The velodrome can be used for all sorts of activities.
Picture / Paul Brooks
The velodrome can be used for all sorts of activities.
Picture / Paul Brooks
Putting a roof on the velodrome is more than just about cycling and it's more than just about Whanganui.
That's the message from the group still pushing to get the track covered, protected and turned into a venue suitable for many things besides cycling races.
On Sunday, December 9, they are providing an opportunity for Whanganui people to see what can be done. Under the "Raise the Velo Roof" umbrella, the group is running a Let's Get Active day at the velodrome with events, activities and races for walkers (prams welcome), balance bikes, Velo X, skaters, bikes and trikes. It's an open day to show what the velodrome can be used for.
"What we want to do is re-engage and re-enthuse the public about getting a roof on the velodrome," says Stuart Bruce, part of the Raise the Velo Roof project and member of the trust behind it. He says they particularly want to engage those who are the decision makers.
"We want to thank and encourage those people who have invested already, the Velo 5000 Club, Four Regions and, more recently, Community Foundation and the Whanganui District Council."
Architect Barry Copeland's impression of how a roof on the velodrome might look. IMAGE/ COPELAND ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS
Velodrome Trust chair Leigh Grant says while the Government has promised $6m for the project, Whanganui District Council has to show they are 100 per cent behind it.
"Once we get that [$6m] across the line, everything else will follow."
"It has been made public by both National and Labour, but the Government is taking advice from Sport NZ, so we have to get them behind it and we've gone a long way down the track to having their support," says Bob Smith. But the Government and Sport NZ will take their cue from Whanganui District Council. Bob is a civil engineer, recently retired from Opus International.
The group striving to get the roof built are used to disappointment but stand firm in their objective and strong in their belief that a roofed velodrome will have huge economic advantages for Whanganui and the region. "The last two years we've struggled to get any momentum," says Stuart.
"If you add up all the funding that's actually secured at the moment it's about $8m," says Ron Cheatley. Other potential funders are just waiting to see local body commitment.
"We've got very strong support around the community," says Bob. Even Palmerston North City Council is behind it, realising how good it will be for the region as a whole.
"This open day is really about putting together an understanding that this is more than a velodrome," says Stuart. The group agrees it's more a community facility, able to be used for any number of events and, if roofed, no longer dependent on fine weather. "We want to show what can happen when the roof is on."
"Let's Get Active" is great, he says, but the group is really saying, "Taste this".
"This is a facility that needs to be used all year round," says Ron. "You know we've tried to run a number of major promotions and they've been rained out. Bloody frustrating. All we want is a roof on it and we can use it all year round. That's from a cycling point of view but it can be used for other things as well. Roofing the velodrome makes it a year-round facility, and not just for cycling."
The velodrome was built in 1995 with the understanding a roof would cover it within five years.
"Now there will have to be a new surface put down, but that's the cheapest part of the project." Cambridge has a roofed velodrome and has found many uses for it.
Retired professional cyclist Cath Cheatley knows that facility well. "Because of the nature of the infield you can have multiple activities going on at any given time," she says.
"Sport Waikato has pushed the velodrome there: they have walking groups above the concourse, mums with prams, they have music playing and activity stations … the same for the elderly, and they use trikes for accident rehabilitation, getting people active again. Special needs schools bring in students almost every day. They set up obstacle courses for them so there's a lot of hand co-ordination while they're riding from hand cycles to trikes. Because they're not on the track itself, the national team can be training at the same time."
Last weekend the National Indoor Rowing Champs were held on the infield. "They've had spa expos, Crossfit Nationals, the biggest wedding I've ever seen …" says Cath. It's worth noting that Cambridge velodrome is operating in the black.
"A lot of older people are getting on bikes, but they don't have the skills," says Leigh. "So to be riding in the velodrome in a controlled environment is huge."
At the moment there are two covered velodromes in New Zealand — Cambridge and Invercargill — and in both locations community usage is strong. A covered velodrome in Whanganui would cater for an area from Wellington to Taranaki and across to Hawkes Bay. "It's more than a velodrome: it can appeal to the community on so many different levels," says Stuart.
"The interior arena is two-thirds the size of a rugby field," says Bob. "We want to use that space and we can't do it unless it's covered. If council said 'go ahead', we could have the [roofed velodrome] open in 18 months. Even though it's a unique looking structure, it's quite easy to build, because a lot can be prefabricated."
The group has already undertaken drilling at the site to gauge foundation requirements, they've done wind tunnel tests on the roof design (the fabric — tension membranes - came from America's Cup developments), and all the planning and preparation has been done.
"We've done a lot of work over the last five years," says Leigh. "The beauty of it is that it's an existing track."
