By the numbers: A look at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre’s performance to date
Since it opened in January, the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ont. has set more than a few records. It’s the first — and the only — class 1 indoor velodrome in Canada for one, and along with the VELO Sports Centre in Los Angeles, it’s only the second of its kind to be built in North America. In its thus-far-short lifespan, the venue has already hosted two national and international-level events: the Canadian Track Championships and the Milton International Challenge, both back in January.
The third event is yet to come, and it’s the event for which the expansive, 1,500 seat facility was built: the 2015 Pan American Games this July, with the 2015 Parapan American Games following in August.
During both events, it won’t be known as the the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, but as the Cisco Milton Pan Am / Parapan Am Velodrome — and the numbers passing through its doors are anticipated to be huge. Capacity at the velodrome is expected to double for the Games. Until then, it’s the community athletic facility the town of Milton voted for back in 2012, noting the boon for local sports and recreation that it would represent. Crucially, it’s also a win for track cyclists nationwide, doing away entirely with the need to travel down to California just to train in a competition-caliber venue. The Mattamy National Cycling Centre, no doubt, is a game-changer for Canadian cycling.
Evaluating its success takes both into accounts: the Centre’s status as a high performance cycling facility, and its dual role as a community recreation centre. And on both fronts, the Centre appears to be living up to expectations.
As a high-performance cycling facility
In addition to the games already hosted at the facility, both the Canadian Cycling Association and the Ontario Cycling Association have made the Centre home in one way or another. Back in January, the CCA announced that the National Track Cycling Team would be making the facility their base for training. To date, the team has trained daily at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre, with plans for the facility to remain their home after the Pan Am Games are done. As well, the CCA uses a number of spaces at the facility as office space and storage. The Ontario Cycling Association, meanwhile, bases all their administrative activities out of the venue’s office space on the first floor, with provincial track cycling programs also making use of the facility.
The Canadian Sports Institute – Ontario has a significant presence at the Centre, too. Supporting the CCA’s track cyclists, the Institute houses amenities for weight training, testing, physiotherapy, nutritional counseling, and other services.
As a community recreation facility
In the community, the Centre continues to enjoy an enthusiastic, positive response from neighbours — and the hard numbers show it. In the three months since opening its doors, 3,222 people have registered for the venue’s various cycling programs, with 553 others on waiting lists. 5,390 visits to drop-in cycling programs have been recorded, 300 annual cycling members have signed up, and 3,071 bikes have been rented for use. Its available bike lockers, too, are completely sold out.
Beyond the cycling that’s obviously the brightest point in the Centre’s athletic constellation, other track events are also hosted at Mattamy. Taking these into account, 958 walking and jogging track members have registered, and 150 fitness memberships have been sold. The municipality’s other athletic programs have made over 1,000 hours worth of use of the Centre’s gym, too, with community basketball, volleyball, badminton, soccer and baseball being the main activities.
Once the Games are over and the facility re-opens to the public, these trends are expected to continue, the Centre said.
