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Sport Rec. and Training A sport rec. session is a session designed for people who want to ride at speeds significantly faster than those permitted in recreational sessions (38 km/h +). As with recreational sessions, there is no structured program of events. Participants should be free to enter and leave the track at their own initiative. Sport rec. sessions are not for people who cannot maintain a pace of over 35 km/h for extended periods or are not able to change the lead in pace lines, particularly when the track is crowded. Such people may be tolerated when there are only a few others on the track, but for the safety of all when numbers increase they must be asked to come down from the track and return to the next recreational session. Many riders can fall into this category as the session progresses. Keep an eye out for riders who look weary (start weaving, start needing to slam on the brakes because they are not concentrating on how others are riding in front of them) and ask them to come off the track. Sport rec. sessions are of two types: sport pace line, and sport interval. The two types of session may alternate over one time period. In a sport paceline session, there is a warm-up/cool-down pace line on the black traveling at 35-38 km/h and a training paceline on the blue traveling at 40-43 km/h. Riders change the lead every 1-3 laps on the black and every 2-3 on the blue. In a sport interval session there is a single pace line on the blue traveling at 30-32 km/h. The lead rider either changes the lead every 2nd lap or accelerates down to the black to do an interval at 45 km/h+. 2-4 riders can do intervals at the same time, either by going down as a group or by waiting until just after a rider has passed underneath on the black and dropping down to chase them. A variation on the sport interval session is the pursuit drill, which is mandated when the track is crowded. In this drill there are two pace lines on the blue on opposite sides of the track traveling at recovery speed (30-32 km/h) and 1-2 pace lines (max 5 riders in each) on the black traveling at pursuit speed (45-50 km/h). As a black pace line approaches a blue line, the lead rider has the option of going up the track to join the back of the blue line. As a black pace line with 3 or fewer riders passes underneath a blue pace line, the lead riders in the blue line have the option of dropping down onto the back of the black line, to make a maximum of 5 riders on the black. It is important that the pace lines on the black maintain a ½ lap separation. Likewise for those on the blue. A recurrent problem with sport pace line sessions is riders who maintain a tempo of over 43 km/h on the blue. Because few can maintain that speed for any number of laps, this causes most riders to drop down to the black, overcrowding that lane. In this case, it is advisable to call everyone off the track and convert the sport pace line session into a sport interval session. The fast riders, in particular, can then be encouraged to do individual intervals at sprint speed (50+ km/h) until they blow, which should only take a minute and a half at most. Once the fast riders have done 2-3 such efforts in succession, riders can be called back down to the black and the sport pace line can resume at a slower pace. Alternatively, riders can do pursuit drills with the stronger riders putting in more efforts for longer periods. Track etiquette for sport pace lines Track etiquette for sport intervals |