News from NSC Velodrome

February 17, 2009

NSC Velodrome

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participant or have expressed interest in participating at the NSC Velodrome. We invite to see what else is happening at the National Sports Center.

Thursday Night Lights Results
2008 Women's Season Recap
Women's racing at the NSC Velodrome has been getting consistently better, faster and more popular with the racers and spectators since 2005, the first year that women's fields were featured at the Thursday Night Lights race series. 2008 was the best year yet with more than 20 women competing throughout the summer.

The 2008 state championship points race was, perhaps, the most exciting race of the year. Nine women raced fast and furiously over 50 laps on a warm August night. Heidi Dahlman barely edged out Steph Thompson and Lindsey Hamilton in the final sprint for the win by a single point. Earlier in the season, Hamilton claimed the state championship scratch race.

In the sprint competitions, Hamilton and Elena Dorr excelled in 2008, with Hamilton winning both of match sprint tournaments held. Dorr won the overall Minnesota Sprint Classic competition with consistent performance over three events in a single day of sprinting.

The NSC Velodrome introduced women's keirin racing in 2008 with a state championship and a race at the Minnesota Sprint Classic. Both events proved very popular with both the racers and spectators. Hamilton won the state championship race and Dorr took the Sprint Classic race with a well-timed speed burst. In response to their popularity in 2008, look for more women's sprint competitions in 2009.

Rider Profile: Melissa Dahlmann - 2008 Women's Track Rider of the Year

Melissa improved on her 2007 2nd place in the TROY competition, standing atop the 2008 podium in only her 2nd year of pack racing on the track! She outlasted a women's strong field, including her sister, Heidi and Linsey Hamilton who placed 2nd & 3rd respectively. Melissa also grabbed the 3000m Pursuit State Championship crown and did the home crowd proud during the MN Fixed Gear Classic, placing 3rd in the handicap race against stiff national competition.

Full Fixed Gear Classic Results

A native of West Allis, WI, Melissa is no stranger to tough national competition. In the winter, she circles ovals of ice as a competitive speedskater. In 2006 and 2007, she achieved Top 10 finishes in the long track (3000m) competition at US Speedskating Nationals. When she's not going around in circles, Melissa focuses on educational endeavors, working toward a degree as a "non-traditional" student - with a 4.0 GPA - and tutoring students at Spring Lake Park high school.

Melissa is joining the Flanders team this year, so watch for her in the local team's familiar red & white kit this season.

Learn To Ride The Track

Have you ever wanted to learn to ride on the Velodrome? Our Introductory Track Classes offer a perfect opportunity to take a spin on the hardwood. Sessions start in May and run for 4 weeks. You'll learn everything you need to know to race here at the NSC Velodrome. These sessions are suitable for any riders 17 years old and over with little or no bike racing experience. We also have a dedicated session for experienced road riders with no track experience.

Each session includes:

Structured, progressive, hands-on experience in the skills and strategies required for track riding.
The fun and exhilaration of track cycling in a controlled atmosphere.
A primary focus on the basic skills and proper techniques to ensure safe and efficient riding on the track.
Instruction in position, drafting, acceleration, pedaling technique, steering vs turning, as well as proper track etiquette necessary for group riding and racing on the velodrome.
Exposure to the different types of races held at the velodrome. Each session ends with mock races.

These sessions fill quickly and space is limited so sign up today!

Track racing 101 - The Velodrome
Velodromes are steeply-banked oval cycling arenas. The prefix "velo" is short for the French word "velocipede", the bicycle's original name. The purpose of the track's design is to provide racers a smooth predictable surface on which to maintain the highest speed possible. The NSC Velodrome is 250 meters long with 43-degree banking in the corners and 15-degree banking in the straightaways. Our Velodrome is one of only three outdoor wooden tracks in the US. It is made of 42 miles of ultra-durable African Afzalia wood. The 4cm X 3cm boards are laid narrow side up so that riders race on the edges of the boards, not the wider surfaces.

Track Lines
All velodromes have lines painted on the track's surface.

The "cote d'azur" or band of blue, marks the tracks inside boundary. Racers may not ride on or below this wide band, except for emergencies or during the slow tactical maneuvering during match sprint competition.
The black "measurement line", as the name implies, is used to measure the distance around the track.
The thin red line around the track is the "sprinters line" and it defines the sprint lane between the red line and the blue band. A leading rider in this lane is said to "own the lane" and may only be passed by a rider going over on the right.
The uppermost thin blue line is the "stayer's line" or relief line. It marks the boundary between faster and slower traffic, with the faster riders below the line while the slower "relief" riders are above this line during Madison races.