ERIE, Colo. (BRAIN) — The Boulder Valley Velodrome will be restored and reopened as a cyclist training ground and location for community events after BVV Holdings LLC agreed to purchase it.
The 250-meter velodrome, which has been closed for more than three years, will be operated by the Team Colorado Cycling nonprofit.
"The list of needed repairs is long and expensive, but we are passionate about meeting the demand that exists for a cycling track of this caliber and its potential as a hub for family friendly activities like ride-in movies, concerts, festivals, and food trucks," said Todd Stevenson of Team Colorado Cycling. "Our first step is to tap into community support to help pay for needed repairs with the goal of re-opening full-time with weekly racing and other events starting early this summer."
Hindered by the 2013 Boulder County floods, a 2015 tornado-level wind event, and then the COVID-19 outbreak, the velodrome on the outskirts of this town has been shuttered and closed to the public since October 2019.
"Natural disasters and the pandemic delivered a 1-2 punch that made it next to impossible for this facility to meet its potential as a magnet for cyclists and a hub for community activity, but we think the time is right to resurrect this as a world-class cycling track, " said Cari Higgins of BVV Holdings LLC.
Higgins, a former national champion track cyclist and chair of the USA Cycling Board of Directors, has led efforts to save the Velodrome for years.
"We are confident that the cycling community will rally to the cause and that this venue can once again host recreational and elite cyclists — whether they entertain Olympic dreams or simply feel the need for speed," Higgins said.
The velodrome opened in 2015 and was the conception of former owners Doug Emerson — owner of University Bikes in Boulder — and Frank Banta. The pair first put it on the market in 2017. In October 2019, the Velodrome was under contract with buyers who planned to demolish it. Higgins and other cycling enthusiasts worked out a last-minute deal to purchase the property and save the track, but it later fell through as a result of the worldwide lockdown and financial pinch from the pandemic.
One of four international-standard 250-meter tracks in the U.S., the Boulder Valley Velodrome is one of two wood tracks of that length in the country. The other, in Carson, Calif., will host track cycling events in the 2028 L.A. Summer Olympics. The Boulder Valley Velodrome long has been looked at as a high-altitude training ground for the sport's current and future stars.
Team Colorado Cycling has launched a gofundme campaign with the aim of raising at least $75,000 to help pay for needed repairs and improvements. The Boulder Valley Velodrome is located on the west side of County Line Road at the southern end of the planned Erie Town Center.
An open house at the track is scheduled on May 6 from 2-5 p.m. For additional information and to make a donation: BoulderValleyVelodrome.org.
