IN THE LOOP: HHV MAY NEWSLETTER
SPRING IN FULL SWING
This is when HHV’s outdoor track really shines. There are so many ways to come enjoy our hidden London oasis: spectate at our league races, have a go at mountain biking, or check out some upcoming one-off special events. Read on, rider, read on!
FULL SPRING AHEAD!
🚴
FULL SPRING AHEAD! 🚴
THE NEED FOR SPEED: Intro to Derny Racing
Sunday 3 May, 1pm
Slipstreaming behind a motorbike (a Derny in this case) means you can ride even faster - if that sounds like your cup of tea, head on down to Intro to Derny this weekend. For riders with a Race Accreditation, this fast-paced session will teach you how to train and race behind a derny: including Derny Changes, as well as what to expect from Derny racing including: how to start, any rules you need to know, and have any of your questions about Derny racing answered.
Once you’re up to speed (ha!) you’ll then be able to take part in several derny training sessions over the following weeks, followed by BCC's Open Dernyfest at the end of May (more on that later).
FRIDAYS IN MAY
1 / 8 / 15 / 29
Short, fun and sweet – road crit racing for all levels. Improve your bike handling and race craft. Take a shot at our tight and twisty circuit that takes in some of Herne Hill Velodrome's iconic features.
Youth / Women / Open categories
Cut your teeth on some dirt and head on down to our new off-road trails for some short & sweet MTB time-trialling in our Short Track Showdown.
Riders will take on a short, twisty trail packed with fun technical features, against the clock. Exciting for seasoned riders, but totally welcoming if you’re new to MTB racing. Everyone gets at least three goes on the course, with your best results across the heats deciding your overall placing on the night, and counting towards a series podium too.
Monday night MTB sessions in the run-up will be an opportunity to practice all the more technical features included in the courses.
It’s Open Season!
Sat 2nd May - Dulwich Paragon CC
Sun 31st May - Brixton CC
Sat 6th June - Twickenham CC
Sun 28th June - Velo Club Londres
Sat 4th July - Brixton CC
What are Open Meetings?
Local cycling clubs play host to Open Meeting events. These track cycling events draw in the best riders from the South-East England and beyond. Each club brings a unique approach to their event, with music and commentary, and a varying programme of races.
Racing is free to watch at Herne Hill Velodrome and for spectators there’s no need to book in advance. Join us this summer at the track to enjoy some top notch live racing!
Jan’s Cafe is open with teas, coffee, beer, cider, wines, spirits, soft drinks, as well as warm food.
Brixton CC’s first event of the year still has spaces for the Open Dernyfest, and the Women’s Sprint & Keirin competition. Click on the image to enter!
ART YOUR SERVICE
Dulwich Festival
As part of the Dulwich Festival, we will be hosting a sculpture installation in the pavilion. Come on down and peruse the art throughout the weekend of 9th & 10th May.
https://dulwichfestival.co.uk/open-house/in-the-curve-sculpture-at-the-velodrome/
Herne Hill Free Film Festival
The Herne Hill Free Film Festival is back! A special screening of ‘The Fastest Bicycle’ on 21st May includes a Q&A and live demo, where the filmmakers will attempt to ride the unique contraption around the track.
We’re also hosting ‘Stand by Me’ on Sat 16th May. Find the Herne Hill Free Film Festival full programme here.
Volunteering at HHV
Thank You to all our volunteer mechanics for putting in a couple of mega fixing shifts in April to keep our fleet tip top. Get in touch if you’d like to help out on a weekday afternoon: email jgwiazdowski@hhvt.org
If you’d like to volunteer but don’t want to get your hands dirty, click here for all our racing support volunteering opportunties!
Don’t forget all the other great leagues have begun!
Convene track league
Every Wednesday, all Summer long - FREE to watch!
Our legendary local track racing series is back for 2026. All the information you need in order to take part is on our website.
Spectators get your bellies ready for Tony’s famous chilli, fabulous frites, and surreal selection of hard and soft drinks.
Race Centre Upgrades
The team would like to thank Mark Unsworth for creating and continually improving Race Centre, our new platform to sign up to race at the track. At the moment we’re only taking sign-ups for Convene Track League through Race Centre, but you can also sign up to other leagues on there through the embedded Eventrac booking forms.
You can now find:
individual rider result histories
club pages
photo integration
It’s pretty neat!
We intend on expanding our use of Race Centre over the coming year. Watch this space.
fhhv VETS LEAGUE
Our racing league for female racers 30+ and everyone aged 40+. 6 rounds, April–September, putting racers through their paces with a mix of events every round.
Condor WOMEN’S LEAGUE
Herne Hill Velodrome’s (HHV) Women’s Track League, supported by Condor, is an accessible and competitive series of race events that take place between April and September every year.
sprint + pursuit league
Big gears, bigger smiles – #nobunches
Sprint and Pursuit League is accessible, grassroots competition focused on sprint and pursuit events. It’s perfect for newer riders wanting to get into racing or try out sprinting for the first time as well as more experienced riders to hone their tactics ahead of bigger goals. No bunches round here!
16th May | 20th June | 18th July | 22nd August | 19th September
COULD YOU DO BETTER THAN THIS REVIEW?
We’ve never asked for reviews before, but after this one came in, maybe we should? Reviews are really great ways for new people to discover how fabulous HHV is. They’re the next best thing to word-of-mouth marketing. So if you are so inclined…
That’s all for now friends.
Until next time, keep turning left!
The team at Herne Hill Velodrome