October 23, 2006 (Montreal, QC) – The Montreal suburb of Saint Laurent should include a velodrome while expanding the existing Marcel Laurin sports complex, suggests a local cyclist interviewed by the weekly Saint Laurent News. According to Youssef El-Akhbari, a velodrome would greatly encourage young people to take up cycling seriously.

Present expansion plans for the complex include adding a swimming pool, gymnasiums, and an indoor running track at a projected cost of $28 million. The Director of Public Affairs for Saint Laurent, Paul Lanctôt, claimed the velodrome suggestion is too expensive and would only serve a small minority of residents.

El-Akhbari, a bronze medal winner at the last Quebec Cup, has been going to Bromont for track training, but this facility is closed for the winter. The only other velodrome in Quebec is near Quebec City and is also an outdoor facility.

An excellent velodrome was built in Montreal for the 1976 Olympics, but that velodrome was dismantled in 1992 when the building was converted into an indoor zoo, the Biodome.

Here’s a summary of the velodromes in Canada:

– Argyll Velodrome, Edmonton, Alberta (outdoor),
– Bromont Velodrome, Bromont, Quebec (outdoor)
– Burnaby Velodrome, Burnaby, British Columbia (indoor)
– Delhi Velodrome, Delhi, Ontario (outdoor),
– Forest City Velodrome, London, Ontario (indoor)
– Glenmore Velodrome, Calgary, Alberta (outdoor)
– Juan de Fuca, Colwood, British Columbia (outdoor)
РV̩lodrome Caisse Populaire de Dieppe, Dieppe, New Brunswick (outdoor)
– Velodrome Louis Garneau St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, just west of Quebec City (outdoor)
(we missed two when we first posted this – here’s the complete list)

Canada has two indoor velodromes, although the Louis Garneau Velodrome is projected to eventually join this list.

In contrast, Australia, with a much smaller population than Canada and climate for year-round cycling, has nine velodromes, including three indoor facilities.