Prudence of starting an indoor track

Google sponsored links

little5guy

First time track cycling poster, long-time reader.

Anyone have any thoughts on starting an indoor track? I know the one in LA is the first (and only) one in the U.S. Vancouver, BC has the other one in North America. I think it can be done in Portland, Oregon. Portland is a great cycling town and people here love doing stuff that's different. Seattle cyclists would also come down, too. It would probably be set up as a not-for profit and sell memberships, and maybe see about some grant funding.

Any thoughts??

The BikeForums Team

-adv-

This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.

Ready to buy? Check out these two online bike stores:
- http://www.nashbar.com (you can find the latest bike nashbar coupons in this thread)
- http://www.performancebike.com (you can find the latest performance bike coupons in this thread)

Cya on the forums,
- The BikeForums Team
- http://www.bikeforums.net

pitboss

hell, I'd move to PDX of that happened

skitbraviking

']hell, I'd move to PDX of that happened

Yea, if only there were good teaching jobs there.

pitboss

what? are they bad or something? did they spoil?

little5guy

']what? are they bad or something? did they spoil?

Not to get too far off topic, but Oregon is in quite a bad way these days. Last year teachers in Portland literally had to work two weeks FOR FREE because, had they not, the school year would have ended that much sooner. That could not happen because Oregon already had the shortest school day in the year. People out West are kinda funny: they want something for nothing and think of themselves as rugged pioneers, but western states receive way more federal money per capita that mid-western and eastern states.

ANyway. I will get to asking around about starting an indoor track. Don't hold your breath. :)

bostontrevor

Portland has no property tax, the traditional school funding source, so they're pretty F'd.

Now if they'd tax all the nudie bars they'd be freaking rolling in it.

myxbyx

little5guy

ok, i read the whole string (they have no property tax? cool) and I still want to know where Prudence went.

But seriously folks-we have an outdoor track in Moncton, nb which gets way too little use from me-none-but that will change.

isn't there an indoor track in Montreal and in delhi ontario?

THe only Canadian indoor velodrome I came across is at Burnaby in BC http://www.burnabyvelodrome.ca/about.html
From Burnaby's website, it appears it is open to the public, provided you pay the membership fee.

The indoor velodrome in LA is not finished and, as I understand, will be available only to Cat 2 Track riders and above--basically, it is a training ground for US cycling.

I want to start something similar to the one in Burnaby. In Portland, it rains sooo much in the winter so you have to ride with all kinds of rain gear. Not only would it be great to have an indoor track simply for track racing, but it would be a place for the masses of Northwestern cyclists to have a winter place to ride. What's more, it would help the sport of track cycling overall.

I am not sure what I am going to do yet to get it started. I may check for some foundations or other types of places to get some seed money or guidance. Then, this summer at our local outdoor velodrome (Alpenrose) I will see about getting others involved. It will take a long time, but in, say, about 50 years it will be awesome!

PS. Oregon does have property tax, but it is constitutionally limited in a weird and random way. Portland, like most (if not all) American cities, does not have a property tax.

SSenorPedro

Jason,

Sounds like a great idea - I am actually going up to visit the parents in the Bellingham, WA area. That just happens to be darn close to Burnaby, a town to which I have been many times before.

If time allows, I will try and stop by and see if I can talk to anyone. If not, I can always try another time.

-Pete

iamjberube

wait, i thought there was a velodorme in pdx. somehow related to darimart? i'll see what i can dig up.

iamjberube

take a look

http://www.obra.org/track/

Ceya

i am thinking and working to get one done it NYC agagin.
I know of some people trying to get one in Bklyn. I want to try with MSG again.

S/F,
CEYA!

little5guy

wait, i thought there was a velodorme in pdx. somehow related to darimart? i'll see what i can dig up.

Portland does have an outdoor facility at alpenrose, but nothing indoors An indoor facility would be great for the community, not to mention loads of fun.

little5guy

SSenorPedro

Unfortunately, no. My vehicle's electrical system decided to melt and caused some transportation issues, kinding of cutting the weekend short.

To those that are questioning the second 'drome in Portland: It rains here. A lot. Rain + outdoor track = crash.

If we had an indoor, I think the community would embrace it heartily. I also think the use would go up exponentially during the winter. Being closer in to town would help also.

WorldWind

I heard that Prudence has a thing for madison.

HereNT

Dear Prudence,
Won't you come out and race?

Litespeedy

This link could possibly happen in the Seattle area.

http://meinnovations.com/Track/MagnusonParkRecFacility.htm

little5guy

This link could possibly happen in the Seattle area.

http://meinnovations.com/Track/MagnusonParkRecFacility.htm

Let's hope. Thanks for the link. That is the sort of idea I am trying to develop. I have contacted Ron Webb to inquire about the costs, etc for a good indoor track. Mr. Webb has designed practically all the great indoor velodromes in the world. His most recent design was at the Athens olympics (i'm pretty sure). Once I get an idea of the dollars, I can go about trying to get partners and raise some dough.

Litespeedy

Why not contact Mike directly and compare notes? He is on the board of directors at our local bike club.
http://www.cascade.org/Home/

Ceya

Try Dale Hughes from the Wolverines Cycling in Michigan.

Velodrome Designers/Builders/Webmasters

Dale Hughes, V96SG president, Stone Mountain and EDS Superdome builder.

see link below
http://www.detnews.com/2001/outdoors/0107/18/h04-247148.htm

S/F,
CEYA!

zonatandem

little5guy

Would it be possible to put a cover over the outdoor track?
Have ridden outdoor tracks in Kenosha and Indianapolis; would cost less to come up with a cover than build a new facility. Cover would protect the present track from the elements. Just my 10c worth (inflation took care of my 2 cents)!

It depends on the cost to retrofit a roof on a track that was designed without one. Generally, it is more expensive. Also, the track surface is not wood. One of the great things about indoor velodromes is being able to have a wooden track.

Dave Noisy

Hi all, my first post here. =)

There is some fairly serious talk about building a new covered track in Victoria, BC as well...250m, wood, world-class design.. I've got my fingers crossed!

little5guy

Thanks for the links. I will check them out. The more info the better.

iamjberube

if you're really serious talk to the guys who own the dept. of skateboarding (cal's pharmacy). it's on hancock st. i think. they have some experience with building large wooden structures indoors, and also with the city, insurence, etc. also they're really nice guys.

scurry

Alpenrose would be a great track to cover. It's what 264m's, they took the launching ramps out of it a few years ago and is relatively easy to get to. I don't think it would too expensive to cover (comparitive to building a complete facility). Whether it's Alpenrose or a new track, people would come from up and down the I-5 corridor. And, like me, from the west.

superstator

Portland has no property tax, the traditional school funding source, so they're pretty F'd.

Not to be an off-topic nitpicker, but Portlanders do indeed pay property tax, though it's collected by the counties, capped by measure 34 (early 90's), and goes roughly 38% to the cities, 39% to the schools, and 23% to the county.

bostontrevor

Yes, I know.

See also, post #8 in this same thread from almost 2 months ago.

superstator

Yes, I know.

See also, post #8 in this same thread from almost 2 months ago.

Yeah, I noticed how old the thread was right after I posted... My bad, I've been grumpy all day for some reason.

bitingduck

The indoor velodrome in LA is not finished and, as I understand, will be available only to Cat 2 Track riders and above--basically, it is a training ground for US cycling.

A couple minor corrections in the interest of keeping turnout high:

LA is open (and I think was already open when this was posted)

and

You don't have to be a Cat 2 to ride on it. You have to be a 2 or higher to walk up, lay down your money, and ride, but there are a couple different classes that are available to get everyone else on the track, too.

For experienced riders they have a one session class that gets you up on the track by the end and qualifies you to ride the open training and structured workout sessions.

For less experienced riders there's a six session class that qualifies you to ride most of the open training and structured workouts.

There are also some sessions that are only for Cat 1/pro riders (usually while regular people are at work anyway)

Here's a link to the schedule:

http://www.homedepotcenter.com//events/eventinfo.sps?iType=6616&icustompageid=10923

fogrider

some interesting thoughts, I'm a architect in california, and have been thinking about a covered space to ride since it's been raining so much. I don't understand the need for a wood track, I would think a wood track would be more expensive than a concrete track. And wood would require more maintenance than concrete. If you could build a tent structure to cover the track, it would be enough for riding when raining...not sure how it would hold up over the years. But a roof structure without fully enclosing it would eliminate the need for a heating and air conditioning system. To have a track open to the public, I would think low maintenance would be very important.

Previous - Top - Next