Originally Posted by
vane171
I didn't know body contacts are meant to be part of the game or even taken as a regular thing. But that is probably something like body, mostly elbow contacts in road races, it can happen but should not be seen as intentional(?). If I lived near some track, I'd also be tempted to take the beginner courses. Great explanation, thanks.
I've heard it said that all road racers should start on track when young, probably somewhat old fashioned idea. Same as it is said that all modern style dancers should go through ballet drill when starting out.
Well, contact is not meant to be part of the “game” but there is always the possibility of incidental contact when riding / racing on a small venue and there is the Madison race where pairs of race compete in a points style race and make exchanges by throwing each other into the action. These races tend to be chaotic and the chance of incidental contact increases. And in general, during a race, racers ride very close together.
The goal in a skills clinic is to learn those skills that keep riders safer and increase enjoyment. A detail that I did not talk about the contact session is that I teach them and have them practice the old Madison push. This is where the Madison exchange is done by pushing your partner into the race versus throwing. But it serves the purpose of having the beginner challenged to take a hand off the handlebar and while on the banking gently give his partner a push. This develops the skill to watch the track ahead, ride in a straight line and maintain balance while pushing the partner. The goal is to make riders bullet proof on the bike and not crash due to being startled by incidental contact or having other riders in close proximity.
We got a lot of juniors at the track and our local coaches offered sessions and coaching for juniors after they completed the beginner sessions. It is always a great idea to start a sport at a young age. And it is great when the local community such as the Velodrome offers well thought out sessions designed to offer kids a way to get started and learn the required skills and racing technique under supervision.
However, in NorCal, the NCNCA, the local racing association offered an Early Bird series for road / crit racers that focused on skills and racing with mentors. And the NCNCA had instructors that offered skills clinics for racers on cornering, sprinting and etc.
When I started racing, I did all of that i.e. coaching, skills clinics, beginner sessions at the track. My goal was to learn as many skills and techniques as possible to gain a competitive advantage.