Cycling: All go at the drome

In the morning, women as old as 85 race round the velodrome. A couple of hours later, it's used by patients recovering from a stroke. Later, some of the 32 corporate teams who race regularly on the track try to emulate the speeds of some of the world's fastest cyclists who train there daily.

The velodrome at Stadium Southland is reputedly the busiest in the world. Cyclists of all ages and abilities clock up the kilometres going round in circles on the Latvian timber that adorns the track, from 7am to 10pm each day.

It's a world-class facility and reputedly the world's fastest track at sea level.

It's no coincidence that New Zealand's progress on the international track cycling scene has coincided with the opening of the velodrome in 2006. World-class athletes are now able to train and race on a world-class facility without leaving these shores.

Southland has a great tradition of cycling in New Zealand. Of course, it hosts this country's premier road cycling event, the Tour of Southland, and was well served by the Kew Bowl, an outdoor concrete velodrome exposed to the elements. But even the staunchest defender of Invercargill's weather would have had to admit it was hardly conducive to track cycling.

"The reality was more than 50 per cent of events were cancelled because of the weather, and you couldn't guarantee you could train," Southland cycling president Steve Canny says.

A vision in 1997 turned into reality in 2006 when the new velodrome was opened. It's not hyperbole to suggest Invercargill is now the epicentre of cycling in this country.

The multi-purpose venue cost $32 million in total – $12.5 million for the velodrome – and received widespread support from local businesses (there are 450 sponsors) and licensing trusts.

It's a truly community venue. The function centre is well patronised and so is the cafe, where many locals meet socially, even if they have nothing to do with cycling. It wouldn't be so successful without the thousands of volunteer hours put into it. In many respects, Invercargill is the perfect location for the velodrome.

Palmerston North, Auckland, Hawke's Bay and Wanganui are all vying for government funding to replicate what Southland has done and build a velodrome of their own.

"For it to work, you need to be really active and open-minded," Canny says. "It's not all about international and top local cyclists. We don't have the population base to sustain that. It's used more than any other velodrome in the world from 7am to 10pm and, for us, that makes it a success story."

A number of top cyclists are starting to emerge there, none more than the immensely promising Eddie Dawkins and Tom Scully.

Both live in Invercargill and Scully left Cromwell to live with his aunty and uncle when he was 15 specifically to train on the track.

"If it was somewhere like Auckland I probably wouldn't have got really hooked into cycling," Scully says. "The move [to Invercargill] has really paid off."