To prepare for my session tomorrow, I have these tips from a friend and websites:
- Pick a light bike
- Do not try too hard
“The automatic response, if you are out of control, is to go faster. I would say: relax your upper body. Don’t stop pedalling, but don’t ride as fast as you can. You learn more about yourself and the bike when you are riding steady than when you are going flat out.
“It happens in every taster session I have done, people don’t know how the track works. The bikes are so stiff, so if there is any slight wobble on the bike, if you are tense, then any slight movement will go straight through to the wheels.
“When you are out on the roads you have to turn the handlebars to go around corners but on the track bike it is all about shifting body weight. Some people try to steer and that can throw you off a bit – you have to lean into the bends. It is very fluid, it is a lovely feeling.
“It is very serene, all you need to do is lean in and you don’t have to grip the handle bars too tight. Every movement affects the bike – it is quite a simple sport but you have got a lot to think about.”
"Don’t stop pedalling – it is a fixed wheel bike – just keep pedalling, you will be fine.”
“It is so simple: it is a bike with one gear and no brakes, all you have to do is pedal. I love it for that because it is so simple. Just relax, and make sure you enjoy it, and take it all in.
“Very new riders to the track go so fast, they are that worried that their bike is going to slip. You see guys who go on the track three times a week and we ride really slowly.”
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