Facility
Velodrome
A steeply banked oval track for track cycling, with sloped bends that let riders hold high speeds through the turns.
Facility
Overview
A velodrome is a purpose-built oval track for track cycling, with two straights joined by steeply banked bends. The banking lets riders carry high speed through the turns without slowing.
Indoor velodromes usually have a smooth timber surface, while outdoor tracks are often concrete. A track length of 250 metres is common for modern indoor venues, though lengths vary.
Good to know
- The steep banking on the bends counteracts the sideways forces of cornering at speed.
- Track bikes have a single fixed gear and no brakes.
- Coloured lines such as the sprinters' line and the stayers' line govern racing positions.
- Track lengths differ between venues, with 250 metres common for modern indoor tracks.
Where it’s used
Sports that use velodrome:
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Follow the threads that connect Velodrome to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Playing surfaces
- WoodAn indoor sprung timber or parquet floor — grippy, consistent and lightly cushioned; the classic surface for indoor court sports.
- Synthetic trackAn all-weather rubberised athletics running surface — firm, springy and high-grip — giving sprinters and distance runners fast, consistent, predictable footing.
- ClayA soft, granular racquet-sport surface of crushed brick, stone or shale that slows the ball, gives a high bounce and lets players slide into shots.
Disciplines
- Track CyclingTrack cycling is racing on a velodrome, an oval banked track, using fixed-gear bikes with no brakes across sprint and endurance events.
- BMX RacingBMX racing is a short, intense sprint on a dirt track full of jumps and banked turns, with riders starting together from a gate.
- Super-GSuper-G, or super giant slalom, is a speed discipline with gates set farther apart than giant slalom, blending high speed with sweeping turns.
- Snowboard CrossSnowboard cross is a racing discipline in which several riders descend a terrain course together, with the fastest advancing through rounds.
- SlalomSlalom is the most technical alpine skiing discipline, run on a short course with closely spaced gates that demand rapid, precise turns.
Learning paths
Beginner guides
- Your First Cycling Session: What to ExpectA first cycling session is usually a relaxed introduction to getting comfortable on the bike — finding your balance, pedalling smoothly, steering, and stopping safely — at a pace that suits you rather than a test of fitness or speed.
- How to Join a Beginner Group or ClassA warm, practical walk-through of joining a beginner sports group or class — what they are like, how to find one, and what a first session tends to feel like.
- Spending Wisely as a BeginnerYou rarely need to buy much to start a new sport, because borrowing, hiring, taster sessions and a little patience let you learn what genuinely matters before you spend.
Player roles
- Last line of defenceThe final barrier between an attack and a score — the goalkeeper, sweeper or last-ditch defender whose job is to stop what the rest of the team has let through.
- Ball-winnerA ball-winner is the player tasked with regaining possession through pressing, tackling and interceptions — a team's tireless defensive workhorse.
- Target playerA target player is a focal attacker who receives, holds up and links play for others, often physically strong and good in the air or with the hands.
Sports science
- Range of motionHow far a joint can travel through its movement — the arc available at a joint, and the foundation of flexibility and mobility.
- Managing fatigue and loadThe educational idea of balancing how much training you do against how well you recover, so effort turns into progress rather than into excess fatigue.
- Reaction timeThe short delay between a signal and the start of the movement made in response to it.