tiistai 3. toukokuuta 2011

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.


6 kommenttia:

  1. Nice one Olli! Really 7 Grand? Geez!

    VastaaPoista
  2. And I thought in Finland we have this thing called "reilu meininki"...crazy!

    VastaaPoista
  3. Cycling is not a poor man's sport here. I must say that I have nothing against Cyclovia etc. downtown events, but I think competitive cycling community gets to eat poop. Funny thing is that cycling is one of the internationally most successful summer olympic sports in this city.

    VastaaPoista
  4. Hey Olli, I was under the impression that it was only weekends that BHP wanted everyone out by 10AM.. weeknights are still fully available?triathlon MB succesfully runs duathlons in there tuesday evenings without issues... I never was a fan of those ass park crits myself.. there was no variety on the schedule... why they were labeled as a developmental race is beyond me.. they were more of a lesson in crash avoidance. The MCA threw all their eggs in one basket again this year basing the whole season around one venue (ass park) and now the verdict is.. looks like no races.... Im not even going to bother handing money over to the MCA this year for a license.. there no point.. I love how everyone always complained about its always BHP , its always BHP.. now look!!! Apparently those people got their wish, its no longer BHP, and there's no races...

    VastaaPoista
  5. ITT might still be allowed during the week in BHP. It's just not me who's going to organize those. IMO weekend races are where it's at.

    Oh well...Minneapolis is only 600 km away and SK has a race too.

    VastaaPoista
  6. You should write a letter to the Free Press and start an online petition--I'm sure there are a lot of people who would back you guys if only they knew you needed some support. Laws shouldn't create impediments to physical fitness and productive competition.

    VastaaPoista