velodrome operator's worst nightmare

Stumbled across this photo album, thanks to Pedal Magazine, of an abandonned velodrome in Germany that was being demolished.



Sigh. Tough to look at pictures like that. Hit a little too close to home.

I once stumbled across an abandonned velodrome, in Mallorca Spain. It was concrete and a little harder to get rid of. We jumped the fence, took a few snaps, and put together a nifty panoramic photo.



Mallorca is getting a new track for 2007, at least that was the last news I heard about it.

And in other exciting velodrome news, kudos to Rob Good in London Ontario for his hard work and efforts in getting the Forest City Velodrome up and running. Built in an old hockey arena, it's gonna be steep, fast, and a lot of fun. Dale Hughes, builder of the EDS Superdrome in Frisco Texas as well as the Atlanta '96 Olympics track (now in Bromont Quebec) can't wait to send his Michigan Madison riders to hand sling their way around it when it opens. He seemed pretty excited at Worlds when I managed to have a chat with him there.



And with corners like that, who wouldn't be?!? That rocks.

I'm collecting pictures of velodromes in Flickr. Have some? Contribute to the Velodrome group pool

Including this beauty of China Creek (1954 - 1980) the track built for the 1954 Empire Games in Vancouver and destroyed to make way for Vancouver Community College.



China Creek's demolition ultimately led to the construction of the Burnaby Velodrome, as a replacement, with Burnaby's ground breaking 11 years after (1991) and the doors opening in November 1997.

We continue to work hard at Burnaby to try to ensure that our track doesn't wind up like that one in Germany...