Help! I don't know where to go next.

[pgriz]

In general, light is polarized when it is reflected off a smooth, non-conducting (ie, non-metallic) surface like glass, water, plastic, wax, etc. So it will work on reducing the glare if the light was reflected by this kind of material. Otherwise, a lens hood may be a better investment in that it can block light entering the lens outside the direct angle of view. I've had a look at the images for the Alpenrose Velodrome on Google, and it appears to be a steeply banked open-air velodrome with most of the events (according to the images) taking place during the day. I see no benefit in using any filter (unless the track surface itself produces glare). Personally, I'd suggest you wait until someone tells you that a specific filter will help solve a specific problem you are having. But until you have that problem, I'd suggest holding on to the money.

 

[The_Traveler]

I've shot a good amount of bicycle racing, (never in a velodrome but lots of criteriums) because my son-in-law is a cat 1 pro and my grandson just entered the junior levels. The two times I've tried using a monopod it was a total hindrance. I was shooting a 300 f2.8 and I didn't need help hand-holding but I did need mobility and I could never get the monpod around and set set to be of any use.
I would never ever consider using a tripod in that circumstance.

 

[sidigirl]

IMG_2152 by sidigirl, on Flickr

I took this last summer with my old camera, I guess there isn't as much glare as I remember.

 

[pgriz]

Although I really do like using my tripod, the place where I would not, is the same as Lew (The Traveller) and Scott (imagemaker), which is at sports events where you need to pan the shots. What I've seen some people do is put a bean-bag as a support, and rest the lens on the beanbag - not much resistance to camera movement, but some support.