Kissena Park Velodrome (New York City, New York)

 Upload a photo
Website: kissenavelodrome.info/

Queens Chronicle October 3, 2002
by Liz Rhoades

A major renovation project on the Kissena Park Velodrome got under way
this week and is expected to take three weeks to complete. "This is fantastic
news. We've been waiting for this for a long time," said John Campo of the
Kissena Cycling Club.

According to the Parks Department, allocations of $192,000 have been
made. An additional $80,000 in private gifts will be used to add guard rails
and accessories. Queens Parks Commissioner Richard Murphy, who has been
trying to find funds to upgrade the cycling facility for years, said the
funding will allow for a complete renovation of the Velodrome. "It's a
wonderful thing. I have been trying to get it done for 10 years and now
bicyclists of all ages will be at their peak to train there for the 2012
Olympics." New York City is one of two American cities in the running to
host the summer games that year.

Built in 1962, the Velodrome is located off Booth Memorial Avenue and
150th Street. Over the years, the facility had fallen into disrepair. Three
years ago the city was able to repave the straightaway areas but didn't have
enough money or the proper equipment to do the banked turns. Despite the
bumpy areas and rough spots, dedicated racers continue to work out there
in good weather. The cycling club holds meets there from May to August.

A plaque on a flagpole near the cycling track indicates that it was
constructed 40 years ago and was named for Siegfried Stern, a parks
benefactor and well-known Flushing businessman. In 1964, the U.S.
Olympics trials for speed cycling were held there.

Although membership has decreased over the last few years from a high of
300, Campo said there are about a 100 steady members now. He expects
membership to increase greatly once the new track is completed. "Next
year, I expect to double the ridership there from 175 this year to well over
300," he said. Riding there since 1984, Campo commutes on public
transportation with his bike to Kissena Park from his home in Manhattan, a
trip that takes over an hour.

"The Velodrome was really bad when I first started there but the club has
always had a good program, the best in the country. Cycling is the joy in my
life." Campo, a contractor, believes the Velodrome will definitely be used for
Olympic training and for the World Cup, leading up to the Olympics. The
nearest velodrome to Kissena is in Pennsylvania, a 1-1/2-hour drive, so
local members believe there is great potential here when work is completed
on the track. "This is terrific; something that's been needed for a long time,"
Commissioner Murphy said. "We even got the Department of Transportation
to pave the adjacent parking lot in a mitigation." Campo can't wait until the
next cycling season and is pushing to get landscaping and other amenities
completed by that time.

The Velodrome in Kissena Park (Flushing, Queens) reopened in 2004 after
major renovations. This bike racing track, originally built for the 1964
Olympic trials, had been neglected until an overhaul in 2003. Now the
beautiful 400-meter banked asphalt racing track features viewing stands, a
fence, and a tower for race officials.

The Kissena Park Velodrome is full of racers from May through September,
run by the Kissena Cycling Club
The Kissena Cycling Club promotes events at the track. There are races
throughout the week and on the weekend. Check the Kissena Cycling Club's
Velodrome schedule for regular racing times and for after-school classes
and free or public time. This public track is open to those with the proper
track bikes, as well as professional racers.

Known in the cycling community as the "track of dreams," the Kissena
Velodrome re-opened on Wednesday, April 21, 2004 in Flushing, Queens
after a nearly two-year hiatus. The 400-meter, state-of-the-art track now
boasts new asphalt pavement finished with a special acrylic seal coat, new
landscaping and trees, bleachers, a custom-designed perimeter fence,
regulation racing lines, and new drainage. The Kissena Velodrome has been
transformed from a patchwork, bumpy track into a sleek, state-of-the-art
cycling facility.
Some information retrieved from the following sites.

www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/cyclingtracks
mas.org/the-kissena-velodrome-a-place-that-matters/
www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/kissena/kissena.html
www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=5587941&BRD=2731&PA...

If you want to see a few pictures hit these pages:
www.queens.about.com/cs/parks/p/velodrome.htm
 velodrome  Add category
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:  40°44'37"N 73°48'33"W
This article was last modified 5 years ago