What is Track Cycling ? Track cycling is loads of fun – and it’s much more accessible than you might think. Even if you don’t fancy racing (yet!), it’s amazing for building your fitness and skills. At Sundrive Dublin, there are women of all ages riding and racing track. In fact, some of the fastest, most tactical riders we know are in their forties and fifties.

Track Cycling is an exhilarating bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles.

The bicycles are fixed gear bikes with no brakes, the bike is propelled or slowed down by the pedal strokes of the cyclist – this sounds intimidating but actually makes riding in a bunch close to other people much safer, as no one can slow down suddenly in front of you.

In Dublin there is one outdoor velodrome – Eamonn Ceannt Park, Sundrive Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12. Ireland has some very successful female track cyclists, including Olympians and World Medallists.

Track cycling is a great way to keep fit and throughout the season there are often sessions three times a week. You can take part in these sessions even if you do not want to race.

• Tack racing is extremely safe. All riders must be accredited before they can take part in group activity and all sessions are monitored by  experienced coaches.
• Arcane C.T. host Women Only Track Training Days to get riders started.

 

Do I Need My Own Track Bike? No – you can hire a bike at the velodrome. The Club also own a fleet of Team Bikes that many of our members race & train on.

• • A track bicycle or track bike is a bicycle optimized for racing at a velodrome or outdoor track. Unlike road bicycles, the track bike is a fixed-gear bicycle and so has a single gear and neither freewheel nor brakes.
  • Track Bikes are available to hire for small fee at Sundrive Velodrome

 

What Do I Wear? Wear tight fitting leggings or shorts. You’ll need a helmet (Available at the Velodrome) and mitts/gloves. For racing, many riders wear all-in-one skinsuits. But cycling shorts and a jersey are fine for riding track. You must have your shoulders covered (so, no sleeveless jerseys) and it’s a good idea to wear a base layer under your jersey for extra protection. (It’s highly unlikely you’ll fall off but just in case).

• • Cycling Shorts & Jersey
  • Helmet (These can be hired at the Velodrome)
  • Cycling Shoes (These can be hired at the Velodrome)

 

Who can I ride Track with? Arcane C.T. can help you get started and we have a focus on Women’s Track Cycling.

How can I get started on Track? The Track  Calendar will have upcoming race dates & events. Sundrive Velodrome host beginner races/leagues throughout the Summer & Autumn

Whats The Deal With Track Racing? Very briefly, events can be either sprint or endurance. There are loads of types, from scratch races (first across the line wins) to points races (riders sprint to win points on particular laps and the one with the most points wins) to derny races (riders go super-fast, saving energy by riding behind a motorised bike). And the strongest rider doesn’t necessarily win – being tactical is the name of the game.

Sprint Races: Sprint races are generally between 8 and 10 laps in length and focus on raw sprinting power and race tactics over a small number of laps to defeat opponents. Sprint riders will train specifically to compete in races of this length and will not compete in longer endurance races.

Main Sprint Events  

• Sprint
• Team sprint
• Keirin
• Track time trial

 

Endurance Races: Endurance races are held over much longer distances. While these primarily test the riders endurance abilities, the ability to sprint effectively is also required in the Madison, Points Race and Scratch Race. The length of these races varies from 12–16 laps for the Individual and Team Pursuit races, up to 200 laps for a full length Madison race in World Championships or Olympic Games.

Main Endurance Events 

• Individual pursuit
• Team pursuit
• Scratch race
• Points race
• Madison
• Omnium

 

About Us:

Where Are We Based? Our members are spread out all across Ireland. This is unusual, as most cycling clubs are based on people starting rides from their local area. We were founded in Adamstown in Dublin, but we now have activities across the city. Arcane Cycling Team are registered in Naas County Kildare.

OUR VIBE: It’s chill, fun, friendly and supportive. There’s no pressure to race but lots of encouragement if you’re up for it. We’re welcoming to new joiners and we’ll give you as much advice and info as we can, whatever you want to try. Plus, plenty of fun to be had in our skills sessions.Our unique club environment is a welcome change, for our members, from the traditions and rules of what has been a male-dominated sport.

We acknowledge that cycling can be an elitist sport, and we’re doing what we can to change that, and improve representation for minority groups. We have a diversity and inclusion group who are dedicated to ensuring the club is accessible for women and non-binary people of colour, trans women and non-binary people.

WHERE WE STARTED: Arcane CT was founded in 2012 as a very successful Elite Road & Track racing team. In 2016 we reformed as a club with a focus on Elite Women’s Cycling.

In 2025 we relaunched open to all women and non-binary people of colour, trans women and non-binary people, with more focus on participation over the Road & Track cycling disciplines. 

We are now completely member-run, with a small committee to make decisions and organise all the stuff we do. We’re always evolving.