Andrew and other potential Trackies
I spoke to Newport Track on Thursday this week.
For veterans with Accreditation there is the Vets Drop In on Fridays 4.00pm to 6.30 pm. Pay at the door.
For anyone without accreditation you need to get it to ride League or any of the Drop-ins. Either lunchtime or early mornings.
For those wanting accreditation there are combined Beginner/Improver sessions costing £35.00 for a series of 3 lessons. You need to book ahead. All sessions are full until February/March 2015.
If you Google Newport Velodrome there is a pdf download on the Beginners route and a list of all the sessions.
As for a private booking my experience was that we only get cancellation dates and these tend to be Bank Holidays when family guys are doing something else. All the other dates have regular slots taken by clubs or British/Wales Cycling.
To get in on one of the other clubs sessions has not been possible because the Track will not tell me who those clubs are. I think it is only by hanging around that we will be able to pick up this information.
Our current best source of intelligence is Jonathan Saunders. He and his son are regulars and he has now got his accreditation in October so he knows the ropes and, I guess, the other riders and clubs who use the velodrome.
If he could be kind enough (I am sure you are Jonathan !) he may give us a few leads or advice here.
Finally, there are several club members who are also accredited, me included. If they have an interest in going to the Friday Vets Drop-in I may be interested myself when I have gained a bit more strength so please say who you are and let me know if you want to share transport or just have an Oggie for company. That would get me down there with the purpose of mixing with both staff and the other riders to gain the 'intelligence' that may help us.
Andrew, I last rode track about 2 years ago but I got accredited in 2003. The challenges for getting a simple taster are quite high so your ambition will have to have a matching tenacity.
Good luck, please keep us all posted about your experiences if you decide to have a go.
Cheers
Tim
07840 338754 if you want to text or speak
