Forest City Velodrome

The opening day of the Christmas Break Track Camp at the Forest City Velodrome is in the books with the first two on-track sessions taking place on Monday. The Camp still has a few openings as a couple of riders can only attend several sessions during the week due to their holiday schedules. The camp is open to all UCI-licensed riders: Cadets, Juniors, Espoirs, Men, Women and Masters.

The skills portion of the camp takes place during the morning sessions with the afternoon devoted to strategies and tactics.

Should you want to take part in the Camp for the rest of the week please arrive at the velodrome before 9:00 am to register for each day. The afternoon sessions begin at 2:00 pm everyday, except Wednesday, when there will be an evening session.

You can participate in the camp at a cost of $20 per day.

The Velo-Kids are having their own sessions each day from noon to 2:00 pm. Cost of the Velo-Kids program is free.

The entire camp is supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ontario Cycling Association, and the Canadian Cycling Association.

Kris Westwood will be our special guest on Tuesday. Kris is Director of High Performance Programs at the CCA. Kris will handle questions and answers during the lunch break.

Big Weekend Planned at the Forest City Velodrome
November 29, 2005

Saturday, December 3, 2005 will be very busy at the Forest City Velodrome. Beginning at 10:00 am and running through to 1:30 pm is our first annual Bike and Equipment Swap. Everything from parts, clothing, and complete bikes will be available. This fundraiser will help out with the operations at the track. Admission to the Bike Swap is free, with a percentage of sales going to the track.

In addition to the Bike Swap, beginning at 2:00 pm is the Track O-Cup #3 event. The three events to be contested include the Kilo TT, Sprints, and Scratch Race. These events are open to Senior Men, Women, Cadets, Juniors and Masters. Qualification rounds will take place in the afternoon starting at 2:00 pm. The Finals begin at 7:00 pm as part of Belgium Night at the velodrome. Race entry is $20.00 and covers all racing during the day.

For spectators, regular adult admission is $10.00 (Seniors $5.00) and is good for the entire day.

Letter of Appreciation from Festa Italiana 2005
November 22, 2005

Dear Rob Good,

All of us had such a great time watching the racers at the Velodrome last Saturday night with Festa Italiana as co-presenters. What a great facility to house this exciting sport! Londoners will surely enjoy it as word spreads of the great fun to be had at the Velodrome.

Thank you very much for assisting Mario D'Oria in promoting the event and giving us an opportunity to raise funds for our cause. We were very happy with the opportunity to fund raise at this venue.

Sincerely,

Carla Garagozzo, Chair of Italian Seniors' Project
and Lina Pittao, Chair of Festa Italiana 2005

Italian Festival Report and Trillium Grant News from Rob Good
November 20, 2005

The past 10 days have been "Over the Top" in more ways I can tell you: from the high of receiving our Trillium Grant; to tending to one of our up and coming riders after crashing during what was suppose to be a fun Madison in front of one of largest crowds of the season.

I am pleased to announce that the Ontario Trillium Foundation has been able to provide funding to the Forest City Velodrome. The grant will be used for operations, camps for women and young racers. The grant will go a long way in supporting the velodrome. Thanks to everyone who helped out with the grant application and to the volunteers that make our velodrome operate so efficiently.

At Saturday night's Italian Festival at the track, in the last 5 laps of the 30 minute Madison an exchange between teammates Vince De Jong and Adam Thuss went terribly wrong. Exact details are still being analyzed but the end result was that Adam was sent over the handlebars landing face first on the track. The impact caused Adam to lose a tooth and receive extensive track rash to his face but luckily no broken bones.

I spoke with Adam's dad this afternoon (Sunday, November 20). He was released from the hospital and was able to walk to the car for the long ride home. Adam was in pretty good spirits considering the impact. During the check up, Adam had to provide a urine sample. He asked the nurse if she needed "A" and "B" samples... both samples apparently came back negative.

Earlier in the evening, Bermuda went down on the last lap of the points race. The rider causing the crash was DQ'd from the race. The race committee is looking at further sanctions. A decision will be made by Wednesday.

On a happier note, the racing on Saturday night was a fundraising event for the London Italian Seniors Project. The large crowd was thoroughly entertained with a wide variety of track racing. We are still counting the admissions and it looks like over $1,000 will go to the project. A big thank you to all the volunteers who made the entire day flow so easily.

Full results of the Track O-Cup #2 can be seen on our Results page.

Get well Adam and Bermuda. We hope to see you back at the track soon.

Updated Fall/Winter 2005-2006 Riding Schedule and Other News
November 16, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome is pleased to announce that our Fall/Winter 2005-2006 Riding Schedule is finally completed.

"We looked at the membership and the type of riders who were using the velodrome and we adjusted our schedule to serve the recreational riders in the club," said Paul MacLean who spearheaded the change. In total, over 30 hours per week are dedicated to recreational riding on the track. Two nights each week are set aside for racers, in addition to the regular Saturday night shows.

The Learn to Ride (now called Track 1) sessions are on Tuesday nights and Saturday afternoons. There are a total of 8 hours a week in the schedule for out-of-town clubs to rent the velodrome for training camps and clinics on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The velodrome is off to a very quick start. The need for volunteers is high on our priority list. Anyone wishing to help out with one of our sessions is requested to contact one of the session leaders at the velodrome and jump on board.

The new schedule can be found on our Come to Ride or Race page.

In other velodrome news: The Velo-Kids program is already producing young track cyclists that are gaining more and more skills each week. With the help of a donation from the London Centennial Wheelers we are in a position to expand our fleet of youth bikes for our Velo-Kids program. The Forest City Velodrome Association has purchased ten youth-sized track bikes from Marinoni Cycles in Montreal. The new bikes are scheduled to arrive in early December. The track is still in need of funds to further defray the costs of these bikes. If you or your company is in a position to help, please contact Rob Good at rob.good@ypg.com.

Forest City Velodrome – Rob's Six Month Retrospective
November 9, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome has been open for 6 months and I thought everyone should know just how we are doing.

The velodrome opened in late April, our website is up and running and the site has had 1.4 million hits with 15,000 unique visitors. The volunteers were ready and the cycling community was waiting to get on the track. In the first couple of months, our volunteers were teaching many new riders how to rider a velodrome. Quite a task when you consider most velodromes do not have a banking of 50 degrees. The 138m distance around the track, is now starting to show the importance of a safe riding environment.

We spent the summer refining our teaching skills and coming up with innovative ways of bringing the track experience to as many recreational riders as we could. As of today I'm proud to say we have 99 paid members of the Forest City Velodrome Association. This number is three times more than my best forecasts. Our new riding schedule as of Monday, November 14, 2005 will reflect the fact that 85% of our members are recreational riders on the track. Only six hours a week is devoted to racing; all of the rest of the ride time is for our recreational members.

Our racers have been putting on very entertaining races on Saturday nights since we opened our doors. All racers do not pay an entry fee to race. Our paying spectators have made it possible to expand our Velo-Kids program and our soon-to-be-introduced Junior Olympic Development Program, with former National Team athletes doing the coaching for our Juniors and Espoires. Albert and my goal has been to produce three national cycling team athletes in the next five years. This is only the beginning.

Ontario cycling had its first Six-Day Bike Race in 35 years. The Six-Day in October had lots of spectators and over $3,100 in prizes for the racers, not bad for our first attempt. The second Six-Day is coming up in mid-December. Our first swap meet is being planned for Saturday December 3, 2005 from 10 am to 2 pm.

As you can tell I have mentioned nothing about finances. To date we are doing very well and have enough money in the bank to carry us well into March 2006. Another exciting local program involves the City of London and the velodrome. We are going to introduce up to 160 of London's youth with our facility in the next few months. Our Trillium Grant is still being assessed we should know more information in the coming weeks.

Upcoming events at the velodrome:

Racing continues November 12th and November 19th (O-Cup #2 and London Italian Festival).

In closing I wanted to thank all the velodrome volunteers for their hard work in our first six months. We all are looking forward to a very busy winter season at the Forest City Velodrome.

Pre-registration Now Required for All Track Sessions
November 6, 2005

As the autumn season progresses and outdoor riding becomes more uncomfortable, many riders are turning to the indoor track for their training. Most track sessions are therefore becoming very full. As a result, the Forest City Velodrome is now requiring pre-registration for all sessions.

Please contact your session leader at least 24 hours to pre-register. A complete program schedule can be found on our Come to Ride or Race page, including contact information for session leaders.

Super Fast Racing Concludes the Six-Day Competition
October 31, 2005

The spectators were entertained for the entire 90 minutes of Madison racing at the Forest City Velodrome on Sunday afternoon, October 30, 2005. The racing was clean and green again today with no spills, just super fast racing from the opening whistle. Team Waterloo came into the day with the race lead and held on for the overall win after six days of racing. Not to be forgotten was the aggressive riding of the Delhi Team of Eric Robertson and Vince DeJong who continually attacked the other teams all night.

How it unfolded: Lots of primes were offered during the entire day and every three or four minutes a cash prize was up for the riders. In addition the prize for the teams who could lap the field during a jam was increased from the Saturday night amount.

Early in the first Madison a flat tire to the Waterloo Team had them playing catch-up when the Delhi team attacked and quickly gained half a lap on the field. By the time Waterloo had both riders on the track, Delhi was on the same straight as the four other teams. At the last minute Waterloo countered, putting a big gap on the field, as Delhi closed in on the rest of the teams. The Waterloo Team continued to chase and were able to get on even terms with the aggressive team from Delhi. This was the first laps gained since night two when the same two teams were able to put the other teams in trouble. As the Madison continued the bell rang every few minutes with cash primes encouraging the riders to put on quite a sprinting demonstration. The battle in the race itself was full-on lap after lap with no easing of the pace. Leading up to the end of the first Madison the Waterloo Team attacked with 10 laps to go and opened a wide enough lead that the real sprint was for second place with Team London putting on a late charge to come within inches of passing the Delhi team for second in the sprint. Team Hamilton and Team Vancouver rounded out the finish of the first Madison.

The London Track League had some close racing at both intermissions. The Velo-Kids again had some very fast times. It seems that each time these kids get on the track they are going faster and faster. In the Junior Division, all the racers put on a couple of very competitive sprints and scratch races.

Cash continued for the Madison teams during the second and third Madisons. With the teams jockeying for position, their legs burning with a total of twelve sprints, fatigue was beginning to become evident as the accelerations and reaction times of all the teams were not as crisp as in previous Madisons. The Miss & Out had another $150 up for grabs. Robertson and Thuss put on a clinic for the sprinters sitting on the infield after having been eliminated by the two young Espoires. See our Photo Gallery for photos of the event, including the Thuss/Robertson photo finish (thanks to Remember When Images for the photos). Entering the last 10 laps Team Hamilton caught the other teams sleeping and attacked to solidify their overall third place finish by winning the second and coming in third in the final Madison.

With 30 minutes remaining the riders were all looking forward to the finish of this endurance event after six long nights of racing. In the first of two sprints Jean Bertrand of Team London attacked over the top, gapped the other teams and with the crowd cheering went on for a very exciting win. In the second sprint, Keith Thorarinson of Team Vancouver went to the front and did not look back for a convincing win. At ten laps to go in the bike race, the Delhi Team jumped off the front of the train, with Hamilton and Waterloo close behind. Not letting the pace ease at all, Delhi sprinted to a very exciting victory with all three teams finishing the bike race within a half bike length of each other.

Team Delhi edged the Waterloo team by one point for the win on the night. Team Hamilton finished one lap down and Teams London and Vancouver were two laps down.

Overall for the entire Six-Day Race the teams finished in this order:
1st Team Waterloo (Adam Thuss and Rob Good)
2nd Team Delhi (Eric Robertson and Vince DeJong)
3rd Team Hamilton (Garnett Abbey and Taylor Martin)
4th Team Vancouver (Dave St. James and Keith Thorarinson)
5th Team London (John Craig Jr. and Jean Bertand)

Full results can be found on our Results page.

A special thank you to all the officials, London Track League racers, Velo-Kids, and most of all the spectators who made the event possible.

The total prize payout to the teams, including primes and the purse for the teams was over $3,100, which is the largest prize pool in track cycling in Ontario in many years.

The next Six-Day Madison Race at the Forest City Velodrome is scheduled for mid December. If you would like to enter please send an email to rob.good@ypg.com before Wednesday, November 23, 2005.

Racing continues Saturday night, November 5, 2005 at 7:00 pm with "Night of Speed 2." Keirins, Sprints, Scratch races & the Velo-Kids will be on the board.

Fifth Day of Racing Hot and Heavy at the Forest City Velodrome
October 30, 2005

The racing was hot and heavy at the Forest City Velodrome on Saturday night, October 29, 2005 for the fifth night of the Six-Day Madison Team Racing. The spectators really got into the race by donating an unbelievable number of primes throughout the one and a half hours of racing. The evening was split into three 30-minute Madisons with sprints and primes mixing it up all night. (Primes, pronounced "preems", are cash and other prizes donated by spectators that are awarded to riders who win certain designated sprints throughout a bicycle race.)

How it unfolded: The race was three minutes in when the bell sounded for the first of many primes, amounting to $100 here and $150 there. By the end of the first Madison, the teams were hunting for the primes and were having a blast just trying to recover enough to go again for another prize. After one of the big sprints, the Vancouver team launched an attack that put all the other teams at a half-lap disadvantage. The strategy of trying to lap the field was a good one, as there is a $250 bonus prize for the first team to do so. The attack lasted 20 laps with all teams finally coming together in time for a $150 prime with 2 minutes to go in the first segment. It seemed that all the teams were getting a piece of the action. On the points side of the race, Team Waterloo edged Team Delhi by 1 point going into the second frame.

The London Track League entertained the crowd with some very quick laps and very steady and clean scratch races. The "AA" Madison went off without a hitch with four teams contesting the 10-minute Madison. The Velo-Kids were very fast on the night with four young riders doing personal bests in their events.

In the second Madison the primes kept coming. The crowd were enjoying the action-packed sprints so much that they kept coming back with more primes. The race was very fast as the teams were playing follow-the-leader waiting to jump for the cash. Many thanks to the spectators on the night for making the riders earn their winnings. In the points battle, Team Hamilton won the final double points sprint in this Madison.

The five teams were all chomping to get at the racing in the final Madison knowing that the primes would just keep coming. It seemed that every two minutes there was another prime, so many that the riders were jumping to the front every time there was a flinch by the scoring table on showing five laps to go. In the end Team London and Team Vancouver had very good nights on the board, scoring enough points for fourth and fifth places respectively. Team Hamilton jumped to third on the night by winning the last double points sprint at the end of the Madison. Team Delhi came close but ended up three points shy of the night's winning team from Waterloo.

No team gained a lap on the night so the $250 bonus prize will be carried over to the sixth and final day of the Six-Day Race, Sunday afternoon, October 30, 2005 at 2:00 pm. It should be a very interesting race with so much on the line.

Intense Fourth Day of Racing Turns Up the Heat on Team Waterloo
October 29, 2005

Team Delhi's Vince DeJong and Eric "Sleepy" Robertson controlled the night by attacking the other five teams on the fourth day of racing of the Forest City Velodrome's Six-Day Race. In the end DeJong and Robertson closed the gap down to 5 points for the overall placing. The London Track League and Velo-Kids all performed very well during their portion of the show with seven riders setting personal best times in the Flying Lap qualifiers.

The London Six-Day Race is being run over two weekends so that the riders can continue their work and school commitments. Points are awarded during each of the three 30-minute Madisons run each night. A complete rundown of the scoring can be found at the end of this report.

How it unfolded: Early in the first Madison Team Delhi were continuing to keep the pace high so that no other team could attack. Several times in the first 15 minutes they put the hammer down and opened a gap on the other teams. Six-Day Racing is all about the team. With the teams very evenly matched, the other teams chased DeJong and Robertson until the race was back together for the first round of sprints. Team Vancouver had a great first set of sprints with Keith Thorarinson and Dave "No Hands" St. James each dominating the 10 lap sprints, jumping into the early lead of the bike race. For the first time in the event the Waterloo Team of Adam Thuss and Rob Good were on the outside looking in. As the second half of the opening Madison came to a close it was the Hamilton Team of Taylor Martin and Garnett Abbey who attacked with seven laps remaining, putting the Waterloo team who are leading the overall bike race in a world of hurt. Martin dashed to the line to take the first Madison and the double points that go with the win.

In the opening minutes the local London Team of John Craig Jr. and Jean Bertrand started to do their own version of "let's see how far we can keep the Waterloo team at the back." The strategy worked for 30 laps until Thuss put his head down and with the help of the Delhi team closed the gap and the race was under the control of the Delhi Team entering the "Devil" at the 15-minute mark of the Madison. As the riders got together and started the countdown of laps to the first elimination one of the spectators offered $100 US to the winner of the Miss & Out. As riders were eliminated the race came down to a battle of the young guns. "Sleepy" Robertson and Taylor Martin were the last two riders standing with $100 bucks on the line and the winner takes all. Robertson jumped with two and a half laps left but could not get around the hard charging Martin who out lasted Robertson in a very exciting sprint to the line, with a margin of victory being a mere tire width. The last 15 minutes of the Madison was raced at a steady tempo as it appeared that the first half of the race was very fast and the teams were pretty much gassed. The final sprint came down to an attack with eight laps to go by the Delhi team who captured the double points on offer and were now in the driver's seat for the win on the night.

In the third Madison, the Waterloo Team kept the tempo high in an effort to stop the constant attacks of the Delhi Team. This strategy worked as points gained in the mid-way sprints and the win of the last double point sprint moved the Waterloo team into second position on the night, just behind the Team of DeJong and Robertson who won the fourth night of racing in impressive fashion.

All of the other teams were very close on points:

1st — Team Waterloo (39 points)
2nd — Team Delhi (34 points)
3rd — Team Vancouver (31 points)
4th — Team Hamilton (30 points)
5th — Team London (27 points)

The teams will get a good night's sleep and be back at it on Saturday night, October 29, 2005 at 7:00 pm. Bring a friend and cheer on all the teams during the last two days of the London Six-Day Bike Race.

Part Two of the London Six-Day Promises to be Competitive
October 28, 2005

The London Six-Day Team Race returns to the Forest City Velodrome this weekend starting Friday, October 28, 2005 with the last half of the Six-Day competition.

Riders from across Canada are participating in the event. Five Teams of two riders each race around the 138m track at speeds that reach up to 68 kph. The teams make exchanges like they do in short track speed skating in an attempt to lap their opponents. This is the first Six-Day Race in Ontario in 35 years.

The Red Waterloo Team of Adam Thuss and Rob Good have the lead going into the final weekend. The Delhi Team of Vince DeJong (Jr) and Eric "Sleepy" Robertson is holding onto second position by the slimmest of margins. Team Vancouver, Keith Thorarinson and Dave "No Hands" St. James, are tied with the Hamilton team of Taylor Martin and Garnett Abbey. The London Team of John Craig Jr. and Jean "Bermuda" Bertrand are only 1 point behind in fifth place.

The action should be hot and heavy all weekend with three 30-minute Madison Team Races including "Sprints" and "Devils" on the card each night. With such a program, anything can happen. The London Track League and Velo-Kids will also be racing all weekend.

If you have heard about the velodrome but have not been out to witness an event, this weekend's races will keep you on the edge of your seats. Plan on attending at least one night of the Six-Day competition.

Racing begins at 7:00 pm Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm. The Sunday races promise some very exciting action with riders getting tired, teams missing exchanges, and the possibility of a team gaining a lap and winning the race.

Adult admission is $10, seniors $5, and children under 16 are admitted free of charge.

Third Day of Six-Day Racing Super Competitive
October 24, 2005

Racing at the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario was super competitive on Sunday afternoon for the third day of the Six-Day Race. The five evenly-matched teams battled it out right down to the last double points sprint of the session. The Red Team from Waterloo did not win a single sprint in the event. However by finishing high in each segment they were able to retain the overall lead in the bike race.

How it unfolded: The Orange Team from Delhi started the first 30-minute Madison with substitute rider Greg Palmer from the London Track League because of a mix-up in start times with Eric "Sleepy" Robertson who was napping 20 minutes before the official start time of 2:00 p.m. While Eric arrived in time for the second Madison of the day, his miscue was costly as his partner Vince DeJong had to spend a lot of energy during the event and the team was in a hole on points from the mid-session sprints. The strong Hamilton Blue Team of Taylor Martin and Garnett Abbey captured the win for double points and vaulted into second place.

The London Track League had a very entertaining "AA" Madison. The Velo-Kids also had several events to showcase their young talent. The Velo- Kids range in age from 7 to 11 years old.

In the second Madison the Delhi Team attacked often to try to gain a much-needed lap to make up for their earlier problems. They could not get the gap they were looking for so all Robertson and DeJong could do was accumulate as many points as they could before the end of the show. During the "Devil" (Miss & Out) Robertson out lasted the other teams to take the top prize of 7 points. With the laps winding down the local London Yellow Team attacked with 6 laps to go and for double points on the line John Craig Jr. made a perfect exchange with Jean "Bermuda" Bertrand who "took it to the house" for a very impressive win. There were 7 points separating the top four teams with 30 minutes to go in the final Madison.

The high speed of the race made the last 30 minutes of the weekend a leg breaker. Everyone was in survival mode as the teams regrouped to be able to finish strong and eat into the Red Team's slight lead on points. The jams were constant in the final session. Team Green from Vancouver with Keith Thorarinson and Dave "No Hands" St. James caught the other teams in the middle of an exchange and quickly gained a quarter lap advantage which continued until a fast moving train developed behind them slowly but surely reeled them in, leading up to the points sprints at the mid-way mark of the session. The two winners in these sprints were Team Blue and Team Green, and according to the speedometer on one of the bikes the top speed in the sprint was 68.2 kph, unbelievable for this short 138m velodrome. With 15 minutes remaining the top four teams were 5 points apart. All of the racers knew that the last double points sprint would determine the final placing on the night.

The pace heated up with 10 laps to go. The dash to the line exploded with three laps to go with the final exchanges behind the riders who would cross the line to win the night. In the end Team Blue from Hamilton pushed across the line just ahead of the Red Team from Waterloo with teammates Adam Thuss and Rob Good who retained the overall lead in the Six Day. Full results can be found on our Results page, and pictures courtesy of Remember When Images can be found on our Photo Gallery page.

Racing continues next Friday night, October 28, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. with day four of the Six-Day Race.

Adult admission for spectators is $10, seniors $5.

Second Day of Six-Day Racing Hotly Contested
October 23, 2005

The wind and rain coming down hard all day could not dampen the spirits of the 300 spectators who cheered the riders through the second day of the London Six-Day Race at the Forest City Velodrome last night.

How the race unfolded: the 138m Forest City Velodrome was rock'n on Saturday night. The 5 teams that are contesting the first Six-Day Race in Ontario in 35 years provided full value for the effort on the night.

The first of three 30-minute Madisons was very fast with little easing of the pace until the first series of sprints. In the sprints one rider from each team takes part in a separate sprint for points to determine the evening's winners. Team Orange representing Delhi with riders Vince DeJong and Eric Robertson out sprinted all of the other teams to go into the early lead. By the end of the first Madison DeJong and Robertson had a 4 point lead on the Yellow Team of John Craig Jr. and Jean Bertrand representing the host city of London. All of the other teams were within striking distance.

During the intermission the race organizers had a surprise birthday celebration for 87-year-old Albert Coulier who helped build the velodrome. The London Track League also put on a number of races at the break to entertain the enthusiastic crowd.

In the second Madison, the young guns of Team Orange were at it again. At the six-minute mark Robertson attacked hard opening a gap on the other teams, with only the Red Team of Adam Thuss and Rob Good able to close the gap quickly. The other teams could not come back to the two leaders and within 15 laps the Orange and Red Teams had put the other teams down a lap. The final sprint for double points at the end of the second Madison had the Blue Team of Taylor Martin and Kurt Schreiter jump with 4 laps and hold onto the lead to capture the maximum points for that round of racing. Points at the end of the second Madison had Team Orange one point ahead of the Red Team.

The race was still up for grabs heading into the final Madison of the evening. The Green Team of Dave "No Hands" St James and Keith Thorarinson came out fighting, setting the pace for much of the 30 minute go. During the sprints the Green Team managed a very impressive effort to win one of the sprints, with Team Yellow surprising the other teams by attacking early and holding off the hard-charging pack. Coming into the final sprint for double points it was Taylor Martin powering to a photo finish with the Red Team who, with the second place finish, took over the lead on points for the evening. Complete results can be found on our Results page, and photos of the event are posted on our Photo Gallery page.

At the end of the night all the riders were very happy with the way they raced. Everyone is looking forward to getting back on the boards on Sunday afternoon, October 23, 2005 at 2:00 p.m. for the third day of racing.

Six-Day Racing Fast and Furious
October 22, 2005

Night One is in the books for the first night of the London Six-Day Bike Race at the Forest City Velodrome in London, the first six-day race in Ontario in over 35 years.

How it unfolded: five teams lined up for introductions before the first Madison of the night. The crowd cheered for the local London team of Jean Bertrand and John Craig Jr. It seemed that a couple of the teams were a little nervous at the start; however the nerves quickly went away as the Madison began and the speed immediately went to 50 kph. A photo of the start of the race can be found on our Photo Gallery.

The first few exchanges were a little messy, but they cleaned up very fast as the first sprint approached. Points are accumulated by each team, with sprint events and Devils mixed into the Madisons throughout the evening.

The finish of the first of three Madisons was won by the Red Team of Adam Thuss and Rob Good to take the points lead.

In the second Madison the teams were starting to get the idea that the Red Team had to be attacked to wear them down. Coming up to the middle of the race as the teams prepared for the Devil (Miss & Out), the Orange team of Vince DeJong and Eric Robertson attacked with only a few laps to go before the Devil. The strategy didn't work as the warning lights came on so the jam had to stop and the race came back together. At the final sprint of the second Madison it was the Blue team of Taylor Martin and Garnett Abbey who went on the attack only to be reeled in by the fast-closing Green Team of Keith Thorarinson and Dave St. James, with the Green team taking the honours by a quarter of a wheel.

The third and final Madison of the night had the Red Team in first place with the rest of the teams very close behind. Only a few points separated the fifth place from the first place teams.

As it turned out the teams were very evenly matched throughout the night of racing, with just a few missed exchanges separating the riders.

With five laps to go in the final sprint, a major attack was launched by the Orange Team who out duelled the Yellow Team of Jean "Bermuda" Bertrand and John Craig Jr. They caught two teams sleeping and quickly had a gap. In the closing two laps the Yellow Team came over the Orange Team to take the final Double Points sprint.

It was a great night of racing, very close and very fast. The teams will have to recover for Night #2 on Saturday. Full results can be found on our Results page.

Racing begins again at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evening, October 22, 2005.

Just a reminder that at the end of the first Madison on Saturday there will be a "surprise" birthday celebration for 87-year-old Albert Coulier who got the Forest City Velodrome off the ground last January.

No Brakes! No Gears! All Glory! Six-Day Racing Returns to Ontario
October 17, 2005

It's been 35 years since the last Six-Day Team Race in Ontario. This Friday, October 21, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. will be the first night of the first Six-Day racing at the Forest City Velodrome. The teams have been practicing every Wednesday night for months, and the riders are ready to get under way.

Each night of racing will see three 30 minute team races, with elbow to elbow racing on the 138 metre velodrome. Mix in some points sprints and the crowd favourite "Devil" and it will be a full night of action-packed track racing. The teams are back at it on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.

If you have never seen an Indoor Bike Race this first weekend is where you will learn about event. The two-person Madison teams accumulate points to determine the winners after six nights of racing. In the Team Race each partner makes an exchange (tag) every 2 or 3 laps. It's like short track speedskating on wheels. For photos of Madison racing, please check out our Photo Gallery.

In addition to the "A" Madison main event, there will be racing with the newer riders at the velodrome taking part in the "AA" event. The Velo-Kids and some London Track League racers will also be racing.

Local London racers John Craig Jr., Jean "Bermuda" Bertrand, and Dave "No Hands" St. James will all be competing in the Team Race.

Because of work schedules making it difficult for out-of-town racers to make it to an event of this length, this race will feature all local Ontario riders. For many of the racers, this will be their first 6 Day event.

Teams will be introduced at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The total prize list including primes (special spectator sprint laps) could reach $1,500 at the end of the six days of competition. Speeds will average over 48 kph and many of the exchanges will take place well over 55 kph.

For spectators, adult admission is $10.00, seniors $5.00, and kids are admitted free.

Plan to attend the most exciting bike races you will ever see.

For more information, please call 1-888-508-3944.

Leg Speed at Forest City Velodrome
October 10, 2005

Niagara Falls' Gord Singleton, 1982 World Keirin Champion, put on quite a show at the Forest City Velodrome on Saturday, October 8, 2005. Gord wanted to keep a low profile at the event as it was his first time at our 138m velodrome. That being said, he entered the Madison and did a couple of sprints to round out the night. In the end, he was very happy with his performance, winning both sprints, with the leg speed and power of 20 years ago. In the Madison his team finished in 4th place, which was quite a thrill for his partner Martin Gledhill from Hamilton.

In sprinting you not only have to be able to think to out smart your rival, you also have to have fast legs. On the evening Singleton had both. Being able to turn the pedals at 150 to 165 rpm's means that you can hit speeds above 60 kph.

The sprint heat had Gord Singleton racing against 2005 Ontario Sprint Champion Multi-Laser rider Jeff Bakal from Kingston. They were clocked at 8.25 seconds with an average speed of 60.352 kph. This was just a bit slower than our Lap Record of 8.17 seconds or 60.821 average kph set by 2005 Canadian Pursuit Champion Zach Bell (Jet Fuel/Sympatico). The sprint between Bakal and Singleton was very tactical with the riders jockeying for position for 3 of the 5 laps. With 2 laps remaining Bakal tried to come over the top of Singleton. Going down the back stretch with Bakal half a wheel in front, Singleton turned up the leg speed and powered his way to a half wheel victory in the Sprint event. It was a very exciting race and the crowd loved it.

The evening was cut short with a nasty crash that happened after the finish of the Handicap Final. As the riders were coming across the finish line the rider on the bottom of the track was bumped on to the apron as the riders went through corners one and two. The rider on the apron having run out of real estate moved up the track into the path of the rider directly over him. This resulted in a chain reaction that caused five riders to go down. At the time Piers Davidge seemed to be the rider in the most discomfort. Emergency staff tended to Davidge, a track regular. He went to the hospital fearing a shoulder injury.

On Sunday night Piers reported that, while he spend a long night in the hospital, nothing is broken and he is bruised with soft tissue damage in his shoulder. He anticipates being able to get back into racing within four weeks. His bike did not fare as well as he shortened up the bike by 5 inches, destroying it.

In light of the nasty crash, we are reworking both Friday night sessions and the Saturday night programs. Please watch the website later in the week for more details.

Complete race results are now up on our Results page.

Velodrome News
October 10, 2005

It is only two weeks until the first 6 Day Race to be held in Ontario in over 35 years. The six teams are almost complete, with only two riders left to confirm the 12 "A" riders that will be participating in the event. We are also going to offer an "AA" division to race during the 6 Day. Please email Rob Good to confirm your entry.

Just a reminder that we are offering a program for young people under 17, the Velo-Kids sessions, on Saturdays from noon to 2:00 pm. Participants must have taken a Learn to Ride course.

Also, for those of you who would like practice at the Madison, we offer Interval Training sessions including Madison practice on Wednesday nights from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Racers "A" and "AA" welcome.

In racing news, we will be holding London Track League training races Friday night after the Sport Riding session from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. For further information on the Friday training session, please contact Rob Good. Spectators are welcome. Admission for spectators on Friday nights is free, however donations are welcome.

Riders interested in racing Saturday nights should contact Rob Good. Spectator admission is $10, Seniors $5. Racing starts at 7:00 pm.

We would like to hold a Bicycle Swap Meet sometime in November, perhaps on Saturday, November 5, 2005. A volunteer is needed to organize the event; please contact Rob Good if you'd like to help out.

Special Guest Gord Singleton to Appear Saturday, October 8, 2005
October 5, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome is delighted to annouce that Thanksgiving Saturday night, October 8, 2005 at the velodrome will be very special with the appearance of two-time Olympian, 1982 World Keirin Champion, two-time World Masters Champion Gord Singleton.

Gord's busy schedule has keep him away from the sport for a number of years. He is back on his bike training for "fun and recreation".

Gord will be getting reacquainted with the velodrome in the afternoon. He is hoping to acquire enough skill to participate in a couple of races in the evening. We just might have a Keirin to have some fun.

The track opens in the afternoon for warm-up with racing starting at 7 pm.
Adult admission is $10, $5 for Seniors. A full program of racing is planned with a demonstration Madison, Velo-Kids, and Devil with a Madison race to close the evening. A full schedule for the night can be found here.

Click here for Gord Singleton's bio. It promises to be a very exciting evening of racing.

Velodrome News
October 5, 2005

The schedule for Saturday, October 8, 2005 includes a Structured Recreational Ride in addition to the regular Velo-Kids and the Learn to Ride sessions:

Velo-Kids at Noon - 2:00 pm
Learn to Ride 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Structured Recreational Ride - 3:30 - 5:00 pm

The race committee has decided that for a new rider to race on a Saturday night they must complete 8 hours of track time and demonstrate the skill to compete in a safe manner. The areas we are concentrating on include bike handling, holding a line, knowledge of track rules, and being able to avoid dangerous situations.

The Sunday, October 9, 2005 track sessions have been cancelled for Thanksgiving. The program on Monday, October 10, 2005 will run as normal.

Track O-Cup #1 a Resounding Success
October 3, 2005

The racing at the first Ontario Cup Track event of the year on Saturday, October 1, 2005 was as hot as the weather outside. Saturday was the inaugural race of the 2005-06 series. Twenty-five riders raced in the afternoon session with another 10 riders adding to the field at evening events. Because the day was broken into two sessions the riders did the individual timed events in the afternoon with the head-to-head competition at night in front of hundreds of enthusiastic cycling fans who came to see some very competitive racing.

The day started with the 500m Time Trial, and 11-year-old Kyle Rupay from Peterborough set a quick time for the Velo-Kids at 48.75 seconds, a very respectable time for his first attempt. The Senior Women were led by Toronto's Emma Wensing who covered the distance in 43.50. John Craig of London posted a fast time of 40.00 seconds, an improvement on his time from the Provincials by 2.3 seconds.

In the Junior Men's Kilo, young Madison racer Vince DeJong cut 4 seconds off his previous best time to win the Junior event in a time of 1:16.75, a time that would have placed him fourth in the senior men's competition. With young racers like Vince coming along, it looks like good things down the road for our Juniors in 2006.

In the Senior Men's Kilo, Stratford's Adam Thuss, who represented Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2004, was 2 seconds quicker than his closest rival clocking in at 1:14.06.

The evening saw a ton of racing, including five rounds of Match sprinting that left all competitors feeling very tired at the end. In the finals Keith Thorarinson beat Taylor Martin 2 - 0 to win the Men's Sprint. John Craig made it two for two by just edging Garnett Abbey (Burlington) in the sprint final for Masters, and Emma Wensing edged 16-year-old Hayley Roberts in the Women's event. In the Junior 3 up sprint Joe Veloce (who just learned how to ride the track) was the winner. Honorable mention goes to Belmont's Alex Fournier who was a very close second.

Also in the evening session were Scratch races, Handicaps, and Madison events.

Overall it was a very good, safe, intense day of racing. Complete results can be found here.

Other Velodrome News
October 3, 2005

We all send get well wishes to Albert who has spent a couple of days in the hospital last week. Albert is resting comfortably and should be at the track this coming weekend.

On Wednesday, October 5, 2005 the velodrome will be closed all day for a private corporate function.

Final preparations are underway for the 6 Day Race being held the the last two weekends of October. Anyone interested in racing must pre-register by contacting Rob Good by email at Rob.Good@ForestCityVelodrome.ca or by phone at (519) 883-7849 by the end of this week. The program will be available shortly.

We will have a special guest at the races on Saturday, October 8, 2005, which will be confirmed and announced later this week.

Only eight shares of the track are left to be sold at a $500 each and include an evening of race action from the VIP Box.

$10,000 Challenge a Great Success and Other News
September 25, 2005

Lots of Spectators + Lots of Riders = Perfect Weekend of Racing at the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario.

Although the track record was challenged, Zach Bell's 8.17 seconds still
stands as the mark to beat in the coming months of racing. Over the two
days of racing a total of 53 riders took part in the All Seasons Sports $10,000 Challenge. Keith Thorarinson from Vancouver set a quick time of
8.37 seconds for the flying lap. Many of the racers set personal bests
over the weekend event. Other events included Scratch races, Keirins, Sprints, Devils, and of course the Nas-Track Madison Team Races. Race results can be found here.

Many of the racers were racing for the first time having graduated from our Learn to Ride program earlier in the summer. All racers had a blast, held their lines, and raced very hard. It's a credit to our volunteers who teach all of our riders how to ride and race on our 138 meter, 50 degree velodrome in a safe manner.

The Velo-Kids put on a great show with four of our under 12 year olds making it through to the Handicap finals. It's really neat to hear the crowd cheering for the underdogs. Our goal is to have 30 kids out on a Saturday night of racing.

Next Race

Come out for the Ontario Cup #1 race scheduled for Saturday, October 1, 2005 at 2:00 pm, with finals at 7:00 pm. Click here for more details.

Velodrome News

Our Forum on FixedGearFever.com is now live. To participate, click here (note that you will need to register as a user in order to read or post messages — registration is free). Whether you are looking to arrange car pooling to the track or you want advice on gear selection, the Forum is the place to go.

New ride times are now available on our Come to Ride or Race page.

The Octoberfest 6-Day Festival will be run over 2 weekends: October 21st through 23rd and October 28th through 30th, and will include both London Track League and Nas-Track Madison Team Racing.

Festa Italiana will be held in London on November 19, 2005. More details to follow.

Race Night Scoring: The Forest City Velodrome is in need of volunteers to help with results. If you can help please step forward.

$10,000 All Seasons Sports Challenge, September 23-24, 2005
September 19, 2005

This weekend at the velodrome promises to be a record breaking event with the $10,000 All Seasons Sports Challenge. With the help of All Seasons Sports in London, we have put together a program that the volunteers at the track believe will leave the spectators on the edge of their seats for the entire weekend.

Racing begins on Friday September 23rd and continues on Saturday September 24th at 7:00 pm. The track will be open at 5:00 pm for race warm-up. For out of town riders we recommend that you come early to get comfortable on the boards.

On Friday, September 23, 2005 at 7:00 pm, the Forest City Velodrome will have each racer attempt to set a track record for the flying lap. The event is sure to be a crowd pleaser, allowing spectators to enjoy watching the top speed of our racers. The track record of 8.17 seconds (Zach Bell - Jet Fuel Coffee/Sympatico) is sure to fall. The Velo-Kids will also be going after the quickest time in each of their age groups. Masters riders will be given a chance to set the mark in each age group up to age 80 Plus.

In addition to the Quickest Lap, on each night there will be a full race program of Handicaps, Keirins, Scratch Races, Sprints, Triple Threats, and
of course the Nas-Track Madison League.

Record Attempt Categories

The record attempts will be run separately for men and women in each age group.

10 years and under Velo-Kids
Under 12 years Velo-Kids
Under 14 years Velo-Kids
Under 16 years Velo-Kids
Under 19 years Juniors
Senior
Masters 30 - 39
Masters 40 - 49
Masters 50 - 59
Masters 60 - 69
Masters 70 - 79
Masters 80 Plus

Admission is for spectators is $10.00 for adults, seniors $5.00, children under 12 are admitted free.

See you at the track for the All Seasons Sports $10,000 Challenge!

Other News

The website has been updated with all of our ride times for the coming
months. Check out our Come Ride or Race page for up-to-date information.

Our velodrome and riders are currently being seen (not seen) in a Purolator
commercial — very cool.

Race Report for September 10, 2005
September 12, 2005

There was another solid night of racing at the Forest City Velodrome this past Saturday night with 32 riders contesting a total of 17 races. As the road season winds down, more and more riders are making their way to the boards to find out what all the buzz is about.

The Velo-Kids were integrated into the race program for the first time with 11-year-old newcomer Kyle Rupay and 14-year-old Andy Field fitting in with the London Track League during the evening. Some very young London area kids also came out to race and had a blast. We will be integrating the young racers more regularly on Saturday evenings throughout the fall and winter. Specific track time for the Velo-Kids is from noon to 2:00 pm on Saturdays. Participants must take a Learn to Ride clinic before taking part in the Velo-Kids sessions.

Adam Thuss set a quick time in the Dash for Glory flying lap competition on a rental bike in a time of 8.51 seconds, which is a very respectable time for this track. His new bike arrives later this week. In other action some new events were incorporated into the race schedule, including a Triple Threat Points Sprint race. It was new for the spectators as well as the riders. Taylor Martin won the event. Thuss and Eric Robertson tied for second. Vince Dejong was third.

John Murray, Maogosha Pyjor, Greg Palmer and Hayley Roberts all had good finishes in their events on the night. In the evening's featured race, a 3-Lap Handicap, Pyjor came out on top.

The feature event for the upcoming September 17, 2005 night of racing is the "Devil". With 15 riders contesting the final it will be anyone's race. The Nas-Track Madison will be done with pocket slings as the new shorts should arrive this week.

Only two weeks to go before the All Seasons Sports $10,000 Challenge with
racing both Friday and Saturday nights, September 23rd and 24th. The weekend will include racing for all London Track League racers and Nas-Track Madison Series events. The Challenge is for a rider to set a new lap record, covering the 138m of the track in under 7 seconds.

Other Forest City Velodrome News
September 12, 2005

All riders wanting to take a Learn to Ride clinic must pre-register. Check out our Come to Ride or Race page for details.

Please note that there is no open track time after Monday and Tuesday night Learn to Ride sessions.

All sessions are now $20 unless you are a member of the velodrome. Bike rentals are $10.

Grand Masters (55 years plus) "Huff & Puff" sessions will be held this week on Wednesday from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

The track will be open on Sundays from 12:00 noon beginning September 25, 2005.

The Velo-Kids Saturday clinics are held from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm.

Fall News at the Forest City Velodrome
September 6, 2005

With the summer season winding down, the volunteers at the velodrome
invite one and all back to the track for the kick-off of our Fall/Winter program season.

We had a very busy summer working out the programs for both recreational and racing sessions. The velodrome will continue to make changes to our
programming. Recreational and Grand Master sessions will be expanded in mid September. The track also needs to expand our volunteers to run these
sessions. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Paul McLean at camclean@uwo.ca for more information.

Over the past two weeks the London Track League Velo-Kids have been burning up the boards in an effort to do some racing on Saturday nights. In
preparation for the Velo-Kids, the track is going to run Saturday noon hour
programs beginning this Saturday, September 10, 2005 for the kids in order to give them even more track experience before their racing debut this Saturday night. All riders must have been through the Track Skills clinic
to participate. To register please email Rob Good at Rob.Good@ForestCityVelodrome.ca.

Once the Velo-Kids program gets rolling there will be five different
categories for the participants. Categories are age and ability based and therefore the age ranges overlap. Riders can move from one category to another as their skills increase.

Junior - Pee Wee - ages 7 years - 10 years
Junior - Sport - ages 10 years - 12 years
Junior - Teen - ages 11 years - 14 years
Cadet - ages 12 years - 16 years
Junior - ages 14 years plus

In addition to the Velo-Kids, the Grand Masters (60 years plus) will have
their own riding times through the winter. We will provide more information on this program next month.

Racers and recreational riders: If you have not been to the track in 30 days
you must come to take a refresher skills session so that you remember the
dos and don'ts of our 138 metre banked velodrome. The refresher can be done through the week or on a Saturday afternoon. This is for the safety of everyone. Also, race memberships are now due.

For a schedule of the Saturday, September 10, 2005 races, click here.

Plan to attend the All Season's Sports $10,000 Challenge on Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24, 2005. There will be two nights of exciting racing action with a $10,000 bonus for any rider setting a equivalent World Record of 6.8 seconds during our Flying Lap competition.

As you can see there are a ton of activities going on at the Forest City Velodrome. Please come down to the track to ride, race, watch or volunteer.

Youth Camp a Resounding Success
September 1, 2005

On Wednesday, August 31, 2005, the volunteers of the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario entertained 23 wide-eyed would-be track riders. Many of the riders had not seen the track before coming through the doors of the 138 metre velodrome. The young people ranged in age from 7 to 16 years old. Check out photos from the camp in our Photogallery.

The day started with a tour of our new track, showing the participants how the track was constructed, where our VIP Gondola is located and of course where the music comes from. The camp was intended to give all the riders a better appreciation for the facility that they were about to use.

The on-track activities began with instruction on getting in and out of toe straps. Next, the riders were put on the apron to do laps and get comfortable with their surroundings. The participants were broken into three different groups which will continue to be used for future clinics and the London Track League Youth Series.

The drills continued until most of the riders were getting on and off the track on the straights. Then the big question: How many would freeze and not go onto the track when asked? The answer: None! All the riders took the bull by the horns and one at a time got onto the 50 degree banking for their first laps, and not one touched a pedal (that's a good thing). Each rider got up on the track again, all before lunch (speaking of lunch our hungry bunch devoured 8 extra large pizzas in 10 minutes).

After lunch our Learn to Ride program morphed into, well, if riding with three riders in a line was good, then eight must be better. The participants developed their riding skills very quickly and by the late afternoon session all the riders (racers by now) wanted to show off their speed. So one by one the riders took turns at setting their fastest laps on the track. Each rider did two laps with the second lap being much faster than the first.

If you can imagine, we took young people with little or no bike riding experience and by the end of the camp they were buzzing around the boards like pros.

Thanks to our Camp volunteers for their huge effort, to all of the riders, and to the Ontario Cycling Association for making this skills camp a success. Thanks also to all the parents for trusting us with their kids for the day (not sure if they knew what the kids were getting into). We hope to put on many more camps as the months go on.

London Track League Youth Series
September 1, 2005

On Saturday, September 10, 2005, there will be two sessions offered on the track for youth who have taken our initial skills sessions. The first time slot from noon to 1:00 pm is for children ages 7 to 11. The second session will be from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm and will be aimed at young people ages 12 to 16. The track skills the riders will learn will enable them to race in the 5:00 pm Youth Racing Series and continue to participate in the regular Saturday evening races at the velodrome. All an interested rider has to do to get involved is to take our regular Learn to Ride track skills session and then email Rob Good at Rob.Good@ForestCityVelodrome.ca to register.

We would like to have a sponsor for the Youth Series. If you or your company is interested please contact Rob.Good@ForestCityVelodrome.ca to discuss the details.

Update on Youth Camp on August 31, 2005
August 29, 2005

As of 6:30 pm on Monday, 23 young people ranging in ages from 7 to 16 had registered for the Youth Camp on Wednesday, August 31, 2005. Some have been on the track before, while others have never used toe straps. An agenda of the day can be found here, although it may be adjusted depending on how the day proceeds.

This camp is a prelude to a Junior & Espoire Camp that we plan to hold during Christmas Break.

Beginning in September, Youth Track sessions will be held on Saturdays from noon to 1:00 pm, and from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Riders will have to pre-register each week until the numbers stabilize.

Also in September Paul MacLean will be starting a Structured Recreational Ride on Sundays beginning at noon, with a LTR Track Skills session following at 2:00 pm.

Remember we need more volunteers to make the programs work. Please contact Rob Good at (519) 883-7849 or by email at Rob.Good@ForestCityVelodrome.ca if you would like to volunteer.

OCA Partners with Forest City Velodrome
Posted: August 19, 2004

The Ontario Cycling Association and the Forest City Velodrome Association are pleased to announce a new program to introduce London area youth to the benefits of cycling in their community.

The program which is worth up to $7,000 will focus on camps and clinics over the next several months. A CompuTrainer for use at schools and drop-in centers in London will allow testing to help identify talented young athletes who may otherwise never have become involved with cycling. In addition there will be more youth-sized bikes for our rental fleet and an advertising campaign to attract children and young adults to the velodrome in south London.

We have continued to go to the community to bring youngsters to the track. Since we opened in April, our many volunteers have spent countless hours talking to the local cycling community to bring in new young riders. So far we have 13 young people who now come out regularly to ride. This number will increase substantially with the help of the OCA and its member clubs.

Our goal is to have 3 or 4 youth-age groups competing on a regular basis in our London Track League competitions.

Our first day camp for young people is scheduled for Wednesday August 31, 2005 from 10 am to 5 pm (lunch provided). The riders will be split into two age groups: 7 to 11 and 12 to 17.

The riders will learn basic track skills, from getting onto the track to proper track riding techniques with professional instructors and coaches teaching the youth. With the generous support of the Ontario Cycling Association, the $25 fee for the day-long session is being waived. The camp is open to the first 20 riders age 7 to 17 who contact Rob Good by email at rob.good@ypg.com or by phone (519) 883-7849.

We look forward to seeing everyone get behind this initiative which will help bring new faces into the cycling scene in Ontario.

Don't forget to checkout our website www.ForestCityVelodrome.ca for the latest riding and race schedules.

Racing continues this Saturday night August 20, 2005 at 7 pm. Get to your seats early so you don't miss a minute of the action.

Forest City Track Record Smashed on August 13, 2005
Posted: August 19, 2005

Thirty riders arrived at the Forest City Velodrome to entertain the spectators on Saturday night in London, Ontario. We could see a special performance was coming as early in warm-up Zach Bell (Jet-Fuel Coffee) did a roll out and unofficially clocked a 8.57 second on a flying lap. With track record in reach, 4 other riders were capable of winning the $120 prize for setting a new record at the 138m velodrome.

Once the regular racing got underway, many of the London Track League racers were setting personal best times in the Flying Lap competition which opens the racing program.

Down to the last 5 riders, first up was Taylor Martin (Hummingbirds). Martin had a huge gear on his bike and a new disc wheel on the rear. As he got up to speed and came down the 50 degree banking to start his lap, when entering turn one his rear tire exploded at over 60 kph. Martin kept the bike upright for 20m then his bike came out from under him and he slid through the banking and came a stop on the exit of corner two. He was attended to and came away with a raspberry the size of a hand on his hip and a scrape under his arm. It could have been much worse. When spoken to Sunday afternoon, Taylor indicated the he was fine other than not getting much sleep on Saturday night. He will be back next week.

After the crash, it took 15 minutes to repair the track as Martin's pedal had impacted the racing surface. Once racing resumed, Buck Miller (Jet-Fuel Coffee) who just got on the track in the afternoon did a respectable 9.49 seconds, Jean Bethrand (Bermuda) 8.60 seconds, Kitchener's Kurt Schreiter ( Waterloo Flying Dogs) came very close to breaking the lap record (8.47 seconds) with a time of 8.51 seconds. Last up was Bell who has represented Canada at World Cup track events, and is Canadian Track Champion in the Pursuit for 2005. Bell, with less than 1 hour on the track, got up to speed very quickly, and smashed the track record that was set in May by Vancouver's Keith Thorarinson. The new time to beat is 8.17 seconds which is 63 kph for the flying lap.

In other racing action, the Track League races were split into ability-based categories, with all the racing very close and competitive. There were a couple of outstanding performances. Getting their first wins at the track were David Bee (one of our instructors at the velodrome), Kelly Henry, Leah Holdsworth, Martin Gledhill, Marc Sugito and Dave St. James.

The Madison saw 6 teams entered, but with Martin having to withdraw because of his accident there were only 5 teams left to see who was the strongest on the night. The teams were very evenly matched. At the 100 lap sprint, 3 teams were in contention for the win, Team Blue with Kevin Black and Dave Byers, Team Black with Jean Berthrand and Zack Bell, and Team Yellow with John Craig Jr, and Junior racer Vince DeJong.

With 3 laps to go for the half way sprint, Team Blue missed an exchange, and were quickly lapped by both the Black and Yellow teams with DeJong jumping away to take the sprint. As DeJong made a clean exchange after the sprint with Craig the Black team missed their exchange, putting themselves in a big hole. As the race progressed DeJong and Craig never let up and did not miss an exchange. For the next 50 laps, they continued to attack and with 10 laps to go in the event lapped the entire field, and easily won a very entertaining Madison.

Racing continues, This Saturday Night August 20, 2005 at 7 pm.

Check www.ForestCityVelodrome.ca for updates.

Keirin Night at the Forest City Velodrome — August 6, 2005
Posted August 19, 2005

After a short summer break the racers at the indoor track in London, Ontario were back on the boards putting up some very fast times.

In the first event Taylor Martin (Hamilton) set a fast time in the Flying Lap Competition in a time of 8.74 seconds, just off the track record set in May. The record prize pool now goes to $110.00 for next week's racing. Newcomer to the velodrome Jean Bertrand (Bermuda) crossed the line in 8.97 seconds, not bad for his first attempt. Other notable improvements were Kelly Henry (Brantford), John Murray (London) and Jeff Cook (London) who all set personal best times on the night.

The Keirin competition was fast and furious, with 3 different winners on the night. We used a pace bike to bring the riders up to speed before the sprint began. The comments from the spectators was that the competition was different from the regular racing that we see every week. The winners of the Keirins were Marc Goveia, 3 time Canadian Track Champion in 2005, along with Taylor Martin and Jean Bertrand in his first night of racing. Jean has the speed, now he just has to get some track time to improve his skills and confidence. With the spectator response, we will be holding many more Keirin competitions in the months to come.

In other racing action the London Track League put on some very spirited races with many riders coming in for their first wins of the year. Eddy Pol hammered off the front in the Scratch race to take the victory early in the evening. Vince DeJong, Brian Kelly, Kelly Henry, and Jeff Cook were all winners in the Sprint and Scratch races throughout the night.

In the Youth Division, 15 year old Victor DeJong (younger brother to Vince) did a great ride in his flying lap at 11.68 seconds, more than 2 seconds better than his time of 3 weeks ago. Victor just graduated from our Learn to Ride program and should be racing with the London Track League in two weeks with a little more time on the track developing his skills and confidence. Seven year-old crowd pleaser Harry Gledhill from Hamilton almost made it on to the track during his flying lap ( he can get on the straight-aways) improved his time by 1/2 a second down to 15.91 seconds. The third rider 10-year-old Billy Rodniki did a lap in 14.92 seconds, an improvement of over 1 second from his last visit. These kids are examples of what can be done in a short period of time with the youth of London coming out to the track and getting involved with the velodrome.

We are looking for more youngsters to get involved with our learn to ride programs.

Racing continues next Saturday, August 13, 2005 at 7 pm.

For more information: www.ForestCityVelodrome.ca

We have expanded our riding times 6 days a week, with a new noon hour ride on Wednesdays. Sunday rides will start in September.

Forest City Velodrome Racing Schedule – August to December
First posted August 4, 2005 / updated November 19, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome is going to be a busy place in the final 5 months of 2005. Most races are on Saturday night and start at 7 PM. However, certain special events are planned for other days of the week. Please consult the schedule below.

For information about any of these events, please contact Rob Good by email at Rob.Good@ForestCityVelodrome.ca or by phone at (519) 883-7849.

August 2005

August 6	Keirin Tournament
August 20	Madison Season Opener
August 27	Sprinter’s Dream and Women’s Open

September 2005

September 3	NO RACING (Labour Day Long Weekend)
September 10	Handicap Special
September 17	Devil’s Wild #1 (Miss and Out)
September 23-24	$10,000 All Seasons Sports Challenge

October 2005

October 1	Track O-Cup #1
October 8	Turkey Night Special
October 15	University Challenge
Friday, Oct. 21	Friday Night Scramble
October 21-23	Octoberfest 6-Day International Classic (Part I)
October 28-30	Octoberfest 6-Day International Classic (Part II)

November 2005

November 5	Keirin Tournament
November 12	Madison Madness
November 19	London Italian Festival and Track O-Cup #2
November 26	Can-Am Challenge

December 2005

December 3	Track O-Cup #3
December 10	Night of Speed #3
December 17	Devil’s Wild #2 (Miss and Out)
December 24	NO RACING
Monday, Dec. 26	Boxing Day Madison Matinee (2 PM – 5 PM)
Dec. 26-31	Youth and Espoir Track Camp (days)
Dec. 31	New Year’s Eve Special Racing (2 PM – 5 PM)

Expanded Track Hours, Donated Bikes and Albert Get Well
Dated: August 1, 2005

Beginning in September look for expanded Saturday and Sunday track times, details to follow soon. We've already added additional weeknight track times and a Wednesday noon session. You can always find an up-to-date weekly schedule for the track on our "Come Ride or Race" page.

Other Velodrome News:

Everyone at the velodrome wishes Albert Coulier a speedy recovery after his few days in hospital last week. Albert is resting at home.

A big thank you goes to Andy and Sheri Laidlaw from To Wheels in downtown London for their support of woman's track cycling with the donation of two women's-sized bikes which are now part of our fleet. This will make it possible for women to have a bike that is properly sized. Thanks Sherri and Andy.

Racing returns this weekend, August 6, 2005. Events include sprints, Kierin, scratch races, Devil Take the Hindmost and the ever popular Madison. Racing begins at 7 PM. Check www.ForestCityVelodrome.ca for up to date track happenings.

Ontario Track Championship Report
Dated: June 18, 2005

What a weekend of racing! Racers came from Alberta, Nebraska, Detroit, Rochester N.Y. & across Ontario for the Ontario Track Championships at the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario. A total of 43 participants took to the boards on the weekend, the most competitors to take part in an Ontario Championship in many years. With all the volunteers in place the events went off on time with only one delay on Saturday afternoon when the Sprint competition went a little longer than expected and we had to start the Pursuits 45 minutes late. The last race of the night saw 7 Madison teams contest the 30-minute event on the 138m track with Richard Bell (junior) and Adam Thuss dominating the race.

Good luck to all the Ontario cyclists headed to Track Nationals beginning June 30, 2005. The Forest City Velodrome would like to thank all the racers, volunteers, Commissaires, City of London, Travelodge and of course the 450 spectators who came out to see the racing on Friday & Saturday. The 50/50 draws added over $350 to the Youth Programs at the velodrome.

The racing was fast and furious with the Men's Scratch Race, Points Race, and Sprint Final having the infield and every spectator standing & cheering as the competitors attacked each other over and over during the entire competition. Full results will be posted soon.

There is no racing for the next two weeks as the volunteers need a much-deserved early summer break. Racing will resume on July 9, 2005 at 7 pm.

Please check our website www.ForestCityVelodrome.ca for updated ride schedule for the rest of the summer.

Ontario Track Championships (June 17-18, 2005)
Posted: June 13, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome will host the Ontario Provincial Track Championships on Friday evening June 17th and Saturday June 18th.

The Championships are open to all licensed Ontario riders and to out of province riders with a UCI or USCF racing license. Listed below is the schedule of events.

Ontario riders wishing to be considered for the Provincial team at Track Nationals in Calgary (June 30 to July 3, 2005) MUST compete at the Ontario Track Championships.

Friday June 17th

3:00 PM to 6:40 PM	Warm-up and Open Track
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM	Registration
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM	Senior Men's Kilo, Women's 500 m, Junior 500 m, Masters 500 m
8:45 PM to 10 PM	Scratch races — all categories (Senior Men — 100 laps; Women, Junior, Masters — 60 laps)

Medal presentations for Friday events after last race.

Saturday June 18th

8:00 AM to 9:00 PM	Registration
8:00 AM to 9:20 AM	Open track
9:30 AM	Sprint qualifier (flying lap -- 138.1 m)
11:00 AM	Sprint heats (1st and 2nd rounds plus repechage)
1:00 PM	Individual Pursuit ( men — 4000 m; women and juniors — 3000 m; masters — 2000 m)
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM	Dinner break and Open track
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM	- sprint semi-finals - points races (senior men — 100 laps, sprints every 10 laps; women, junior, master — 60 laps, sprints every 10 laps -sprint finals -intermission (10 minutes) - Olympic sprint - Ontario Madison Championship

Medal presentations for Saturday's events follow the Madison event.

Entry fee $20 (all events included)
Discounted rooms at the Travelodge on Exeter Road (London),
1-519-681-1200 (Book Early)
Categories could be combined depending on entries
Only Ontario Riders can win Provincial Medals
UCI or USCF licence required

Contact: Rob.Good@ForestCityVelodrome.ca for more information

Saturday, May 7, 2005 Racing at the Forest City Velodrome
Posted: May 8, 2005

Racing Saturday night in London was fast and furious. Highbury Ford of London sponsored the night of racing which got off to a fast start with Keith Gauld (Waterloo Flying Dogs) of Simcoe out-sprinting Chris Helwig(Coachchris.ca) in the Unknown Distance event that kicked off the race night.

Members of the London Track League continued to race in three other events on the night. Helwig & Gauld were the strongest riders dominating the action with Gauld taking the 15 lap scratch race, with Simon Dearing (Coachchris.ca) squeaking into second position just ahead of the charging Helwig. In the 10 lap sprint race the finishing positions were reversed with Helwig holding off Gauld for the win with Dearing crossing the line in third position.

A crash involving Mary-Ellen Ash from Bay Cycle in Ajax put Mary-Ellen out of the race on the final lap of the Handicap event won by Independent rider Jim Henning from Guelph. Vince Delong (Hamilton Cycling Club) finished second with Phillip Thuss ( London) coming home in third position.

All eyes were on Ash who lay on the infield for several minutes. Mary-Ellen came out of her crash with 6 stitches above her eye. Her protective eye wear broke on impact and that is what caused the cut above her eye. It was good to see she was alright and her father indicated today that Mary-Ellen is to resume training later this week.

The other action that filled the racing program were four teams of NAS-Track Madison racers who put on a great spectacle by racing their way through four events on the night. In Madison competition the teams make exchanges between their partners to place the teammate into the race. Each event has designated points which are accumulated throughout the night to include all the events. Many times the winner of the race is not known until the final sprint in the last race of the night.

In the first 20 minute (150 Lap) Madison, the racing was very fast with lap times in the 9.7 second range (or 53 KPH on the 50 degree high banked corners of the 138 metre velodrome). The high speed separated the teams for most of the event. In the final sprint Adam Thuss ( London) of the Red Team out gunned the Yellow team of John Craig Jr. ( London) and Taylor Martin ( Hamilton). In hot pursuit for third place were Andre Champoux ( Ann Arbor, Michigan) and Piers Davidge ( Burlington). Sprinting home in fourth place was the Orange Team of Amy Maher ( London), the first woman to compete in Madison racing at the Forest City Velodrome, and her teammate Kurt Schreiter ( Waterloo), a rookie to Madison racing.

The next event was the Devil, a race where the last rider across the line is eliminated. Thuss again came home the winner just out-sprinting the Yellow Team riders of Martin and Craig. With their second and third place finishes the Yellow Team took over the points lead after two events.

In the Sprint race event Madison rookie Kurt Schreiter surprised the other competitors in the race as they fell asleep and Schreiter attacked to gain 1/2 lap lead in the short event and gained his first victory of the season.

In the final Madison of the night Maher and Schreiter again attacked the other teams who were all caught by surprise. The attack was short lived as the Black Team of Davidge and Champoux counterattacked to spread the field out again. The race was't over until the final sprint of the night where the Red team picked up the pace with five laps to go and crossed the finish line first with the Yellow Team of Craig and Martin closing very quickly in the final metres to come home in second place. It was a very entertaining Madison team race on the night.

Full results can be found on our Results page.

Special thanks to Highbury Ford for their sponsorship of the event, and to all of the riders who participated in the evening's races.

Racing continues next Saturday night, May 14, 2005 at 7:00 pm with more thrills and action at the indoor Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario.

Opening Night at the Forest City Velodrome, April 30, 2005
Posted: May 1, 2005

What a night. Local dignitaries were escorted into the velodrome by a Scottish bag piper that sent chills down my spines of athletes and spectators alike. The national anthem was sung by two London area singers who did a superb job, thrilling the crowd with their ending. The ceremonial ribbon cutting was handled by Bud Polhill from the City of London, Aaron Hershoff from the Canadian Cycling Association and Ontario Cycling Association (OCA) President Jim Crosscombe, whom also committed $5,000 this year and a matching amount for the 2006 season from the OCA. This money will be used for rider development with regular training camps for the High Performance athletes in the province.

Once again the seats were filled at the velodrome with new and old cycling fans waiting to see if the lap record would fall. As expected the lap record was shattered by Toronto sprinter Brooks Rapley in a time of 8.90 seconds.

Lots of action took place in the women's events with Julia Bradley winning
two of three races on the night.

Fourteen year old sensation Matt Robertson from the Waterloo Flying Dogs got the crowd on their feet cheering as he made a bold move over the top of the pack in the 25 lap scratch race. He stayed in the lead for 8 laps with the encouragement of the race fans. Robertson was caught with one lap to go by fellow Flying Dog Richard Bell, who was given a reprimand by the officials for taking his hands off the bars as he crossed the line. In other action,
Lawrence Laroux from Montreal and Todd Scheske from Rochester, NY put their names in the track's record book by winning on the evening.

Local track racer Chris Hauk had three tremendous races on the night. Hauk attacked late in the scratch race to win by three bike lengths. In his other events he came a little short for the win, but second and third were his best results of the season.

In the featured Madison event five teams took to the track with two teams from the Detroit area and three teams from Ontario. The event started off under control since three of the riders were racing in their first Madison. Early in the event, nineteen year old Adam Thuss had a spill during an exchange and destroyed his bike and could not continue. This left veteran Madison competitor Taylor Martin to continue on his own. This turned out to be to his advantage as he was going in and out with the Red Team who went on to lap the field three times during the event. In the final sprint Martin took control of the race and while he was first across the line, Team Red, with 18 year old Eric Robertson taking double pulls, finished first by lapping the field. Other local riders Piers Davidge and Nick Laughton were third after dominating the Miss & Out. The Toledo and Detroit team of Dave Teale and Jim Houston out sprinted local London rider John Craig and his partner Terry Palmer for 4th position in the final. For full results, please check out our new Results page.

Racing continues this Saturday night with a full slate of racing action.
Rumour has it several of the women have challenged the men to be included in the Madison. This should be very interesting for the local cycling fans planning to attend the racing.

On Wednesday night members of the velodrome will be practicing and training in preparation for Saturday night's event. If you are planning to race in the Madison you should come out to get some instruction and practice.

In other news, the winner of the logo design contest was Image #1 submitted by Joe McNamara from St. Andrews West in Eastern Ontario. We thank everyone who submitted a design and the over 700 individuals who voted for all eight logo finalists.

Forest City Velodrome Grand Opening, London, Ontario,
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Posted: April 25, 2005

On Saturday, April 30, 2005 at 7:00 pm, the lights will shine brightly at the new indoor velodrome in Canada. "We are planning for a full house of over 1,000 spectators for our Grand Opening," said Albert Coulier, the 87 year old who put the track into the London Gardens, an old ice hockey arena, with his two sons Bob & Ron Schelstrate.

"The racing last week was our trial run. Now that we have the race day jitters out of system, the event this week will be a more compact show lasting two hours," said Coulier. "If our first show was exciting, our second will be full of the same action packed racing."

The Official Grand Opening of the Forest City Velodrome with the ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place prior to the first race of the night at 7:00 pm. Many out of town riders have been invited to take part. The racing cyclists will come from the United States, the Province of Quebec, and of course Ontario.

Among the scheduled events is the lap record competition with a time to beat of 9.02 seconds. Other races will include 10 and 25 lap scratch races, an "unknown distance" race, and the crowd-pleasing Madison.

Many of Ontario Masters who are attending an open training camp on the weekend will compete in the evening's races.

For directions to the Forest City Velodrome, click here.

Gates open at 5:30 pm, the warm-up starts at 6:00 pm, with racing at 7:00 pm sharp. General Admission is $10.00, Seniors $5.00 (with or without coupon) and children under 15 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

Construction Update and April 22-23, 2005 OCA Camp
Posted: April 16, 2005

The work on the track is in its final stages with the riding surface in place. The apron will be laid on Sunday and the lines will be painted on the track by Tuesday of next week. Check out new pictures taken today of the velodrome on our Photo Gallery page.

All is go for the first race night on Saturday April 23, 2005 beginning at 7:00
pm. Adult general admission $10.00, Seniors $5.00 (with or without
coupon), kids under 15 years old receive free admission when accompanied by an adult. Plan to attend and see what all the excitement is all about.

The Ontario Cycling Association High Performance camp begins on Friday, April 22 in the evening and continues throughout the day on Saturday, April 23. Experienced track riders must apply to the OCA to get registered or contact info@ForestCityVelodrome.ca. NAS-Track Madison riders should be at the track after noon to get their on-track practice during the afternoon session of the camp.

Racers will pay no entry fee for any Saturday night program. There are many races during the program on Saturday nights (scratch, points, devils, dash for cash, handicaps) for non-Madison racers. Riders interested in racing on Saturday night should contact Rob Good for more information at (519) 883-7849.

There will be a ride schedule and Learn to Ride clinics announced next week
on our website.

It's time for everyone to get behind this project. Please send your tax deductible donation in today. For details on how to contribute, go to our How You Can Help page.

Masters Training Camp Scheduled for April 29-30, 2005
Posted: April 15, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome is pleased to announce an open track camp for Masters riders at the new velodrome in London, Ontario on Friday April, 29 through Saturday April 30, 2005. This camp will introduce riders to the facility and get them up to speed over the course of the weekend.

The purpose of this camp is to evaluate the fitness and potential of Masters Men and Women riders in preparation for the World Masters Games in Edmonton during the summer.

There is open track time on Saturday for new riders to get on the track and learn to ride. Dust off your old track bikes, glue on the tires, come out and give track a try.

Schedule:

Friday, April 29, 2005

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Track Learn to Ride program for first time riders of the London track

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
On track tempo riding and pace lines to get familiar with the track

8:00 pm
Flying 100m (timed)

Saturday, April 30, 2005

9:00 am – 10:00 am
Warm-up and Quickie Learn to Ride

10:00 am – 11:00 am
Flying 200m (timed)

11:00 am – 12:00 noon
Flying 500m x2 (timed)

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Flying 1000m (timed)

6:00 pm-10:00 pm
Racing: NAS-Track Madison League and regular mass start races

Cost:

FCVA and OCA members: no charge
Non Members: $50.00 for the weekend

Accommodation:

Travelodge London
Located on Exeter Road in London, Travelodge London is one minute to the velodrome.
Phone: 1-519-681-1200
Preferred Room Rate: $79.00 per room
(Mention "Velodrome" to receive this preferred room rate)

Registration:

Please email Rob Good at rob.good@ypg.com to pre-register.

Riding Surface Arrives; First Races Scheduled for April 23, 2005; Grand Opening Ceremony to be held on April 30, 2005
Posted: April 12, 2005

It is truly a pleasure for Albert Coulier and Rob Good to announce that the riding surface arrived at the Forest City Velodrome at the London Gardens in London, Ontario this afternoon. The installation started immediately and will take approximately one week to complete. "We expect riders to be riding on the track by Thursday, April 21st," said Albert, the 87 year old who is spearheading the project. For pictures of the construction process, see our Photo Gallery.

Coulier's sons, Bob and Ron Schelstrate, have designed and constructed the track to conform to all of the UCI's standards (the UCI is the world governing body for cycling). "The surface will be fast and smooth, every bit as fast as any Olympic velodrome in the world," indicated Coulier. Apollo Construction has built over 25 velodromes around the world in the last 50 years, including the 1976 Montreal Olympic velodrome.

London, Ontario will soon be the destination of thousands of recreational and racing cyclists from around North America who will experience the thrill of riding on a world class velodrome. "Programs are in place for children, youth and adults. Paralympic athletes will also be able to ride, train and race at the facility," said Coulier.

The first night of racing will be Saturday, April 23, 2005 at 7:00 pm. Many events are planned for the opener. Handicap and Chariot Races will feature the London Track League riders, with the Detroit-based NAS-Track Madison League also putting on several Madison races throughout the evening.

During the opening weekend, a training camp for experienced track riders is being held by the Ontario Cycling Association and supported by the Canadian Cycling Association. Over the coming weeks we will have many Learn to Ride clinics for cyclists to come out and experience the velodrome.

The official Grand Opening ceremony is scheduled for the following weekend on Saturday, April 30, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. The Grand Opening is being run in conjunction with the 37th Annual Springbank Park Road race put on by the London Centennial Wheelers Cycling Club.

Adult admission to the track is $10.00. Children under 15 are free.

Brampton Cycling Club Takes the Club Challenge
Posted: April 12, 2005

The Brampton Cycling Club has sent a donation of $500 to the Forest City Velodrome.

We at the Forest City Velodrome Association wish to thank the efforts of the club for their support and hope to see their members at the track in the coming months.

First Night of Racing Now Set for Saturday, April 23, 2005
Posted: April 7, 2005

As many of you know, April 16, 2005 was the date we were shooting for to open the Forest City Velodrome with exciting NAS-Track Madison and London Track League racing.

The good news is that the sub-structure for the new velodrome in London, Ontario is 99% complete. Today we put the finishing touches on the track in preparation for the laying of the riding surface.

Unfortunately the plywood did not arrive at our self-imposed deadline of 4:00 pm today and is not due to be delivered before Tuesday of next week. The craftsmen would not have enough time to complete their work and give us time to get riders trained on the track for our original opening date. The riders who would be competing have lots of track experience; however, we believe that by postponing the opening by one week we can safely bring all the racers up to speed. We do not want to have any mishaps on the track because of lack of riding time for the opener.

The rescheduled date for the first night of racing is Saturday, April 23, 2005 with a 7:00 pm start time.

We apologize for anyone who may have made special arrangements to attend the racing on the April 16th; however we are sure you all understand that we are at the mercy of the manufacturer of the plywood.

Volunteers Needed for Facility Clean-up, Saturday, April 9, 2005
Posted: April 7, 2005

This weekend there is a work detail at the facility beginning at 9:00 am Saturday to finish painting the grandstand seats and general clean-up. If you are in London drop by and lend a hand for a couple of hours.

Logo Contest Now Closed
Posted: April 4, 2005

Thank you to everyone who voted for the new logo for the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario. A total of 388 individuals voted for the 8 designs. At midnight last night the voting ended. The winner will be announced and unveiled at the Grand Opening in two weeks.

We at the velodrome want to thank everyone who submitted a logo for their support of the track. The winning design will be available on T-shirts and coffee mugs as a fund-raising effort for the track.

Construction Update
Posted: April 4, 2005

The plywood is due to arrive this week and the work crew is ready and waiting to begin the final installation. The grandstand seats are being painted this week, with 500 prime viewing seats on the two straight aways. The remainder of the grandstands will be carpeted for your comfort.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the opening evening. More information will be circulated about the Grand Opening as we get closer to completion of the racing surface.

Winner of Carbon Disc Rear Wheel Announced
Posted: April 4, 2005

The FCVA is pleased to announce that the winner of the carbon disc rear wheel, donated by long-time OCA member and track cyclist Greg Stephanson, is Kurt Schreiter of Kitchener with a bid of $250. Thanks to everyone who put in bids by the March 31st deadline.

Vote for Your Favourite Logo
Posted: April 1, 2005

Just a reminder that voting ends for the new velodrome logo on Sunday, April 3, 2005 at midnight. Go to our Logo Contest page to see all 8 logo finalists.

There have been 235 votes cast so far. Remember to only vote once.

Newmarket Eagles Cycling Club Donation Challenge
Posted: March 31, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome Association is very happy to announce that the members of the Newmarket Eagles Cycling Club have made a donation to to the new velodrome in London.

In early March, the Eagles sent out a challenge to all the clubs in Ontario to match or exceed their donations for the velodrome. Total donations came to $1,270. "This amount of money will go along way to supporting the Youth Learn to Ride programs in the coming months," said Albert Coulier, the builder of the velodrome.

Many of the donations were $10 and $25 amounts, with the Club itself contributing $500.

We at the velodrome wish to thank each member of the Newmarket Eagles for the generosity, and hope to see them at the track, either riding or spectating, in the near future.

Construction Update
Posted: March 31, 2005

Construction on the velodrome is nearly complete and we are projecting that riders will be on the track before the middle of the month of April. The riding surface will be arriving early next week. The first race night featuring the NAS-Track Madison League will be April 16th. Much more information will follow.

We will have a schedule of Learn to Ride "Track 101" programs posted on our website shortly.

First Forest City Velodrome Track Camp, April 22-24, 2005
Posted: March 30, 2005

The Ontario Cycling Association (OCA) and the Forest City Velodrome Association (FCVA) in London, Ontario are pleased to announce the first track camp at the new velodrome beginning on Friday, April 22nd running through Sunday April 24th, 2005.

This camp will introduce riders to the facility and get them up to speed over the weekend.

The purpose of this camp is to evaluate the fitness and potential of Junior, Senior, Women riders.

Schedule:

Friday, April 22, 2005

6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Learn to Ride program for first-time riders of the London Track

7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
On-track tempo riding and pace lines

8:00 PM
Timed Flying 100m

Saturday, April 23, 2005

9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Warm-up and Quickie Learn to Ride

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Timed Flying 200m

11:00 AM to 12:00 noon
Timed Flying 500m x2

2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Timed Flying 1000m

6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Racing: NAS-Track Madison League and regular mass start races

Sunday, April 24, 2005

11:00 AM to 12:00 noon
Standing Start Practice

12:00 noon to 2:00 PM
Time 100m from standing starts

2:00 PM to 2:30 PM
100 lap tempo roll-up to end the camp

2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Open Track time

Cost:

FCVA and OCA members: no charge
Non Members: $50.00 for the weekend

Accommodation:

Registration:

Go to the OCA website to register at www.ontariocycling.org or call Jamie at the OCA at 1-416-426-7401.

Construction Update
Posted: March 27, 2005

The construction of the Forest City Velodrome is progressing as we had hoped. Check out our new Photo Gallery for pictures of the substructure in corner number two. We are delighted with how smooth the transition is from the banking to the straight. Such construction will allow for easy overtaking during racing action.

On Saturday afternoon, March 26th, the Côte d'Azur was being laid on the bottom of the track. The seamless transition from the apron to the racing surface will be super smooth with no separation from one to another.

We are waiting for the plywood to arrive. The plywood should be delivered sometime within the next few days. It will take approximately five days to install the plywood and to paint the lines. We are still confident that our first night of racing will be in April. The exact date will be confirmed as we get closer to completion of the construction.

A special thank you to Ron and Bob Schelstraete and the crew of dedicated craftsmen who are putting together one of the finest velodromes in the world. Of course without the guidance of their father Albert we would not be within two weeks of opening.

Lastly, operationally we are need of donations. If you can spare any amount of money we would greatly appreciate any donation. A tax receipt will be
given to any donation over $20.00. Also, if you want to buy a piece of the
track for $500.00 we still have 22 shares available. For more information about donating or buying a share of the track, please go to our How You Can Help page.

Rudy Project USA Becomes a Partner
Posted: March 23, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome in London Ontario is pleased to announce that Rudy Project USA has jumped on board to be our 20th Sponsoring Partner.

In preparation for the opening night of racing in April, Rudy Project USA banners will be strategically placed around the velodrome to promote the "Really Cool Eyewear" from Rudy Project.

The contact with the corporate offices at Rudy Project were made through Pittsburgh resident Pat Lyons. Mr. Lyons operates a racing team in the Pittsburgh area, and intends to bring his team to the 142m velodrome in the coming months. Lyons, an ex-pro hockey player who played Junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires, spent many nights playing hockey in the London Gardens where the velodrome is being built. Lyons said "we are 6 hours away from London, but I know that the velodrome will improve the skill
level of our riders very quickly. We look forward to racing against riders from Ontario & Quebec."

Everyone at the velodrome are very excited about the developments in South London. The business community in London are asking many questions about the velodrome and want to find out how they might get involved with the indoor facility. Many new cycling fans are looking forward to attending races at the track. The Saturday Night Racing which will include regular track league action and NAS-Track Madison racing beginning April 16, 2005.

Logo Contest Launched for Forest City Velodrome
Posted: March 2, 2005

Attention all graphic designers and artists. The Forest City Velodrome Association is holding a "Design our Logo" contest. Use your imagination, be creative, go crazy, and have fun with the images you create. You can submit two designs for consideration.

Please submit your work before March 18, 2005.

A panel will select the five top designs and then it's your chance to vote on the ultimate winning design. We'll be sending out the top five designs in our e-newsletter and we'll post them to our web site. Our new logo to be used on stationery, T-shirts, hats, and other merchandise that we will make available in the next few months. Once the five designs are posted all you have to do is email us at info@ForestCityVelodrome.ca indicating which design you prefer. Only one vote per email address (no tampering with the votes).

Everyone who submits a design will receive a complimentary free pass to our opening NAS-Track Madison event (date TBA).

The contest closes April 3, 2005. The design with the most votes will win. The winning design will be unveiled at the opening NAS-Track Madison event in April.

The winner of the contest will receive one year free membership at the velodrome, their name on the Wall of Fame, ten VIP box seat passes for a NAS-Track Madison event during the Winter season, and one week free pass for two to the first 6-day race of the season, the Oktoberfest Gran Prix 2005

Please send all designs to info@ForestCityVelodrome.ca by March 18, 2005.

Cyclo Sprint Signs on as Corporate Partner
Posted: March 2, 2004

Long time track racing supporter Rene Kosko from Cyclo Sprint, Chambly QC and the Forest City Velodrome are pleased to announce that Rene's company has agreed to become a partner at the new track in London Ontario.

Rene, who in the late 1960's was a regular combatant at the Delhi Ontario indoor velodrome, has stepped up to help out with sponsorship. Rene specialized in 6-day track races during that period. He also competed at the Montreal Olympic Velodrome in the 1970's. "The velodrome in London is going to run three 6-day races in the winter season beginning in September, and I look forward to attending at least two of them. My goal is to help promote track racing in Canada and getting new riders involved with the velodrome," said Kosko.

The Forest City Velodrome Association welcomes Cyclo Sprint as a sponsor. With Rene's knowledge and product selection at his store we look forward to a long relationship. You can get in touch with Cyclosprint through their web site at www.Cyclosprint.com or through email at info@cyclosprint.com or by telephone at (450) 447-1777.

Travelodge Hotel Advantage Details
Posted: March 2, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome is pleased to extend the following offer from the Travelodge hotel chain: Anyone who is traveling on business or pleasure in the Windsor, Chatham or London areas of Ontario need only to mention "velodrome" when booking accommodation at the local Travelodge to receive a preferred room rate.

Travelodge is a corporate partner of the velodrome. Regional Manager
Brian Yeomans has arranged for the best corporate room rates for your stay. Not only will you or your staff receive a preferred room rate, but the velodrome will receive a rebate for each stay at one of the Travelodge properties.

You are part of the velodrome project and we wanted to give you even more reasons to get involved with making the Forest City Velodrome the most successful it can be.

We challenge you to get the word out to all of your cycling friends and encourage them to take advantage of this outstanding offer from the Travelodge hotel chain.

For more information, contact Rob Good at info@ForestCityVelodrome.ca.

Newmarket Eagles Cycling Club Fundraising Challenge
Posted: February 26, 2005

The Newmarket Eagles Cycling Club have issued a challenge to all cycling clubs in Ontario. Each member of the Newmarket Eagles who makes a tax deductible donation to the London velodrome project will have their donation matched by the club. The Newmarket Eagles are challenging other clubs to set up similar programs.

Now it is your club's turn to step up and support the Forest City Velodrome, the first new velodrome to be built in Ontario in over 25 years.

These are some of the benefits of the challenge:

Your club's portion of the donation over $500.00 would allow the club to purchase a share in the velodrome.
Members making a donation of $20.00 or more would receive a tax receipt. Individuals should fill out the donation form.
The club's name would be added to the Wall of Fame.
Special arrangements would be made to allow club members to come and try out the velodrome at no cost.
The club would be the presenting sponsor at one of our Saturday Night NAS-Track Madison races.
Access to the VIP Box on your club's race night.
Publicity for your club through a link on the Forest City Velodrome site.

Please contact Rob Good at (519) 883-7849 for more information or email us at info@ForestCityVelodrome.ca

The Forest City Velodrome Association would like to thank the Newmarket Eagles Cycling Club for their support and initiative in getting this club challenge off the ground.

Three New Corporate Sponsors Sign On
Posted: February 24, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome Association is pleased to announce that three additional corporate partners have come on board for the opening of Ontario's new indoor bicycle track.

Travelodge, a national hotel chain in Canada with a property within one minute of the velodrome in south London will make available discounted rooms for visitors of the track. Exact details are still being worked out and should be finalized by this weekend. Travelodge locations in Windsor, Chatham and London will be participating in the program. All a guest needs to do to receive a discounted room is mention the velodrome when booking. Whether you are on business or coming to the track, plan to stay at your local Travelodge. Book in advance at www.Travelodge.ca. This program will save racers a lot of money. We welcome Brian Yeomans and his staff at all the Travelodge properties participating in the program.

Tourism London is the second partner this week to affiliate with the velodrome. This is a unique partnership as we will be working together to bring recreational riders and racers to the London area to train on the track throughout the year. It is estimated that 15,000 riders, their friends and family members will come to London in the next 12 months as a direct result of the velodrome. These visitors will shop, go to restaurants, and stay over night, giving a lift to the local economy. John Winston, General Manager of London Tourism, indicated that he and his staff are looking forward to introducing all the new visitors to London. More information on London can be found at www.LondonTourism.ca.

Adventure Bound from British Columbia have agreed to make a Prorace or Isaac Carbon track bicycle available for the rental fleet at the track. Adventure Bound distributes a complete line of mountain, road and track bicycles to the Canadian market. Adventure Bound owner Jean Guillemette from Fort St. John, BC is very excited to have the visibility of the indoor track in London to promote his line of bicycles. "The Southern Ontario market is new for us. We want to have dealers set up this summer and fall," said Mr Guillemette. "This is a win-win for Adventure Bound and the velodrome. When new riders come to the track to learn how to ride, they will be able to use one of our new machines and then go to a local dealer to buy the bike they had just taken for a spin." A complete line of products can be found at www.AdventureBound.ca.

Toronto Bike Show Reminder
Posted: February 24, 2005

Just a reminder that we will be at the Toronto International Bike Show at the CNE, March 4-6, 2005 at Booth #781. Please drop by and see a miniature version of the velodrome, pick up some flyers, ask questions, make a donation, buy a share, or become a member of the association.

Construction Starts on Velodrome
Posted: February 18, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome Association is pleased to announce that our contractor started assembly of the first sections of the Forest City Velodrome on Thursday, February 17. Work has started 2 weeks earlier than we had estimated.

The track will be built in sections off site. Once the structure is ready, the material will be delivered to the facility in London for final assembly. We hope to have pictures early next week. This is a very exciting time for the cycling community in Ontario.

London Velodrome at the Montreal and Toronto Bike Shows
Posted: February 12, 2005

The Forest City Velodrome will be represented at the Montreal Bike Show, February 18th-20th in the Adventure Bound Booth.

A special thank you to Leonard Hill for making the arrangements for us to be in attendance in the Montreal area market. Adventure Bound distributes the Prorace and Isaac Track Frames in Canada. The bicycles will be available from dealers in Southern Ontario.

There are many track cyclists who race in Quebec through the summer, and It is our intention of bringing these riders on a regular basis to compete in London throughout the winter. Please drop by our booth and find out what's new at the velodrome.

We would also like to thank Canadian Cyclist (Rob and Tracy) for their generous donation of their Booth #781 at the Toronto International Bike Show, March 4th-6th. The Toronto show is at the National Trade Centre at the CNE, in downtown Toronto.

At the Toronto Show, a miniature version of the Forest City Velodrome will be at the booth. The display area will promote our programs for youth, handi-sport, racing and fitness programs for the recreational riders who will use the facility.

To help promote the track, flyers, tax deductible donations and membership forms will be accepted at both events.

Volunteers are required for the Toronto show. If you can help out, please email Rob Good at Rob.Good@ypg.com. The show runs from Friday, noon until 9 pm, Saturday 10 am - 8 pm, Sunday 10 am - 6 pm.

Velodrome Construction Scheduled to Begin
Posted: February 12, 2005

Building materials for the velodrome have been ordered and should take approximately two weeks for delivery. Once work begins, the completion of the first phase (velodrome) of the multi-use sports facility should take 4-6 weeks. During this time, we also plan to paint portions of the inside of the building, the seating area, and the wall at the top of seating area (standing room), as well as move some of the seats to the centre of the grandstands.

The Forest City Velodrome is being designed and built by long-time velodrome contractor, Albert Coulier and Sons. The plans call for a 142 metre portable velodrome which will fit into the vacant Ice House hockey arena in south London. The structure will be constructed of wood and metal to the high standards of the UCI, cycling’s international regulatory body.

The dimensions of the velodrome will be 16 feet wide, with 16 degrees of banking on the straightaway and 50 degrees in the corners. With this design, the track will be able to handle speeds up to 75 kph, well within UCI standards.

During the construction phase we also plan to install ramps over the stairs at the top of the building to enable walkers and runners to train. It is our intention to install a running mat to cover the floor and make the building more pleasing to the eye and more suitable for runners' use.

We plan to install flooring on the infield for our children's program. This program will teach bicycle safety and skills to the youth in the community from ages 4 to 11. Once they graduate from the beginner program they can advance to the "Champions of the Future" program where they will ride and train on the velodrome in hopes of one day representing Canada in international competitions.

This initial phase takes us to early April 2005, with the completion of the velodrome and the other improvements listed above. Track riding and programs will begin with events every Saturday night.

Phase 2 involves the use of the infield, where plans have flooring going down for other sports like volleyball and basketball, to be available for use throughout the year.

This should take us to September 2005 when all plans, programs and events will be re-evaluated to see which should be modified to meet our needs.

Agreement Signed for Velodrome Venue
Posted: February 11, 2005

An agreement has been reached between Atinar Properties and the Forest City Velodrome Association to construct and operate an indoor portable velodrome and multiuse sports facility in the old Icehouse in the south end of London, Ontario.

Once completed, this will be the first new velodrome in Ontario in 25 years.

The construction of the velodrome will begin immediately, with a scheduled completion date in mid- to late March 2005. The track will be 142 metres, ideal for instruction, training, and racing. A more in-depth program schedule will follow in the coming weeks.

Rob Good Reports on Fundraiser Kick-Off Meeting
Posted: January 14, 2005

Albert Coulier and I would like to thank everyone for coming to the Forest City on Saturday, January 8, 2005 for the kick-off meeting at the velodrome building.

To all the volunteers a huge thank you for taking the attendees around the building and showing off the VIP Gondola. Thanks also to Brad Day for the stage and the members of the LCW and Waterloo Cycling Club for set up and teardown. Finally, thanks to the vendors and corporate partners for setting up displays and helping out with refreshments.

With over 100 cyclists in attendance it is a great way to kick-off the velodrome project.

Steve Karpik has generously offered to set up our web site and online donations. The web site should be up shortly.

For those of you from out of town, London is known to the locals as the Forest City. London Velodrome has been registered as a website by someone else. For this reason I believe the Forest City Velodrome will be our name used. Let me know what you think.

Thanks again for your support.

Yours in sport,
Rob Good

St. Thomas Bicycle Shop for the Forest City Velodrome
Posted: January 14, 2005

Paul Fagan, owner of Paul’s Bicycle Repair in nearby St. Thomas (10 kilometres from the velodrome) has agreed to be a Sponsoring Partner at the new Forest City Velodrome.

Paul, a long time racer, has committed to helping out the track racing program in the upcoming months. "My main focus is recreational riders and to bring a little bit of a Zipp to the proposed Wednesday Night Race Series."

"This project is fantastic for the cycling community in the London area. Kids will learn how to safely ride their bicycles at a very young age. It is my intention to support the velodrome any way I can," said Fagan. "The next step is to get the cities of London and St. Thomas in step with the track project."

Photo Timing System for Forest City Velodrome
Posted: January 14, 2005

The London Centennial Wheelers in London, Ontario have allowed the use of some high tech photo finish timing equipment to be used at the proposed new velodrome in the Forest City.

The equipment will be operated by local riders who have experience at the handling the system. Greg Palmer from London will be spearheading the project. Palmer noted that "with the accuracy of the system we will be able to call even the closest finishes."

Thanks to all members of the London cycling community for support of this project.

Forest City Velodrome at Toronto Bike Show
Posted: January 14, 2005

A special thank you to Canadian Cyclist is in order for allowing the Forest City Velodrome to partner with Rob and Tracy at the Toronto Bike Show March 4-6, 2005 at the Convention Centre at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto.

We will have access to Canadian Cyclist’s 10' x 20' display area to help promote our youth, handi-sport, racing and fitness programs. We will introduce the new logo for the velodrome as well as continuing our fund raising efforts.

Our main goal at the show is to illustrate what we have planned for the coming months.

Membership and tax deductible donations forms will also be available at the booth.

Again thank you to Rob and Tracy for their generous gift of valuable floor space in their booth.

Volunteers will be needed to man the booth during all of the show hours. If you are available please Rob Good at rob.good@ypg.com with the time you are available.

The Bicycle Shop Signs on as Corporate Partner
Posted: January 14, 2005

Long time competitive cyclist Terry Detheridge, owner of The Bicycle Shop on Clarence Street in Brantford, Ontario, has signed on to be a new Corporate Partner with the Forest City Velodrome in London.

"This new track in London will kick start a segment of the bicycle industry [track cycling] that has been very sluggish in recent years. I think there are many old time track riders dusting off their track bikes right now. Let’s hope they are in good enough shape to do some racing," commented Detheridge.

London Velodrome Announces New Sponsors
Posted: January 11, 2005

Chris Hauk, owner of Colony Cabinets, is pleased to be added to the growing list of Corporate Partners at the Forest City Velodrome in London, Ontario.

Colony Cabinets is located in Strathroy, Ontario, only 30 minutes from the proposed velodrome. Mr. and Mrs. Hauk are avid cyclists who started riding on the track last summer in Detroit where they got hooked and by the end of the 2004 season they were very competitive racers. Chris indicated "this is a marvelous opportunity to give back to the community, help the kid's programs and see local Ontario athletes go to the Olympics."

"Christine and I are looking forward to riding, racing and volunteering when the new velodrome gets constructed in the near future," said Mr. Hauk.

The good news just continues for the Forest City Velodrome. Delta Faucet Canada with 250 employees has committed to become a Corporate Partner with the velodrome project.

Marking the company's 100th anniversary this year in the City of London, company president Mr. Vasken Altounian is 100% behind the project. "We were contacted by our Indianapolis plant to investigate the velodrome in London. As our company has many competitive and recreational cyclists in both cities, we thought that it would be a great way to support the community and celebrate our 100th anniversary," said Altounian. "Delta Faucets use to make wood wheels back at the turn of the century while faucets were brass already. We are an active recruiter from Fanshaw College and a contributor to various city causes such as the Thames Valley Children's Centre, so the youth programs proposed for the velodrome are of particular interest."

We are excited to bring Delta Faucet Canada on to the growing Corporate Partner list. It will be exciting in the fall to have all the employees and families of Delta at the track cheering the racers on. Good thing we have seating for 3,000 spectators.

More Support for London Velodrome
Posted: January 6, 2005

The new London Velodrome is proud to announce an agreement with Gita North to support the velodrome project in London, Ontario.

Gita North is the Canadian distributor for Giordana Cycling Apparel, Pinarello and Eddy Merckx bicycles (both of whom manufacture track cycling bicycles and frames), Diadora shoes, and Gatorade.

The owners of Gita North are very excited about the potential to be a strong partner in this new project. The future looks bright for the cycling community of London and southern Ontario.

In particular, the Diadora line of shoes will be a great complement to the rental needs of the velodrome. The youth programs at the facility will certainly be enhanced with the availability of shoes for our young riders in the novice group and "Future Champions" series.

Additionally, Gita North is excited to help foster future successful fundraising events with their well-established line of Gatorade products.

Gatorade will be available along with Tim Hortons coffee at the velodrome kick-off this Saturday in London.

New Partner for London Velodrome
Posted: January 6, 2005

It is with great pleasure the London Velodrome Association is able to announce that KHS Bicycles, manufacturers of the KHS line of track bikes, has jumped on board to be a Sponsoring Partner, along with their dealers in the London area. KHS will support the youth programs being developed at the velodrome with a rental fleet of track bikes. KHS understands that this is a great opportunity for new and experienced cyclists in the southern Ontario.

Representatives from KHS and their local dealers will be on hand Saturday afternoon to answer questions at the fundraising kick-off for the new velodrome.

Doors open at 2 pm with the meeting starting at 3 pm.