Franconia cyclists and their fans still need a lot of patience

Nuremberg – „As mixed as the weather is today, the realisation of our Nuremberg Velodrome is unfortunately dragging on. We have experienced some ups and also many downs in the last few years“. With these words, Andreas Zentara, the 1st chairman of the „Verein-Sportplatz“ greeted the numerous guests of honour and athletes on the grounds of the future indoor cycling track on Schreiberhauer Straße in Nuremberg-Moorenbrunn.

„I would have preferred a ground-breaking ceremony today,“ said CSU faction leader Andreas Krieglstein, who, representing Mayor Markus König, presented the certificate with the building permit for the Velodrome to Andreas Zentara. Krieglstein assured: “ The City of Nuremberg will continue to promote and support the Velodrome project with all its possibilities“. This was again promised by Sebastian Brehm, member of the German Bundestag, Jochen Kohler, member of the Landtag, and Dr. Klemens Gsell, former mayor of Nuremberg, to whom Andreas Zentara thanked warmly for their commitment so far.

Franconia’s political celebrities unanimously assured the Free State of Bavaria and the Nuremberg City Council of their continued support for the construction of the sports facility in the near future. One of the hurdles is the purchase of the 24000 square meter large property, which the city of Nuremberg will take over from the Free State. „Negotiations on the final purchase price are well underway“, was the commentary. However, the forecast is still less rosy with regard to the overall construction financing. This should be subsidized by the state and the federal government together with 9 million each, another seven million are available from the sale of the former racetrack at Richelsdorfer Keller. The final allocation of the necessary funds is expected to be decided on in the fall by the Ministry of the Interior in Berlin and the Bavarian State Parliament.

Erik Weisspfenning, Vice-President of the Association of German Cyclists, emphasized that it is not only Bavaria’s cyclists who urgently need a new velodrome. He made it clear: „The BDR was by no means in favor of a performance center in Cologne and thus against one in Nuremberg. We want and need both sports facilities, but for the time being only Cologne was approved. Of course we are still fighting for Nuremberg“. Sebastian Brehm, the CSU’s spokesman for budgetary policy in the Bundestag, found the appropriate closing words: „None of us will let up until we have the Velodrome and until I have taken a ride in the Velodrome!

Manfred M a r r