From Brooklyn to the Forest City Velodrome

By Eric J. Robertson

Forest City Velodrome in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Photo: Stephen Waterfall

[Ed. note: This article has been corrected and updated to read that the track is 138 meters long, not 160.]

I had the opportunity and privilege to ride at the Forest City Velodrome (two hours west of Toronto, Canada) this past Wednesday. It was awesome.

FCV is one of only three indoor tracks in North America. It’s inside what used to be an ice rink, and still has a ton of seating and great facilities.

The track itself is very short at 138 [corrected, not 160] meters long, with a banking of over 50 degrees at both ends. No, that’s not a typo: over 50 degrees! It’s a bit intimidating to show up and see how steep that is.

There are male/female changing rooms and bike storage. The infield has tons of bike parking, a rideable inner circle, tons of rental bikes, rollers, workstands, chairs, tools, a great looking podium, music, etc. Everything you need to enjoy a quality ride. There’s even a transponder system that tracks your lap times. It’s automated and has online access, too, for long term record keeping and access. Very high tech but easily manageable.

Because of the unique characteristics of the steep banking, it’s imperative to get accustomed to the cornering in a safe environment. The proprietor/organizer, Rob Good, was able to accommodate this by spending about an hour with me getting up to speed safely on the track during a group training session. He was extremely patient and knowledgeable, and I was soon feeling confidant on the speedy wooden surface.

The toughest part of the transition was learning not to steer in the corners, and to keep the eye-line ahead. This might not sound challenging, but the eye-line required has you looking up and to your left to keep a straight line. You have to force your chin up, and the next day I really felt the effort in my aching neck muscles.

The recommended safe speed to avoid falling on the bank is 30 KPH (18.6 MPH). Tire condition is important, and Rob was very generous lending me his wheels for the session as my tires were a bit rough.

Eric J. Robertson at Kissena Velodrome. Photo: Eloy Anzola

After training I joined with an enthusiastic group of about 30 cyclists, a mixed group of older veteran trackies, some very fit 20- to 30-year-old men and women, and a few juniors (both men and women) who were all mixing it up.

We warmed up for about 150 laps, then proceeded into a great drill session. After a tough interval workout the day before, my legs were fried by the end of the night.

I can tell you that having grown up near Hellyer velodrome and riding there as a junior, and more recently, racing at Kissena with you fine folks, nothing has ever felt like what I experienced while riding on this special track. The sense of speed feels amplified by 100%. The corners make you feel like a jet fighter or a roller coaster with the g-forces pushing back on your eyeballs.

Do you remember when you were young and new on the bike, coasting down a fast hill? It was that sort of childish euphoria that still brings a smile to my face two days after the ride. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

So I would suggest heading up here this year for an incredibly fun ride.

I can talk to Rob and try to organize a group event that gives everyone enough practice time to get up to speed, and still have the opportunity to enjoy some racing too.

I feel like to make it worthwhile it would take a two-day trip minimum to maximize the available riding time.

You can look for some sort of short-term rental in London, a university town. The drive from Brooklyn is about seven to eight hours.

This facility is the best thing I’ve discovered in Ontario, bar none.

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Eric J. Robertson (Kissena) is a Cat. 2 rider who last year moved from New York City back to his native Canada.