Our Town: East Point

404-769-0012, www.dicklanevelodrome.com

It’s Thursday evening in East Point, and kids across the city are streaming toward the cool in-spot for a few hours of fun. Forget the ice cream counter or the movies; the place to be is the Dick Lane Velodrome, where the 5:30 to 7:30 time slot is reserved just for young bikers.

The Youth Cycling League has been introducing new riders to the sport since 2003. A project of the nonprofit East Point Velodrome Association, it draws about 120 kids from ages 8 to 16 who want to learn the rules of the track racing. And it’s free; even the bikes and helmets are provided.

“Probably 60 percent of the kids are from East Point, but the rest are from all over,” said Jeff Hopkins, the velodrome’s operations manager. “Typically, kids may already be involved in cycling in some other way and want to do the track. But the goal is to have a connection with the local community, and it does give the youth in the area a unique opportunity to do something different.”

Riding on the 1/5-mile, banked concrete track is very different from what most kids learned to do on sidewalks or driveways. To begin with, riders need to get the hang of bikes with no brakes, so they practice circling until they’ve slowed. Bikes also have only one gear, which provides better speed control.

“With a track bike, you have control of your speed, but you can’t stop quickly,” said Hopkins. “That actually makes it extremely safe. Sometimes you can be in a pretty tight group, but everyone can only accelerate and decelerate, whereas in road racing, accidents often occur when someone hits the brakes suddenly.”

After the kids get their turn, Thursday night classes for adults take over the space. The grownups, too, have to learn the proper procedures for riding on the track.

“It’s all about building a skill level to ride these kinds of bicycles,” explained Hopkins. “It takes four consecutive Thursday nights or two weekends of 3-hour classes to earn the certification to ride on the track. Our adult programs usually get between 100 and 120 people a year.”

After being certified, riders can sign up for the velodrome’s racing program that includes sprints, timed events, group races and men’s and women’s contests. Races may draw riders from around the metro area. Several times a year, major spectator events bring as many as 450 to the site. The association also sponsors summer camps and bike safety clinics.

This year, the velodrome marks its 40th anniversary.

“At that time, there was a lot of interest from families in East Point to have something like this,” said Hopkins. “Dick Lane worked in the city’s park and rec department, and he was well-connected with the state and was able to raise the money to fund construction of the track. None of it came from the city. But it gave us something very special. There are not a lot of velodromes in the U.S., so offering the use of it for free for the kids is a great boost for the local community and our organization.”