enthuesd

What happened to the velodrome proposal for Sacramento?


Velodrome more than a dream?
By Matt Peters -- Sacramento Bee Correspondent
(Published 12:40 p.m. PST Thursday, Feb. 7, 2002)

The dream has gone 'round and 'round inside the heads of local cyclists for many years.

But the dream is inching ever closer to reality, meaning that within the next couple of years cyclists from around the world could be going around and around in Sacramento for decades to come.

To date, the group seeking to create the Sacramento Valley Cycling and Inline Park has been given 80 acres at Mather Regional Park and funding for a feasibility study.

"It's a dream. But it's beyond a dream," said Warren Geissert, a member of the Sacramento Cycling Park Association, a nonprofit group trying to make the dream of bringing a velodrome to Sacramento a reality.

As outlined in the association's concept paper, the cycling and inline park facilities at Mather Park would be comprised of:

-- A 250-meter banked oval cycling track.

-- A 200-meter inline skating and bicycle warm-up track.

-- A medical facility adjacent to the velodrome for scientific sports research.

-- A paved cycling trail with distance markers suitable for recreational and competitive human power sports.

-- A BMX track.

-- Infrastructure to support the needs of the disabled athlete.

-- A marked cyclocross/mountain bike course.

-- A climbing wall.

-- And a network of trails connecting the complex with the surrounding community.

"I had started thinking about my kids riding bikes," said Steve Rex, a custom frame builder and a member of the cycling park association. "Sacramento would be such a perfect place (for a track) ... summer evenings would be so nice."

A velodrome would open a world of competitive and recreational opportunities for local cyclists of all abilities, including open training sessions for experienced track riders, learning sessions for beginners, kids sessions and education.

The facility also would have the potential for drawing world-class cycling talent. Plans call for the velodrome at Mather Park to be built by Ralph Sch¸rmann of Germany, a third-generation track designer and builder.

The 250-meter track would provide a more intimate atmosphere and more exciting ride than the 330-meter tracks found in most U.S. velodromes. According to Rex, an international-class track immediately would merit consideration as a host site for the national championships, which usually are held in Indianapolis or Trexlertown, Pa.

The velodrome also is the listed site within the Northern California bid to be host for the 2012 Olympics. The backing from the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee "opened a lot of doors for us," said Linda Elgart. She and her husband, John, are former national track champions and members of the velodrome group.

The velodrome group also has met with the Sacramento Sports Commission, which said it would support the group's effort to bring the Olympic Trials cycling event here in 2004.

The feasibility study is expected to be completed in late summer, at which time the group will begin attempting to raise the estimated $1.5 million needed for construction. The entire facility is expected to cost $3 million to $4 million. The goal is to complete the track in time for Sacramento to be host for the Masters Track Nationals in 2003.

That timeline would enable the facility to be host to a world-class event before 2005, when the International Olympic Committee decides the bid.

The only other track in Northern California is in San Jose, but the surface at the Hellyer Velodrome is too rough and the banks are too shallow to hold a national-level event.

"It makes more sense to put (a velodrome) here than almost anywhere else," said Geissert, who noted Sacramento's long fair-weather season, its warm summer nights and the large cycling population in the region. "Sacramento is the ideal place to put a velodrome."




Sacramento.com article

The above article is from 2002.

jeffremer

Booourns! Put it in San Francisco! Ah, well, I guess we don't really need one that bad. San Jose isn't that far away (it's just a pain to get to during rush hour) and it can get a little cold here at night.

This guy did make a good pitch for Sacramento, warm nights, a stone's throw from Davis, bit of a trek from the city though. The only reason I wouldn't vote for one in our state's capital would be because I'd rather have in my own back yard and being smack dab in the middle of two of them wouldn't make for a good proposal. I guess I should just count myself lucky it's only an hour to Hellyer with no traffic.

What did happen?

ken cummings

I'd go for the Bay area too. More day to day users and a place visiting racers would rather be then Sacramento. Sorry Sac'to. Does hellyer have room for all the other stuff?

jeffremer

Hellyer Velodrome is in Hellyer Park, a San Jose County Park at the south end of the city. The actual track doesn't take up a whole lot of room but there's really no reason to put a climbing wall in the middle of a velodrome. There's a nice little warm-up circle and a decent infield with some benches. Having the BMX and cross courses year round might be feasible, they hold cross races at Hellyer. I haven't explored the rest of the park so I don't know about a paved trail. Medical/sports research facility might be cool too but would really be out of place in a county park IMO.

Edit: A velodrome in San Francisco or the near East Bay would get serious business, even if it cost a couple million to build I'd see them recouping costs in less than a decade, maybe even five years, especially if it was quality enough to hold national events. The question would be public (county/city) or private I guess. That said, we're lucky to have Hellyer as close as we do. California is lucky to have two maintained Velodromes as it is.

velogirls

Hellyer doesn't have it all -- but does it really need to have it all? Regarding cyclocross, there was one race there last season (2006), but the county (who owns the park) didn't give the promoter to put a race on there this season.

Does anyone else remember the proposal a few years back to build a velodrome in SF?

https://www.sportsvenue-technology.com/projects/san_fran_velodrome/index.html

rusty993

Wow, I would have thought you wouldn't need an Aussie to point this link out!
https://www.doryselinger.com/Document...kTheBoards.pdf

Japan which is similar size to California has 89 velodromes, California just 4?

caloso

Funny. My buddy and I were talking about this the other day. We were thinking that an ideal place would be as part of the SP railroad yard project. I'd have to imagine that there's bond money available.

huytheskigod

But you have to remember that track racing is a betting sport in Japan. Money talks.

rydaddy

Japan also has about 3.5 times more people. I've never been there but I would imagine being a roadie in Japan is a bit more dangerous with all the cars and dense population.

rusty993

The Wikipedia entry has around 70 velodromes in Japan, 23 are amateur and not involved in gambling. But huytheskigod you are right, it's geared to producing riders punters can bet upon. I have been to the world cup events in Sydney a few times and the racing is very exciting to watch. At an indoor velodrome, the riders going around the track generates a wind current you can feel!

Retem

in true necromancy fashion apparently the movement is alive and well

https://www.examiner.com/cycling-in-s...-proceed-apace
https://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/03/337...velodrome.html

UmneyDurak

Yep. Keirin racing in Japan is akin to horse racing here.

urbanknight

Looks similar (but even grander) to the renovations we had planned for Encino back in the 90's. We were apparently supposed to resurface the entire track in wood and build up the turns to be steeper, build a cover over the entire track, put in an inline speed skating track (warm-up track) and roller hockey rink (pit area), rebuild the stands and announcer booth, and put in real bathrooms. In the end, they paved a small warm-up loop and pit area, and filled in the cracks on the existing surface. I wish track racing was popular enough to warrant a velodrome in every major city, but it's not. Here in So Cal, the 3 we do have compete for attention.

caloso

Yes, a nonprofit has been formed, seed money raised, and the grassroots are being tended. It will be a longterm project, hopefully the track will be laid in time for my kids to ride before they move away to college.

Come out to the Savage Sprint series at Hot Italian and get involved!

FogVilleLad

Re 250 meters vs 330 meters, is there an international standard for velodrome tracks?

urbanknight

Olympic standards are 250 to 400 meters, but the current trend seems to be 250.

aoto

The Feb one happened to be on the same day as the early bird track race Luckily the next one isn't. If anyone knows of people who are carpooling to hellyer from sac area, I am very interested. I can only afford to go down like every other week D:

loopybunny

That's exciting! I'm definitely not a racer or track cyclist, but I'd go watch races!