The cycle club (juniors) somehow managed to book to sessions at the Olympic velodrome and a whole bunch of us set of a couple of weekends ago to get a taste of what it would be like if they were competing in the Nationals. It was a wonderful experience - such an amazing environment.
When we walked in and first saw how steep it was at either end, Joss just said "NO WAY" and Toby started considering whether or not this was something he was going to actually do. I've been to indoor velodromes before, but am still surprised at how steep it actually is.
It was really hard to get a photo that captured how steep it is
Once they were on their bikes though, it didn't take long to get a bit of confidence up. In fact, within the first 1/2hr, Joss was riding above the sign up the top. Toby, being a lot more cautious, took his time, but ended up being able to ride through the sign.
They rode for 15-20min stints, had a few mins off and did this repeatedly for about 4.5hrs on Sat and 3 more on Sunday - it was a little tiring just watching them. They did a little bit of racing, a lot of socialising and didn't want to go. It won't be the last time we go there!
The view from the end
It was all about speed and height for this girl
The cautious approach
Many tried the climb without success
Lap after lap after lap after lap...
...then a rest and a chat :)
before more laps...
...and a race or two.
What an amazing experience for them. Can we dare to dream that they may be competing there one day?
ReplyDeleteDream away - they certainly hope so...
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