That article on Dale missed the Cleveland velodrome (although that one is only a couple years old). He knows more about track racing than anyone writing here.
Last I talked to him, he was targeting this velodrome in Detroit with the goal of getting more youth riding, learning, competing, and maybe even going to the Olympics (been a while since we had one of those cycling celebrities locally). Event wise, this velodrome specifically is targeted at hosting Olympic qualifying events. Madison and scratch racing qualifying can be well suited to a shorter track like this, while Keirin, points, and pursuit trials would be better suited to a larger track (250- 330).
We do have a 200m track also – that one is out doors (and about 20 miles north of this one). Currently we have to drive children from the city 45-60 minutes over to the existing outdoor velodrome.
Originally Posted by
dunderhi
I'd rather have 100 non-standard tracks with a robust youth-oriented track culture than host 100 UCI championships on our single 250m indoor track. Heck, if we had 100 166m indoor tracks with a competitive track culture in the States, the UCI would simply change their championship rules as they are prone to do.
Yep, that is the goal of this track.
Me, I’ve volunteered youth bike programs for the inner city, I’ve watched how Detroit’s bike culture has exploded beyond anyone’s imagination (with thousands of people coming out for regular rides – a river of bikes as far as I can see), and I’m excited to have both an indoor velodrome that I can use year round, and a great second option to draw a sea of talent for in this region