The club’s track racing activities are based at the Palmer Park Velodrome, which is on the Wokingham Road (RG6 1LF) on the right just before entering Reading town.
The track has shallow banking which makes it ideal for track novices. During the summer months there is racing in the Reading Track League, which is free to watch, and on Thursday evenings fixed wheel track training sessions are held, including accreditation classes for novices, and there are a limited number of track bikes which can be hired at a cost of £5 a session. On Tuesday evenings the track is open for training on free-wheel machines (nothing organised) and during the winter months the same opportunity is available on Thursdays. Track riding is an ideal means of sharpening your speed and improving your sprinting.
What better way of training on your road bike in a traffic-free environment – no traffic lights and with floodlights when it’s dark?
From the start of October until the end of March, in addition to the regular road bike Tuesday 8:15 till 9:45pm sessions, there is also a Thursday night session at the same time at Palmer Park where you can bring along your road bike and get in some practice without any pesky traffic in the way. This will continue through to mid-March, apart from the Xmas closing. There are floodlights when it is dark, so the nights drawing in shouldn’t stop anyone from joining in with the track practice if they’d like to. All you need to do is turn up with your road bike and a helmet, sign on at reception, pay the £6 fee and read the instructions on track protocol.
Something that often confuses novices to track racing is how to your position yourself and to pass other riders. Dick Poole has prepared this handy summary on the subject of track positioning.
Contact our track secretary for more information about track racing.