U.S. National Cycling Team Racing into Frisco, Texas

FRISCO, TX March 2, 2004--Many of America's most promising track racers will spend nearly two months training in Frisco, Texas starting this month. Andrzej ("on-Jay") Beck, Head Coach of the U.S. Olympic Cycling Team, has selected the Superdrome as the spring training camp for the U.S. National Track Cycling Team. The athletes are preparing for elite-level national and international competitions, including the 2004 Olympics.

Coach Beck believes the Superdrome is the ideal training venue because it is similar to velodromes around the world where American athletes will compete, including the Olympic Velodrome in Athens, Greece. "The Superdrome in Frisco is one of the best tracks in the world," Coach Beck said. "We are fortunate to have this velodrome in the United States." The Superdrome has global recognition as one of the fastest outdoor low-altitude tracks in the world. Like the Olympic Velodrome, it has a circumference of 250 meters and corners banked at nearly 45-degrees.

The team, comprised of fifteen athletes, coaches, and bicycle mechanics, will arrive March 15th and remain in Frisco until May 5th. During that time they will train at the Superdrome facility and also on surrounding North Texas roads. The public is invited to attend training sessions and a training schedule is forth coming.

"These are some of the fastest track cyclists in the world, and some of them will probably represent the United States in Athens this summer," tells Tim Goodwin, a World Masters Track Champion and president of Frisco Cycling Club. "Watching them train and compete at the Superdrome may be as close as most people ever get to the Olympics."

Several competitive events will be held at the Superdrome during the training camp. These include the UCI Track World Cup Qualifier, April 29-May 1, which serves as a qualifying event for the UCI Track World Cup in Sydney, Australia (May 14-16). The Paralympic Team Track Trials will also be held April 30-May 2 for disabled athletes hoping to compete in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, August 20-25.

Following the 2004 Summer Olympics, America's top track cyclists will return to the Superdrome to compete in the United States Elite Track Championships, September 7-11.

The Superdrome is located in Frisco, Texas on the Preston Ridge Campus of Collin Country Community College. It has been host to numerous national and international cycling events including the Olympic Trials in 2000. The facility was closed in 2002 due to lack of funding for needed renovations and on-going maintenance, but was reopened a year later after being renovated by the Frisco Cycling Club and local volunteers. The wood track surface has recently been repainted and upgraded in advance of the spring training camp.

For additional information about the Superdrome visit www.superdrome.com. For U.S. National Cycling Team information please visit www.usacycling.org.

Media contact:       
Tim Goodwin
President, Frisco Cycling Club
(972) 523-9452 or tmg10@msn.com




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