About the Velodrome
Home of Chicagoland Velodrome racing for over 40 years
The velodrome is part of the Northbrook Park District system located north of the City of Chicago in the Village of Northbrook.
The Ed Rudolph Velodrome is available for public use daily; (call (847)-291-2980 ro ensure it is available) except when it is raining and when the property is rented out. For further information on the velodrome's usage, please contact the Northbrook Park District. If you require information on procedures to reserve the track, infield and chalet for private use, please contact (847) 291-2980.
We are a member of the American Track Racing Association which promotes the advancement of track cycling.
The Ed Rudolph Northbrook Velodrome
- Founded: 1959
- Distance: 382 Meters
- Surface: Asphalt coated with concrete slurry and paint. (completely resurfaced in 2005)
- Banking: 18 Degrees
- Altitude: Approximately 550'
- Apron added: Spring 2000
- Completely rebuilt: 2004
| Distance | Distance of Starting Point Measured Clockwise from Finish Line | Additional Full Laps to Complete Distance |
| 1/4 Mile | 67’ – 6” | 1 |
| 1/2 Mile | 135’ – 0” | 2 |
| 1 Mile | 270’ – 0” | 4 |
| 2 Miles | 540’ – 0” | 8 |
| 5 Miles | 97’ – 6” | 21 |
| 10 Miles | 195’ – 0” | 42 |
| 200 Meters | 656’ – 2” | 0 |
| 1000 Meters | 775’ – 10” | 2 |
| 3000 Meters | 1074’ – 11” | 7 |
| 4000 Meters | 598’ – 2 1/2” | 10 |
| NOTE: Track distance = 1,252 ft. 6 in. | ||
Individual Pursuit
4000m for men/3000m for women. Riders start on either side of the track with the idea being to catch your opponent or complete the distance in the quickest time. This is where you will see some high-tech equipment. Carbon Fiber wheels, aero bars, aero helmets and skin suits are commonly used for this event.
Kilo and 500m
Certainly the simplest and arguable the toughest event on the track, there e is often little thinking and little strategy for this event. For this individual event, accelerate as hard as you can From a standing startand go as fast as you can for 1 kilometer. Brute strength and speed are required for the first 900 meters and a little endurance and mental skills are needed in the last 100 meters. Many events are won and lost in the last 100 meters. Can you hold it together or come apart right before the line? Men ride 1 kilomter and women ride 500meters.
Flying 200
From a flying start, the clock is started when the rider crosses over the start. Riders can use any method the desire to build up speed. Most stand up and ride down the banking to cross the start at max speed. The times for this event are also used to seed the sprints whereby the fastest riders get matched up with the slowest riders in the early rounds. The better your time the easier competition you face early. The table below shows the average speed in miles per hour for various 200meter times. Also shown is some times of interest at Northbrook over the past 10 years.
| Average speeds for Flying 200 meter | |
| Time (seconds) | Avg. Speed mph |
| 10 | 44.7 |
| 11 | 40.7 |
| 11.5 | 38.9 |
| 11.6 | 38.6 |
| 11.7 | 38.2 |
| 11.8 | 37.9 |
| 11.9 | 37.6 |
| 12 | 37.3 |
| 12.1 | 37.0 |
| 12.2 | 36.7 |
| 12.3 | 36.4 |
| 12.4 | 36.1 |
| 12.5 | 35.8 |
| 13 | 34.4 |
| 13.5 | 33.1 |
| 14 | 32.0 |
| Recent Northbrook 200m times of interest | ||
| 2003 | Stathy Touloumis | 12.29 |
| 2002 | Eric DeGouler | 11.96 |
| 2002 | Aaron Kascala | 12.12 |
| 2002 | Kevin Perez | 12.24 |
| 2001 | Jay Keltner | 12.33 |
| 2000 | Jay Keltner | 12.15 |
| 2000 | Kris Kuttler | 12.2 |
| 2000 | Jason Rossi | 12.35 |
| 1999 | John Vittallo | 12.1 |
| 1998 | Dave Werwie | 12.55 |
| 1992 | Bill Clay | 11.64 |
| 1992 | Chris Colleta | 12.22 |
| 1992 | Jason Garner | 12.26 |
| 1990 | Ross Olson | 12.3 |
| 1990 | Fabio Orlandi | 12.36 |
