Velodrome changes fit criterium for success Cycling club welcomes share of $384k grant

Then things started to change.

‘‘Our velodrome was built out here around 20 years ago,’’ Hamilton said.

‘‘It was out in the middle of nowhere back then. But you look around it now, we have the Grammar School, we have the football oval, we have all these beautiful gardens being built around it.

‘‘So suddenly, we are smack bang in the middle of everything.’’

In those 20 years, the Echuca Moama Cycling Club — of which Hamilton is in his second term as president — has undergone a number of changes to turn it into the facility it is now.

‘‘Things have been added to the track over that time. We have great quality lights that allow us to host night racing, we have the new clubhouse that has been built with a lot of work from our members and committee.

‘‘We couldn’t ask for better facilities out here for the club.’’

But they are still going to get them.

Further changes to the velodrome are currently being undertaken thanks to the Murray River Council.

With $384,294 allocated under NSW government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund to projects on the recreation reserve, council is currently carrying out two projects for the club — landscaping the surroundings, and running a hot mix on the track around the velodrome to create a criterium track.

‘‘That’s a huge inclusion for our club,’’ Hamilton said.

‘‘It’s going to allow us the opportunity to run criterium racing on our home track, which further expands the kind of events we can host here, so we are really happy that council are doing these renovations.’’

Criterium racing involves riding around a closed circuit, usually 800m or more.

The track being sealed is about 800m.

More so than the events it will allow the club to host, Hamilton is excited to give the growing cycling community in the twin towns a facility to use and enjoy.

‘‘As people are becoming more aware of their fitness and staying active, we have seen a huge growth in the sport,’’ Hamilton said.

‘‘It’s like golf or football, it’s providing the opportunity for people to stay fit.

‘‘What these facilities are great for is they help get new members involved in the club. We are seeing a lot of very young people join, but also people later in life who are now coming to the sport.

‘‘I took up cycling when I was 40, and that was 30 years ago. A lot of people are finding themselves in that position of wanting to keep fit, and now they have the opportunity to do so.’’

Hamilton also praised the landscaping work around the velodrome, which sees the outside of the track made more presentable.

‘‘When you come into the track, you saw a lot of weeds around. It wasn’t an overly nice sight,’’ he said.

‘‘Now with the landscaping it looks fantastic, and it doesn’t draw any focus away from the track.’’

Work on the velodrome project is expected to be complete by April, which will perfectly coincide with the club’s reunion event on April 13.

‘‘The committee has been putting a lot of hard work into the event, going through minutes of old meetings in order to make an honour board,” he said.

“It’s going to go back more than 30 years, though we had to cap it due to size. The club’s history goes back 100 years or more, so I want to be able to remember them.

“With this event, we are hoping to get as many members who are still around, and people who have moved away to come in and celebrate the history of the club.”

Now in his second term as president of the club, Hamilton is excited to pay tribute to those who built the club.

“This club has been great for the cycling community, and we are really proud of what we have been able to do.

“It’s become very important to our community, and we look forward to paying tribute to those who helped build it.”

For more information on the reunion, please contact Corrina Jeffreys on 0427 530 118 or at corrinajeffreys@bigpond.com