After 40 years of being shunned as a venue for interstate competition, the Narrabundah Velodrome is set to start a new life next month as the Canberra Cycling Club takes advantage of a recent $1.5 million track upgrade.
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The racing surface has been closed since April because it was deemed too dangerous, but it is due to reopen at the end of February after extensive repairs.
The cycling club is already looking towards its return and president Stuart Jones detailed plans to extend the track-cycling season by four weeks and to try to reintroduce interstate open competition to the venue later this year - for the first time in about four decades.
The velodrome has been shunned as an interstate-competition venue since it was built in 1972 because design flaws made it prone to crashes.
But Jones said the club was aiming to stage a big, open event later in the year after $1.5 million worth of remedial work to correct the dangerous transitions between corners and straights.
''We were keen to have an open and promote it far and wide, but we're looking to walk before we run. So we'll get the local scene happening again and may launch the new season in October with a bigger event,'' Jones said.
''We weren't permitted to run open competitions on there because of the design, it was deemed too dangerous.
''We'll look to get at least one open event on the calendar and hopefully establish that as a good event. Certainly regional NSW - Goulburn, Wollongong, Wagga and even up to Sydney - people will come to Canberra to race.''
Initially, the cycling club will resume weekly competition at the venue when it reopens and is likely to extend the season until the end of April.
Some Canberra cyclists had protested its closure in April, citing the interruption it would have on training for emerging athletes, including those on scholarships with the ACT Academy of Sport. But Jones said the short-term inconvenience has provided a long-term solution for the venue.
''The standard track season is October to March with daylight saving, but having missed a season, we're all quite keen to get some racing done,'' Jones said.
''There was a bit of publicity when it was closed, we kicked up a bit of a fuss, so we don't want to leave it sitting there for six months waiting for September to roll around.
''We intend on running a race carnival on Sunday afternoons to take advantage of the new facility,'' Jones added.
For more information visit: canberracyclingclub.org.au.
