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An Introduction to - Track Cycling Welcome to the Vodafone arenaBy Jeff Jones
Melbourne is a city with a strong history of track racing, with events such as the Austral Wheelrace, the Melbourne Cup on Wheels and the Forges Wheelrace forming a strong part of Australian track cycling history. Melbourne's outdoor Northcote velodrome has hosted these prestigious events for the past 15 years, but no more with the advent of the 'Vodafone Arena', the name of the new multi-purpose venue at Melbourne Park. The $AUS 65 million Vodafone Arena will also host international tennis and basketball tournaments, and has been specially built with a retractable roof and adjustable seating arrangements to accommodate other events. Up to 4500 people will be able to watch the cycling, while 10,800 will be able to view tennis and basketball matches. It will also double (or triple) as a concert and festival venue with corporate facilities. Up to 120 events per year will be hosted at the complex.
The velodrome itself is a 250 metre, indoor wooden track, and is another Ron Webb built construction (his 58th). It is similar to his successful Sydney project, the Dunc Gray Olympic velodrome, which saw several world records fall during the 2000 Olympic Games. The surface is made of lengths of 40x40mm Baltic Pine strips, joined together with 360,000 nails that were hammered in by hand. It can be assumed that not all of them were personally hammered in by Mr. Webb. The whole track surface was also hand sanded, and took approximately six weeks to construct, being comissioned on June 22, 2000. The actual track racing area is 7 metres wide, combined with a 5 metre wide safety area from the duckboards to the infield railing. The banking in the bends is 42 degrees and 12 degrees in the straights, which are 40 metres long. Omega Timing and photo finish equipment has been installed for the timing of races.
Besides the 4,500 seating capacity as a velodrome, there is also room for 250 VIP guests in the infield. Two function rooms on the East and West sides of the track may be used to cater for special events or corporate functions. To increase the seating for other events, banks of seats are lowered over the track. The roof weighs 50 Tonnes, and is split into two 32 metre by 70 metre sections. Each of these is fully retractable, making it the first velodrome in the world with such an arrangement. The roof takes under 10 minutes to open or close. Before its official opening on November 24, the Vodafone Arena played host to Anna Wilson's (Millward's) successful attempt to establish a new women's World Hour Record, using revised UCI rules. Her ride of 43.501 kilometres on October 18 was the first to break a World Hour Record in 20 years on a 'conventional' bike. Although that mark did not stand for long (Jeannie Longo bettered it at altitude on November 5), it was a positive start for the MPV, which is now fully operational as a racing venue.
Victorian cycling officials and promoters believe that they can hold 8-10 top quality events per year that would fill the velodrome to its capacity. In addition to well known Victorian carnivals, such as the Melbourne Cup on Wheels that was held on November 25, the track will also host the World Junior Championships in 2002, and the Commonwealth Games in 2006. With indoor velodromes now in existence in most states in Australia, is Brisbane the next stop for 68 year old Ron Webb? Track dimensions
Length: 250 m (inside); 285 m (outside perimeter) Race Calendar 2000 November 25: Melbourne Cup on Wheels 2001 February 10: Austral Wheel Race For further event information, contact: Cyclists International Ph: 03 9525 1318 CycleSport Victoria pH: 03 9328 4391 Ticket prices (inc. GST) General Premium
Admission Admission
Single Admission: $20 $25
Children (15 and under): $10 $15
Aged & Disabled Pensioners: $15 $20
Family (2 Adults/2 Children): $50 $60
Bookings only available through Ticketek:
pH: 13 28 49 |
