FAQs
The
Q & A on San Jose's
own Hellyer Park Velodrome
I'm interested
in racing on the track,
how do I get into it?
The best way to start is
by attending Saturday AM
beginner sessions. These
are every Saturday morning
at 8:30 a.m. You may
rent bikes and will receive
basic track instruction.
$5 track usage fee, plus
$5 to rent a fixed gear track
bike if you don't have one.
Three Saturday morning sessions
are required to race Wednesday
Night, Thursday Night or
the Sprint Tournaments as
a Cat 5. Wednesday is focused
on newer riders and Thursday
features longer events, with
the focus being on riding
fast, in a pack, for a lot
of laps.
Once you have entered five
race days as a Cat 5, you
are eligible to upgrade to
Cat 4. The qualifying
race days, whether Thursday
or Wednesday, must include
massed-start events. The
Sprint Tournaments do not
qualify as a race day for
upgrading to Category 4.
Friday Nights are limited
to Cat 3 and above and special
categories as stated in the
race announcement. See www.ridethetrack.com/upgrade.html to
learn about upgrade requirements.
For more on the Saturday
AM beginner sessions, click here.
What kind
of races are run
at the track? See Race
Descriptions
Do I need
a special bike for this?
Does it really have no brakes?
There are occasional special
training sessions in which
the track is open for riding
with "road" bikes. However
to race and do the majority
of the training sessions on
the track you'll need a special
track bike. And yes, they don't
have brakes but you can still
control your speed by resisting
gently the motion of the pedals
and by adjusting the path of
the bike on the banked surface.
Are there
special sessions for Juniors?
Yes. With signed parental release,
juniors can ride the track
in any session whose purpose
is matched to their skill level.
Additionally, There are two
regularly scheduled sessions
on weekday afternoons, with
very different goals and functions.
They're both described HERE
The most important facts specific
to riders under 18 are:
1) Parents/Guardians must sign a release
annually on behalf of minors who use the track.
Release
Form
2) Juniors can ride the track
for free, and get free use
of the fixed gear rental bikes
for training.
How big is
Hellyer Velodrome?
Each lap is 335 meters
- or about 0.2 miles. The
corners have about 25 degrees
of banking to them.
How do I
get to the Velodrome?
Getting
to the Hellyer
Park Velodrome
is easy. The
track is located
just off of Highway
101 at the Hellyer
Ave. exit. From
the 680/280/101
interchange take
101 south for
5 miles to the
Hellyer Ave exit.
At the bottom
of the off-ramp
turn right. At
the stop sign
go straight into
Hellyer Park
and follow the
signs to the
velodrome. The
spectator gate
is located on
the south end
of the velodrome
( from the parking
lot walk counter
clock-wise around
the track to
get to the gate).