Devious wrote:
My only concern is the ongoing costs and the question of why did Montreal close theirs in 92
That is only 16 years later when they get rid of it. Seems pretty quick to close it up.
Why will it work here, and not in Montreal?
Why was the Montreal Olympic velodrome over priced and delayed?
For the Parc des Princes Taillibert used pillars weighing twenty tons to support the fabric. With Montreal's stadium carrying a movable roof, so that the arena could be used in the depth of the worst of winters, the weight of similar pillars was 120 tons, to hold the roof, which weighed 41,000 tons. The rocky subsoil proved incapable of holding that weight and some geological detective work showed why. Around 10,000 years ago the site of the Olympic Park which was to house the stadium village and velodrome ran along n terrace bordering the Champlain Sea and later, around 4,000 BC, formed a bank of the St Lawrence River. The base rock proved fragile and fissured in many places threatening to collapse under pressure. It was too late to turn back from this site and engineers offered a solution but a very costly one. New foundations were dug, supporting casing put in place and stems of concrete forced in at high pressure to a depth of 48 metres below the surface. This constituted an entirely new form of foundation, which therefore required a complete recalculation in the seismic building protection elements. All this added $12 million dollars to the cost of the velodrome - equal to the total initial estimate of the entire project.
On top of that labour unrest and the difficulty of fabricating and assembling the large number of unique pre-cast concrete segments required added to the over run.
Architecturally the building was far more dramatic and is still from a design perspective in a world of it's own. The Milton Facility will be far more subdued then this Olympic building.
The union unrest basically held the city and planning team hostage for a period when the building was initially being erected. This delay cost Montreal the 1974 world championships and their chances of hosting any other future events.
Why did it not continue as a viable track?
The Montreal Olympic velodrome had banking of 48˚ and had a length of 285 metres.
These specs meant that it fell out of favour as an international venue for world class track events.
Permanent seating capacity was 2600. More seating then necessary.
Typical tracks today are built at closer to the 42.5˚ banking and have a length of 250 metres making the number of laps to complete an event more consistent from venue to venue to aid competitors.
The Milton Velodrome will be designed with 42˚ banking and be 250 metres in length. Making it suitable for all competitions including international events.
The most significant difference is not the length of the track, but rather the degree of banking. The 42˚ banking is far less difficult and safer for amateurs to ride for recreational use. This means an earlier start for youth and there is no need to come into the Milton facility with any previous experience riding a track.
As a contrast the Forest city velodrome is 138 metres and 50˚ banks. Based on the fact it is inside a retired hockey arena it is the smallest semi permanent facility in the world, and in order for it to function is has to have extremely steep banking. On a larger track banks this steep could be dangerous.
The choice of the track in 2012
To be homologated by the UCI, the length of a track must be such that by adding a number of half-laps, the distance is one kilometre. The lengths
most often used are 166m, 200m, 250m and 333m. The track design must be thought out based on how it is intended to be used (open to large numbers of the general public, training of sprinters or pursuiters, etc). For a given length, the angle of the bends and the length of the straight lines and bends can vary according to the priorities set. The two options recommended are the following:
A 250m velodrome: This alternative is the most appropriate for a facility built to host big events (World Championships and Olympic Games).
This is in fact the minimum length required according to UCI Rules. Meaning events and the results from these races count to your international ranking.
A 200m velodrome: This type of track is the best solution (in terms of profitability and meeting users’ needs) for a facility where all kinds of competitions can be organized (apart from World Championships and Olympic Games).
In both cases, being open to the public and being multi-purpose is important.
Did the Montreal Olympic velodrome have any community oriented uses built into the infield?
The structure was to house the track cycling events and the Judo competition during the 1976 Olympics. Legacy use beyond the games was not considered. This became a cycling only facility.
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