Track 101
Pursuit : Kilo : 5 and 10 Mile : Points Race : Keirin : Sprints : Kiddie Kilo : Miss & Out : Madison :
Team Sprint: Flying Lap

Pursuit - 2 riders start on opposite sides of the track and chase each other for a designated distance. Each rider is timed. The fastest time in the session determines the winner. At the Alpenrose Challenge there will be pursuits for Elite Men at 4000 meters, Elite Women at 3000 meters, Masters Men 40 and older at 3000 meters and 50 and older at 2000 meters. There is a cash prize for besting the Alpenrose Velodrome record in this event for the Elite Men and Elite Women.

Kilometer/500 meter Time Trial - The simplest of track races but so hard to do well. A single rider completes the distance for time and the fastest time wins. Elite Men and Masters men 40+ ride 1000 meters and Elite Women and Masters Men 50+ ride 500 meters. There is a cash prize for besting the Alpenrose Velodrome record in this event for the Elite Men and Elite Women.

5 and 10 mile - All the riders in the race start with a neutral lap. The race runs until the first rider has completed the distance. All other riders then finish on the same lap. Often the winner may be at least one lap ahead of the other riders so you have to watch that on the final lap the winner may not be the first person across the line. At the Alpenrose Challenge to add excitement and keep the pace high there is a cash prize to the first person to cross the line on each lap.

Points race - In this race all riders start with a neutral lap. After the race is started on every 5th lap points are awarded for the first 4 riders to cross the line, 5/3/2/1. Often there will be designated laps where the points are doubled. If riders are able to escape from the group and gain a lap over the other riders they are given 20 points. The points are totaled to determine standings. At the Challenge there will be a Qualifier Points race on Friday for riders looking to qualify to compete in the weekend events. This race will feature up and coming riders looking for the chance to compete against the established Elite level riders. On the weekend there will be Points Races for Elite Men, Elite Women and Masters.

Keirin - A wild race that has up to 8 riders following a motorcycle for the initial portion of the race. Riders are not allowed to pass the motorcycle but must jockey for the best position behind the motorcycle. Just before the end the motorcycle pulls off the track and the riders sprint at full speed to the line. Since the sprint starts at high speed behind the motorcycle this race will see the fastest speeds of any event on the track. Riders compete in heats with winners advancing to the finals.

Sprints - This is the most tactical of bike races. As the name implies the race is short. In contrast to sprint races in other sports, the competitors do not go at full speed from the start. The first portion of the race is tactical as riders circle around the track and attempt to gain the best tactical advantage for the full speed last lap. At the Alpenrose Challenge there will be heats of 2 to 4 riders with winners of individual heats advancing to finals.

Kiddie Kilo - A public participation non-race race for kids. The afternoon sessions start with kids 10 and under riding around the flat portion at the bottom of the track. The kids go fast. Everybody wins and gets a ribbon.

Miss & Out - All riders in the group start at the same time. On designated laps, at the Alpenrose Challenge every other lap, the last rider in the group is removed from the track. The race continues until there are only 3 riders who then sprint to win the top 3 places.

Madison - A 2 man team race. One rider races while the other waits for his partner. When the partners pass each other the exchange places by doing a roller derby style hand sling. There are regular sprints for points. The team that covers the most laps is the winner and points are used to separate teams who cover the same number of laps.

Team Sprint - (Sometimes called an 'Olympic Sprint'). Teams of 3 riders start on opposite sides of the track. On each tem the first rider leads the first lap and then pulls off the track, the second rider takes over leading for the second lap and the 3rd rider finishes the race. Teams are timed and the fastest team wins.

Flying lap - Each rider gets 2 laps to get up to speed and then on the third lap they hit the line at top speed to see who can ride a single lap in the least time.