Road Racing is Dying in Winnipeg

So weeknight criteriums will not be organized in Assiniboine Park this summer. Two years ago road racing was effectively banned at Bird's Hill Park, on a circuit that got re-paved mostly thanks to being a road cycling venue for 1999 Pan-Am games. It is basically impossible to organize races inside the city limits due to ridiculous permit costs. Last time I looked into this, it was 7000 dollars to run a criterium at an industrial park on Sunday with no full road closures (this industrial park is deserted on weekends, but I guess the park is reserved for teens street racing in their cars). I sure hope that events, that shut down downtown streets, are paying permits that are in line with 7,000 industrial park permit fee. Closing down Broadway costs at least 50,000 right? Sure the cycling community is tiny in this city, but then again we ask very little, but even that appears to be too much. Then again a safe venue, like Assiniboine Park, has allowed the participation numbers to increase. It's not that we're asking for a new velodrome paid for by tax money, we ask to be allowed to organize our events on streets that we pay for already...hell, we even patch pot holes when we organize races. I would be pretty happy if we would be allowed to organize road races at decent hours (not having to be off the road by 10 AM) at Bird's Hill Park, Criteriums at industrial parks on weekends and weeknight training criteriums at Assiniboine Park.

Billion(s) of tax dollars are poured into different recreational facilities in this city of which most expensive ones get to be used by select few. There just is no place for cyclists in this city and I guess this is getting official. If you want to road race, you need to drive to Minnesota, Wisconsin or Saskatchewan.

This will make it to my list of why not to stay in Winnipeg.
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Eli paikalliset viranomaiset menivät kieltämään viimeisenkin kaupungissa tai kaupungin lähellä tapahtuvan maantiepyöräilykilpailun. Tietenkin rahalla saa, mutta 50-70 kuskin kisojen "tuloilla" ei paljon maksella mitään 7000 dollarin lupamaksuja aution teollisuusalueen teiden käytöstä. Tähän taisi loppua maantiepyöräily Manitobassa, eli ensi kaudella ei varmaan kannata edes vaivautua suunnittelemaan kisakalenteria.

Tämä on sitä oikeaa pyöräilyn kehitysmaata. Tämä ei ainakaan paranna tämän slummin osakkeita mun listalla.