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Lee Valley Velodrome taster session
Nearly two years on from the 2012 Olympics, the London velodrome has finally been opened, allowing anyone who can ride to try their hand at track riding, and finally giving us a chance to follow in the footsteps of Olympic athletes. Taking advantage of this unique opportunity, my father and I tried out the hour taster session, which allowed us the chance to spend about forty minutes riding, factoring in coaching and safety time. As bike hire was included, we were able to take the train into London, and the journey was only around an hour, including the walk from the station.
The hour taster session was a completely different experience to my previous track sessions, which were based around several groups rotating on and off the track over four hours. This short taster allowed much more time on the track for the hour we had, as there was only one group and no rotation system. While the technical difficulty of the session was low, allowing for all abilities, there was also an excellent opportunity at the end for keener riders to use the amazing design of the velodrome, allowing us to accelerate to euphoric speeds. While, for me, it was hard to shake off the terror incurred by hearing the surface supporting me quietly popping and creaking as I rode, the exhilaration was more than enough to make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
The hour taster session was a completely different experience to my previous track sessions, which were based around several groups rotating on and off the track over four hours. This short taster allowed much more time on the track for the hour we had, as there was only one group and no rotation system. While the technical difficulty of the session was low, allowing for all abilities, there was also an excellent opportunity at the end for keener riders to use the amazing design of the velodrome, allowing us to accelerate to euphoric speeds. While, for me, it was hard to shake off the terror incurred by hearing the surface supporting me quietly popping and creaking as I rode, the exhilaration was more than enough to make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
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