The velodrome is home to several race events each year.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Great news to start off your weekend: The Portland Tribune reported a few hours ago that the possible sale of Alpenrose Dairy that would have ended public access to the velodrome and cyclocross venue is off.

As we shared earlier this month, fears of a sale of the dairy and surrounding property led to a lawsuit by members of the Cadonau family. They aimed to stop the sale, which they claimed was nothing more than a money-grab by other members of the ownership family.

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Opening race of the 2012 Cyclocross Crusade series with Alpenrose Dairy buildings in the background.

A 57-year tradition of bicycle racing at Alpenrose Dairy in southwest Portland faces a major threat.
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Aedin Valente, aspiring businessman and track racer.
(Photo: Norrene Godfrey)

A 15-year-old from Astoria named Aedin Valente wants to start his own business. When he heard that the Alpenrose Velodrome needed someone to run the snack this summer, he decided this was his big opportunity.

The only thing he needs to make the Alpenrose Snack Shack a reality is to raise another $1,000 or so via the GoFundMe campaign set up by his aunt Norrene Godfrey (who happens to be an awesome track racer and Alpenrose regular).

Here’s what Aedin said when Norrene asked him why he wants to do this job. “I want to run the Alpenrose snack shack so I can gain experience in the business world, plus it is super fun to do. I want to raise funds so people will work hard and try and win the races. It’s fun to watch. I like that the people are super nice to me and very supportive.”
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The apron (darker area on the right) of Alpenrose Velodrome is being replaced and we need to help fund the project.
(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)

Yesterday, while the cycling world was captivated and inspired by Jens Voigt’s spectacular hour record ride, a call for help went out for our humble local velodrome at Alpenrose Dairy.
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It took all most of the day for a grassy section
to wear down to mud.
(Photos: M.Andersen/BikePortland)

One of the country’s biggest amateur bike races drew an estimated 1400 participants to the former dairyfields of Southwest Portland Sunday as the Cross Crusade season kicked open.

“If you ride ‘cross, the one you have to go to every year is Crusade,” said Dan Evan, 27, a process engineer from Southeast Portland leaning, shirtless, over the finish line at the Alpenrose Velodrome. “It’s like the big reunion. Every year, everybody comes to Alpenrose.”

Evan said he’d been inspired to start racing cyclocross in 2009 after seeing “some rad videos on the Internet” and competed in 12 or 13 events last year.

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Big crowds welcomed the 2012 Cross Crusade to Alpenrose yesterday.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

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Castelli will donate $60 dollars to OBRA for every
one of these jerseys they sell (price is $100).

The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) is just about $5,000 short of meeting their goal for the first phase of a fundraising effort to replace the pock-marked and cracking concrete surfaces on the venerable Alpenrose Velodrome in Portland’s southwest hills.

The renovation of the straightaways began back in March and has now been completed. “The new portions are amazingly smooth,” says Velodrome manager Mike Murray. The total cost was just over $51,000.

Phase two of the project — the paved infield portion of the track (a.k.a. the apron) — will be equally as expensive. Once all the work is done, Murray says the project will, “Make almost a new velodrome and will keep Alpenrose running for the next 20-30 plus years.”[Read more…]

There’s still work to be done
and money to be raised.
(Photo: Brian List/OBRA)

Since a project to renovate the aging surface at Alpenrose Velodrome was announced last month, the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) has seen an outpour of support. Although much of the work to smooth the straightaways is complete, there’s still a big funding gap to pay for that first phase as well as more work that is slated to be done. In hopes of closing that gap, Portland’s Sizzle Pie cycling team, lead by Zak Kovalcik, has paired up with Upper Echelon Fitness to hold a fundraising party this Friday to drum up more support.[Read more…]

Freshly smoothed straights at Alpenrose Velodrome.
(All photos by Brian List/OBRA)

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A smooth track is all he needs.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)a

A major renovation project at the Alpenrose Velodrome is moving forward.

On Monday, we shared the news that the concrete surface on the fabled track had gotten so bad that Oregon Bicycle Racing Association officials decided it was time to bite the bullet and replace it. The owners of the track (Alpenrose Dairy) agreed that the track needed some work. The only thing left was for OBRA to show the folks at the dairy that the community would step up and donate a considerable portion of the project cost.

In the past few days, OBRA’s track program manager Mike Murray has been gathering donations. Today he emailed with some good news: “The renovation project is moving forward. We had a meeting yesterday with the Dairy and the contractors and the project was green lighted.”
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