Glossary

The words on the track.

72 terms: the lines, the bike, the races and the riding, written for someone standing at the rail for the first time and checked against how the club actually uses them. Every race name here appears in the results archive.

The track

Encino is a 250-metre outdoor concrete oval with banked turns. Everything on it is painted for a reason.

Velodrome #: A banked oval track built for bicycle racing. Encino's is 250 metres round, the same length as an Olympic track, but outdoors and in concrete.
Banking #: The slope of the track, steepest in the turns. It exists so riders can hold speed through the corners without steering; ride the turns slowly and the banking will push you down toward the inside, which is why beginners learn to keep their speed up.
Apron #: The flat concrete strip inside the track proper. Where you roll out, warm up, and wait. Not part of the racing surface.
Côte d'azur #: The light-blue band between the apron and the track. Riders may cross it but must not race on it; a rider who dips below the black line into the blue to pass is relegated.
Black line #: The measuring line — the inside edge of the racing surface, 20 cm up from the blue band. The 250 metres are measured along it, and it is the shortest way round. Also called the datum or pole line.
Red line #: The sprinters' line, painted 85–90 cm above the black. The strip between black and red is the sprinters' lane: a rider leading in that lane may only be passed on the outside, which is what makes sprint tactics work.
Blue line #: The stayers' line, about a third of the way up the track. In motor-paced racing the paced riders stay above it; in ordinary training it is where slower riders and the recovering group ride so faster riders can pass underneath. At Encino the flying-200 group waits above the blue line.
200 m line #: A line across the track 200 metres before the finish. The timed sprint begins when a rider crosses it at full speed.
Pursuit lines #: Two lines on opposite sides of the track, each marking a finish for one rider in a pursuit, so both riders cover the same distance from starts on opposite straights.
Finish line #: On the home straight, in front of the grandstand. The judges' position is here.
Rail #: The balustrade fence at the top of the banking. In older slang, "going to the rail" means riding to the top. The club asks you not to shout "rail" or "pole" at other riders — call "stay".
Home straight, back straight #: The straight in front of the grandstand, and the one opposite. Turns are numbered one to four from the start of the back straight.
Infield #: The grass inside the apron. At Encino it is where riders set up, bikes go on stands and families sit.

The bike

A track bike is simpler than any bike you have ridden, and the simplicity is the point.

Track bike #: A bicycle with one fixed gear and no brakes. No derailleurs, no freewheel, no cables. Frames have steep angles and a high bottom bracket so the pedals clear the banking.
Fixed gear #: The rear cog is bolted to the hub, so the pedals turn whenever the wheel does. You cannot coast; you slow down by resisting the pedals. It is what makes group riding on a track predictable: nobody can suddenly stop pedalling in front of you.
Why no brakes #: Because everyone is fixed and nobody can brake, no one can slow faster than anyone else. Riders control speed with their legs and their line, and closing speeds stay small. A brake in a bunch would be the dangerous thing.
Gear inches #: How track riders describe gearing: the diameter of the wheel a penny-farthing would need to travel the same distance per pedal stroke. A 48-tooth chainring with a 15-tooth cog is about 86 inches, a common beginner gear. Sprinters push over 100; juniors are limited by rule.
Rollover #: Distance travelled per pedal revolution — the other way to describe a gear. Junior gear limits are expressed as a maximum rollover.
Track ends #: Rear-facing horizontal dropouts. Sliding the wheel back tensions the chain, which has no derailleur to do it.
Lockring #: The reverse-threaded ring that keeps the fixed cog from unscrewing when you back-pedal. Ride without one and the cog comes off under braking.
Toe straps and clipless #: Feet must be fastened to the pedals — on a fixed gear a foot coming off at speed is serious. Older riders still double-strap; most now use clipless pedals with the tension turned up.
Disc wheel #: A solid rear wheel. Aerodynamic, expensive, and loud. Common in time trials and pursuits, useful in bunch races, unnecessary on your first night.
Rollers #: Three drums a bike balances on for warming up. Track riders use them because you cannot warm up on the apron during racing, and they teach a smooth pedal stroke.
Skinsuit #: A one-piece jersey and shorts. Faster than separates because nothing flaps. Not required; you will see plenty of t-shirts at Encino.

Timed events

Rider against the clock. These are where track records come from.

Flying 200 #: A 200-metre sprint timed from a flying start: the rider builds speed high on the banking for a lap or more, dives to the black line at the 200 m mark and holds nothing back to the finish. The standard sprint qualifier, and the number every sprinter knows about themselves. Encino runs 200 m timings in training; the etiquette for them is on the Getting Started page.
Kilo #: The kilometre time trial: 1,000 metres from a standing start, alone, four laps at Encino. Brutal, because it is just long enough to hurt in a way a sprint does not. Called 1 km TT in the results.
500 m TT #: The 500-metre standing-start time trial, two laps. Traditionally the women's and juniors' equivalent of the kilo.
Individual pursuit #: Two riders start on opposite sides of the track and chase each other over 3 km (women, juniors, masters) or 4 km (men). Whoever catches the other wins outright; otherwise the faster time. The purest test of sustained speed.
Team pursuit #: The individual pursuit with teams of three or four, riders swinging up the banking to rotate the lead. Time is taken on the third rider. Watching a good team pursuit change is the best free lesson in pacelines you will get.
Team sprint #: Teams of three (men) or two (women), one lap each: the lead rider peels off after each lap and the last rider's time counts. A standing-start drag race with choreography.
Standing start #: Held upright by a holder at the line, clock starts on the gun. Getting a big gear moving from zero is a skill of its own.
Italian pursuit #: A team pursuit in which the lead rider pulls off and drops out after each lap, so the team gets smaller and faster until one rider is left to finish alone. A training favourite here because everyone gets a turn at the front.

Bunch races

Everyone on the track at once. These are what Friday nights are made of, and every one of them has its own tactics.

Scratch race #: The simplest race: a set distance, first across the line wins. Everyone starts level ("from scratch"). Tactics are about when to go and whom to follow.
Points race #: Sprints every few laps — every fifth lap is common — with points for the first four across the line each time. Highest total wins. Lapping the field earns a large bonus, so the race is a constant argument between sprinting and breaking away. The results list points and total.
Tempo race #: A points race where every lap after the first few is a sprint, but only the first rider scores. Rewards riders who can go hard for a very long time.
Miss and out #: Also called the elimination or the devil. Every lap or two, the last rider across the line is out, until a handful sprint for the win. Nowhere to hide; the whole grandstand counts down with the bell.
Win and out #: The first rider across the line on a designated lap wins and leaves the track; the next sprint decides second, and so on. Fast, decisive, and hard to hold back in.
Unknown distance #: The field does not know how long the race is. The bell rings on a lap chosen by the officials and the race ends one lap later. Riders who sit in waiting for a finish that might be ten laps away learn something.
Snowball #: Points for the first rider each lap, and the points grow every lap: one, then two, then three. Late laps are worth far more, which changes when people commit.
Madison #: Two-rider teams, one racing while the other circles slowly up the track, exchanged by a hand-sling — the resting rider grabs the racing rider's hand and is thrown into the race. Named after Madison Square Garden. Chaotic to watch, thrilling once you can read it. Encino ran men's and women's Madison series in the archive years.
Match sprint #: Two riders (sometimes three or four), three laps, only the last 200 metres timed. Most of the race is cat-and-mouse at walking pace — riders may even stop dead on the banking in a track stand — because whoever leads into the sprint gives the other a slipstream. The most tactical event in the sport.
Keirin #: Six or so riders follow a pacing motor that winds the speed up over several laps, then pulls off with about two laps to go and the sprint is on. Invented in Japan, where it is a professional betting sport; the training version at Encino runs on Saturday mornings.
Chariot race #: A standing-start sprint over one lap. Over in under twenty seconds.
Handicap #: Riders start at staggered positions around the track according to ability, the strongest from scratch. A good handicapper produces a finish where everyone arrives together.
Australian pursuit #: Riders start spaced around the track; anyone caught is out. Last rider standing wins.
Omnium #: A multi-event competition — a set of the races above — with the best overall total winning. The Olympic bunch-race format.

Training and riding styles

What people are actually doing out there on a Tuesday evening.

Motorpacing #: Riding directly behind a motorbike or scooter in its slipstream at speeds you could not hold alone — 50 to 60 km/h and beyond. It teaches leg speed, holding a wheel at pace, and what racing speed feels like. Encino runs motor-paced sessions several times a week, led by Henry Shibata.
Derny #: The small motorised pacing bike used in keirin and stayer racing. At Encino the pacing is done with a scooter, and "the motor" is what everyone calls it.
Stayer #: Historically a rider who races behind a motor over long distances. The blue stayers' line is named for them.
Paceline #: A line of riders taking turns at the front. On the track the lead rider pulls off by swinging up the banking, drifts back and rejoins at the rear. The club's etiquette: signal with an elbow, look, then move; never pull out of the middle.
Pulling through #: Taking your turn on the front of a paceline.
Holding a wheel #: Riding close enough behind another rider to sit in their slipstream — a few centimetres, on a track. The core skill of the sport; motorpacing exists to teach it.
Track stand #: Balancing at a standstill on a fixed gear, usually on the banking. Match sprinters use it to force the other rider to lead.
Jump #: A sudden acceleration out of the saddle. Sprinters train the jump the way runners train starts.
Leadout #: One rider sacrificing themselves at the front to deliver a teammate to the sprint.
Above and below #: Where you ride on the banking relative to someone else. Passing is done above (outside); "on the black" means as low as the track allows.
Stay #: What you call when overtaking a rider from behind at Encino: it means "hold your line, I am coming past". The one word the track etiquette page insists on.
Certification #: The beginner class. Nobody rides an open session at Encino without it; it takes one session and $40.
Session #: A block of track time — an evening, a morning. Ten dollars, or covered by membership.
Sprinter vs endurance rider #: The two families of track rider. Sprinters race the timed sprints, match sprint, keirin and team sprint; endurance riders race the bunch events and pursuits. Most club riders do both and find out which they are.

Racing at Encino

The words on a results sheet and a race flyer.

Friday Night Racing #: The club's racing night, under the lights, in season. Dates are on the calendar.
Category #: Racing ability level. Road categories run Cat 5 (beginner) to Cat 1; track uses the same idea. The archive has Cat 5, Cat 3–4 and P-1-2 (pro, 1 and 2) fields.
Masters #: Racing age groups for adults, in five-year bands from 30 or 35 up. Encino's masters fields — 40+, 50+, 60+ — are among its strongest.
Juniors #: Riders under 19, raced in age bands (12 and under, 13–14, 15–16, 17–18) with gear restrictions to protect developing knees.
Racing age #: The age you will be on 31 December of the season, which is the age you race at all year.
ATRA and USAC #: The two sanctioning bodies. The American Track Racing Association sanctions club-level track racing, which is what Encino runs on its own nights; USA Cycling sanctions championships and licensed racing. Membership covers ATRA races at the track; USAC events need a USAC licence.
SCNCA #: The Southern California / Nevada Cycling Association, the regional USAC body. Its junior and masters track championships have been held at Encino.
Series #: A set of race nights scored together. The archive's 2009 and 2010 Hansing Series nights each carried a series total.
Bib #: The number pinned to a rider, and the number the judges and the results sheet use.
DNF, DNS, DQ, REL #: Did not finish, did not start, disqualified, relegated (moved down the placings for an infraction such as dipping below the black line).
Neutral lap #: A lap at the start of a race ridden at controlled speed behind the motor or the leader before racing begins.
The bell #: Rung with one lap to go, and at each sprint in a points race. Learn to hear it.

Checked against the club's own Track Racing FAQ, written for its earlier website and credited to Durer Shomer, which is reproduced in full on the blog.