BLAINE, Minn. – (March 19, 2015) – The Velodrome at the National Sports Center in Blaine has been host to some of the biggest cycling races in the country over its 25 year history. But it looked as if 2014 was going to be its last year of operation when in December the National Sports Center Foundation voted to close the Velodrome instead of spending thousands of dollars to repair the aging facility. But the local cycling community only saw that as a challenge and soon began raising the funds needed to keep the track open.
“We have an incredibly strong grassroots organization in the Twin Cities that basically decided they couldn’t let the sport die. We organized Friends of Velodrome Racing in Minnesota and started fundraising through a wide variety of channels,” says Tom McGoldrick, from Friends of Velodrome Racing in Minnesota.
This week it was announced that the group has raised $100,000 and that repairs to the Velodrome will begin immediately. “I think I can say that everybody at the National Sports Center – the board, the staff – is beyond impressed with the work the cyclists did to take their own future in their own hands and raise enough funds to repair the track and also be part of helping to cover the operating costs of the Velodrome going forward for 5 more years,” says Barlcay Kruse of the National Sports Center.
The track has needed repairs and ongoing maintenance ever since its first year of operation in 1990, but this repair will be much more substantial. It will reinforce the rotting trusses and make the track more structurally sound, which will keep it open for five more years.
In five years local cycling enthusiasts hope to have an entirely new venue built in order to continue the sport of Velodrome racing in Minnesota. The goal is a seamless transition to the prospective indoor facility, the Minnesota Cycling Center, which would avoid some of the weather challenges an outdoor track faces. “It’s crucially important to keep this up and running. Without this Velodrome, the sport goes away in Minnesota so we really needed a bridge to keep the sport viable, to help with the funding for the new facility, and to keep the excitement going for the sport,” says McGoldrick.
The track has hosted some major events in the past, such as the 1992 Olympic Trials as well as several national championships, and organizers hope more big events occur over the next five years. However, the track is sustained by a weekly racing program and growing focus on a youth cycling program.
“It’s one of the most youth friendly forms of bike racing. They’re not racing out in the streets or out in the woods. They’re right here where you can see them the entire time. One of the things we’re going to focus on in the next five years is bringing in more youth to participate and race on the track,” says McGoldrick.
The Velodrome at the NSC is very unique. In fact, there are only a few tracks of this design in the country. Tom encourages the community to come and enjoy what he calls a great sport for spectators. “In most bike racing disciplines, you watch them start and ride away and you watch them finish or come by for a lap but you miss most of the racing. In a velodrome you can see the entire event unfold. You see the strategy, you see all the riders changing positions, its very tight, close racing.”
The 2015 racing season is expected to begin in May.
For more information on the Velodrome at the NSC click here.
