Palmerston North has entered the strongest bid in the race to be the home of New Zealand’s Cycling Centre of Excellence.
The Palmerston North City Council, Massey University and Sport Manawatu are leading the project which would see a world class Velodrome as well as competition level Mountain biking and BMX tracks developed in the area. A formal expression of interest in the project was lodged with SPARC earlier this week.
"The bid has unanimous support from the local cycling community including the newly amalgamated Bike Manawatu, Mountain Biking Club and BMX. This development will be fantastic for all cyclists, building on the proud cycling history past and present that we have in the Manawatu" says leading cycling administrator Paul van Velthooven.
Paddy Clifford, the Chief Executive of the Palmerston North City Council, says that the partnership with Massey University provides the competitive advantage the city needs to bring the centre to the Manawatu.
“Massey University is an acknowledged world-leader in sports science. Co-locating the centre with Massey’s already phenomenal facilities gives New Zealanders the assurance they need that our cycling athletes will be given the best opportunity to take on the world and win.”
“We strongly believe that Palmerston North is the only location that makes sense. We’re central to the whole country, have easy access to domestic and international airports and our region could have been purpose built for cycling with a mix of undulating terrain and flat wide open spaces” says Mr Clifford.
“We are committed to bringing not just the Velodrome, but the whole New Zealand Cycling Centre of Excellence to Palmerston North.”
