Olympic, National and Missouri State Cycling Champions To Kick Off Penrose Park Velodrome Open House, Fundraiser on April 25

 

  We all know that St. Louis is home to the one-and-only Gateway Arch, Forest Park and City Museum, but what many St. Louis area residents may not know is that St. Louis is also home to one of only 27 working track cycling arenas, or velodromes, in the United States.  

Members of the Missouri Bike Racing Association (MOBRA), Big Shark Bicycles, the Penrose Park Velodrome Team, Switch: Liberate Your Brand, Olympic Gold Medal Track Cyclist Mark Gorski and other local track cycling enthusiasts are looking to change that perception by inviting the public to attend a free open house, 6-8 p.m., Thursday, April 25 at the Penrose Park Velodrome located at Hwy. 70 and Kingshighway Blvd. in North St. Louis City.

The event will feature practice racing events and open track riding, plus serve as the finale of the SpokedSTL Track Clinic training series and registration for the 2013 track racing series in May. Special appearances planned for the event include these St. Louis residents: Olympic Gold Medal Track Cyclist Mark Gorski; U.S. National Track Champions Tom Brinker, Angela Coggan and Joe Stahl; and current Missouri State Track Champions Eduardo Nieuwenhuyzen and Luke Bligh. The event will also feature St. Louis' own Major Taylor Bicycle Club and St. Louis City Ward 1 Alderman Sharon Tyus and Alderman Scott Ogilvie.

"St. Louis is very lucky to have a velodrome in its own back yard. Many track cyclists must relocate or travel to get the appropriate training and ride time in. The camaraderie and competition on display at Penrose Park makes for a great jumping off point for track cyclists of all levels," said Gorski.

The open house will also be used to raise public awareness for the plight of St. Louis' velodrome, which is affectionately known as "Mr. Bumpy Face" and is in need of a major renovation. In 2012, the St. Louis velodrome celebrated its 50th anniversary at its current location and over 100 years of track cycling in St. Louis, having hosted the cycling World Championships in the early 1900's at its original location in Forest Park and the U.S. Championships at Penrose Park in 1962. With five decades plus of outdoor use, the elements have taken its toll on the track. In recent years, the track has developed cracks and bumps in the pavement surface that aren't easily repaired, plus it lacks the amenities of a modern sports facility such as restrooms, bleachers and signage.

There is currently a groundswell of support to help change the plight of this aging facility. When St. Louis City passed a bond issue for the park system in 2011, the dream of completely rebuilding the velodrome became a real possibility. As money from the bond issue is spent over the next several years, supporters of the velodrome want to ensure it's one of the many projects the Parks Department and Board of Aldermen choose to invest in for the future of cycling in St. Louis.

The City of St. Louis Parks Department estimates that it would cost $603-645K to rebuild the Penrose Park facility. To date, Penrose Park Velodrome supporters have raised nearly $3,000 to bridge any gap between city funding and the actual project cost.

“Despite the deteriorated condition of the velodrome surface, a dedicated group of users has been holding weekly events there since 2005 and introduced many new riders to the track each year. In order to keep the track minimally functional, riders who use the track and The Staenberg Group have donated over $35,000 to maintain the surface, but deterioration continues. Without completely removing the current aged asphalt and replacing it with a new concrete surface, the velodrome will again soon be unusable," said Alderman Ogilvie.  "St. Louis has a strong cycling community, and a rebuilt Penrose Park could host quality local and regional events throughout the summer. A new concrete surface would put Penrose Park on track to become one of the better venues in the country and help with long talked about efforts to develop a youth track program inside the park.”

Local marketing agency Switch took the lead in creating a website and informational hub for Penrose Park to enhance awareness of the facility and event calendar locally and regionally.  Since Penrose Park Velodrome is the only facility in a 300 mile radius, cyclists travel from Kansas City, Columbia, Springfield and Little Rock to race on the track. The time and effort in creating the site and subsequent coordination was donated by the agency in 2012 with select employees continuing to donate time to the management, operations, fundraising and steering committees.  For more information about the Penrose Park Velodrome, visit www.facebook.com/penroseparkvelodrome or www.penroseparkvelo.com.

 

About Switch

Switch is an independently-held, experiential marketing agency working with companies and brands who share the belief in the power of engagement to drive behavior-changing results.  Switch specializes in brand and sponsorship activation programs, field marketing, digital media, consumer and corporate events. For more information, visit www.liberateyourbrand.com or @liberate.

 

###