The effort to create a new velodrome facility for track racing in Portland continues to the pick up steam. After reading my article last Tuesday, Boaz Herzog from the Oregonian filed a similar story that made the front page of today’s Sports section.
Organizers behind the velodrome effort are setting up a website, gathering pledges and community support and plan to meet with Commissioner Sam Adams to see how a new velodrome would figure into existing plans to establish a major, professional bike race in Portland.
I’ll keep you posted with any further developments.
“Welcome ladies and gentlemen to racing at the Adidas Cycling / Chris King Portland Velodrome!”
Hellyeah.
I accept this news with mixed blessings:
On the one hand it is GREAT to increase opportunities for track cycling; hopefully, this will be met with much acceptance and will be self-supporting for many years.
On the other hand, Portland has a track facility. A very unique one at that. The Alpenrose facility is tried and true. One of the last private entities that truly supports ‘neighborhood’ in Portland with not only cycling [BMX, track/cyclocross] but also the picnic areas, ballfields, quarter midgets and other facilities. Unfortunately, it has been rumored that the museum, pony rides, and other public areas are no longer open due to the outcome of recent litigation [outside of the cycling arena].
Is it possible to refocus the effort to improve/cover/weatherize the existing track to meet these needs? Alpenrose, the Cadeneau family and those folks who make it work deserve more for their dedication.
They shut down the BMX track. Gone.
I was afraid of that. Thank the lawyers, the lawsuits and the family who thought they deserved more.
The Oregonian article shed much more light on the track and the involvement of those who deal with it. It would still be great to see something other than Beaverton McMansions in this established neighborhood should Alpenrose and the Cadonau Family ever get fed up. I for one feel they are stnad-up neighbors and an asset to the area.
If anybody has any information on the story behind the removal of the BMX track, I’d love to hear it (smclaughry@yahoo.com). Bonus points if you can tell me the story before next Monday (dec 18).
As for the existing track, I’ve mentioned in other forums that, as the holder of the ‘local rider track record’ in the 200m at Alpenrose, I have a fairly strong personal interest in the existing track. Unfortunately, I also have seen how it’s falling apart, and I know that it can’t be fixed. Building a new facility at the dairy is an attractive option that hasn’t been ruled out, but there are drawbacks, and there are other options, and it would be silly to ‘refocus’ on a single possibility until we’ve investigated all of the options.
-stephen mclaughry