Waikato schools take advantage of world class velodrome
Schools around the Waikato have begun their cycling season at the Avantidrome.
Schools from around the Waikato are pumped and ready to go with classes under way at Cambridge’s new velodrome.
The Home of Cycling was buzzing with life by 4 o’clock last Wednesday as students took to the fresh track in just their second week of training.
A variety of ages and abilities made up a Cambridge High School team as they weaved past one another on the 250m stretch.
Grant Ackerman, teacher and one of the cycling instructors for Cambridge High said there was a range of abilities in his cycling team.
“We have some people that have done a lot of track riding already amongst the group and we’ve got some others that are really good road riders who are just learning the track skills now.”
With classes already fully booked, the Avantidrome has approximately 700 riders coming through each week.
A wide range of ages and abilities make up the weekly number with school children all the way through to a 92-yearold cyclist who uses the track twice a week.
Joining Ackerman on the side of the track was Vicki Wade, a Cambridge High coach with cycling experience at national level.
Having cycled around the world, Wade compared the Avantidrome to arenas in Wales and Scotland.
“It’s very similar to the Newport velodrome in Wales, and not too dissimilar to the new track that they’ve built in Glasgow, Scotland.”
When asked why people should give cycling a go, Wade pointed towards the sport’s growth within New Zealand.
“Track cycling has been on the increase in popularity for a number of years and you see it at the Olympics, you see it at the Commonwealth Games, and cycling is a sport anyone can do.”
New Zealand has continued making noise within the sport bringing home five medals from the cycling world championships in February.
While schools have the tracked booked for classes once a week, members of the public are free to use the track after they complete a basic cycling class.
The track is available for unsupervised riding early morning, lunch time and late evenings.
St Paul’s Collegiate and Diocesan School for Girls joined the mix with their track teams in full gear at 5 o’clock last Wednesday.
A cycling instructor involved with the St Paul’s team, Ben Van Meygaarden, liked the attention the velodrome has been getting.
“Huge, huge interest, I mean people moving here and people trying it out, especially because you don’t have to have a bike, you can just pay a fee and come along.”
For Luka Ackerman, a year seven rider with the Cambridge team, learning something new is both exciting and scary, but when asked what the best part about cycling is, the short, simple answer said it all.
“Going fast around the track.”
For $15 cyclists get the track for an hour and are provided a coach, a helmet and a bike.
