Major Taylor Velodrome

The Major Taylor Velodrome is an outdoor, concrete velodrome in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., named for 1899 cycling world champion Major Taylor. The 333.34 m (364.55 yd) track with 28 degree banked turns and 9 degree straights. The Velodrome is located immediately north from Marian University campus and is the home track of the 41-time USA Cycling National Champion Marian University Cycling Team.

Major Taylor Velodrome
Racing at Major Taylor Velodrome in 2014
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Coordinates39°49′17.2″N 86°11′57.7″W
OwnerCity of Indianapolis
OperatorMarian University
Field size333.34 m (364.55 yd) track
SurfaceConcrete
OpenedJuly 1982
Website
www.indycycloplex.com

The velodrome was opened in July 1982 for the U.S. Olympic Festival.[1] It was built at a cost of 2.5 million dollars.[2] It was a facility required to host that year's National Sports Festival, with money coming from a partnership between the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Department and the Lilly Endowment. It was the first building built with public money in Indianapolis to be named after an African American. The proposal to name the facility for Taylor came initially from Tom Healy, a writer for the Indianapolis News, who contacted Taylor's daughter, Sidney Taylor Brown. The two advocated among the city's business community and Mayor William H. Hudnut III.[3]

It has played host to many national and international competitions, including cycling events of the 1987 Pan American Games,[4] USA Cycling's Collegiate Track National Championships in 2003, 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2017, and USA Cycling's Masters Track National Championships in 2005, 2013, and 2016. In May 2011, Marian University took over operation of the Velodrome property, known as the Indy Cycloplex, which includes a BMX track, mountain bike trails, cyclocross course, and public green space. In the years following the shift of operation, the facility has focused on promoting youth health and fitness as well as the continuous development in the sport of competitive cycling. Weekly & daily programming takes place on the Velodrome from April through September, including a Thursday night race series, the Major Taylor Racing League.

References
  1. Gray, Ralph D. (2003). IUPUI—the Making of an Urban University. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-253-34242-3.
  2. Arthur L. Johnston (1995). Minor League Baseball and Local Economic Development. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06502-6. p. 66.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2013-11-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Pan Am Games Schedule". United Press International, Inc. July 29, 1987. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
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