Invercargill’s velodrome track gets ‘exciting’ spruce-up
Extreme Makeover track edition has arrived in Invercargill.
After millions and millions of bike tyres speeding round it and a slight change in colour, the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome in Invercargill is getting a new lease of life.
German company Velo Track are currently in New Zealand sanding down the track and replacing the lines, giving it a good upgrade, something the track has not had since opening in 2006.
A key figure in getting Velo Track to Invercargill and working on the track was ILT Stadium Southland operations and assets manager Ryan Sycamore, who did a lot of the organising and behind the scenes work to get the team here.
Velo Track manager Sebastian Von Luetcken said they were privileged to be in Invercargill renovating the track.
“It’s great to be down here. The track’s in good condition. It’s a completely new place to us, so it’s exciting.”
Velo Track consultant Peter Jacques said the Invercargill track was in good condition.
“The track here is in pretty good condition. The work we’re doing will help make it faster for the riders. We go all over the world sanding velodromes and it’s great visiting Invercargill and this great facility.”
Jacques said a typical job could take up to two weeks, but Invercargill’s been a breeze compared to most.
“The track here has been superb to work on. We’ve been able to do a lot of it well under the timeframe we had set aside.
“The dark colour of the track can be anything from blood, sweat, rain that has landed on the track over time.”
A small part of the track on one of the bends had bits of wood replaced.
Jacques, a cyclist who competed at the 1998 Commonwealth Games for England, said the track was back to 90% of its original colour.
“We’re just trying to renovate the track surface, the grime, water, sweat, blood that is all over it. Trying to get rid of that.
“It acts like a paste on the track when it is humid and sticks to the tyres,” he said.
“It makes the track look a lot darker. So sanding the track lifts off all that stuff and gives it a new lease of life.”
Doing this work, Jacques said, they can see where has been repaired and if it’s need fixed again or the area nearby.
“Too many little repairs too close together make it too hard, so on a small
section of the track we’ve just removed the whole area and replaced it with new wood.”
The work on the track would make cyclists time quicker, he said.
“They should definitely get round there a bit faster now that the track is smoother and faster. It was built in 2006 and I can’t see why we can’t get another 15-20 years out of it again. It’s gone really well here in Invercargill.”
Cycling Southland’s major events manager Glen Thomson said the Velo
Track team had done a superb job.
“The track is amazing. When it was first opened on May 26, 2006, it was new, but now with the heritage trail around
the outside, the academy gym, multi use courts, it looks the business.
The track will be back open on February 27.