Bikers Worry Minnesota’s Lone Velodrome May Be Closed

BLAINE, Minn. (AP) - The days of Minnesota's only bicycle racing velodrome may be numbered.

With a mounting list of necessary repairs at the National Sports Center's velodrome in Blaine, board members are weighing whether to put in hundreds of thousands of dollars or close it up.

The track was built in 1990 for $1.3 million.

Bikers race around the wooden track with 43 degree banks, but velodrome attendance pales in comparison to other sports.

Officials say a renovation would cost $850,000, rebuilding it could be $1.2 million.

The National Sports Center's Foundation will discuss their options December 18th.

Tom McGoldrick, chairman of Friends of Velodrome Racing in Minnesota, says his group is trying to raise $60,000 to show the foundation the velodrome should be saved.