Dear Friends of the Cleveland Velodrome:
The Cleveland Velodrome celebrated our 12th season! It is hard to believe that we have been fortunate enough to be one of only 23 Velodromes in the United States.
2024 saw a vibrant return to participation and racing at the track as we finally really stepped out of the shadow of Covid.
We are working diligently to provide the Cleveland area with a safe and exciting alternative to other cycling disciplines. As cyclists migrate away from road racing, the Velodrome offers an incredibly exciting place to train and race. Nothing beats the thrill of the boards whether during a structured training night, time trial event or a mass start set of races under the lights.
The local community has supported the Velodrome throughout our various phases:
- The “what if” and imagine what could be stage of 2008-2012
- The excitement of building the track and the opening seasons of 2012-2013
- The build-up phase where it seemed like every cyclist in town came to try the track in all of the forms (training, mass start, time trials, spectator, volunteer) – 2013-2019
- The Covid stage (2020-2023) where a dedicated group of board members and diehard track riders kept our little organization alive
- Now finally post Covid where we are building up a whole new group of enthusiasts to train and race at the Cleveland Velodrome
2024 Highlights that met and/or exceeded our 2024 goals:
- This year we welcomed over 100 new and unique riders through our Track 101 program. The program where our volunteers teach people how to ride the track
- With 10 schedule track 101 sessions throughout the summer, we introduced the track to a whole new set of riders
- Six Friday nights over the summer we held mass start races complete with food and entertainment to go along with the high speed racing
- Six Sunday morning Time Trial events were a little more laid back as riders tried to beat their best times in various “against the clock distances” from 200 meters to 5000 meters
- As part of an Olympic year, Channel 3 asked the Velodrome to put on a track racing demonstration – a group of riders got out of bed early on a weekday and were in an Olympic moment feature on the morning news in August
- The Ohio State Championships were held in August honoring Alan Marcosson and we crowned many champions across age and disciplines for men, woman, and juniors
- As part of our 2024 goals, we replaced the apron on the track making the track entry and exit smoother for all riders
The Board is committed to growing interest in the Velodrome and track riding through recreational riding, racing, and youth programming. The Board meets year-round to keep the track up to date.
Programming Goals
- 6 Mass Start Races (including “Under the Lights”)
- 6 Time Trial Races – Test yourself against the clock
- Youth Programming – One of our original goals continues to be to bring cycling to young people in Cleveland
- Marketing to new riders to try our Track 101 program
- Continued relationship with CWRU Cycling
- Host Ohio State Championships – a celebration and reward for the cyclists who put in the work to become a champion
- Special Events – potentially a national championship event
In order to achieve these goals we need to raise $15,000 for the Annual Fund. The cycling community continues to be generous in our mission. We have $2,000 committed to date from a long-time donor and we look forward to your support to help make our 2024 season one to remember.
We invite everyone to spread the word about this unique venue in Cleveland. Come out to try the track for the first time or come back if you have been away for a while.
Please donate via our website or send a check to: Fast Track Cycling (dba Cleveland Velodrome) c/o Brett Davis – 20595 Lorain Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44126
Regards
Matt Litzler and Brett Davis
Trustees
