So why do I want to design a Velodrome in Oklahoma City? First and foremost, I am a cyclist, and as a cyclist in Oklahoma I do not own a track bike. If you were to ask a cyclist how many bikes they need, they will tell you one more than they currently own. Cyclists by nature are very competitive people who like the feeling of flying down descents at 40 mph and the feeling of the wind, knowing they can only go as fast as they are willing to push their bodies physically and mentally. That is why I want to design a velodrome in Oklahoma City.
Why should Oklahoma City want to have a velodrome? That is the real question. Oklahoma has invested a lot of money into its trail networks both downtown (Project 180 and River trails network) as well as outside of the downtown area (Lake Hefner, Lake Overholser, Draper Lake etc…). The one thing they are trying to do now is connect them all together so that you can go just about anywhere in the Oklahoma City area by bike. The only problem with this is everything is so spread out it makes it difficult for normal people to ride on a daily basis. Say, for instance, you work in the downtown area, and after work you want to go ride your mountain bike. If you leave work at 5pm like almost everyone else you have to fight your way thru traffic to either Arcadia Lake, Bluff Creek (Lake Hefner), or Draper Lake, all of which would take you roughly 30 to 60 minutes to get there. Yes. I know I am referring to mountain biking and the original question pertains to a velodrome. The velodrome I am proposing is going to be the cycling hub to the city. Not only will there be a velodrome, but there will be outdoor tracks for mountain biking, cyclocross, and criterium racing. With it being just south of downtown you now have the option of riding your bike there from your place of work and avoid most of the traffic of everyone in their cars trying to leave the city. Once you are finished riding you ride back to your work, get in your car, and go home. Bringing in these four different forms of cycling also enables the site to be used all year round. A lot of your competitive cyclists do not just race one discipline. Most cyclists race all year to help get better and stronger for the next season. As the weather changes the style of riding also changes to maintain safe riding conditions.
Why should Oklahoma City want to have a velodrome? That is the real question. Oklahoma has invested a lot of money into its trail networks both downtown (Project 180 and River trails network) as well as outside of the downtown area (Lake Hefner, Lake Overholser, Draper Lake etc…). The one thing they are trying to do now is connect them all together so that you can go just about anywhere in the Oklahoma City area by bike. The only problem with this is everything is so spread out it makes it difficult for normal people to ride on a daily basis. Say, for instance, you work in the downtown area, and after work you want to go ride your mountain bike. If you leave work at 5pm like almost everyone else you have to fight your way thru traffic to either Arcadia Lake, Bluff Creek (Lake Hefner), or Draper Lake, all of which would take you roughly 30 to 60 minutes to get there. Yes. I know I am referring to mountain biking and the original question pertains to a velodrome. The velodrome I am proposing is going to be the cycling hub to the city. Not only will there be a velodrome, but there will be outdoor tracks for mountain biking, cyclocross, and criterium racing. With it being just south of downtown you now have the option of riding your bike there from your place of work and avoid most of the traffic of everyone in their cars trying to leave the city. Once you are finished riding you ride back to your work, get in your car, and go home. Bringing in these four different forms of cycling also enables the site to be used all year round. A lot of your competitive cyclists do not just race one discipline. Most cyclists race all year to help get better and stronger for the next season. As the weather changes the style of riding also changes to maintain safe riding conditions.
Why Oklahoma? First, Oklahoma is where I live. It is what I know. The cycling community here is growing with every passing year, and the number of cycling teams in the area is growing as well. I knew there was at least one velodrome within driving distance for a weekend race (Superdrome- Frisco, TX), but I wasn’t sure how many there actually were in the entire US. I found a website that lists all the velodromes in the United States and whether they are indoor or outdoor facilities. I then downloaded a map off the internet and started placing circles at the locations of each velodrome (Outdoor-red, Indoor-blue stripes, OKC-green)
What demand is there in Oklahoma for a cycling facility? According to the USA Cycling website there are 33 registered cycling teams in Oklahoma this year (2012) and of those teams 18 are within a one-hour drive to downtown Oklahoma City. The furthest teams are from Owasso, OK, just northeast of Tulsa so they are just over a two-hour drive away. All of these teams participate is road racing type events because those are the easiest to train for around here. There are a number of mountain biking trails in the area that also allow for racing, but cyclocross racing is somewhat limited. The easiest way to explain cyclocross is it is racing over various terrains in the bitter cold. For a good cyclocross course you need hills, grass, asphalt, sand and/or gravel. There also needs to be barriers tall enough that you have to get off your bike and carry it over. Finding these kinds of elements together in Oklahoma is difficult and where they do happen (OKC parks areas), there is limited or no access to those facilities. Having an area designated for cyclocross racing where these elements are present but you can still choose what paths to take can be huge for the area. This hub would not just be utilized by Oklahomans, but cyclists from surrounding states would come down to races thus helping the economy because these people would, in turn, utilize the area’s resources for food and lodging.
The other benefit of having it in Oklahoma City is the fact it is close to a number of collages that could use the facility as well. The 2 main ones being The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, which already have established road cycling teams. Other possibilities being Oklahoma Baptist and Oklahoma Christian University that have sports programs but do not currently have cycling teams. The boathouse district is also the home of the local collegiate rowing teams as well so this would help keep the collegiate scene all in one place.
Downtown Oklahoma City is in the beginning stages of a total transformation. With the opening of the new I-40 Crosstown and the total redevelopment along the Oklahoma River, this is the most ideal time to design this type of facility into the master plan of the area. I want to use the site that no one else knows what to do with. I want to design this facility in such a way to help buffer the noise from the railroad tracks so it does not interfere with what is going on down on the river and boathouse areas. I think my design will help unify this area as the “sports district” and not just the boathouse district.
There are two other things I am looking at proposing as a part of my facility.
First, I want to include commercial and restaurant spaces within my velodrome facility that are located around the perimeter in that they can be open and operated separate from the facility so you can still eat and shop when the facility is not open. With higher density mixed use neighborhoods both north and west of my site it makes sense to incorporate these
facilities here so that people in this community do not have to travel north into the city in order to shop or eat. It allows for a better quality building and overall site. It also will get people on my site that might not be associated with cycling and allow them to see the facility without having to come here with that purpose in mind.
Second, I want to incorporate a pedestrian bridge at the east end linking the boathouses to my site. The closest existing crossing access is approximately a mile to the west at Wiley Post Park. This access will allow spectators of the rowing events access to the south shores to watch rowing events from both sides of the river. It will allow people working/using the boathouse facilities access to my commercial/retail stores. It will also allow my site and the boathouse facilities to share parking. With the location of my site bordering the railroad tracks to the south, my main entrance has the possibility to be blocked several times a day. I have yet analyzed how the railroad could potentially affect my site, but it is on my list of things to do. I am still going to have a main entrance and parking for various activities, but being able to share parking like this can help create more green spaces and allows people to park at one facility but use them all.
There are two other things I am looking at proposing as a part of my facility.
First, I want to include commercial and restaurant spaces within my velodrome facility that are located around the perimeter in that they can be open and operated separate from the facility so you can still eat and shop when the facility is not open. With higher density mixed use neighborhoods both north and west of my site it makes sense to incorporate these
facilities here so that people in this community do not have to travel north into the city in order to shop or eat. It allows for a better quality building and overall site. It also will get people on my site that might not be associated with cycling and allow them to see the facility without having to come here with that purpose in mind.
Second, I want to incorporate a pedestrian bridge at the east end linking the boathouses to my site. The closest existing crossing access is approximately a mile to the west at Wiley Post Park. This access will allow spectators of the rowing events access to the south shores to watch rowing events from both sides of the river. It will allow people working/using the boathouse facilities access to my commercial/retail stores. It will also allow my site and the boathouse facilities to share parking. With the location of my site bordering the railroad tracks to the south, my main entrance has the possibility to be blocked several times a day. I have yet analyzed how the railroad could potentially affect my site, but it is on my list of things to do. I am still going to have a main entrance and parking for various activities, but being able to share parking like this can help create more green spaces and allows people to park at one facility but use them all.