Track accreditation - how ? (Mcr velodrome)

andy_wrx

I've done a taster session at Manchester velodrome and have another booked in a few weeks (going with a group of friends).

How do I get track accredited ?
What's a pink slip ? (is it even correctly called a pink slip ?)

The Mcr velodrome webpage says

Sessions
Tasters - The session for the novice track rider. This is where you start. We supply the bikes, the helmet and the coaching. The session is conducted under the watchful eye of one of our experienced coaches. You will be taught the basics of safe track riding and have an hour on the track.
Skills - If you would like to progress, once you have mastered the art of riding in a line a riders safely, ask the coach to asses you for skills. If they are satisfied, they will give you a slip so you can ride the Skills session. Here you will be taught how to ride in a group safely.
Induction - Once you have completed the skills, you will want to gain your track accreditation. This is gained in the Induction session. Here you will be assessed on the skills learnt during the Skills session. Accreditation allows you to ride all SQT and derny sessions.

Am I understanding this right ?
So basically I need to talk to the coach at my upcoming taster session, tell him I'm interested to get accredited, he'll tell me what he's expecting me to do and he will keep an eye on me and I then have basically just got to prove to him I can ride sensibly and safely, control the bike, ride the banking, drop in and out of a line, have an awareness of where everyone else is including people behind me, all that sort of stuff and if he's happy he'll give me a slip which will then enable me to book a Skills session.
I then do the Skills session which is a 2hr session presumably with a set of exercises to further develop and demonstrate proficiency and safety in these various things. And on successfully completing that I presumably get another slip...
Which in-turn allows me to do an Induction session, which is a further 2hr session even more of the same. And on successfully completing that I presumably get a further slip...
Which then allows me access to any sessions at all
- is that about right ?

I'm 45, not really wanting to track race, but it would be good for Winter training and keep the interest up rather than yet another day out in the December rain...

thanks

ColinJ

Andy, if nobody comes on here to reply, try sending a PM to either Leo or Mark because I know they've looked into this.

See you about,
Colin.

LA

Andy, in a nutshell, you're right.

Can't really add anymore as you know what to do to get it. They also do a combined Skills/Induction course, but the one end of Dec is already full up. I only know that cos I'm on it.

LA

Anonymous

You have to attend the taster session and eventually pass an 'induction' session which is like cycling proficiency test for the track.

You can have skills sessions to build up for the induction.

I've got my taster session on nov 13th

andy_wrx

Thanks. I thought I understood it right but good for it to be confirmed.

I'll bet the difficulty is in booking onto the sessions, as there seems to be only one Skills & Induction session per month.

It's p*ssing down outside as I type this though, so some decent quality training indoors, not on the turbo, certainly has an appeal.

Cheers, Andy

Blonde

I've been going to taster improvers for some time. These sessions are the next step after the initial taster sessions and are on Monday and Friday nights and I'd suggest that if you want to make fast progress you attend twice a week for a couple of weeks. After a couple of taster improvers sessions you will get your pink slip. This is what you need to get a place on the Track Skills session on a Sunday. You just go to one of these then on to the induction session (also on a Sunday) where you will be accredited. However, there is a massive waiting list for both the track skills and the induction sessions. I've had a wait of over a month since getting my pink slip to getting a place on the track skills session so have just been riding the taster improvers to keep up my skills whilst I wait for my turn at the track skills session. You may not get to train at the pace you would like until you are accredited and can attend the A or B quality Skills training sessions. The initial sessons are all about safety and skills, not speed. In a general warm up/session always ride nearest the bottom of the track (the smallest distance/quickest way round it) unless you are overtaking someone ahead of you - then you pull out, as on a road to overtake. This basic rule applies to all the training except where the coach specifically states that you should use the top of the track. You will learn to safely do madison slings, ride shoulder to shoulder, ride in a line/double line and take turns at the front before you can be accredited.

LA

Blonde, you didn't want to book into the combined skills/induction one at the end of Dec then?

My folks live in Manchester, but I live 'daan saaf' now so not easy to get to Newport or Manc (might give Calshot a go though) so I thought I'd get it over in one go, but means riding the track for five hours :shock:

andy_wrx

Taster Improvers
Monday 5:00- 6:00pm
Fridays 6:00 - 7:00pm

Hmm. I'm going to struggle to get to the Friday one in time and the Monday's impossible.
And at £9-odd a go, it could get expensive...

Blonde

LA wrote:

Blonde, you didn't want to book into the combined skills/induction one at the end of Dec then?...so I thought I'd get it over in one go, but means riding the track for five hours :shock:

No, for the same reason as you - four or five hours in one go is too much. The sessions are quite intense - particularly for the first few times as a newbie and demand a lot of concentration, and there is still no guarantee that you will pass and accreditation at the end of this one long session. In four or five hours I would just get more and more tired - my Italian lessons once a week at two hours a time are only just manageable- an even then, not if I've had a long day at work beforehand! I learn better in smaller amounts! The cost will only be marginally cheaper to go once or twice a week after you are accredited, so it makes no difference to me, as I still intend to go to the track at least once a week once I'm accredited.

LA

I know what you mean. I've been using a 72" fixed gear all year & the 86" track bikes they use make quite a difference. I'm keeping my training up on the turbo until Xmas to be able to do it.

Blonde

I also use 72" or 69" gear on the road but never notice a great difference in the gear at the track as there are no hills or headwinds. I just notice that when I get back on the hack to come home the position feels very high and prerched, as the track bikes are very low at the front end if you have as much seat post showing as I do! By 'intense' I actually meant in terms of brain power, not leg power! I personally find it hard to concentrate for that long, more so after work, or at weekends, when I feel I need and benefit from some relaxation time. I always found driving for more than two hours hard work so perhaps it's much the same thing. I find that longer road rides (when there is no time pressure) can feel quite relaxing, perhaps because I'm an old hand at those, but not so on the track - not yet anyway. It does demand a lot of concentration when you're new to it. You can make mistakes and misjudge speed/distance etc if you're tired, as with driving.

I also wouldn't fancy the hired track bike position for too long either. I'd have to get my own track bike sorted out if was to ride for longer periods, as the ones for hire are set up for men and are too low for a woman like me with long legs and short body, so I end up saddle sore after an hour as my weight is on my front bits, not my 'sit bones', in that position! I've already built up a lower back muscle injury due to the position as well, and I only go once or twice a week for an hour at a time!

oldwelshman

Andy, get down to the Vets session on friday at Newport and you can train and get your accreditation done :-)

SteveR_100Milers

You don't need to be accredited for the vets friday session either (at least that was the case last winter when I last went)
There are other privately run drop in sessions at Newport that don't require it, but they are now oversubscribed as a result of the Olympics hangover; so unless you are a previous seasons regular you ight not get a ride every week. Because these sessions are private, they are not on the velorome's schedule, so unless you are in the know you'll not know they exist (think that makes sense!)

Dai, you still going to the Friday session? I am back into the Wed night shredding!!

oldwelshman

Had two weeks off Steve after arm op. Starting back soon, will race on Tuesday then also when possible.
I went the other Wednesday to train and was lucky to get a go as there were 48 the week before!! That session is not as good as a Thursday or Friday as it tends to be just one pace all night, even for taking laps they were doing 23 mph at the front which is a bit silly as you don't get time to recover when you catch your lap and some could only do it twice and they were dropping off after that.
There is no accreditation required for the vets but you can do your accreditation on them if you want though.
Unless some one is going to race I do no tsee the need to do it anyway.

SteveR_100Milers

oldwelshman wrote:

Had two weeks off Steve after arm op. Starting back soon, will race on Tuesday then also when possible.
I went the other Wednesday to train and was lucky to get a go as there were 48 the week before!! That session is not as good as a Thursday or Friday as it tends to be just one pace all night, even for taking laps they were doing 23 mph at the front which is a bit silly as you don't get time to recover when you catch your lap and some could only do it twice and they were dropping off after that.
There is no accreditation required for the vets but you can do your accreditation on them if you want though.
Unless some one is going to race I do no tsee the need to do it anyway.

I misssed the week you nwere there. It is a bit one paced, but we've started doing 5 man pursuits so that gives you a bit of a break waiting for your turn.

oldwelshman

I prefer the friday where the routines are more mixed.
When taking laps and half laps the whole point of them is to lap at an easy pace, then make your efforts taking the lap, then recover and repeat several times.
When we were doing it on the wednesday, it was so quick that some guys were only going slightly faster when thery dropped down to take their lap and some never made it back around Theres no point in doing that at all.
Even during the warm up some were doing 27mph!!! The idea is to warm up gradually not rip your legs off at the start
I suppose it depends what you want to get out of a training session but personally I get much more from the Thursday and Friday ones.

SteveR_100Milers

The problem with Wednesday is lots of newbies who just want to rip round and show off a bit perthaps. Mind you, last week was ok, at least peeps are starting to look up at the group on the opposite side oif the track to keep the groups half a circuit apart, and the pace was much more sensible.

guv001

OWM are talking about the morning or evening Wednesday session..I've always found the morning session very sensibly paced with alot of regulars going. Certainly no 23mph on the front of the pace group.

SteveR_100Milers

Evening one.

oldwelshman

Yes the evening one
Theres a couple of fast guys from Cwmcarn there and it is like a time trial when they get to the front.
We had a practice devil ride so everyone including beginners had practice of placing themselves but it got a bit dangerous when there were 15 riders sprinting for no reason as there were 15 behind them
It was also funny to hear 4 Cwmcarn guys takjing tactics how to beat me in a non race on a training night I am 48 for god's sake, a couple of them are 1st cat roadies
Good guys to ride round with for a few fast laps endurance though but not sure about 2 hours of it though not at my age !!
Maybe when I get fit I won't mind.

SteveR_100Milers

Dai, there's a whole group of the Cwmcarn boys now, it's even worse!

oldwelshman

There were 5 when I was there, I need you to lead out so they have to go long way round a large object

SteveR_100Milers

It worked in the last two devil races - me and Chislett sat on the front as a mobile road block, 2/3 of the riders had dropped out before anyone went over the top....