at the velodrome

I have a dilemma. We’re off with our friends Chris and Karin for an evening of thrills and (unfortunately as it turns out) spills at the Olympic Velodrome in London. We catch our first sight of the building as we drive down the A12; it looks like a giant Pringle, set against a backdrop of the city of London - Canary Wharf, The Shard - unmistakable in the evening sky. If you want to see the Pringle, click on Anniemay, 14th March.

Here’s my dilemma; I read in a photography book that when faced with an iconic building or landscape, not to try and take the photo that the pros have taken. They have the best light, the best vantage point and the sturdiest tripods. Buy a postcard instead. If you must take a photo - do something different. So - how to do something different?

I’m still using the one standard lens. So no wide vistas or zoomed in details.

The scene before me seems bizarre - it’s one of the things I love about track racing. While the riders hurtle round the steep banking at phenomenal speed on bikes with no brakes, the centre of the velodrome is a hive of activity. Riders waiting their turn warm up, photographers and TV crews look for stories and the money men tuck into 4-course hospitality dinners. Anniemay pines for a pair of binoculars - she wants to see what they’re having for dessert.

This is the Keirin race; a small motorcycle (a Durney bike) leads a procession round the track. Tucked into slipstream of the Durney the speed gradually increases to around 50km/hour. Then with a couple of laps to go the Durney peels off and the riders are left to fight it out, hitting 70km/hour as they cross the line. Amazing.

This is the only way I could think of to convey the ‘otherworldliness’ of track racing. Best viewed full-size for the detail.