| Wednesday Night Developmental Classes at Alpenrose Velodrome 6:00pm to dusk every Wednesday unless it rains May 14 to September 3rd $5 for the class, $5 for bike rental. Please arrive by 5:30 if you need a rental bike. Bring your own helmet, pedals, and shoes. If you have only sneakers, pedals with toe clips are available. |
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Each year starting in the spring and ending in the late summer you will find a bunch of people riding bikes without brakes around a steeply banked surface and going really fast. You will notice that these people are having a lot of fun, and that young and old, and even those of us who are young and old are all doing it together. This is the Wednesday night training series at the Alpenrose Velodrome, part of the sports complex at the Alpenrose Dairy.
Learn how to ride on Alpenrose's notoriously steep 43 degree banks from some of the most experienced riders in Portland. Only $5 for the class and if you need a bike, just $5 more. All you need is a helmet, although a pair of shoes and your own pedals would make it more fun for you. If you don't have extra pedals just bring your road bike and use the track's pedal wrench to swap during the night. What will you do? Well that depends on you. There will be multiple groups every night, each with its own coach. The plan is to have as much fun as possible while you learn how to navigate the banks around the velodrome. For beginners it starts with bike and track safety before heading out to the apron to get a feel for the bike. After that it is all up to you but you might find yourself going zoom ... zoom ... zoom, around and around. It is a blast especially for first timers. Getting a little more comfortable? You can step up a group and start riding with some of the people who have been to a couple of classes. We try to keep a limited number of people on the track so, as you get more experienced, there will be more things to try out. After a while, you could find yourself in a practice race and trying to hold onto the wheel in front of you. If you think you have too much experience to learn anything, come on out and share your knowledge with others. Helping out is a great way to learn and reinforce your own basic skills. Plus the more track time you get while helping out the better off you will be for the racing nights on Thursday and Friday nights. Above, stay safe and have fun. Don't forget to always look before you leap, and smile at Bill, cause he is the main reason we do this. For more information, contact Bill Cass, 503-532-0239 (work) or 503-246-6480 (home). |