Who is interested in making a velodrome a reality in ABQ? What do you think it would or should be like?
Tags: albuquerque track, albuquerque velodrome, fixed gear, fixie, track bike
Who is interested in making a velodrome a reality in ABQ? What do you think it would or should be like?
Tags: albuquerque track, albuquerque velodrome, fixed gear, fixie, track bike
December 16, 2009 at 1:20 am |
Does anyone have a ballpark estimate on total cost (materials, planning, land, labor, insurance, overhead)?
December 16, 2009 at 6:38 pm |
Depends on whether you have to buy the land or build a bldg. Concrete tracks are cheaper but immovable. Modular poly wood laminate are cheaper than wood and tough and movable, but, cheaper – er. (still expensive)
http://www.nadovich.com/chris/track/
The builder of the poly wood lam track said you could build a track with any amount and asked “how much do you have”. I think 50,000 would be conservative for a small concrete track. Other guys have package deals with timing systems a bldg and other frills.
http://www.betcycling.com/veloplex/veloplex.htm
interesting option and they show pricing starting around 1,500,000.
December 17, 2009 at 12:59 am |
As great as it would be; I just don’t see there being a big enough track scene in New Mexico. Colorado already has 2 GREAT velodromes; is there room for a lesser one in such close proximity? I would just hate to see something as great as a velodrome fall to the wayside and turned to ruins like most ambitious building projects in Albuquerque.
Sell me on it. =)
December 17, 2009 at 2:00 am |
First, people who don’t currently ride track would use it. There are a lot of serious cyclists and also outsider riders who are sleepers. Kids got mad into bmx once the veloport opened.
Sadly, I can’t afford to travel to train or even race. BUT I could pay a fee to use a local track. I’d ride to a local track with a backpack with my kit in it. Don’t care if coloradoans come here, although that would be great. NM, “land of psychological scarcity” shouldn’t take second seat to anyone. We have vitality here. Might create some healthy competition, back and forth travel, couches to surf. The more tracks, the more business.
This wouldn’t be strictly for the olympic facility aspiring like the last attempt(s). This would be community. Lot’s of events and education. Crushers and newbies, age groups, etc. An alternative to winter night riding and windy ass crappy day riding would be great. Roadies leave their trainers in the closet more. Fixie kids and roadies get social and learn from eachother.
If you just go to a track like it’s disneyland twice a year, hotel, gas, food, mickey hat, then springs and boulder are enough. I noticed you thought it would be sad to let a track die. What happened to us when the last one rotted? Do we need to see a shrink about the loss? Like we can’t risk a broken heart again? That’s the point of building it together. You don’t just drop a bunch of cash on lawyers, land and facilities and hope people come like traditional cats. THIS is the start. You and me, talking and dreaming.
December 17, 2009 at 4:05 am |
dave porter campaigned for years to get a velodrome built in abq. (see http://www.abqkeirin.com/). materials were bought and then, after the wood had been duly neglected and warped, sold. there’s a bmx course there now instead.
it’s a great dream, but probably won’t happen in this lifetime.
December 17, 2009 at 5:16 pm |
Thanks for the post and the link. Did you notice the date and content of that? Legalizing Keirin racing and protecting other sports in 1992. One couldn’t buy a track bike in every bike store in town back then. Lance hadn’t won seven. Stevie still rode. I could go on. Nothing against betting on Keirin style, but I think that was an attempt to woo statesmen with big revenues and encourage the movement of multi millions.
Later I think others got involved and the betting idea was tabled because the community shunned it (despite the fact that you can bet on horses and dogs and boxing in the right zip code), especially if it were to be near the bmx track. The goals were different and somehow the public interest wasn’t served. That interest? Have access to and ride on a track for fun and competition. Heck, i’d watch keirin racing even if no cash was riding on it. I think the perception was that people would not view or use a velodrome without betting, like it was dog racing. We’re more interesting than that. Check this: a 4′ 6″ 13 year old kid is building a 650 wheeled track bike at our store right now. What????? This is not 1992. In my opinion, betting, politicians and shot callers wouldn’t really be prominent in planning or administering.
December 17, 2009 at 8:17 am |
Consider me sold. I like the community mindset going into this. That is the great thing about having PASSION… it isn’t about the money, it isn’t about flourish or fail. It’s about the fun that will come out of it and the good times that will go into making it work.
I would love to see the numbers come out. I am not a naysayer, promise. I know a few of these “sleepers,” that if given the means could be a beast on the track. I met a kid riding a Mercier fixed who told me he looks up to guys like Fausto Coppi and Eddy Merckx, he had to be 13 at the oldest. This kid would flip shit to ride a track.
Here’s to dreaming!
The best of luck too. If this starts to bloom you have my devotion.
December 17, 2009 at 5:44 pm |
That’s great to hear! Dreaming is just another word for thought before reality. People can call it planning if they prefer, right? Check in with this blog just in case people get up and get excited.
December 18, 2009 at 2:44 am |
First of all, I agree with sarah it should be downtown or another economically and culturally vibrant area of the city (so pretty much downtown). Secondly, world class wooden tracks cost millions of dollars anywhere from $15-50 million as I understand. That option is probably way to expensive. However, if we built such a track here, many people think that world records could be set due to our air and elevation. A concrete track would be a lot cheaper and be more of a fun thing with local competition than a world class racing facility, but I think that would still be awesome. In any case, Albuquerque approved $1.96 million in 2003 to build a track. Obviously, it never got done and the money is now all used up or somehow gone. I think that some or all of it got used for the bmx veloport, although the original idea was to have track and bmx at the veloport. Several organizations were formed over the last decade to get a track, and indeed a wood one was obtained, but has since rotted. Apparently, many of the people in charge of getting a track here ended up being corrupt or too unorganized to get it done. There were several allegations of money mismanagement and such in multiple groups, and the project just kind of lost steam and people became turned off by the whole ordeal. The important thing to learn is that the city seriously considered building a track, but it got derailed. There are many people out there that still want to build a track here, and I think it could even still be done with public funding because the timing is better now with stimulus dollars possibly available and the explosion of the popularity of track bikes in the last couple years. The government would just need to see enough public support. If public support was high enough, the political will and money would follow. If someone wants to do fund it privately that would be cool too, but they would have to have some serious capital. If you want to show your support you can join the group called Get On Track on facebook or call your representatives. I propose that once we get a good amount of support we should do a group ride to a city council meeting or something similar to bring the issue back up to the public and the government. Sorry that was so long!
December 20, 2009 at 12:06 am |
Omeezy. Grapevine says that D. Porter and his group are still pushing for the legal Keirin gambling deal thru local govt. Why? Because the International Keirin org (Japanese?) will throw funding to have it built! It’s in their interest to have more venues I guess. Besides basic local opposition, the indian nations may put forth strong lobbying against allowing official keirin racing (with gambling) for obvious competition reasons. Someone needs to figure out if that deal will go thru reasonably soon and if not, go grassroots (private if you prefer). You were talking about the prohibitive cost: a cooperative group of 1,000 could contribute $1mil to the facility for $1000 a piece (or 500 people with $2,000 or etc), another $1mil in fundraising or matching funds from the state could build a nice velodrome. Then recruit other members at a lower price, then charge non members for every use and once you actually make money, members gets a dividend commensurate with involvement. Then if keirin racing goes thru you get money from them to bring it up to snuff facility wise. If not who cares? Really does anyone think Keirin Racing is so important?? Just throwing out ideas. Might not be good ones, but I got a good arm. If i helped – no accounting, I’ll sweep up.
December 18, 2009 at 9:29 pm |
WordWord…”Dreaming is just another word for thought before reality.” nice one there. Its true and you don’t have to go buy “The Secret” to get it…just tune in when the dude is talking. The ABQ track would rally up support in a unique NM way + There’s plenty of hype and gearheads to go around. It would be an awesome place for events and with the local community focus, sponsors would be inclined to throw down especially when it is their kid in a race…
i want to go buy that kuwahara bmx bike at fixedandfree to reminisce about the old days when you were cool if you had a trick bmx a la Haro, GT, Redline, Mongoose…
…i say keep up with the development on this idea…you never know who is listening in….
kanpai!
January 16, 2010 at 3:06 am |
Let’s get this started luke.
January 21, 2010 at 12:16 am |
lets make this happen! i too thought we had a voter approved bond that virtually guaranteed a track here in albuquerque… anywho build it and they will come!
January 22, 2010 at 9:10 am |
Keirin Racing is flat out fun to watch…and should stay in the concept equation. If the ABQ velodrome were a future venue of a Keirin event minus gambling of course,… the ultra popular Japanese sport could lend elements of its intensity to a budding Albuquerque track culture.
In generating the buzz, crafty marketing efforts would be key for creating the right kind of following. It wouldn’t have to broadcast the gambling aspect of Keirin. The idea of a competition crazed cycling community in development with dreams of high speed left turns might just flip the script on Nascar.
Well, I might be speaking for myself on that one. oh well, gotta run…Jersey Shore is on Mtv…til I get a line on a Storck Aero…that and bacon cupcakes is all the rage!
Define the community, utilize social media, let the key players show themselves, identify the resources, build it as a team, knowing exactly who will come and what kind of party they wanna bring…
February 7, 2010 at 10:15 pm |
You need to research the history of new mexico velodrome development, Porter was not the last to try to build a velodrome in Abq – keep in mind over 5 million dollars has been spent on a velodrome that does not exist.
Embezzlement charges against Jonathan Powell and the SVA were filed and dismissed.
Then, the tax payers already VOTED to build and pay for a velodrome. They aren’t gonna vote and pay for another one.
Raising any more money will be close to impossible, unless it’s private sponsors and probably gambling related – ruining any kind of feel good grassroots vibe anyone wants to feel about a velodrome.
The newest incarnation of this wannabe pyramid scheme, the Albuquerque VELOPORT run by Charlie Ovis of Wachovia Bank, is not defunct and disappeared like all the “players” in the history of New Mexico Velodrome.
Bottom Line: New Mexico is too politically corrupt for a velodrome to be built. Champagne toasts, ribbon cutting, professional cycling teams training here, public tax bonds, Dave Chauner gets paid to come and say it’s viable, Lance Armstrong racing here, millions raised and wasted and no velodrome.
Research how real velodromes gets built, small concrete things on parks and rec land,,,not million dollar super-centers with “world class” this and that.
Back to reality, Albuquerque needs to concentrate on crime and buying schoolbooks and forget about giving money to greedy developers like Mesa Del Sol (the real villains in much of this story) and the selfish star-struck entrepreneurs that want to meet Lance Armstrong.
February 11, 2010 at 10:09 pm |
This is where someone says: Ooh SNAP! (Boo Ch’ovis).
February 7, 2010 at 10:20 pm |
Ballpark estimate of a velodrome, between $200,000 and 40-60 million.
Most velodromes are simple affairs made of concrete – there is one in Jaurez Mexico- only 5 hours from Albuquerque, nobody knows that do they?
It’s falling apart but they built it. I rode on it once, almost killed myself.
A concrete 333 meter track, some port-a-potties, some cheap bleachers, and shed to store rental track bikes, a washed up ex-racer guy to run the place at 29k a year – maybe some lights if you want to charge people to race. 600k. Abq. already spent over 5 million, we could have built 8 tracks, or one really nice one.
February 11, 2010 at 10:05 pm |
I think you’re spot on. Except I thought that some of the millions you refer to was allotted by the city and then reallotted elsewhere — not all disappeared. I was aware of attempts later than Porter. Your characterization of the few who led the movement seems sadly true. Hard to believe fellow cyclists played a part in dashing the track on the rocks. I’ve served a couple of them as customers – nuff said. I agree that a track should be more humble public works. I also hoped it could be a little nicer then one you described in Juarez! If the land was free/donated especially, it could be done. You can’t count on the gambling piece, too many interests and hurdles. Thanks for your comment. `
March 5, 2010 at 5:27 pm |
Well i guess the discussion about viability kind of kills the inquiry of what people would like. Please see new post about Keirin racing and chime in if you know what the heck the story is. If you still think this is just impossible and unworthy of effort, well, let’s hope you’re wrong. thanks.
July 20, 2010 at 10:17 am |
I think it could still be achieved. The outdoor concrete velodrome would be the most immediately “viable” idea to look at. Though subject to weather etc, the only cost beyond land is the concrete. Someone find some land and concrete and we’re on our way!!
What I would like in a velodrome: In the spirit of Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory and his community skate projects, I think it would be fresh to have an indoor skate/bmx/velodrome “fantasyplex” for all the non-motorized wheeled sport cultures to shred and enjoy together. Make the whole park “shreddable” for all who dare on whatever they ride. BMX/skate/fixed competitions and Keirin races every day of the week. Marble beer and bomb food. Oh yea, you gotta have a dj and dance floor in the middle of the track…
July 20, 2010 at 3:48 pm |
I dont like the idea of concrete. if you go to all the effort… Also you need a timing system and lights.