December 2, 2006 РNot long ago we did a story on Canadian velodromes at pedalmag.com and at the time had turned to Eric Van Den Eynde who recently resigned as national coach of the CCA. Not that Van Den Eynde has stopped coaching, he simply decided that it was time for him to move on and will work instead for the FQSC (F̩d̩ration Qu̩b̩coise des Sports Cyclistes) Рsee story here. Van Den Eynde confirmed that there are nine velodromes used for competitions in Canada and you can find this list at the end of this article. .

Van Den Eynde mentioned that some of these facilities are world class and spoke highly of the Burnaby Velodrome (200m indoor) but added that unfortunately Burnaby was not designed for motorbike (motorpace) use. “Cyclists can’t pedal 60 to 80kmh by themselves and need to be (drafting) behind a motorbike (to attain these speeds). The problem with Burnaby is with a lack of ventilation for motorbike exhaust. And we haven’t yet found an electric scooter that can go that fast.”

In the 1930s, track racing was much more popular in North America than in Europe, Van Den Eynde continued. He remembers the 1940s when there were three velodromes in Montreal alone. “Track racing was once as popular (as a spectator sport) as hockey,” said Van Den Eynde. A list at www.bikecult.com gives the names of 24 Canadian velodromes current and past with five just in Toronto. Apparently, many velodrome tracks were dismantled and sold for firewood during the Second World War. Without the facilities to maintain the sport, track racing has since languished in Canada.

Van Den Eynde spoke of the frustrations of trying to train cyclists through a Canadian winter, adding, “Sif we had the (velodrome) facilities, we’d find champions!” He continued saying, “Speed is something we are born with, other skills are developed. Australia (which has a good program for finding athletic talent in their high schools,) has discovered world champions.”

As an example, Van Den Eynde recalls when the Montreal Velodrome was still operational, how he once chanced upon watching a talented cyclist and told him, “J… C., you’ve got talent.” That cyclist ended up making it to the Olympics.

Along with the lack of facilities within Canada, Van Den Eynde talked about the high cost of training outside of Canada, mentioning that the Los Angeles Velodrome, described on promotional material as “the first permanent wooden indoor track of international standard in the USA”, rents for $700US for 90 minutes. With so few indoor velodromes to choose from, travel costs are also high for most cyclists.

To underline his point, Van Den Eynde spoke of Canadian, Travis Smith, who moved to California. “He has the talent and now (that he lives in California) also has the tools needed for training.” Smith’s wife had to find work there as a nurse, however, for this plan to work.

Other notable track and road cyclists who have trained with Van Den Eynde include Zach Bell, Lyne Bessette, Gina Grain, Clara Hughes, Ryan Mckenzie, and Cam MacKinnon. Van Den Eynde also coached 2004 Olympic gold medal winner, Lori-Ann Muenzer.

Referring to his recent move to coaching the Quebec road and track teams, Van den Eynde explained, “I went over to Quebec because my objective was not possible (achievable) in Canada. The present system only has money for the best cyclists. When you struggle, they (CCA and Sports Canada) don’t help. But you need a coach when you lose, not when you win.

Canada’s nine functional velodromes:

– Argyll Velodrome, Edmonton, Alberta (333m outdoor),
– Bromont Velodrome, Bromont, Quebec (250m outdoor)
– Burnaby Velodrome, Burnaby, British Columbia (200m indoor)
– Delhi Velodrome, Delhi, Ontario (250m outdoor),
– Forest City Velodrome, London, Ontario (138m indoor)
– Glenmore Velodrome, Calgary, Alberta (400m outdoor)
– Juan de Fuca, Colwood, British Columbia (333m outdoor)
РV̩lodrome Caisse Populaire de Dieppe, Dieppe, NB (250m outdoor)
РV̩lodrome Louis Garneau, Quebec City, QC (200m outdoor)