Track cycling means riding a fixed gear bike around a velodrome. It is one of the original forms of cycling; the bikes haven’t changed much since the 1890’s.

Track bikes are different from road bikes: they don’t have gears and they don’t have brakes - your legs are the brakes! This actually makes for a safer cycling experience. We teach you how to use a track bike safely in our Taster Sessions.

Gloves, a water bottle and a snack.

If you have a helmet, bring that, but if not you can borrow one of ours.

You don’t need to own or bring a bike to take part! A hire bike is part of your Track Taster ticket.

You should wear whatever you feel comfortable in to do sport, as long as it’s not too baggy.

We ask that everyone wears clothing that covers their shoulders, wears gloves or cycling mitts, and wears practical footwear (no sandals, crocs, sliders, flip-flops or high-heeled shoes!)

Check the weather and dress appropriately: you may need a raincoat and/or layers to keep warm.

Not at all! In fact, you just need to be able to ride a two-wheeled bike in a straight line and look around you. Speed is not an issue here: you can go as slow as you like.

If you’ve ever ridden a spin bike at the gym, it’s a bit like that: as long as your legs are turning, the wheels are turning.

We do a very gentle introduction to the fixed wheel bike and make sure everyone is comfortable with stopping before we go up onto the banked velodrome track.

Our cafe is open on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm, and at other times when we have racing events.

We’re an outdoor velodrome with an all-weather track surface, so we don’t stop for a bit of rain! Make sure you check the weather before you set off, and bring the appropriate layers.

Having said that, if the weather is bad enough to cancel (i.e. storms, high winds or lightning), we will notify participants with as much notice as possible and move you to the next available taster.

We have plenty of bike parking racks if you’d like to lock up your bike. You can also bring it into the track centre with you if you don’t have a lock.

We’ve a limited amount of free parking available on site but we encourage you to travel here by cycle or public transport where you can.

If you enjoy your track taster you can then take part in our Track Skills sessions and learn all the skills you need for safe and fun track cycling!

There’s no one right way to do track cycling - plenty of people come along to participate as a fun and healthy activity, some people go through our accreditation pathway if they want to race.

Click here for more information on track cycling sessions