April 21
It's Open!!! The emotional official rededication of Kissena Velodrome was held today.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe and City Counciman John Liu
joined the former Olympians Dierdre Murphy and Jack Simes III,
the future Olympians of StarTrack youth cycling program, the everyday Olympians
of the New York Bike Messenger community to celebrate the excellent efforts of
track funder Jon Kamen, directors Don Winston and John Campo, designer, Peter Beeton,
and especially the paving contractors, who had the difficult job of laying
smooth asphalt on steeply banked turns.
Jack Simes and Gibby "The Bear" Hatton with yours truly, Dave Perry. Photo by Drew Adams.
|
|
April 18
Kissena's Grand Reopening is next weekend, April 24 and 25.
Here's a link to Kissena's Race Program.
It'll be an amazing show of competition. Saturday brings national-calibre Elite men and women racing in the
American Velodrome Challenge, Pee-Wees and Juniors (ages 10--18) competing in Marty Nothstein Junior Olympic Series Races,
and Messenger Teams vying in the
TEAM PUMA Kissena Series 2004.
Sunday is Kissena's Record Setting Day, for all categories over distances from 200 to 4,000 meters.
A few visitors came out this perfect Sunday to admire the new officials' podium
while keeping behind the track fence.
One man asked if there would be lockers, another was Greg Goode of the
Old Skool Track club.
Let's hope dry weather holds and some porta-potties arrive this week.
|
|
March 3
Welcome back! We had a freezing winter so cold the old camera seized.
Recent news has it that cyclists have been turned away by Park Rangers.
Even a training session with track director John Campo was kicked off the track.
The Grand Reopening Weekend is planned for April 24-25, with public officials (TBA) and
a national-calibre American Velodrome Challenge meet organized by Don Winston.
Progress or changes we found were padlocks on track-entrance gates, and several track-wide cracks in asphalt,
an expected result of an icy winter. Come spring, there are plenty of opportunities to ride, practice, race, and sweep the track.
Check out this Preliminary 2004 Weekly Schedule.
|
|
Time-lapse Finish-line
During the 18-month renovation of Kissena Park Velodrome,
seasons changed and the start-finish line was moved back a few meters,
according to the original plan (1962) of a 400-meter asphalt track.
Kissena's finish line in 1970 with Peter Senia and Al Toefeld in white.
3 October 2002
8 January 2003
12 March 2003
26 March 2003
20 April 2003
3 May 2003
18 May 2003
1 June 2003
29 June 2003
23 July 2003
27 August 2003
10 September 2003
24 September 2003
10 October 2003
2 November 2003
8 November 2003 - NYC Parks photo
16 November 2003
10 December 2003
25 December 2003
3 March 2004
18 April 2004
21 April 2004
God Bless Kissena Park Velodrome
|
|
