Whether you knew it or not, there is an indoor velodrome in the works in Reading, PA. Efforts to bring an indoor velodrome to southeastern PA have been in the works for over a decade, but it looks like the best chance of it happening will be on the campus of Albright College on the north side of the city. The current proposed name will be the National Velodrome.
Though it is only a 25 mile drive from the open air Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, PA, the two facilities will complement each other, allowing athletes to train all year round, and bring even larger and additional UCI events to the area. Many fans are already hoping for a 6-Day event, which were popular from the 1890’s until the 1930’s and 1940’s in many parts of the US.
Adding strength to the effort, Greg LeMond has joined the Velodrome Development Foundation as Honorary Charirman of the Board of Directors. The 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation is leading the efforts to bring the $25 million velodrome and multi-purpose event center to Reading.
LeMond will also be a special advisor to the World Cycling League, a track racing league started in 2016 and will be hosting their first full season of racing in the winter of 2018-2019. The new TeamTrak format is made up of teams of four men and four women who will compete in sprint, Kerin, and eliminator races of various races. Teams will accumulate points and points will be awarded based on team ranking at the end of each session that goes towards a season championship. Each event will be three days in length. The WCL will call the National Velodrome home.
“I am very excited to play an active role in this project,” LeMond said. “I’ve always understood how important track racing and indoor velodromes are to developing world-class cyclists. Plus WCL’s TeamTrak format is a much needed and exciting way to showcase top male and female track racers and create new interest in the sport.”
The National Velodrome will also be an important addition to Albright College.
“Albright is smart to recognize the value of this facility, not only to develop a nationally ranked collegiate team but also for the unique curriculum opportunities for product development, sports medicine, and sports event management, to name a few. I look forward to exploring these ideas with the college,” he said.
LeMond’s connection to the VDF is through board member Steve Whisnant. A friend and associate of the Tour de France winner, Whisnant was also the managing director og the United States Olympic Committee.
“This is so right for Greg,” Whisnant said. “He and his wife, Kathy, have supported a number of philanthropic and business endeavors over the years but none that so neatly combines his desire to give back to the sport through athlete development and product innovation.”
It’s not the first time the two have worked together. Whisnant created WORLD T.E.A.M. Sports, an international sports nonprofit whose goal is to offer sports-focused events to help enrich the lives of all levels of athletes and persons with disabilities. LeMond joined as a board member and his family has been actively involved since the 1990’s.
President of the Velodrome Development Foundation and President Emeritus of Albright College, Lex McMillan, said, “Greg LeMond is a huge asset to our Foundation, both for his innovative ideas and for his connections to many more donors and investors in the velodrome project from the greater cycling community. We are delighted and deeply grateful that he has agreed to join us.”
In October of 2017, US track star Missy Erickson and Whisnant joined the board, and earlier in the year, Ben Serotta was announced as leading a performance center at the future facility.
Our East Coast Service Course is based about 45 minutes from the proposed site, and we will keep you updated as the project progresses.
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
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