As you may know a group of local cyclists finally pulled off what has been talked about for years, they built a Velodrome in Boulder. A little over a year ago the Boulder Indoor Cycling facility opened to the public. Since then it has been a success with offerings for riders from little kids, to high school students, to beginners, to world class athletes. Over that time plenty of the riders on the Mix1 Masters team have used the track as a form of off season training. This winter team riders Henrik Petersen and CJ Gauss have constantly been on the track on Tuesday nights and snowy weekends.
Recently the Boulder County Business Reporter newspaper was out at the track and spent time filming CJ and Henrik's group, plus doing interviews. Here is a link to the article that includes quotes from Mix1 riders and a video:
http://www.bcbr.com/article.asp?id=104131
Or here is a print out of the article, without the pictures and videos:
Racing at the V, By Ryan Dionne
February 19, 2010 --
BOULDER - Spinning around a 142-meter track over and over while being chased by another rider is an every day occurrence at the Boulder Indoor Cycling track. The velodrome, which opened in January 2009, is a wooden oval track with 45-degree banked turns.And every week, racers grab their fixed-gear track bikes, don their cycling shorts, jerseys, helmets, gloves and shoes, and put their skills to the test." We're pretty lucky to have this," said CJ Gauss, a local rider sponsored by Boulder-based mix1 Beverage Co. Though Gauss, and many others, is a sponsored rider, it's not just elite racers or hardcore enthusiasts who use the velodrome. Steven Herzfeld, the velodrome's cycling director, said they see everyone from first-timers, who typically become staunch riders, to professional bikers. "It's not an elitist group of racers," he said. Yet, Olympians ride and teach at the track. Former Olympian Colby Pearce and professional rider Chuck Coyle are on the list of coaches at the velodrome. Those coaches are there to get people hooked on the thought of track racing. Herzfeld said after the initial $30 membership fee to get riders in the door, most riders take a roughly $120 to $140 introductory class to learn more about the ins and outs of the velodrome. Gauss said he and his road-biking friends took the course and most, if not all, have since bought track bikes and are regulars at Boulder Indoor Cycling. At first they used bikes that the business "rents" for free. Unlike a road bike, when on a track bike, riders can only go as fast as they pedal. If the bike's rear wheel is turning, so are the pedals in the same way a "fixie" or fixed gear bike operates. Herzfeld and Gauss both said riding a track bike is safer when riding in a tight pack because nobody has brakes. Many crashes in cycling are caused by riders braking hard and then causing a series of fender bender-type crashes. The fixed gear also helps riders become stronger by forcing them to constantly ride with the same gear ratio and continually keep their legs moving. But the track isn't meant for recreationally riding in circles. Numerous times per week riders show up for a handful of individual and team competitions. One race, "pursuit," pits two riders against each other. They start at opposite sides of the track and try to catch each other within a specific number of laps.Another race, "Madison," is much like a relay in that one rider is in the race while the other is resting or slowly circling the track. After a set amount of laps or time, the riders fluidly and quickly switch. The first team to cross the finish line after a set distance wins. Local companies sponsor some of those riders. Businesses like mix1, Excel Sports Boulder, Vics Espresso and even Google are some of them. "A good example is Google," Gauss said. "They don't have a lot to do with cycling, but they've got a big office here. They've got guys who are into cycling. One of the guys on our team rides for them. (I'm) happy to have cool local companies like that involved."With the high cost of cycling, the riders appreciate any help. Though perhaps less expensive than road biking, track bikes can range from around $700 to a few thousand dollars. "The sky's the limit on track bikes," Herzfeld said.But even in a recession, the velodrome has a consistent pack of riders going in and out, Herzfeld said. Though many other velodromes along the Front Range have failed in the past, he thinks Boulder Indoor Cycling is different. For one, among the co-owners, Herzfeld is the only one who rides, which helps the group take a more businesslike approach because they're not as emotionally invested. He also said the business has enough options for everyone from private party spaces, kids riding areas, the track and an indoor mountain bike park. All of this is in a minimalist warehouse easily accessible from throughout Boulder and the surrounding area.And because the velodrome is inside, unlike some others throughout the state and country, it's not impacted by weather. That makes it a great place for riders to train as they prepare for their summer racing season.
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