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NEWS: IndyCycloplex partners with local high school

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Indiana’s First High School Bicycle Club Started at Providence Cristo Rey

08.16.2012 – courtesy of www.pcrhs.org

Providence Cristo Rey High School (PCRHS) in Indianapolis has partnered with Marian University Indianapolis (www.marian.edu) and the Indy Cycloplex to create a PCRHS cycling club to further the PCRHS mission of providing a transformational educational experience for its students. Marian University’s cycling team is the preeminent cycling program in the United States having won 18 national championships in three disciplines and dozens of other national and Midwestern cycling titles.

The PCRHS cycling club will have access to the Marian University cycling facilities, which are second to none in the country. Located at the Indy Cycloplex, the facilities include the historic Major Taylor Velodrome, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in August; Indiana’s first permanent cyclocross park; a national-caliber, newly renovated BMX track; and a training criterium course. The club will also benefit from the commitment and leadership of Dean Peterson, Marian’s head cycling coach and the executive director of the Indy Cycloplex, who will lead the team.

“The partnership exists to develop Indiana’s first high school cycling club registered with USA Cycling, the sport’s governing body,” said Peterson. “Together, we will develop a pipeline of cyclists coming out of Indianapolis and realize a more significant infrastructure to further the development of the sport of cycling in America. And, we can give students at Providence Cristo Rey an opportunity to ride and explore cycling as a sport which could open opportunities through college and beyond.”

The school’s Corporate Work Study partners, August Mack Environmental, Inc. and Shiel Sexton, Inc., are leading the effort to garner broad support among the school’s other corporate partners. On August 8 and 9, volunteers and approximately 70 new PCRHS students spent time at the Indy Cycloplex with Coach Peterson learning about opportunities in cycling and the Cycloplex venue. They also had the opportunity to ride track and cyclocross bikes—many for the first time. Nearly 30 students signed up for the new cycling club as a result of the experience.

Geoff Glanders, the CEO of August Mack Environmental, has been instrumental in assembling the human infrastructure necessary to make the idea of a high school club become a reality. As one of the school’s 53 Corporate Work Study partners, August Mack employs five PCRHS students.

“At the end of the day, it allows us to continue investing in our PCR student workers and facilitating their growth by emphasizing the life?long benefits of productive athletic pursuits, as well as the fellowship and community aspects of being on the team,” Glanders commented. “The program will also help to promote the integration of faith into daily life and provide a strong support system for the students, which is so important to both Providence Cristo Rey and Marian University.”

Masters Track Nationals 2012

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WRAP UP from Masters Track Nationals 2012 at the 7-Eleven in Colorado Springs

The following athletes who regularly train and race at the Major Taylor Velodrome posted results at Nationals:

Curtis Tolson - 1st, 45+ Madison; 2nd, 45-49 Pts Race; 3rd, 45-49 Omnium; 5th, 45-49 Pts Race; 5th, 45-49 Scratch

Curtis Tolson & Dean Peterson with Chris Carlson and Kenneth Williams  -  1st, 45+ Team Pursuit: new national record, 04:36.849!

Carl Grove - 1st, 80-84 Omnium; 1st, 80-84 2km TT; 1st, 80-84 Scratch; 1st, 80-84 Points; 1st, 80-84 500m TT

Dean Peterson - 5th, 45-49 3km TT

Jon Lazard - 2nd; 50-54 Scratch

Tom Lobdell - 3rd, 65-69 Pts Race; 4th, 65-69 Sprints; 5th, 65-69 Omnium

Lisa Giuffre - 3rd, 50-54 Sprints; 3rd, 50-54 500m TT; 4th, 50-54 Pts Race; 5th, 50-54 Omnium

 

All results, courtesy of USA Cycling here

 

 

Unveiling of BMX Track!

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Thanks to the efforts of many in the community and joined by Marian University President Daniel Elsener, we revealed the newly renovated BMX track to the public on Friday, June 22.

Many thanks to everyone who joined us for the event, including President Elsener and WTHR’s “The Sports Guy” Rich Nye. See his interview with Director Dean Peterson here:

 

Riders enjoy the newly-renovated track for the first time.

 

ICX Executive Director Dean Peterson speaks with the gathered BMX riders and community members before the ribbon cutting of the track.

 

Marian University President Daniel Elsener prepares to cut the ribbon of the track with Marian Cycling BMX recruit Justin Posey while Coach Peterson looks on.

 

Incoming Marian University Cycling Team BMX athlete Justin Posey speaks with WTHR's Rich Nye for a TV interview after riding the track for the first time.

 

BMX riders from the community negotiate turn 2 of the newly-renovated track for the first time.

 

 

 

BMX track build

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The BMX track build is in progress and looking great! More news and info to come – the track will be a sanctioned USA BMX track and will be available for regular use, including practice riding and racing. The renovation of the BMX track at the INDY CYCLOPLEX expands the two-wheeled options of the facility and promises to make the Cycloplex a popular regional destination!

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May 2012 – Indy Cycloplex in the news

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Right around the one year anniversary of Marian University’s partnership with the City of Indianapolis for the operation of the property at Lake Sullivan Sports Complex, the growth, renovation, and activity at the Cycloplex is beginning to gather attention. With the first summer race night at the Major Taylor Velodrome only a few weeks away, we’re excited that Indy cyclists are beginning to visit and use the facility.

The Major Taylor Velodrome has hosted many national events in its history, including, most recently, the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships in 2010 and 2011 (where ‘home team’ Marian University Cycling won the DI omnium titles). However, as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Pan-Am Games in Indianapolis, we remember that the Velodrome was one of 23 Indianapolis venues for those historic competitions. John Bridge, the Sports Commissioner for Cycling for the Pan Am Games, offers a reflection on cycling during the ’87 Games – check it out here.

Another story from local newsweekly NUVO provides a great overview of the growth of cycling in Indianapolis, including a mention of the Cycloplex facility and several athletes who train and race here on a regular basis. Thanks to NUVO for helping us get the word about about cycling in central Indiana! Read the article here.

 

Welcome to the Indy Cycloplex

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This is by no means a complete history of the Indy Cycloplex, nor the Lake Sullivan Sports Complex (LSSC) or Major Taylor Velodrome (MTV) which came before, but it’s a commentary on such and perhaps enough to provide insight as to how it came to be. So consider this a welcome and introduction to the Indy Cycloplex.

Then…

The year was 1982 – cassette tapes of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” turn inside Walkmans, a gallon of gas runs $.91, the smiley emoticon is created :-) , and the heart of the Lake Sullivan Sports Complex, the Major Taylor Velodrome, is constructed atop a White River flood plain in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis cycling community would be forever changed.

Just five year’s later (1987), the 333.3 concrete oval would host the tenth Pan American Games and the future looked so bright for the facility and the park. Yet three decades have since come and gone without much fanfare, but the potential remains.

And Now

Thirty years later and music can be had on a “cloud,” fuel per gallon is well north of $3.50, emoticons have become a language all their own, and the Major Taylor Velodrome has been revitalized to become the keystone in the LSSC’s host of cycling venues.

The return to glory for the MTV and the LSSC positions the pair as sleeping giants in the Circle City where the “Crossroads of America” are being outfitted with bike lanes, but this comeback hasn’t come by happenstance.

Enter Marian University, a LSSC neighbor and dynasty within the collegiate cycling scene. (Editor’s note: the MTV served as a catalyst for the creation of the MU cycling team 20 years ago.)

Marian’s cycling passion and vision, combined with the city’s growing two-wheeled interests have combined to transform the LSSC into the Indy Cycloplex. Of course, Marian has self-fulfilling interests in the facility as the Indy Cycloplex will serve as their training grounds, but their motivations are so much more.

The primary objective is to revive a city park, as Marian will act as a custodian on behalf of the city and the community of cyclists. Thus, the Indy Cycloplex is to become a two-wheeled haven for the disciplines of track, cyclocross, road, BMX and mountain biking that the entire community can enjoy.

The creation of the Indy Cycloplex makes relics like the LSSC and MTV a “new” resource for the cycling community again. And the unofficial epicenter of cycling for the greater Indianapolis community is open to bike riders of all ages, levels and experience.

Welcome to the Indy Cycloplex. Let’s ride!