Justice

Are Velodromes the Future of City Sports, or the Past?

Philly may take a chance on building a type of cycling arena that was immensely popular at the turn of the century, then all but abandoned.
A velodrome in Hannover, Germany, in 2007.Timothy Moe/Flickr

A "self-propelled roller coaster": That's how medalist racer Linsey Hamilton describes the velodrome in Blaine, Minnesota, a place that is important to her. Hamilton is an avid track racer: She won two bronze medals at the World ­Masters Track Cycling Championships earlier this year. Hamilton is one of several competitive cyclists produced by the Blaine velodrome.

Unfortunately, her primer on the velodrome comes at the end of a Minneapolis Star-Tribune story about how the Blaine velodrome—the only track-racing facility in the entire state—may be coming down.