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Published: August 16th 2015
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In the age where a high end racing machine can comfortably exceed the price of a small car, Britain has come of age a a cycling nation. I remember sitting in a cafe in Ypres, Flanders, sometime in 1993 and we got talking to a guy who had stopped for his mid-morning break and a coffee. You don't really think cyclists are anything out of the ordinary in Belgium - it is flat, everybody rides a bike. However, this guy was different. He was Harry Lodge, British professional and a member of the Belgian based team, Collstrup - Assur Carpets racing team. Where have you come from this morning? Brussels. He was having a gentle, easy day of training. We had a British professional. I recall being surprised.
Fast forward to 2012 and we had moved on from the lone racer - well maybe not, as Chris Boardman had won Gold at the Barcelona Olympics - but you get the idea. At London 2012, the velodrome cycling had been one of the hottest tickets. We expected to win Gold a plenty............ and so we did. Chris Hoy, Bradley, Victoria Pendleton, Jason Kenny, Laura Trott - the list went on. The
nation expected and was not disappointed. Cycling had moved on. The unthinkable has also happened a few times in the road races too - Bradley and Chris Froome have conquered the Tour de France - even if the continental can't quite get their head round it and think we are on the Lance Armstrong trail.
2015 and we are building velodromes. The Revolution Series would be the first major event at the new Derby Velodrome. A space age looking structure on gold and white, it sits neatly next to the anywhere stadium that is the IPro on the Pride Park development. It shone like an armadillo in the late summer sun. The weekend event was pretty much a sell out and even competed with the attention of Derby County, who were struggling on next door, for the Saturday afternoon crowd. We had cut our teeth on the Tour de France. The Derby Velodrome would be our first taste of professional indoor cycling. The big names were here, although the Saturday afternoon session was mainly heats so there was no guarantee they would all be racing. The volume of races had meant that the programme had been extended to start
at 11:15 am. At £13 for nearly 6 hours of racing, it was priced to appeal. We were on a road trip, albeit a Trent Baton one.
I was set with my telephoto lense. The first lesson in cycling was learnt quickly - they move at some pace. A combination of speed and the aero-dynamic helmets and visors make a difficult target for the auto-focus. I moved to track-side with similar results. The starting block they use for the individual pursuits was a welcome pause from the non-stop action for the camera. The commentator scolded the few, who were fooling the electronic timing by using their camera flash near the finish line. A Greek cyclist amazed all those in the know with his time, until it was corrected by the offciials. The grandstand was fairly full, even on a Saturday lunch time. A rugby union international sneaked in under the radar to watch his love interest - Becky James. George North sat a few seats away from us for a while - Miranda oblivious to the star of her ESPN fantasy team being within a few feet - until he was rumbled by a guy I work with.
We relocated to the centre of the track. The grandstand seat allowed dual access. The nerve centre of team action was set up here, along with the merchandising stalls. How many kids went home with their new Sky team bike tops? The competitors warmed up, chilled out and generally mingled just a few feet away from the spectators. At this close quarters, there was no mistaking the common denominator - a powerful set of thighs required or do not apply. The commentator spoke all afternoon of those who had swapped sports - moving from athletics and transferring their skills. Jason Kenny warmed down. Shanaze Reed - the great hope of BMX at London 2012, back from her stint in the US as a pro-BMX rider, relaxed between races. A TV crew from Cycle TV flitted between interviews. The mechanics and technician worked on the bikes. The pro photographers downloaded their work to their laptops and I trust they produced better results than mine or it could be a long hungry month.
The action above on the track 25 feet above was non-stop. You could get dizzy watching them circulate from this vantage point. If you like non-stop action, this
is the port for you. It was full on, all the time. A little bit repetitive, but interesting. The big names were often difficult to pick amongst the flow. Mark Cavendish played a tactical game in his appearance - there would be other races in his 2 day event. The commentator hoped the first time spectators were having a good time. We did. Cycling has certainly come a long way. Harry Lodge - where are you now? You could have been a star!
Appendix Revolution Series Elite Track Cycling
Saturday 15th August 2015
Derby Velodrome, Pride Park, Derby
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