MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Imagine cycling at speeds up to 40 mph without brakes -- well, that's what they'll be doing at the Velodrome in Blaine.

The Fixed Gear Classic starts Thursday night and will feature sprint and endurance races.

What's a fixed gear bike?

It's not just a term you hear hipsters say. It's a bike that doesn't have brakes.

Jason Lardy, the marketing director of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival, said not having brakes allows cyclists to better control their speed while on the track.

"You can't stop pedaling [on a fixed gear bike] any time your wheels are moving," he said. "And that makes it a little bit challenging for people transitioning to the track."

Sixty of the top male and female pros -- and amateurs -- are competing in the Fixed Gear Classic over the next three days at the National Sports Center Cycling Velodrome. The defending champion, Franco Marvulli, of Switzerland, will also compete.

The cyclists reach speeds up to 40 mph, giving competitors a definite adrenaline rush. Marvulli compares the feeling to riding a roller coaster.

"If you are racing on a track, you go full speed," he said. "It feels like going through a tunnel: you don't see left or right...you just go."

Marvulli, an Olympic silver medalist, describes every day on the track as a battle.

"You never have the same situation twice," he said. "They never get boring. If you have good legs, it's always fun. If you have bad legs, not much fun -- a lot of pain."

To learn more about the Fixed Gear Classic, click here.