DC Velodrome now looking at Montgomery County

[DrVoidberg]

@PotomacCyclist 106294 wrote:

The plan for a temporary velodrome in Buzzard Point, on the site of the future D.C. United soccer stadium, has fallen through. So now DC Velodrome is looking at a location in eastern Montgomery County. The velodrome “could” be built this summer, but we’ve seen other dates that have come and gone. I doubt I would ever use it, but it might be interesting to see a live event there, if they ever manage to build it.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2015/01/dc-velodrome-sets-sites-on-montgomery-county-for.html

That’d be pretty cool! I’d definitely go to watch and possibly to try a beginner’s class if they offered rentals.

[Powerful Pete]

Is there enough potential business/interest for a velodrome?

A covered velodrome would be great… although I might then stop this BAFS nonsense if I could do mindless velodrome laps…

[vvill]

I would use it if it existed. Would be amazed if construction started as early as this summer!

[PotomacCyclist]

I remember reading other statements in the past about the velodrome starting up six or nine months later, but nothing ever happened. So I would be skeptical about any opening dates until the velodrome has actually been built.

https://twitter.com/DCVelodrome/status/139442037123596288

I’m not knocking them. I’m just pointing out that the process has been going on for a while. Good luck though.

[sleeplatekate]

A velodrome in Montgomery County would be wonderful. Do we have a Tony Eberhardt, like at the former New England Velodrome, to pour heart and soul into it? http://www.cxmagazine.com/eberhardt-interview-new-england-velodrome-cyclocross-racing

(They finally lost the lease for good in 2013 to go-karts, after cleaning up piles and piles of mosquito-filled tires, spending five years building infrastructure and a huge following of cyclists for holding events, and making everything nice out there.)

I guess we would actually need to win an Olympics to have a permanent velodrome. Maybe Boston will finally get theirs in 2024. Boy, would it be awesome to have a local track.

[mstone]

I hear it’s going to come with a unicorn.

[PotomacCyclist]

Do they ever combine velodromes with other activity centers? Maybe a skateboard park, or a bike obstacle course/indoor “mountain bike” course? Some of these actually look pretty cool, like Ray’s MTB in Cleveland and Milwaukee:

http://www.raysmtb.com/

While it means more initial start-up costs for construction work, it also means more continuous demand. There aren’t going to be that many velodrome events during the year. Even with track cycling classes, the center might not draw enough people. If it were combined with a bike obstacle or MTB course, you would get a broader customer base and more activity and paying customers. The start-up costs would be more substantial, but it seems like this could be a better way to create a stable and long-lasting business. I’m not sure I would ever use a velodrome but I would be interested in a bike course like they have at Ray’s MTB in OH and WI.

[mattotoole]

I had great fun at the Olympic Velodrome in LA, occasional sessions with friends.

It’s a natural for kids who grew up riding and racing BMX bikes and generally zipping around the neighborhood. Some are great athletes but can’t or don’t want to get into traditional road or mountain bike racing. Showing up for a velodrome session a couple of times a week is a lot easier, and wonderfully social.

It would be great to combine with BMX, MTB and cyclocross courses in one park, connected to neighborhoods via bike path. We’re hot on the idea for Richmond too, which already has a MTB skills course.

[Raymo853]

@PotomacCyclist 106375 wrote:

Do they ever combine velodromes with other activity centers? Maybe a skateboard park, or a bike obstacle course/indoor “mountain bike” course? Some of these actually look pretty cool, like Ray’sMTB in Cleveland and Milwaukee:

http://www.raysmtb.com/

While it means more initial start-up costs for construction work, it also means more continuous demand. There aren’t going to be that many velodrome events during the year. Even with track cycling classes, the center might not draw enough people. If it were combined with a bike obstacle or MTB course, you would get a broader customer base and more activity and paying customers. The start-up costs would be more substantial, but it seems like this could be a better way to create a stable and long-lasting business. I’m not sure I would ever use a velodrome but I would be interested in a bike course like they have at Ray’sMTB in OH and WI.

I agree, a combo center would be grand. Hope it could be in a location close enough to DC to ride to on your MTB/Park bike or track bike. Would also be nice to have an outdoor pump track type thing.

What about Anacostia? I am biased since I ride there all the time, see all the open land, and suspect DC could get behind such a center better than Montgomery CO Maryland with the new governor.

[PotomacCyclist]

A climbing wall could be a good addition. It wouldn’t have to take up too much horizontal space. That would draw a different group of action sports enthusiasts. Maybe a free running/parkour obstacle course too, like what you see on American Ninja Warrior and Ninja Warrior (Sasuke). Those types of facilities have some appeal, especially because of the growing popularity of ANW on NBC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mirMEsFI07o

Kacy Catanazaro from Towson University on American Ninja Warrior

There were recent reports that REI is closer to opening a DC-area flagship store in the old Uline Arena in the NoMa neighborhood. They have announced an REI preview event to be held next week at Union Market. REI sells mountain bikes, cyclocross bikes and climbing equipment, as well as camping and hiking equipment, running gear and winter weather clothing.

There are a lot of old warehouses along New York Ave. NE. Some are available today, according to some sites: http://www.showcase.com/Washington-Dc/Northeast__Warehouses-for-Sale

Others could be repurposed and renovated for a combination indoor sports park, or even an indoor/outdoor park. Many of the old warehouses are already being redeveloped, but mostly as new office, residential, hotel and/or retail. Why not include a velodrome/indoor mountain bike or BMX course/climbing wall facility in one of those empty or underused buildings or plots? The inclusion of other activities could improve the success of a velodrome project. Velodromes have not proven to be that popular in the U.S., so the other activities could be important for long-term viability.

East of the River could be interesting too, but I think it would be easier to reuse an empty building than to build a new one from scratch.

****
I see that DC Velodrome already included a brief statement about eventually building a multisport facility.

[mstone]

REI Fairfax opened with a climbing wall and quickly got rid of it. The Dick’s nearby did the same. I don’t know if that’s because of lack of interest or liability concerns, but it seems that climbing walls have a hard time being viable in these parts.

[PotomacCyclist]

How large were the climbing walls in those stores? I saw a smaller one in the Pentagon Row REI. I never saw it operational. It was fairly small. I thought it was more of a demonstration device for the store’s climbing gear, than a true climbing wall.

I’ve seen video and photos of larger climbing facilities in other states. Those are much more impressive than the store-based climbing walls I’ve seen. There could be much more demand for a substantial and “real” climbing wall. I think a couple local gyms also have climbing walls, but they aren’t as large as some around the country.

I don’t know much about the market for climbing in the D.C. area, but there are several stores that include climbing equipment, so someone must be buying the gear. A climbing facility could be good practice for people who also travel to outdoor climbing areas in the Eastern U.S. I believe some of those places are only a few hours drive from D.C. The climbing facility could also serve as a different form of exercise for adults. They could include a beginner wall for younger children and less experienced adults. If there were such a facility closer to me, I would consider trying it out once in a while.

[mstone]

@PotomacCyclist 106439 wrote:

How large were the climbing walls in those stores? I saw a smaller one in the Pentagon Row REI. I never saw it operational. It was fairly small. I thought it was more of a demonstration device for the store’s climbing gear, than a true climbing wall.

The REI one was about 2 stories and fairly small (that’s what the weird circle at the front of the store was originally for). The one at Dicks was the height of the whole big box, 3 or 4 normal stories? and took a big chunk of the back wall.

[mattotoole]

@mstone 106436 wrote:

REI Fairfax opened with a climbing wall and quickly got rid of it. The Dick’s nearby did the same. I don’t know if that’s because of lack of interest or liability concerns, but it seems that climbing walls have a hard time being viable in these parts.

Liability aside, it’s probably too expensive, square footage wise, for a retail store, especially in such a high cost area. Plus staff is needed to supervise it.

Just as with bike shops and bike groups, climbing stores often host meetings and have classes and demo events. So the wall may be still be used regularly, even if not daily during regular store hours.

I’ve met a lot of climbers in the area, and plenty of others who have done it a few times and would love to do more. So there’s definitely interest. If nothing else, the demographic supports it, almost to the point of cliche.

[dasgeh]

Climbing is plenty popular around here. In what feels like a former life, I would regularly go to Sportrock’s happy hours with friends. There’s really good outdoor climbing nearby too. It would be interesting to combine a velodrome with a climbing wall, but I’m not sure if the geometry works. You need people on the ground, and they sometimes need to stand a bit away from the wall. Plus, the various Sportrock locations may satiate the current indoor climbing demand…

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