January 26, 2009 (London, Ont.) – It’s been busy the last few months with our Track 1 Program sold out 6 weeks in advance. We have added many new sessions to look after all the new riders. Please remember to instruct new riders if you see them making “newbie etiquette errors” on the velodrome. Remember your experience will help them progress. New riders need to register for Track 2 by booking with Rob Fournier (rob@uwo.ca)

FCV Winter Nationals – Jan. 30-31
– Friday Night – Jan. 30 – 7:00 pm
– Saturday Night – Jan. 31 – 6:00 pm

This will be the 3rd year for our mid-winter test of fitness. Two evenings of racing will see 80+ riders from Canada and the United States. Featured Race on Friday night will be the Points Race, with the Scratch Race on Saturday for Elite Racers.

A Sprint Tournament both nights will see Canada’s best do battle. See the return of FCV favourite Jamie Shankland contest the sprints. There will be separate categories for Youth, Jr’s, Women and Masters. Everyone will go home with sore legs.

Women’s Camp
Our 5th Women & Youth Camp just concluded with 17 athletes taking part. Thanks to Pedal Magazine & Communities in Action for their support. Look for many of these riders attending the Recreational & Skills Session in the weeks to come.

High Performance Training Camp
Canadian Cycling Association with the help of Sports Canada is taking over the velodrome January 28th to 31st for a High Performance Camp. Richard Wooles, Canadian Track Coach is looking for young cycling talent to help raise the level of the Canadian track team going into the next 2 Olympic cycles. Our website has all the details of the Camp and FCV Ride Schedule for this week.

Expanded Thursday Nights
Thanks to Brian Kelly for volunteering to open and supervise the Thursday Recreational Session from 5:30 pm to 7 pm.

Wednesday Night Changes Workouts
The Race Training workouts on Wednesday evenings from 7 pm to 9 pm are changing from Drills to weekly structured quality workouts. Most workouts will be motor paced with an emphasis on positioning and strategy. Speeds will go up to 50+ kph. The workouts will be a mix of endurance and sprint efforts with improving everyone’s speed & fitness.

Saturday Morning Rec Ride a Hit
The schedule was adjusted in October to separate new riders just finishing Track 1 and our Saturday Recreational Ride. The 2 hours of recreational riding is Saturday’s from 9 am to 11 am. Come out and get involved.

Volunteers Needed
FCV needs more volunteers. As you know we are a Not-For-Profit Association that relies on volunteers to run all the programs at the velodrome. If you are interested and can help out please email info@ForestCityVelodrome.ca and indicate the day(s) & time(s) you can support the track.

Areas of Need
– Instructors for Track 1 & 2
– Instructors for Skills & Drills
– Instructors for Recreational Sessions

Help on Race Nights — 50/50 draw ticket sellers, concession help, admission ticket sellers. Great way for kids to get their community service hours. Please send a note if you have some time to spare.