[nik at work]

Why not just cane it straight from the start in this event. Why all the slowsy slow stuff at the start?

[dave]

we're talking velodrome right? it does seem a weird event. think its something to do with wanting to have the other guy go in front so you can get in the slipstream and thus have a easy ride most of the way round then cane them at the end. apparently they brought in a rule recently that stops the cyclists actually coming to a complete stop!

[nik at work]

Just had two of them at a stop. Apparently they can stop twice for thirty seconds each and then it's restarted (or I thinnk thats what they said).
Does the slipstream make that much difference? It's only a few laps long? Surely caneing from the start will give you an overall faster time than pissing about until the last lap then going for it?

The olympics is ace

[GCW]

The Madison thingy is weird.  Who came up with it, and what had they smoked?

[dave]

Just had two of them at a stop. Apparently they can stop twice for thirty seconds each and then it's restarted (or I thinnk thats what they said).

looks like my dad misinformed me then....

presumably the slipstream thing does have an effect, it is a 1km race afterall.

[SA Chris]

The Madison thingy is weird.  Who came up with it, and what had they smoked?

Is wierd indeed. Looks like a right laugh though.

[GCW]

Ho ho, not my idea of a laugh 

[moose]

we're talking velodrome right? it does seem a weird event. think its something to do with wanting to have the other guy go in front so you can get in the slipstream and thus have a easy ride most of the way round then cane them at the end. apparently they brought in a rule recently that stops the cyclists actually coming to a complete stop!

aye, if you stay on the tail of the leader you expend a third less energy than he does - which normally leaves the tailing fella with enough oomph to pop out and overtake on the line. 

Agree that the Madison looks a bit strange, but it has nothing on the Keirin: moped pacemakers, a sudden bunch sprint, chaos and collisions.  Word has it that it is only included because the japanese cycling body made an absolutely enormous "donation" to the relevant authorities (the Keirin is a huge in Japan, mainly because of betting).  Seems a bit odd anyway - such a contrived event being included at the expense of more "fundamental" events like the 1km time trial etc (which were in the last Olympics and continue to be blue-riband events in the World Championships).

[SA Chris]

[moped pacemakers, a sudden bunch sprint, chaos and collisions.  

Which makes me think we should propose



As our new sport to be included in 2012.

[dave]

some Hoy blog reading here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/olympics/2008/08/three_gold_medals_and_im_shatt.html

[Jaspersharpe]

For some reason every time I start reading about the heroic performances of the GB cycling team I end up looking at pictures of Victoria Pendleton.......







....funny that. 

[dave]

whats that about victoria pendleton?

[Jaspersharpe]

Just that sometimes I get distracted.......





.......from the articles.

[dave]

with that bottom photo theres got to be a punchline along the lines of "she can tighten my nuts any day" etc etc. But that would be too vulgar for me to say.

[Falling Down]

Pendletons Pearl Necklace?? 

[Percy B]

Riding close (as in an inch or two) behind somebody else in the velodrome reduces the ammount of effort required to ride your bike by more than 30% and gives a massive advantage in the last half a lap of a race when you can use the slingshot effect of the slipstream to ride around the person whose rear wheel you have been sitting on and whoop ass. Unless you're Chris Hoy who has decided that slipstreams are for the French and that he'll just stay in front of you and ride you into the ground. This is a very rare and unusual technique, reserved for complete monsters. I know this, as have had the unique pleasure of being undetaken by said gentleman at Manchester velodrome - being passed by a man with thighs bigger than my waist travelling at 45mph is pretty scary!

The slow riding thing is pretty crap to watch, unless you know how hard it is to do. The riders can stop (for up to 30 seconds), but can't travel backwards otherwise they get disqualified. Its very hard to stop and keep your balance on a bike that doesn't have brakes. Wiley old riders will ride right up to the top of the banking and then stop to try so they can laugh as you try and do the same only to have your wheels skid out from under you on the mega-steep angled track and take the ride down onto the infield. The top of the banking is a good 20 feet above the infield, so this can be a spicy and ultimately painful experience.

[fatdoc]

why the fuck no brakes i mean for god's sake.. they're not exactly heavy these days...

why the fixed wheel [cant stop pedalling!!] I mean, they are a bit sort of... uncommon these days.....


mental sport, too hard for me... and I also consider it too dangerous and rather french 

[fatkid2000]

Thought you rode without brakes anyway fatdoc - after lastnight's ride!!!

I fancy giving this velodrome thing a go - looks like it has the potential for great pain.

[Percy B]

Pain is guarenteed. You need to get a few like minded idiots together and ty a taster session at the track - you can hire a bike there for the full fear. You can go on your tod, but its more fun if theres a few of you. I strongly rcomend recruiting Fatdoc and tlr for a session. If you like it, get accreditted and then you can ride the coached sessions which really are painful!

[nik at work]

Cheers for the replies makes more sense now. I'm surprised just how much difference slip-streaming makes.

[moose]

Cheers for the replies makes more sense now. I'm surprised just how much difference slip-streaming makes.

Its effects are even more tragically apparent in the Tour de France etc.  There are always some poor buggers who make a break, nearly killing themselves to build up a lead that looks significant - just daring to believe that they might get away with it.  The pelaton just take it easy and rest in their own mutual slipstream.  Then, with exquisitely cruel timing, they fractionally up their pace and reel-in the break away, often succeding in the last km or so.  It can be absolutely heartbreaking: the break-away works so hard, outpacing a pelaton that is expending a third less energy than them, keeping ahead for 99% of a 200km stage, only to be casually subsumed and often left so distressed that they can't keep up with the pelaton for the remainder of that stage or the next.  You watch the whole inexorable process and just feel that there is some horrible lesson about not daring to be different, about the futility of defying the herd....

[lagerstarfish]

You watch the whole inexorable process and just feel that there is some horrible lesson about not daring to be different, about the futility of defying the herd....

...or that there is a cheesy lesson about teamwork and cooperation being the keys to success.