Hey Velodrome Fans!

It was just a few weeks ago that politics got in the way of track cycling in Fort Collins when the Obama rally necessitated the cancellation of the Oval practice races. It was good we let him slide (actually, we didn’t have any say) because he won, and now he will be our president, and he owes us one. Does he ride a bike? A track bike?

Kidding aside, politics, especially local municipal politics do affect cyclists, including competitive riders and race fans. That is why we must work the system well if we want racing to be part of our City cycling culture and have any hope for improved facilities like the cycling park we have been dreaming about (with space for a velodrome). You may have read that the 2008 Bicycle Plan Revision was recently adopted by City Council, and included was mention of the velodrome (yea!) and suggested the creation of a citizen’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, which was approved. Two public meetings (11/18 and 11/24) will hopefully answer questions and give citizens a chance to ask to be included in the committee makeup. See http://fcgov.com/news/index.php?id=2628 . We need an advocate for competitive cycling facilities and programming on that committee. Please plan to attend at least one of those meetings and let your voice be heard!

This is crucial because my initial conversation with DK Kemp lead me to believe that the “powers that be” do not consider competitive cyclists (and all fitness junkies on bikes with heart rate monitors) an important or large enough group to deserve being specifically represented by even 1/15^th  of this committee. Of course I disagree and hope you do too. As we all know, competitive cycling makes lean healthy bodies better than many other types of cycling, and can be a lifelong cultural activity that’s just what the Surgeon General should order. A function of our being represented on this committee could be to influence some changes in the language of the current “final?” draft of the Parks Policy Plan Revision which will be adopted in 2009. It does seem to favor considering a “cycling park” (maybe we will finally get a closed criterium course, some permanent cyclocross terrain, and maybe even an MTB short track), but it is quite negative about a velodrome in its current draft form. See http://fcgov.com/parkplanning/pdf/FortCollins-PolicyPlan-Oct2008-Final.pdf  particularly page 78. I have to say that it is not in keeping with the spirit of UniverCity Connections, and indicates a misunderstanding of what the FCVA is asking the City for (i.e. a concession of some parks land for a privately funded non-profit community velodrome).

Stay tuned and see you at the BAC meetings!

Tim Anderson