What does velodrome mean?
A velodrome is a specialized sports venue built for bicycle racing and track cycling. Its most recognizable feature is a banked surface, with the outer edge raised higher than the center, allowing riders to maintain speed through corners. Velodromes may be indoors or outdoors and are commonly associated with formal competitions, including track-cycling events. The word is used in British and American English and has a largely neutral, technical sports meaning. Although cyclists can certainly ride on roads, velodromes are designed specifically for controlled, high-speed racing on a closed circuit. In this sense, the term is more precise than “stadium,” which can refer to many kinds of sports venue. The word also gives its name to the sport of velodrome cycling and combines the idea of cycling with the older term for a racing course.
nounA velodrome is a track, usually oval and with banked turns, used for bicycle racing and track cycling.
- An enclosed or outdoor track with banked turns used for bicycle racing and track cycling.
"The final heat was held on the steeply banked velodrome before a capacity crowd."
"She trains on the velodrome every evening."
"The new indoor velodrome will host international track-cycling competitions."
The regular plural is formed by adding -s.
"Several velodromes in the region have been converted into community cycling facilities."
A velodrome is a cyclist's stadium, where steeply banked turns help riders reach thrilling speeds.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of velodrome
The English word comes from French vélodrome. It combines vélo, associated with bicycles or cycling, with -drome, a form ultimately derived from Greek drómos, meaning “running” or “racecourse.” The Greek element also underlies related terms such as aerodrome and hippodrome, although those words refer respectively to aviation facilities and horse-racing venues.
How velodrome is actually used
A standard international sports term used in British and American English. It refers specifically to a track designed for cycle racing, rather than to a general sports stadium or an ordinary road cycling course.