250 m (820.2 ft) indoor track with a wooden surface. International competitions such as the Olympic Games led to more standardisation: two-straight oval tracks quickly became the norm, and gradually lap lengths reduced. The Vélodrome de Vincennes , used for the 1900 (and 1924) Games

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638-662: The optimum route around the track. A rider leading in the sprinter's lane may not be passed on the inside; other riders must pass on the longer outside route. Minimum 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) (or half the track width) above the inside of the track is the blue stayer's line. This line serves in races behind motorbikes as a separation line. Stayers below the blue line may not be overtaken on the inside. In Madison races (named after six-day races at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, and also known as "the American"),

667-542: The straights are banked 10 to 15 degrees more than physics would predict. These compromises make the track ridable at a range of speeds. From the straight, the curve of the track increases gradually into the circular turn. This section of decreasing radius is called the easement spiral or transition. It allows bicycles to follow the track around the corner at a constant radial position. Thus riders can concentrate on tactics rather than steering. Bicycles for velodromes, better known as track bicycles , have no brakes. They employ

696-638: The strict system of standards of the JKA Foundation (Japan Keirin Autorace Foundation), the governing body for Keirin competitions, still popular under the abbreviation of its predecessor body - NJS (Nihon Jitensha Shinkōkai or the Japanese Bicycle Association). A track bicycle frameset typically differs from one used on the road in the following ways: These changes represent substantial compromises compared to

725-441: The surface while riding at speed. When travelling through the turns at racing speed, which may exceed 85 km/h (52.8 mph), the banking attempts to match the natural lean of a bicycle moving through that curve. At the ideal speed, the net force of the centrifugal force (outward) and gravity (downward) is angled down through the bicycle, perpendicular to the riding surface. Riders are not always travelling at full speed or at

754-412: The team's relief rider rests above the stayer's line by riding slowly until his or her teammate comes around the track and throws him or her back into the race. The finish line is black on a wide white band and near the end of the home straight. Red lines are marked in the exact centre of each straight as start and finish line for pursuit races. A white 200 m line marks 200 metres (660 ft) before

783-703: The track, the steeper the banking. A 250 m (820 ft) track banks around 45°, while a 333.33 m (1,093.6 ft) track banks around 32°. Some older velodromes were built to imperial standards . The Dick Lane Velodrome in East Point, Georgia , United States, is 0.2 miles or 321.9 m. Velodrome tracks can be surfaced with different materials, including timber, synthetics and concrete. Shorter, newer, and Olympic quality tracks tend to be timber or synthetics; longer, older, or inexpensive tracks are concrete, macadam, or even cinder. Important cycling events are usually held on tracks which have lines laid out in

812-550: Was 500 m (1,640 ft) per lap, while Antwerp 's Vélodrome d'Anvers Zuremborg , used in 1920, and Helsinki Velodrome , used in 1952, were both 400 m (1,312 ft). By the 1960s up to 1989, tracks of 333.33 m (1,094 ft) length were commonly used for international competitions (e.g.: the Agustín Melgar Olympic Velodrome used for track cycling events at the 1968 Summer Olympics , and Leicester 's Saffron Lane velodrome used at

841-667: Was won by expatriate Englishman James Moore who rode a wooden bicycle with iron tires . The machine is now on display at the museum in Ely , Cambridgeshire , England. The Union Cycliste Internationale was founded on 14 April 1900 by Belgium, the United States, France, Italy, and Switzerland to replace the International Cycling Association , which had been formed in 1892, over a row with Great Britain as well as because of other issues. A track frame

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