This is it. It's not much to look at yet, but we've got the land and the dream. And look at that view.
It’s undeniable that Durango is one of the epicenters for recreational and competitive cycling in North America and even the world. Durango has produced National Champions, Olympians, and all around world-class athletes in mountain, road, and cyclocross; men and women; and in every age category. Despite this success there is void in the Durango cycling community. Track racing is the oldest form of bike racing in the world and there are more events (meaning more medals to win) at the Olympics and World Championships than all other cycling disciplines combined. Historically Durango and the surrounding areas have produced little in the way of talented track riders, until now.
A small group of racers have been making regular trips to the closest track (in Colorado Springs) and other tracks around the country, some have even competed with success at Elite Nationals, and the Fort Lewis Cycling team has had three consecutive years of success with individual and team overall medals at Collegiate Nationals. These initial successes just confirm what many of us already believe – that with the right resources Durango could become as dominant a force in the development of track racing talent as it is in other cycling disciplines. Not to mention track racing is fun, exciting, and accessible to cyclists of every age and skill level and can improve any riders performance in other disciplines.
It’s not hard to picture a facility that costs millions of dollars, but we don’t need that (at least not right away) we just need something shaped like a velodrome that can be safely ridden on. We’re closer than you might think, we have piece of land (someone’s front yard actually) on the mesa west of town near Breen and we have a pile of dirt in the right shape. The next step is to get it surfaced with something hard, paint some lines on it, and make sure it doesn’t turn into a swimming pool the first time it rains and we’d be ready for open training and some unofficial racing fun. So if you came to Durango (or chose to stay here) for the endless singletrack and mountain passes, but the elbow bumping megawatt effort of the sprints and the tactical perfection and finesse of the points race appeal to you too (or you just need an excuse to buy one more bike) then keep checking this site for updates and help us out if you can. We can use all the help we can get. So if you or anyone you know has the following equipment, skills, resources or knowledge, let us know. We are looking for:
- Earth moving equipment
- Concrete or Asphalt
- Money
- Shovels
- Knowledge of Velodrome architecture
- Legal savvy (especially related to non-profits and venue/property liability)
- Free time to perform manual labor
- Ideas
- Talent with fundraising
- Beer/burritos/baked goods to give to hardworking volunteers
So that’s about it, we’re building a Velodrome, spread the word, it’s going to be fun.
