Track Cycling!
// March 24th, 2009 // 6 Comments » // A Day Down Under
So what ever happened to track racing down at Carnegie track? I went down to Packer Park a couple of weeks ago for the Saturday afternoon track racing. This racing used to be the best way anyone could spend a Saturday, and unfortunately, it is not what it used to be.
Australia has always been one of the ‘powerhouse’ nations in track cycling, and Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club has played a big role in many champion’s careers. A number of Australia’s best roadies have also built their foundations on the track, with a great number of our champions having very successful track backgrounds. You only need to look at the likes of Stuart O’Grady, Brad McGee, Baden Cooke, and Graeme Brown to see that track cycling can play such an important role in developing a road cycling career.
A number of Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club’s professional road cyclists kick started their cycling careers on the track. Australian ProTour riders Hilton Clarke and Baden Cooke, started off with track cycling, and still use track cycling as part of their preparation during pre-season training.
Baden Cooke uses the track in his pre-season training to help him with his pedalling efficiency, and fine tuning his sprinting. He says, “Track has played a vital role in developing my tactical skills, and judgement, not just for sprinting, but all aspects of racing on the road. Training with Hiltz is a perfect way for juniors to learn the ropes, and prepare for their cycling season.”
Here Baden Cooke follows the best motor-pacer in the business, Hilton Clarke Sr. (top), while Graeme Brown follows Malaysian National team coach John Beasley, in action at HiSense Arena for a Revolution Track Carnival.
Jonny Clarke of Jelly Belly Cycling in the USA was a silver medalist at the Junior Track World Championships in the Madison, and is one of the smartest riders going around. Jonny is not a sprinter, but can get top finishes in bunch sprints due to his knack in the bunch, and the leg speed he gained in his early years where he spent lots of time on the track under the guidance of his dad, Hilton Clarke Sr. “Track cycling in my younger years definitely gave me the bike handling skills, tactics and intensity that transfer to the road today. Track cycling is essential for every young rider starting up”, says Jonny.
Down at the Carnegie Track, Packer Park, Jonny Clarke motor-paces older brother Hilton during some pre-season track training.
Simon Clarke, unrelated to the other Clarke family, was a Junior World Champion, and has gone on to a professional contract in Europe this year with Pro Continental team Amica Chips-Knauf. Simon started his racing on the track, and spent all of his early years under the guidance of Hilton Clarke Sr. Simon has nothing but great things to say about his time on the track:
“I think track is a key element in the development of a cyclist, and provides the rider with adequate skills and style to use in which ever discipline they choose, whether it be road or track. I began racing on the track and I think it was the ideal starting point for cycling, where you are in a closed environment with people around who can give you encouragement and advice. The skills I learnt from beginning, and then continuing of the track for all of my junior years, made the transfer to European road racing a lot easier because the bunch skills required in Europe are not the dissimilar to those on the track.
In terms of performance benefits I think the track is a great way to improve you leg speed and consequently your sprinting abilities on the road. And because of its fast, intense nature it’s also very beneficial for you aerobic capacity and your ability to ride at it for extended periods of time. So if you’re a young person starting out or a vet who wish he would improve his sprint then track racing is definitely something to consider. Almost every Australian Professional road cyclist in Europe has come from a track background and this proves it’s an ideal starting point for aspiring young talent.”
Simon was a winning track cyclist before signing a professional road contract.
Champion cyclists Stuart O’Grady and Robbie McEwen still ride the track, and O’Grady believes a lot of his skill in the bunch comes from his track background.
More locally, even the successful Carnegie Caulfield criterium riders of this season have strong track backgrounds. Of course, Hilton Senior’s eldest son, Troy, is a former track champion, and spent all of his Winter build-up on the track, fine-tuning his sprint, and getting his fitness up to the highest level possible. This was highly evident in the early Carnegie Caulfield criteriums this year, and Troy still has the most wins this season. Troy has given a very good account of his thoughts on track cycling and its benefits:
“Obviously I spent a lot of time on the track when I was younger under the guidance of my father. This enabled me to not only be a good track rider but also be good at criteriums and road. Here are some reasons why:
• Good bike handling and fearlessness – track gives a rider advanced bike handling skills and a confidence on the bike.
• Racing tactics – On the road, you may be able to make a few mistakes and still win the race. However, on the track the race can be lost in a split second with often no second chance. Track riders often can read a race better and quicker.
• Power – Track training and racing develops power that the roadies can not compete with. Such as jumping across to the break, powering up a short, steep climb, or in a road sprint.
• Intensity – track training and racing enables you to be able to work at higher intensity that can not be duplicated when road training. Track riders often have better lactate tolerance than roadies.
When I started racing again last summer I felt terrible on my bike. I had no power and I felt uncomfortable maneuvering through the bunch and going around corners. This changed when I started track training with Dad during the winter. All of the sudden I felt like I could pedal again. I noticed that it was easier to ride at a higher cadence, my sprint dramatically improved, and I generally felt like I sat better and more comfortably on my bike.
I believe track is the undiscovered secret that roadies should know about.”
Troy (left) still has a very fast sprint, winning regularly at Glenvale and Sandown.
I too spent my early days track racing, and didn’t even do a road race until I was in my second year of U23 age group. In fact, Hilton Clarke Sr. coached me to a National Track Championship, and a number of Wheelrace wins. He is the best track coach going around, and has more knowledge of track racing than just about anyone you will ever meet.
The Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club members are very lucky that one of the very accessible club’s coaches has as much, if not more knowledge than the National coaches of all the other top countries going around. Hilton used to be the head coach of Australian Cycling, and now he is the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club head coach, so riders should take advantage of the opportunity, and also take advantage of the great track we have in Carnegie, at Packer Park.
Here I am racing in the Austral one year, with Todd Wilksch, looking good!
Track cycling is definitely the key to learning about tactics, judging a sprint, leg speed, pedaling efficiency, and enjoyment! Seriously, if you have ever thought about giving track cycling a go, check on the club website for the times of training and racing, head on down to Packer Park in Carnegie, and give it a go. You will not be disappointed.
It would be great if track racing down at Packer Park can be revived in the coming season or two, and we can get a really good Saturday afternoon vibe going on down there. When I return at the end of the season, it is my intention to regularly head down to the track and either race or help out, so if there are any other riders with a track background interested in doing the same thing, it would be great.
Fact: Australia has the second most velodromes of any country in the world, France has the most.
