Divebrian

I only have real race experience, both spectating and competing, for the Flying 200m on a 333m track, not on a 250m track. On a 333 track, the 200m line is just after the start of the back stretch on the 333 so you hug the rail and use the banking as you come off the turn to get that last little bit of speed. However, on a 250m track, the 200m line is between turn 1 & 2....what is the best line to achieve maximum speed before you hit it? I have done a few practice sessions on a 250 track, but never had a chance to observe a race with racers doing full effort 200's to see their lines. Do you hug the rail going into turn 3 and then use the banking to achieve max rpm's coming out of turn 4 and entering the sprinters lane as you cross the start/finish line? Or would you prefer to be in the sprinters lane before the start/finish line or be a little higher on the track still and coming into the sprinters lane just as you enter turn 1? Unfortunately, all of the TV coverage of the world cups and olympics I've seen never show the 200's, they just show the medal round sprints so you never get a sense of what goes on before hand. Any descriptions, pictures or videos would be greatly appreciated. I know time on the track, experience and repeated 200's is the best way, but I don't have that luxury with the closest 250 track being 10 hours away.

topflightpro

I'm fairly new to this, but I did attend a clinic at a 250m track and was instructed on the line to take.

I was told to hug the rail into turn three, and then coming out of turn 4, aim to hit the start/finish line where it intersected with the blue line, and carry that line to enter the sprinters lane about halfway between start/finish and the 200m mark. I was told that would give me the longest downhill stretch on the track.

rensho3

For a general over view of one line is presented in the UP!UP!UP! website. Sorry I don't have the link but you can find it on Google.

rensho3

The longest line would be to hit the 200 mark at the intersection of the 200 line and the black line. Hitting the sprinters lane before then is a waste of a good hill. As my coach would tell you, this is not easy to do consistently, but it is the target.

Voodoo76

Starting at about 2:50

topflightpro

Here's the UpUpUp guidance: Save energy ? Up! Up! Up! An introduction to track sprint cycling

It is quite different from what I was taught.

queerpunk

When I started riding at the NSC I assumed that the best F200 line was a pretty steady line out of turn 4 to hit the sprinter's lane by the 200m line.

After a while I started to see sprinters stay close to the rail out of Turn 4 and on the homestretch, and just as Turn 1 started, they'd take a late, severe dive down. This seems like the fastest line - at least at that track. But, I also saw people micic this and screw up - they'd hold the rail too long and start to go uphill. The important part is to feel the transition, understand the waterline, and find what works.

Different tracks are different, too. I'm not sure that there's a generalizeable "best line on an a 250." I've raced 250s that are really round, and ones that are pretty cigar-shaped, and I'd imagine that the lines vary - especially for good sprinters who are really tuned into what they're doing (I just play around with flying 200s for fun - i'm an enduro).

Also - there are some qualifying videos on youtube. Here's one from 2012.

brawlo

The general mechanics of it are right there^^. You run down from T4 banking and hold the fence for as long as you can and drop in at the right time such that you maximise the drop down the track running into T1 and you don't cop any uphill running to wash off speed. That line will depend on the track you are at. I believe the line is generally very close from track to track, but there will be little design details that mean you have to drop off the fence earlier, or can hold it for just that little bit longer.

The guys that nail it are the guys that do it a lot. If you do stuff up, it's way better to drop in too early than to sit to high too long and hit the uphill into T1 and lose speed