Also I remember when I was little and it was my first time on a velodrome and even though I was only probably going 20km per hour, I felt like a little Olympian, we all did, following in the footsteps of the other cyclists
Champion cyclist Sarah Gigante after riding the Maurice Kirby Velodrome.
Sarah, aged 18, recently became one of the ever youngest winners at the 2019 Australian National Road Race Championships.
Sarah Gigante talks about her
racing journey
I’ve been racing my bike since I was 8 years old and along the way, I’ve met so many great people, learnt how to really push myself and also kept very fit. These are just some of the benefits of the wonderful sport of cycling. I’ve also won many junior national titles and represented Australia at the Junior Track and Road World Championships in Switzerland and Austria. Earlier this year, I was crowned the Elite Women’s Road Race National Champion.
My racing journey all began at an outdoor velodrome, just like the Noble Park velodrome. In my case, it was the Brunswick Cycling Club’s home track. It’s a bit bumpy in places and the back straight is downhill, but we all love it and it’s used every day.
The most important part of Brunswick is that they run a Junior Clinic on the track for kids aged between three and sixteen, and I can definitely see the new Noble Park Cycling Club starting up something similar in the future with the many children and novices who visit the velodrome.
As it is, simply having the velodrome there is a very encouraging and safe option for all bike riders, no matter their age or experience. The roads around the area are quite busy and filled with fast-moving traffic, so for serious cyclists, the velodrome offers a place to train and go as fast as they want while knowing that they will arrive home safely. For families, the velodrome is also a great location to ride a bike.
Bike paths are fantastic and definitely serve their purpose, but when you have kids of different speeds, the velodrome allows everyone to go their own pace while still staying near each other and staying safe. This is also helpful for non-cycling parents, who want to let their children grow up with the freedom of riding a bike, but would prefer to just watch from the sidelines.
While also keeping cyclists fit, happy and off the couch, the velodrome offers another benefit for aspiring riders. The track cycling at the Olympic Games is one of the most memorable and inspiring events, with the steep velodromes and incredibly powerful athletes.
By having a local velodrome, the community’s kids are able to start to follow in the path of these cyclists and they may see a starting point for their own cycling and racing journey.
There should be diversity in sporting options available. Not all of us were born capable to play footy or cricket but many of us learnt to ride a bike and as parents taught our kids to ride a bike. Imagine a place where you can go to ride a bike at your own pace and not feel threatened with cars whizzing past you. Imagine a place where you can take your kids to ride a bike and they can safely ride as fast as they want and still remain in your sight of vision.
Mr Mayor and Councillors may I ask why the planning to destroy this unique sporting facility that’s currently available to the public. Which provides for individual and group participation? In this age of obesity and mental health crisis, I would have thought the promotion and restoration of this amazing facility would serve and help far more within the community than an expensive demolition and rebuild whicg excludes the velodrome.
The velodrome is a facility which not only provides huge benefits for all generations but also has significant Olympic historical value.