Interview: Joe

Brennan on Women’s Track Racing

By Minda Aguhob

How did you get

involved in track racing?

I started racing track

in the 1970s at Kissena. Trexlertown didn’t even exist at the time.

Back then everything was run by Al Toefield who would park his orange

van on the infield. Racing was friendly, but hard — just like it is

today.

I started promoting

track events about 15 years ago and even had a brief stint as the

race director at the San Diego Velodrome. Promoting races and clinics

can be a lot of fun. You get to use a lot of creativity, and you get

to try the ideas that you always said other promoters should do.

Often, you find out why other promoters don’t do those things.

How did you get

into running women’s track clinics at Kissena?

I promoted a couple of

co-ed clinics at Trexlertown which were fairly successful. The first

women’s clinic was a bit of an experiment. Kissena has always had

organized coaching run by John Campo on Saturdays. We decided to try

a women only clinic to spark some interest. The response was better

than expected, so we’ve been doing them again.

It’s not that a

women’s clinic is different than any other, but it’s easier to manage

a group with similar power levels. And, in a co-ed environment the

guys tend to get the most attention, and the women often get pushed

to the side. At the women only clinics, the women are the primary

focus and that’s very appealing. The Forest City Velodrome in Ontario

has also had similar success and has built a formidable women’s

program.

Do you have a

coaching philosophy?

If I have a

philosophy, it’s that I don’t consider myself to be a coach — I’m

more of a facilitator. People learn much more by doing something than

being told how to do something. So, if someone wants to learn how to

ride Match Sprints, then they should ride Match Sprints. It’s amazing

how quickly people learn on their own.

What do you think

of women’s track now and in the future?

Kissena has had a lot

of growth over the last few years. John Campo, the track director,

has recruited a lot of riders to the track; and our safe, well

organized races, run by Alan Atwood, have kept people coming back.

The program has been so successful that, in 2008, we’ve moved to two

nights of racing. This has been a windfall for the women. Instead of

only two races and a chance to ride in a men’s final, women now get

at least three races.

We’ve already had

larger women’s fields than on any day last season. Like the guys,

most of the women are good road riders who race at the track for the

additional competition. I expect to see the women’s fields to

continue to grow. The friendly environment combined with women only

races makes Kissena Velodrome very appealing to women riders in the

New York area.

What problems do

women have moving over to track?

The number one problem

is finding bikes that fit. Taller women can easily find new and used

bikes that work well. The smaller girls have slim pickings. Many

manufactures “cheat” when making smaller bikes by just

making the seat tube shorter or by increasing the seat tube angle to

make the bike seem shorter, but ultimately the bikes are too long. A

few companies make 650c bikes which I think is a much better

solution.

The challenge that men and women road riders have

when they start racing track is the variation in cadence. At some

points in a race you could be at 75RPM and then have to accelerate.

In a sprint, 125RPM would not be uncommon. It takes a little time,

but your body gets used to it. Although the new riders don’t know it

yet, the added low RPM power and added peak cadence, will

significantly enhance their road racing. It’s like adding two new

weapons to their arsenal.

What does a typical

track workout look like?

Here’s a typical

sprint workout. I learned it 30 years ago, and the guy who showed it

to me learned it 30 years before that.

• Warm-up

  (20 minutes)

• Dead

  Starts – 88″ gear, 100 meters with only one foot in the pedals

  from a dead stop. Twice with each leg.

• Telephone

  pole jumps – 75″ – 80” gear, start at 75 rpm,

  Accelerate for one telephone pole (about 50 meters), slow down for

  two telephone poles, and repeat (3 sets of 5, with 3-5 minutes rest

  in between sets). Alternate in the saddle vs. out of the saddle.

  Effort level is 80%. On the track, use the backstretch for the

  acceleration, and use the remainder of the lap to slow down.

• Rest

  (5 – 10 minutes)

• Sprints

  – 200 meters. 88″ gear. Start off a slight decline, like half

  way down an overpass or off the banking of the track. Effort level

  is 100%. 10-15 minutes rest in between each sprint. One set of 5

  sprints.
  
  

How do you get

started racing track in general?

There are several ways

to get started: Come out to our Saturday noon – 2PM sessions. Come

out to our races on Wednesdays for men and on Mondays for women,

masters and juniors. Experienced road riders generally have no

problem going right into races. For women, we are holding another

clinic on June 22, and perhaps another in a month or so. For all

events, we have a limited number of loaner bikes. Information on

events and how to register can be found at www.kissena.info.