July 2010: Snapshot

Spin Cycle

Go for a ride at Dick Lane Velodrome
Photograph by Heath Patterson; text by Kate Sweeney

East Point’s Dick Lane Velodrome began as a dream of some locals enchanted with the pristine cycling arena of the 1972 Munich Olympics. Problem was, these boosters were oblivious to international metric cycling standards, and they based their track on the mile. As a result, the 1974 oval falls ten meters short of standard dimensions, requiring unconventional lap measurements for Olympic-style races. It’s also uncommonly slippery and slopes a bit quirkily on both sides—not to mention it’s probably the only velodrome in the world with a tree growing in its infield and a stream running through the center.

It’s no gold-medal standard, but racers love the Velodrome and pros train here year-round. “Other tracks, which are more traditional, can be a little dull,” explains Wayne Whitesides, a retired pro cyclist and consummate volunteer here.
The track draws cheering fans on major race days. Families, fixed-gear hipsters, and couples on dates whoop and ring cowbells as cyclists veer around the sharp curves. Succulent concessions (Asian wrap, anyone?), beer (sometimes), and announcer Scott Patton’s larger-than-life commentary stir up the crowd.

The surface is banked at a thirty-six-degree angle, and cyclists reach top speeds of nearly fifty miles an hour, pedaling like mad just inches apart. Their bikes don’t have brakes, nor can they stop without wiping out. Smashups don’t happen as often as you’d think in races with rules such as these: There’s the Madison, which calls for tag-team riders to hand-sling each other into the action, and the Keirin, in which cyclists draft a speeding motorized bike. “Of course, spectators come out to watch the crashes, too,” admits Whitesides.

Dick Lane, a former East Point recreational director and Georgia legislator, played a major role in developing the track. See dicklanevelodrome.com for info on upcoming races and classes.